Oldest Panel

[mickfrombosch]

For me could have been a mumford & white CPC4 or a Securitech MA5 (Any ex Britannia engineers out there?) Used to use A&G for my early PJ's. I hear people say it was easier in those days, in terms of nice low tech, easy standards (as aposed to pd6662/dd243) BUT, remember lace wiring vaults, foiling shopfronts and making T&B frames AGGGHHHHH!!!!

[mickfrombosch]

Reassuring to know there are still people that know how to do it! I once made about 6 of them, in a nice big warehouse, loads of space to knock them up, then went to mount them on the windows, (in another room) and couldnt get them through the door!! Had to redo the lot!!

we fitted a t&b frame to an outbuilding window a couple of weeks ago, hardest bit..finding insulated staples!

[arfur mo]

we fitted a t&b frame to an outbuilding window a couple of weeks ago, hardest bit..finding insulated staples!

blimey james,

i thought i'd be the only one to remember using saddle (insulated) staples.

companie's stopped using them in the '70s in favour of 1/2" galvenised. i always thought it was a backwards step . the 'logic' aplied being the insulated saddle could allow the cable to slip instead of break.

the amount of earths, shorts and rots, thus false alarms that would have been avoided had we all stuck with saddled one's far outweighed this risk imo .

BS.4737 then decided in its great wisdom we needed to use nylon insulated posts and screws for concealed anchors in stead of the 1/4" rubber gromet and 1 1/2" black japan screw .

i know securitas used their T28 cable tackers for laced wire stapling - oh dear oh dear!

regs

alan

[Guest]

Wots laced wiring

OMG, and you are an 'old hand' alarm engineer?

Time to go back to school I think.

Did you not se the grin behind the question?

sorry forgot to reply to this.

Next lesson is window foil and straight lines.

[james.wilson]

straight lines? whats this

[whistle]

Do you remember the realy old mats that had a tarton cover on them.

I serviced loads of dry cell systems over my time the one's with the end of line flag battery with a diode fitted to them, all well over 30 years old. It had a green lamp on the front that lit up when you pressed the test button if all was clear.

The whole house would be run in brown twin a + loop and a - loop in the same cable mats caused a shot and doors went on on of the loops.

F,in nightmare to find a fault.

[arfur mo]

Next lesson is window foil and straight lines.

woa! there old hand,

don't give away all our secrets - or they'll be putting external sirens up plumb next - OMG! you coulds start a rash!

always loved the lazy gits who left the masking tape on the windows, and those who used permanant markers when setting out

regs

alan

[arfur mo]

Do you remember the realy old mats that had a tarton cover on them.

I serviced loads of dry cell systems over my time the one's with the end of line flag battery with a diode fitted to them, all well over 30 years old. It had a green lamp on the front that lit up when you pressed the test button if all was clear.

The whole house would be run in brown twin a + loop and a - loop in the same cable mats caused a shot and doors went on on of the loops.

F,in nightmare to find a fault.

the ist alarms i worked were all oc button contacts in the hinged side of the door, no anti tamper and no limit to numbers of them or pad's either.

the times i have spent on tracing the foil type pads where someone dropped a dressmakers pin or needle which then penetrated the sleeve and shorted the plates. the hoover would reposition them too, once the plastic went brittle.

i made a 'crasher' which was initially a simple monastable designed and used for intermittent loop testing, i then modified it to pick up fast shorts on o/c's. i'd attach it to the pair and walk into each room, jump in the air or stamp the floor. the bleep would sense and extend the signal of the short the client was also convinced, and could not the chair was not on the mat for instance, saved untold hours of carpet lifting, and seeing my 'mad genius act' they tended to sign on the dotted line no trouble

regs

alan

Edited August 19, 2006 by arfur mo

[binthere]

Hi to all,

I was recently called to an address which seemed familiar, when i got there i remembered that it was my first installation as an engineer. The alarm panel was a Metal ADE Logic 4 ( for the newer engineers, yes they used to make them from metal......)

To my surprise it was still going strong.. no problems at all, just needed the back up battery changing.

No matter how much i tried, the couple refused to upgrade, all this new fangled technology is not for them...

I just wondered what is the other installers first panels were???

Great forum love reading the topics ...

Very interesting, I wish I was that young the first panel I fitted was Rely a Bell panel in 1970 the actual panel was wired with anti tamper wire, all windows and door's were wired the 'old way' it was really hard work the back up battery was an Ever Ready type battery, the alarm was connected to a TYPE of dialling machine that had a specially made record placed on a turrntable which sent a message to the Police, there was also another type of Police calling device that went direct to the local 24 hour manned Police Station where we had access to test, at the Police Station there was banks of switches that activated when signalled the switch relay went down an an audible signal was heard the Police Officer then checked the numbered switch and dispatched a Police car.

Believe me this is true even I often wonder if all that really did happen after what we have now days.

All I can say is 'it did work'

I must admit things are slightly!! different the Police were helpful and if we were required to Reset a system (the record) we would get a Police escort, as they normally wanted to get back quickly to their game of snooker at the Police Station.

Binthere

[arfur mo]

Hi to all,

I was recently called to an address which seemed familiar, when i got there i remembered that it was my first installation as an engineer. The alarm panel was a Metal ADE Logic 4 ( for the newer engineers, yes they used to make them from metal......)

To my surprise it was still going strong.. no problems at all, just needed the back up battery changing.

No matter how much i tried, the couple refused to upgrade, all this new fangled technology is not for them...

I just wondered what is the other installers first panels were???

Great forum love reading the topics ...

Very interesting, I wish I was that young the first panel I fitted was Rely a Bell panel in 1970 the actual panel was wired with anti tamper wire, all windows and door's were wired the 'old way' it was really hard work the back up battery was an Ever Ready type battery, the alarm was connected to a TYPE of dialling machine that had a specially made record placed on a turrntable which sent a message to the Police, there was also another type of Police calling device that went direct to the local 24 hour manned Police Station where we had access to test, at the Police Station there was banks of switches that activated when signalled the switch relay went down an an audible signal was heard the Police Officer then checked the numbered switch and dispatched a Police car.

Believe me this is true even I often wonder if all that really did happen after what we have now days.

hi binthere,

i'm not sure your memory serves you to well mate, especially about the 12 volt battery. rely-a-bell was 5 qs flags in the panel and 3 x 'O' cells end of line. Burgots had an EverReady HP1 as standby as it was a 12 volt system.

the PIU (Police Indicator Unit) was fitted to the local police station. a high security 'balanced' version came out later which had 8 channels and had to be 'tuned' both ends - nightmare for service in electrical storms if lightning bolt hit the manhole outside the main police station - which it did 3 times over one easter weekend at Southend - and i was on call.

the '999' you speak of which were 12 volt battery operated was called an 'RG' or 'RE' , one version had line fault sensing, a good clump on the catch side of the case used to send the arm across the record and cancel the call

servicing was a bit 'brutal' in those days B) .

regs

alan