FAQs

For detailed information on installation, please search for the product you are enquiring for and review the installation guide available in the downloads section. 

Ionisation (ionization) smoke detector

The sensing part of the detector consists of two chambers - an open, outer chamber and a semi-sealed reference chamber within. Mounted in the reference chamber is a low activity radioactive foil of Americium 241 which enables current to flow between the inner and outer chambers when the detector is powered up. As smoke enters the detector, particles become attached to the ions, causing a reduction in current flow in the outer chamber and hence an increase in voltage measured at the junction between the two chambers. The voltage increase is monitored by the electronic circuitry which triggers the detector into the alarm state at a preset threshold. An externally visible red LED lights up when the detector changes to alarm state.

Ionisation smoke detectors are good general-purpose detectors which respond well to fast-burning (flaming) fires and are widely used for property protection.

Integrating ionisation smoke detector

Available in the Series 60 and Series 65 ranges, this type of detector works on the same principles as the ionisation smoke detector, but has modified signal processing circuitry which allows an alarm threshold to be present for up to 20 seconds without initiating an alarm.

This type of detector is suitable for use in areas where transient high levels of smoke may be expected.

Integrating effect in analogue addressable systems

In XP95 systems, the integrating effect can be mimicked in both ionisation and optical smoke detectors by adjusting the control equipment software to cause an appropriate delay. Discovery smoke detectors should be set to Mode 2 or Mode 4 to achieve this effect.

Optical (photo-electric) smoke detector

Optical smoke detectors incorporate a pulsing infra-red LED located in a chamber within the housing of the detector. The chamber is designed to exclude light from any external source. At an angle to the LED is a photo-diode which normally does not register the column of light emitted by the LED. In the event of smoke from a fire entering the chamber, the light pulse from the LED will be scattered and hence registered by the photo-diode. If the photo-diode "sees" smoke on the two following pulses, the detector changes into alarm state and the indicator LED lights up. The detector housing is identical to that of the ionisation detector but has an indicator LED which is clear in quiescent state but produces red light in alarm.

Optical smoke detectors respond particularly well to slow-burning (smouldering) fires. They are widely used for life protection.

Heat detector

Most conventional heat detectors (all Series 60 and Series 65 & AlarmSense A1R, BR and CR) operate by using a matched pair of thermistors to sense heat. One thermistor is exposed to the ambient temperature, the other is sealed. In normal conditions the two thermistors register similar temperatures, but, on the development of a fire, the temperature recorded by the exposed thermistor will increase rapidly, resulting in an imbalance of the thermistors, causing the detector to change into alarm state. Rate-of-rise detectors are designed to detect a fire as the temperature increases, but they also have a fixed upper limit at which the detector will go into alarm if the rate of temperature increase has been too slow to trigger the detector earlier.

The Series 65 and AlarmSense CS (static response) heat detectors have only one thermistor. They change to the alarm state at a preset temperature.

Externally, the heat detectors are distinguishable from the smoke detectors by having wide openings to the surrounding atmosphere to allow good movement of air around the external thermistor.

A heat detector may be more appropriate than a smoke detector where the environment is dirty or smoky under normal conditions. It must be recognised, however, that any heat detector will respond only when a fire is well established and generating a high heat output.

Multisensor detector

Available in the XP95 and Discovery ranges, this type of detector is basically an optical smoke detector - so it will respond well to smouldering fires. The addition of a heat sensing element allows the multi-sensor to give a response to fast burning (flaming) fires which is comparable to that of an ionisation detector.

Multisensor detectors are general purpose detectors which respond well to a wide range of fires.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas produced by combustion and a CO fire detector is used to indicate the outbreak of a fire by sensing the level of CO in the air. The detector has an electrochemical cell which senses CO, but not smoke or other combustion products. The cells do not require much power, so the detector can be made electrically compatible with ordinary smoke and heat detectors. Apollo manufacturers a CO detector as part of the Discovery range.

CO detectors are particuarly good at detecting deep-seated, smouldering fires.

