Can Your Fire System Do This?

13 Jan 2020

The diagnostic features of fire panels that can save you time, money and hassle…

Fire detection and alarm systems are increasingly complex and sophisticated, benefiting from cutting-edge digital technology. As a fire alarm engineer installing, servicing and/or commissioning such technology, it can be hard to keep on top of your electrical skills and the latest regulations / local installation standards, let alone the many different panels’ features.  

Any given day could see the typical fire engineer conducting a wide range of differing tasks – from diagnosing and remedying open/short circuits, earth or intermittent faults, to commissioning a new networked system in line with standards and project specification.

Despite many fire engineers being highly trained, skilled and experienced, without the right tools at their disposal the process of undertaking these routine tasks can be challenging and time-consuming.

Thankfully, the features of today’s fire panels offer tangible benefits to engineers and end users alike, by delivering versatility, ease of use and time-saving capabilities that were previously unavailable.


Standard logging versus trace-logging


Upon arriving at a site with a suspected system fault, one of the first things to do to troubleshoot the problem is refer to the fire panel’s log. In this state, a high-quality system can quickly flag any system faults – within seconds in some cases.

Although useful, standard logging gives only one part of the picture and provides minimal help in cases where the cause of the problem is not straightforward.

Trace-logging mode is a feature of some modern fire panels that lets users see a more complete log of a fire system’s events covering the standard fire, faults, alarms and pre alarms as well as more advanced diagnostic reports on corrupt data and device interrupts. This more detailed view of all the faults on a system can radically reduce the time it takes to establish the true cause of the problem, allowing you to implement a quick, effective remedy.

Another important factor to consider is how easy the panel’s menus are to navigate – and some interfaces prove easier to use than others. Advanced’s trace-logging mode has been developed with the engineer in mind. The need to navigate and decipher options from complicated menu structures has been removed. In addition, the data is delivered in easy-to-understand format to help minimise the risk of misinterpreting information and enabling you to diagnose problems with greater accuracy.

The process of fault-finding can be significantly more difficult when working with a fire alarm control panel that doesn’t feature a diagnostic logging mode. These panels may register a number of intermittent faults coming and going, but not necessarily offer any further traceability to these events. Commonly where a fire panel has a limited ability to trace a fault, issues within a system can go un-remedied for long periods of time, placing the safety of occupants within a building or a site at risk.

Some fire systems give you the ability to transfer the panel’s event log to a PC where you can then use software, such as the Service Tool on Advanced’s MxPro panels, to drill down into specific events and information. Integrated software allows you to easily identify particular devices that are returning corrupt messages, and even lets you predict when faults are likely to occur. Once a problematic device or area has been identified, you are then able to investigate.

The oscilloscope

An oscilloscope is a vital tool when commonly dealing with the installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire systems. A scope reading can help diagnose faults by identifying the areas of a site where problems are coming from.

In cases where you are working across large sites – such as university campuses, tall buildings or hospital settings – identifying disturbances on a loop can prove labour-intensive and time-consuming. Carrying additional equipment through multiple departments, floors or wings of a development in order to set up at a different panel each time, makes the job of pinpointing faults more taxing.

An oscilloscope, built in to the fire alarm control panel, will not only relieve you of having to carry around additional equipment, but also provides a graphical representation of the signalling voltages/currents and waveforms on the display. In this way, you get a detailed view of the loop operational conditions which can’t be seen using multimeters or volt meters.  

As the only intelligent addressable fire alarm control panel in the world to offer an onboard oscilloscope, Advanced’s MxPro 5 provides readings from any loop at the panel, making it easy to identify forms of noise that may be causing faults. The oscilloscope feature also lets you easily use trigger-addresses from the loop to identify issues and investigate – a particularly useful feature on large sites with multiple panel networks.

The multimeter

A high-performance fire panel will provide you with powerful tools that enable you to quickly and efficiently access information in order to make key decisions. A multimeter is an instrument designed to take precise measurements of electric current, voltage and usually resistance across the system.

On a well-designed system, all devices have the optimum voltage in order to be able to communicate back to the panel. However, if that voltage drops below a certain level, devices can drop off the system or report intermittent faults.

Uniquely, Advanced’s MxPro 5 fire alarm control panels come with an in-built multimeter designed to measure all voltages and currents across the fire alarm system. For engineers, a multimeter within the fire panel makes it easy to identify voltage/current levels in real time without needing to set up a portable multimeter or probing circuits, which speeds up the commissioning process.

