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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment. |
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17th Oct 2022, 10:06 am | #1 |
Octode
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Welshpool, Powys, Wales
Posts: 1,325
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Automated Fire Alarm help please?
OK, so this is something a bit different and wasn't sure which section to put it in but as it plays a record I am going to put it here...
This is a 1960's/1970's automated fire alarm that played a record. Does anyone know who made it, how to connect it up etc? It's a fascinating bit of kit and I have sampled the record I have for it and posted it to my YouTube. Link below. https://youtu.be/9DcmNH2plA8
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33, 45, 78, around and around they go...
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17th Oct 2022, 10:52 am | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 3,315
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
A shop I worked in during the early 60's had a similar recorded message player connected to the intruder alarm. It connected to the phone line and dialed the 999 number using the old pulse system and then announced that the shop had intruders on the premises, the message repeated several times just in case the call was not picked up quickly. Your one looks like a more upmarket one with a die-cast turntable. The arm used to sit just above the disc and dropped when the turntable was set in motion by a pin that knocked the arm rest away after one rotation.
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17th Oct 2022, 12:20 pm | #3 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK.
Posts: 1,515
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
A fire at a gun factory was obviously serious enough to warrant spending the money on this system!
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17th Oct 2022, 12:32 pm | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,191
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
It somewhat similar to a burglar alarm autodialer made by Burgot that I restored a few months back. I've put some photos of my unit in my flickr account here :
https://www.***********/photos/tony_d...77720302948721 The turntable on mine runs at 33rpm or so, but it appears to need a standard groove record, the stylus skates over a normal microgroove one. I've attached a reverse-engineered circuit of my unit. |
17th Oct 2022, 12:43 pm | #5 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK.
Posts: 1,515
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
Wow, amazing that they were apparently still using this technology in 1976! One would have thought a tape based solution would've taken over by then.
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17th Oct 2022, 1:05 pm | #6 | |
Octode
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Welshpool, Powys, Wales
Posts: 1,325
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
Hi Tony,
That remarkably similar! Mine has a lot more terminals and the main board from what I can see looks completely different but the turntable is identical and the drive section for the arm automation so could have a shared pedigree. The box is also the same and also the key hole for the arm/disarm switch too. Thank you so much for this. Quote:
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33, 45, 78, around and around they go...
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17th Oct 2022, 1:08 pm | #7 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
Posts: 690
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
I used to service these units in he 70's when I was a burglar alarm engineer. They were connected to a standard telephone line & used to dial 999 then transmit a pre recorded message via the GPO Operator i.e.FIRE FIRE FIRE This is an automatic alarm reporting from [tel. no]. Fire at Acme Toys, 100 High Street, Anytown AA01 0AO.... Stand by for repeat.
The Fire & Police emergency services banned these types of units in the early 80's when other DIGITAL COMMUNICATORS became available that transmitted the alarm to a private monitoring centre who in turn notified the emergency services. Tape machines with same features were also deployed at the time. The choice of Record or Tape was dependent upon which company maintained the alarm system. These unit is of little use now although the wooden cabinets often made good toolboxes for us engineers whenever they were swapped out. Rog |
18th Oct 2022, 7:14 am | #8 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 986
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
Quote:
We had to install and link them to the intruder alarm, then wait at least 14 days before the dialler was linked to the ‘phone line. Then we had to carry out an audible test by arranging a test call with the local Police Station. They always commented that the audio could be louder! SimonT.
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18th Oct 2022, 4:36 pm | #9 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
Posts: 2,196
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
Rog
Quote:
Martin
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18th Oct 2022, 7:15 pm | #10 | ||
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
Posts: 690
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
Simon / Martin,
Most of the grizzles I got from the police were when the endless loop tapes ran at the wrong speed. Another issue was dialect because they were sometimes recorded out of the county. The worst one I had was for an alarm in a village called Sileby [pronounced: Sile Bee] but was recorded as Sillerby ! In the heyday I could be live testing five or more 999 units a day. Nice to know Simon that there are some of us still around.. they were happy days. Rog Quote:
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19th Oct 2022, 7:02 am | #11 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 986
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
Rog, if I remember correctly the autodiallers we installed were Ademco units......I could well be wrong though.
Simon.
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The honesty of imperfection.......... |
19th Oct 2022, 7:49 pm | #12 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
Posts: 690
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Re: Automated Fire Alarm help please?
Hi Simon,
The 999 dialler's I remember were AES (endless loop), Lowe, Munford & White (both 8 track cartridge) I remember Ademco but only as a digicom.. early ones were unique in as much that the ARC receiver number was programmed by inserting screws onto a pcb matrix. Later ones had a pre programmed eprom. Aah...You take me back to great days & even better career. Rog |