To find out more, visit the CO Detectors page.

Beam detector

A beam detector is designed to protect large, open spaces and is made up of three main parts: the transmitter, which projects a beam of infra-red light; the receiver which registers the light and produces an electrical signal; and the interface, which processes the signal and generates alarm or fault signals. When a fire develops, smoke particles obstruct the beam of light and, once a pre-set threshold has been exceeded, the detector will go into alarm.

To find out more, visit the XP95 Beam Detector page.

Flame detector

A flame detector is designed to detect either ultraviolet (UV) or infra-red (IR) radiation emitted by a fire. The XP95 Dual IR flame detector is sensitive to low-frequency, flickering infra-red radiation. This means that the detector can operate even if the lens is contaminated by a layer of oil, dust, water vapour or ice.

Flame detectors are effective in protecting areas where flaming fires may be expected.

To find out more, visit the XP95 Dual IR Flame Detector page.

Relative performance of Apollo detectors in test fire.

For definitions of terms used within the fire detection industry, visit the Glossary.

In conventional systems, detectors are hard wired into a circuit or zone. They signal fire or fault conditions to a control panel by changing from a high to low impedence. The panel detects this impedance change by current monitoring and identifies the zone. Individual detectors cannot be identified. 

Intelligent systems incorporate hard wired loops and each device has a unique address code. The control panel carries out a polling routine in which each device is interrogated in a programmed sequence. Devices respond with a status report which, as confirmation that the correct device is responding, includes its own address code. Intelligent systems give advance warning of a developing hazard and pinpoint the individual device raising the alarm. It is possible to follow the spread or progress of a fire as individual detectors report conditions in their area and this could allow a phased evacuation and precise direction of fire-fighting teams.

A number of major changes have been made to the Apollo Manual Call Point in order to improve the overall product performance and handling characteristics.

• Testing and resetting is now one single smooth operation
• The more robust construction allows for easier fitting and wiring
• An obvious yellow sticker highlights the change of mechanism
• Improved terminal block clips offer robust electro mechanical connection

For more information on the Manual Call Points please visit the product page.

Apollo's analogue addressable ranges of detectors use a unique method of addressing called the XPERT card. It is a simple coded card that is fitted into the base and can then be read by the detector once it is plugged in. In order to set the address, you need to remove some of the pips located on the card.

Once it has been decided what address the card is to be set to, lay it on a flat surface, pips down and insert a screwdriver in the slot on the reverse of the pip to be removed and give it a firm twist. Once the card had been coded, slide it into the slot on the side of the detector base, making sure it locks into position. As the monitor is rotated into the base the remaining pips will operate the address buttons on the base of the detector and the address will be read by the detector electronics. The pips on the XPERT card are numbered 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. If, for example, you wish to set the address to 43, you should remove the pips numbered 1, 2, 8, 32. The pips that are removed should add up to the address that you wish to set.

To set the address of a device that uses a DIL switch, such as the XP95 manual call point, the seven segments of the DIL switch have to be set to either 0 or 1.

Please refer to individual product labelling for further information.

Apollo offers a number of different sounders:

XP95 100dB(A) Loop Sounder (part number: 55000-261) is a stand-alone sounder which gives a guaranteed output of 100dB(A) with a current consumption of 4.5mA. It is loop powered and needs no external power supply.

Since the sounder is intended for use in open areas (such as corridors and warehouses), it is possible for more than one sounder to be audible at any given point in a building. For this reason, the operation of all the sounders may be synchronised. The 100dB(A) Loop Sounders can therefore be assigned group addresses as well as individual addresses.

The sounder can be connected to any XP95 or Discovery system.

Ancillary Base Sounder (part number: 45681-276) is a local-area sounder designed for indoor use (for example hotel rooms and student accommodation). Provided the control panel has the required software, it can be connected to XP95 or Discovery systems.

