electric locking » Door Hardware Genius

Electric Strike Monitors: LBM and LBSM

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Exploded view of Von Duprin 6211 with Dual Switch option.
From Von Duprin 6211 installation instructions.

LBM stands for Latch Bolt Monitor. LBSM stands for Latch Bolt and Strike Monitor, also known as LBCM and DS, depending on the manufacturer. There are probably other variations as well.

In the illustration above is shown the Von Duprin 6211. The labeled parts, “Tripper” and “Extension,” are used when the strike is equipped with the DS (dual switch) option. The DS option is Von Duprins version of LBSM. The Tripper is a piece of metal that changes the state of a switch when it is depressed by the spring-loaded force of a latch bolt when it drops into the keeper. Most other strikes use similar mechanisms to detect the presence of the latch bolt.

LBM will tell you if there is not a latch bolt present in the keeper. LBSM will tell you if there is no latch bolt present in the keeper and/or the strike itself is not in the fully locked position. Neither of these would tell you if the door is ajar. So LBM and LBSM are not true substitutes for a door position switch.

And, if someone stuffs the keeper with something to effectively keep the door unlocked or fool it into thinking there was a latch bolt there, it won’t tell you anything. On the other hand, if you don’t have LBM, someone can tape the latch back with duct tape you would have no way of knowing. The door position switch will tell you the door is closed, but you need the LBM to tell you it’s latched. The LBSM can provide you with the additional information that the electric strike is not properly locked; perhaps the keeper is not closed all the way or the internal parts are not all the way in the locked position.

Card In / Card Out Access Control

October 13, 2018 access control / electric locking / Life Safety Hardware

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“Card-in / Card-out” refers to an access control system that is also an egress control system. Users are required to present their credential both when they enter and when they exit. Requiring employees to card in and out can simplify time and attendance tracking, Requiring a credential to exit a secured space can reduce the risk of theft and help prevent unauthorized visitors from entering and exiting restricted areas.

When card-in/card-out systems are used to track employee hours, employees must present their credential to gain entry to their workplace and again when exiting to record their hours at work. In this case there is no impediment to egress and life safety code is not affected. When the purpose of the system is to only allow egress with presentation of a valid credential, this is where complication often sets in.

Frequently life safety codes and building security are seemingly at odds in their hardware requirements, and card-in/card-out systems can be one of those situations due to the ‘card-out’ side of the equation. Life safety code demands that door hardware provide free egress with one motion with no prior knowledge required. Therefore, a card-in / card-out system is potentially two violations in one, requiring prior knowledge (knowing that you need to bring your credential) and two motions (1. Present your credential, and 2. Push the door open); so it is a good idea to consult with your local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) before installing a card-in / card-out system that impedes free egress by demanding a credential.

The components necessary to create a card-in / card-out system are:

Access Control Panel
Exterior credential reader
Interior credential reader

If the system will allow free egress this is all you need. Most existing access control systems can be configured to accommodate card-in / card-out operation. If the object is to record employee time and attendance, check with your access control company to see how their software can provide your Human Resources department or payroll service with attendance data.

If the system must restrict egress, one way to do so is to program the system to sound an alarm when a user attempts to exit without presenting their credential. The alarm provides a deterrent to motivate compliance, and the alarm event can be time-stamped in the access control audit trail record. If video surveillance is in service at the opening, the access control system can signal the CCTV system and images of the non-compliance event can be captured. The alarm could be programmed to reset automatically when the door closes, or only when a valid credential is presented. There are many options.

To further restrict egress, a delayed egress system can be added. Delayed egress systems are highly regulated by fire safety code, so all delayed egress systems behave in similar ways: after pressure is applied to the door or device for two or three seconds, an alarm sounds for fifteen seconds and then the system allows the user to exit. The alarm continues to sound until the system is reset. To comply with fire safety code the system will have signage on the door:

Von Duprin Chexit door label from Chexit installation instructions.

There are some variations. For example, instead of two or three seconds of pressure on the door, some jurisdictions allow the fifteen-second alarmed delay to begin sounding right away; with written permission from the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) it is possible to have a thirty-second alarmed delay instead of fifteen seconds; some jurisdictions will allow the delayed egress system to self reset, others demand that the system be reset at the door. Consult with your local AHJ for details.