Network diagnostics

In large-scale sites, a network of fire panels is the most effective means of protecting life and property. Where a networked system is installed, the most common installation problems are open/short circuit conditions, reversals in wiring or poor termination.

An effective network diagnostics tool, such as that within Advanced’s MxPro control panels allows you to view all CIE node status and access levels in real time. In levels 1 and 2 the CIE will be operating in normal condition, whereas in level 3 the CIE will be in commissioning. In this level the control panel will be isolated while work takes place, preventing fires and faults from being transmitted across the network.

In addition, the network diagnostic tool has been developed to identify reverse ring faults in systems that consist of one or more fibre optic links, something that is increasingly common across installations.

Conclusion - what next for diagnostics?

Understanding the tools and built-in features of the fire panel that effectively help fire engineers to install, commission, diagnose faults and repair a system can save significant time and money. This knowledge in turn helps to ensure the long-term safety of occupants within a building.

As technology evolves, and the fire panel continues to develop, Advanced predicts that we will continue to see a trend towards more digitally-driven products and remote services. These will provide commissioning engineers and system integrators with a more global view of the systems they’re responsible for servicing and maintaining.

As the fire industry moves increasingly towards cloud communications and data analytics, the automatic generation of service reports, the remote control of panels and the ability to put zones in and out of test from a web / mobile app will likely become commonplace. These developments will see systems becoming smarter than we’ve ever seen before.

Advanced
Website
Email Us
T: 0845 894 7000

Advanced Electronics Ltd
The Bridges
Balliol Business Park
NE12 8EW
Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear
United Kingdom

Advanced

Advanced where at stand FI.1837 on the 16-18 May 2023 at the ExCeL London where the co-located IFSEC, FIREX, Facilities Show and Safety & Health Expo events took place!

MxPro 5 high performance fire panels
Product

MxPro 5 high performance fire panels

Our robust and reliable Advanced MxPro 5 addressable fire panels are known and trusted for their exceptional performance, quality and ease of use.

Available in a variety of formats and compatible with the leading device brands, the Advanced MxPro 5 offers highly adaptable features for maximum fr...

View product page

Go single-loop fire panel
Product

Go single-loop fire panel

This single-loop non-networkable fire alarm panel is fast to fit, quick to configure and easy to use without compromising on safety. It includes premium features from our MxPro 5 range and is ideal for protecting smaller sites.

Go is compatibile with three leading detector protocols to g...

View product page

AlarmCalm false alarm management
Product

AlarmCalm false alarm management

AlarmCalm is a powerful, flexible false fire alarm management solution that’s simple to install and easy to configure.

Available on the MxPro 5, Go, AxisGo and Axis EN range of panels, AlarmCalm is easy to configure – even for sites with complicated cause and effect. Intuitive software allows ...

View product page

EvacGo evacuation alert system
Product

EvacGo evacuation alert system

EvacGo helps you meet the BS 8629 code of practice recommendations and is designed to support safe evacuation of tall residential buildings by the fire and rescue services.

We make each EvacGo panel using EN54 Parts 2 and 4-approved components from our industry-leading MxPro 5 range. Each...

View product page

LuxIntelligent emergency lighting range
Product

LuxIntelligent emergency lighting range

Our emergency lighting range includes our LuxIntelligent automatic light testing panel with remote monitoring.  This makes it easy to test your lights and automates compliance and maintenance planning.

We also offer a wide range of standalone LED luminaires and exit signs including ...

View product page

ExGo gas suppression system
Product

ExGo gas suppression system

ExGo provides a simple, dependable solution to complex fire protection problems in high-risk sites. The gas suppression system works by reducing oxygen content to extinguish a fire, avoiding expensive water damage.

Combining precision engineering with flexible design options and ease of ...

View product page

AdvancedLive remote management
Product

AdvancedLive remote management

AdvancedLive is the fire panel monitoring solution that enables secure, easy, real-time management of your fire system – anytime, anywhere, on any internet-enabled device, so you can enjoy greater fire safety peace of mind.

A clear dashboard simplifies day-to-day fire panel monitoring, w...

View product page

[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Close
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT ADVANCED
* Oops!
* Oops!
* Oops!
* Oops!
* Oops!
I have read, understood and consent to your Privacy Policy
* sorry this is a required field
MESSAGE SENT!

Thanks for using IFSEC Global Directory,

Your enquiry has been sent to the selected companies, they will be in contact shortly.