The sounder incorporates a base into which an XP95 or Discovery detector is fitted. A guaranteed sound output of 85dB(A) at 1 metre is achieved at a current consumption of only 3mA. The sounder has a very low current draw so that up to 126 sounders may be connected to a loop.

The sounder's volume control can be used to adjust the sound steplessly from 70dB(A) to 85dB(A). However, the sounder does not have a synchronisation feature or pulsed tone.

Intelligent Base Sounder (part number: 45681-265) builds on the strengths of earlier Apollo sounders and offers additionally synchronisation of continuous and pulse tones and multiple allocation of any address to sounders.

Synchronisation of pulse tones ensures the integrity of the alert signal - tones from different sounders do not merge into one signal that could be mistaken for an 'evacuate' tone.

Since more that one sounder can be allocated to any address (the upper limit is 126) more sounders or detectors can be fitted to the loop. There is also a further advantage in that sounder activation time is reduced.

The sounder can be connected to any XP95 or Discovery system.

Apollo also have a number of sounders for particular ranges:

XPlorer Base Sounder (part numbers: 59000-607 with optical detector, 59000-407 with heat detector, 59000-417 with high temperature detector) is a local-area sounder designed for indoor use. The sounder incorporates an XPlorer base into which an XPlorer detector is plugged. A guaranteed sound output of 85dB(A) at 1 metre is achieved at a current consumption of only 3mA. The sounder has a very low current draw so that up to 63 sounders may be connected to a loop.

The volume control can be used to adjust the sound steplessly from 70dB(A) to 85dB(A). It should be noted that these sounders do not have a synchronisation feature.

The sounder will operate only with control equipment using the Apollo XPlorer protocol. The features of the XPlorer Base Sounder are available only when the sounder is connected to a control panel with the appropriate software.

AlarmSense Low Profile Sounder (part number: 45681-259) can be mounted beneath an AlarmSense detector and base. There are also versions that can be supplied as stand-alone sounders with either a white or red cap (part number: 55000-256).

The sounder has 4 DIL-switch selectable tones and two volume settings of 85dB(A) or 92dB(A).

These sounders are designed for use only with AlarmSense systems.

'Protocol', in terms of electronic products, refers to the way in which the products communicate with each other and are described as 'open', 'closed', 'digital' and 'analogue'.

In the fire detection industry analogue addressable systems use control panels, detectors and devices such as interfaces which communicate with each other by means of a protocol. Some manufacturers offer both panels and detectors and have no need to disclose the nature of their protocol to anyone, since they offer all the elements needed to provide an analogue addressable system. No equipment supplied by other manufacturers is expected to be compatible with such systems, so the protocol used is said to be 'closed'.

A number of manufacturers of detectors, including Apollo, make no control panels; they have built up partnerships with independent panel manufacturers and other companies. The detector manufacturer determines the protocol used by the detectors and publishes the information and technical data required by panel makers to design compatible panels. Since all details of the protocol must be disclosed, it is referred to as an 'open' protocol.

Apollo has a digital, open protocol.

For a fuller exploration of these issues, please download our Protocols PIN sheet PDF.

Apollo's protocol is available to equipment manufacturers subject to agreement by Apollo Fire Detectors. For details on becoming an Apollo agreed protocol user, please contact our Product support Department.

Signals that record phenomena such as the increase of smoke or heat are necessarily analogue at source and this is why fire detectors are described as analogue. For example, a heat detector will record stepless increases in temperature from a typical starting point of 20-21°C (comfortable room temperature) to an alarm level of 55°C, however fast the increase.

Each point on the analogue signal indicates a particular value. The problem with analogue signals, however, is that during transmission, electrical corruption may affect the signal. A '2' might then appear as a '3', for example.

The word 'digital' describes a signal that consists of a series of '0s' and '1s' or 'offs' and 'ons' which go to make up a message in binary arithmetic. The advantage of this system is that there is a much lower risk of the signal being poorly transmitted and hence giving wrong information.

Apollo fire detectors have always used a digital protocol which has remained basically unchanged since its inception in 1986. It has been extended-in two steps, once for XP95 and a second time for Discovery - but never modified.

