Tynetec Advent xt Standard Intercom with PA, Assisted Living ZXT206

What this intercom is for

In an assisted living scheme, each dwelling usually has a unit that links the resident to help. This Tynetec intercom does that job on an Advent xt system, much as a nurse call unit does in a care home.

The PA in the name stands for public address. It lets a site manager speak to every dwelling at once, which a standard intercom cannot do.

How it works

• Network: each unit loops in and out of a shared cable back to the controller, and carries both data and speech.
• Voice switched: the audio direction changes with whoever is speaking, so the resident does not need to press anything to talk.
• Address: the DIL switches give each unit its own number, set in sequence starting from the lowest flat number on the site.
• Announcements: the PA amplifier feeds a separate pair of cores, so PA adds to the wiring as well as to the unit.

Where to use it

Fit one in each dwelling, somewhere central, so speech is clear across the home. Its IP20 rating and 0°C to +40°C range mean dry, heated rooms.

For other rooms, add ceiling pullcords on the auxiliary input. The system also accepts 169MHz radio devices where wiring would be awkward.

What the figures mean in practice

• Current per unit: 2mA in standby and 10mA when active, the figures to use with the voltage drop check on long cable runs.
• PA grouping: plan a separate network leg and amplifier for each group of 80 intercoms, so larger sites need more than one.
• Relay output: its one N/O contact is rated 30V DC @ 1A, so use it for low voltage signalling and not mains.

Installing it

• Cable entry: bring the network cable in at the top or through the rear cut-out wherever possible, because entry from below may foul the cord.
• Before the front goes on: set the address and options DIL switches and the three jumper links.
• Pullcord end of line: a normally open pullcord circuit needs a 4K7 resistor for monitoring. A normally closed circuit does not.

Planning your system

This unit needs an Advent xt controller. If PA is wanted, every dwelling has to take a PA intercom, and the ZXT155 amplifier is ordered separately.

Activity monitoring, away mode and intruder mode all rely on an optional PIR detector, which has to be a 12V DC type with a normally closed relay output. An additional power supply may be required.

Smoke detectors are supplied by others, and should be mains powered types with integral standby battery and a normally open relay output. Take any fire safety decision with whoever holds the fire strategy for the building.

New sites should be cabled in 6 pair CW1308. Check existing cable has the pairs that PA needs before reusing it.

Standards and ratings explained

• IP20: the 2 means protection against objects over 12.5mm. The 0 means no protection against water.
• UL 94 V-0: a flammability test rating for plastics. V-0 is a rating for material that stops burning quickly once a test flame is removed.