Apollo XP95 Fire Alarm Beacon Base, Red Flash with Isolator 45681-333APO

What this beacon base does

This Apollo base gives a flashing light at a detector position, using the same loop wiring and no separate power supply. It goes where a standard base would go.

It is meant for enclosed areas, so think of it as a local visual alert. A person in the room sees the flash, with or without a detector above it.

How it works

• Polling: the panel normally talks to the base at its own individual address.
• Groups: a group address lets one command switch several bases at once. A unit under group control returns no data on that address, so the panel checks them individually.
• Keeping time: Apollo recommends the control panel sets the synchronisation address at regular intervals, which aligns the clocks in each base.

Where to use it

IP21C is a low rating for moisture and dust, so use it in clean, dry indoor rooms. The polycarbonate body is white and flame-retardant, with a translucent diffuser that spreads the light.

A visual alarm device relied on as the main warning, for example for people who cannot hear a sounder, is normally specified to EN 54-23. Check the approvals you need against the unit's documentation before relying on this base for that, and raise it with whoever designs the system.

What the figures mean in practice

• Address limits: addresses 1 to 111 are the safe range when group addressing is in use, because the higher addresses are reserved for groups.
• Loop load: the quiescent and operated currents go into your loop calculation, and the flash adds to the load when several bases run at once.
• Polarity: polarity sensitive means the two loop wires must go on the right way round.

Planning your system

The job also needs a detector or a cap on top, plus a control panel speaking a protocol this base accepts. In most installations, loop design decides how many isolators and bases a loop can carry.

See the wider Apollo range for detectors and accessories on the same protocol family, and check each against your panel before ordering.

Standards explained

• EN54-17: the standard for short-circuit isolators, which applies to the isolator in this base.
• CPR: the Construction Products Regulation, which covers fire safety products built into buildings.