Most detector manufacturers have now adopted digital transmission protocols.

A digital protocol is much less susceptible to corruption than the analogue protocol and is to be preferred in a system which is life-critical.

Apollo has a digital, open protocol.

For a fuller exploration of these issues, please download our Protocols PIN sheet PDF.

Apollo's protocol is available to equipment manufacturers subject to agreement by Apollo Fire Detectors. For details on becoming an Apollo agreed protocol user, please contact our Product support Team.

In 1986, Apollo Fire Detectors introduced a range of analogue addressable detectors called Series 90. The Series 90 protocol has proved extremely reliable and robust. Therefore when it came to designing protocol for XP95, the basic concept was not tampered with but added to. Timings, voltage and current specifications as well as type codes remain consistent. XP95 is compatible with Series 90 products and control equipment. The extended protocol allows for further types of devices to be connnected to the loop. The principle of compatibility has stood the test of time and the next generation of Apollo detectors, the Discovery range, uses a protocol that is entirely compatible with Series 90 and XP95. The Discovery protocol is distinguished from the Series 90 and XP95 protocol by its additional operating modes - 'read' and 'write'. For most of the time the system operates in normal mode which is almost identical to XP95.

Although Series 90, XP95 and Discovery are all analogue addressable devices, they use digital protocol for panel/device communication. Within the detector there is an electronic circuit that converts the analogue signal to a digital one. This is called the A/D converter.

Voltage pulses of between +5V and +9V above the DC pedestal level are superimposed on the supply voltage. The detectors are sensitive to either smoke or heat and produce an analogue signal which corresponds to the amount of smoke or heat present around the detector. This analogue signal is converted to digital form by the A/D converter and is transmitted to the control panel synchronous on-off current pulse response.

Apollo has a digital, open protocol.

For a fuller exploration of these issues, please download our Protocols PIN sheet PDF.

Since March 1981, each detector manufactured by Apollo has a date-coded serial number, the first four digits indicating the month and year of manufacture ie 1096 1234 shows that the detector was made in October 1996.

Detectors manufactured by Apollo which do not have a serial number can only have their age determined by referring to serialised records held at Apollo. The absence of a serial number would mean that the detector was made before March 1981.Detectors manufactured by Apollo have a recommended working life of 10 years when used in dry, non-corrosive atmospheres and provided that they are regularly inspected, tested, cleaned and recalibrated as recommended. For further information, please visit our Cleaning & Recalibration page.

Most Apollo detectors will continue to operate within specification after 10 years' service, however, gradual deterioration of integrity and reliability should be allowed for.

In the interests of safety and the avoidance of unwanted alarms, Apollo recommends the rountine replacement of detectors after 10 years service.

Carbon Monoxide, known by its chemical formula CO, is an odourless, tasteless, invisible and toxic gas. It is produced by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, petrol, diesel and paraffin. If this gas is not vented correctly, it can build up and cause ill health and even death.

Home CO detectors detect the build-up of CO and alert residents that there is a risk of CO poisoning. Apollo do not produce this type of CO detector.

CO fire detectors, however, are used to indicate the outbreak of fire by sensing the level of CO in the air. They use the same sensing technology as home CO detectors, but are more sensitive and respond more quickly.

CO fire detectors have an electrochemical cell which senses CO, but not smoke or any other combustion products. They are effective in detecting certain types of fire such as smouldering fires. This type of fire produces CO which can be detected some distance from the seat of the fire.

Smoke detectors, however, will almost certainly give a better response to a fire that has produced a rising plume of smoke. CO fire detectors will give a poor response to flaming fires.

Apollo manufacturers a CO detector as part of the Discovery range. 

The Fire Industry Association (FIA) has issued guidelines for the use of CO detectors. To find out more, visit their website at www.fia.uk.com

Highlighted in the images below is where you can find the production date and build standard on our products.

DIN-Rail Interfaces

Standard Interfaces