Apollo Discovery Fire Alarm Base Sounder, Red Flash Visual Indicator, 95 dB(A) 58002-351APO

What this base sounder does

A base sounder sits between the ceiling base and the detector, so one position can detect fire, sound the alarm and show a light. This saves a separate sounder at that point.

This Apollo model adds a red flash to the sound. EN 54-23 is the standard for visual alarm devices. This light is a visual indicator, so do not count it as one in a design that needs them unless Apollo's documentation confirms that approval.

How it works

• Loop control: the panel can address it individually, in groups or globally, and it reports its status back. These features are panel dependent.
• Tone pairs: each pair has an evacuation tone, and a secondary tone that may be used for alerting or warning of a possible evacuation. The tone is selected during commissioning.
• Protocol: a protocol is the digital language shared by a panel and its devices, so both must match.

Where to use it

It suits ceiling positions on an addressable system where a sounder is wanted at or near a detector. The operating range is -20ºC to +70ºC, with no condensation or icing.

The approved rating is IP21C, so treat it as an indoor device unless the design allows otherwise. Apollo's higher IP34 figure applies below ceiling level only, with a detector or cap fitted and the grub screw engaged.

What the figures mean in practice

• Current changes with volume: the draw runs from 3.3 mA at volume 1 up to 8.65 mA at volume 7. Use the figure for the level you set in your loop calculation.
• Bottom two volumes: volumes 1 and 2 are not EN 54-3 approved, so do not rely on them where the system must meet that standard.
• Nominally 95 dB(A) at 1m: sound drops with distance and through doors, so measure the level in the rooms it serves.

Installing it

• Address card: the base takes an XPERT Universal Address Card, with addresses from 1 to 126.
• Setting volume at the device: with the panel in set-up, the engineer walks from one device to the next with a magnetic wand, then saves the settings on the panel.
• Grub screw: engage it, or the IP ratings are not achieved.

Planning your system

The job also needs an XPERT 8 Base, an address card, and either an Apollo addressable detector or a base cap. All are separate parts.

The housing is white. A black body version exists under a different part number, so this code is not the one for a dark ceiling.

Standards and ratings explained

• EN 54-3: the EN standard for fire alarm sounders. Only some tone pairs are EN54-3 compliant, so check the tone list in Apollo's documentation and choose from those where it matters.
• EN 54-17: the EN standard for short-circuit isolators.
• IP21C: the 2 means protection against objects the size of a finger, and the 1 means protection against dripping water.