The effectiveness of delayed egress as a prevention of unauthorized egress is dependent upon how fast personnel can respond, especially if the intent of the system is to inhibit theft. I imagine that fifteen seconds seems like a very long time to someone who has just set off the alarm and is waiting to escape with their stolen industrial secrets or whatever, but it is really not a long period of time in which to apprehend a thief. On the other hand, if the thief had to pass a security guard after getting past the delayed egress system, s/he would be less likely to escape.

Life safety is never to be ignored.

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Electric Hinge vs. EPT (and oh yeah, Molex)

June 2, 2018 access control / door hardware / electric locking / security hardware

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McKinney Electric Thru Wire Hinge with Molex connectors

I was taking a class on Molex connectors a while ago and the teacher – a manufacturer’s representative from a major hardware manufacturer – expressed the opinion that for high traffic applications, a power transfer is preferable to an electric thru wire hinge. I confess that until that moment I had not actually thought about it much, but what he said made a lot of sense. After all, almost everyone prefers an electric hinge to an EPT because of the relative ease of installation.

But the rep made a good point. The wires that run through an electric through an electric hinge are pretty thin – usually 24 or 26 gauge wire – and every time the door is used these wires are bent back and forth. If you’ve ever bent a copper wire back and forth in your hands until it breaks you will know what I’m getting at here. When you bend a copper wire back and forth, over and over, first it heats up, then it breaks. The same process is going on in the knuckle of that hinge. There’s a whole lot o’ twistin’ goin’ on.

Von Duprin EPT10

When you open a door equipped with an EPT, however, there is less twisting happening. The wires must still bend with the motion, but only a fraction of the bending that occurs with an electric hinge. That’s why the rep always recommends EPT’s over electric hinges if the opening is to have any serious traffic through it. Sure, installing an EPT is a lot more work, but a callback to replace a failed electric hinge is at least as much work, especially considering travel time.

Yes, you’re right, I did mention Molex connector class. A few times now I’ve run into applications where the installer wants to convert a regular removable mullion into an electric mullion so they can install an electric strike on the mullion. Since the advent of the surface mounted electric strike for rim exit devices, it was inevitable that someone would want to do this. The problem? What do you do with the wire at the header? Well, if you just run a continuous wire, the mullion is no longer removable, is it?

But, aha! I said. We’ll use a Molex connector at the header. What is a Molex connector, you ask? Those would be those plastic connectors attached to the ends of the wires on the McKinney hinge above. Molex is a company that has created a system of plug-and-play wire connectors, and these connectors are becoming more and more common in the door hardware industry. Major door hardware manufacturers are now incorporating Molex connectors into all their electrified products and offering what are in effect extension cords with Molex connectors.

So a couple of connector-equipped extension cords would solve the problem of the suddenly non-removable mullion, right? Well, not so fast, buckaroo.

This is what I learned in Molex class. In Molex connectors, which connector will connect to what other connector is determined by the pin crimped onto the end of the wire. They give them genders, “male” and “female”, because the male can be inserted into the female. Okay, great. Where is the problem? The problem is that as of this writing, door hardware manufacturers’ extension cords all have connectors of the same gender on each end, so you cannot plug them into each other. They will only plug into an electric hinge or EPT that has Molex connectors.

The solution to the DIY electrified mullion problem: make your own DIY Molex connector for the wire in the header. To do this you will need a standard wire stripper, some 12-conductor cable, the special Molex crimping tool, Molex connector housings, and Molex male and female pins. There is a service kit available that contains all these parts. It is a fairly time consuming process to make your own Molex connector, and it requires skill, but it is the only solution that I know to the mullion problem.

Get your surface mount electric strike with Molex connectors (several electric strike manufacturers offer these) and an extension cable from Assa Abloy or Allegion to get the wire from the strike to the top of the mullion. Now you have the capability to connect your makeshift electrified mullion into the connector you must make. You can attach your homemade Molex to as long a cable as you like – long enough to reach the power supply or access control panel.

Does this solution comply with code? I do not know. Best check with your local AHJ before embarking on your Molex DIY mullion adventure.

Why is the industry moving to Molex connectors? They do not fall off, look ugly, or take up a lot of space like wire nuts, and if you need to trade out an electric hinge or electric strike they sure do make it a whole lot cleaner and easier.

That’s right. As usual, it all comes down to sex.

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The Wacky World of Wireless Access Control Locks

April 15, 2018 access control / door hardware / electric locking / hardware sales wars / security hardware

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Wireless access control locks are at the leading edge of door hardware evolution, creating hybrid devices that are both credential reader and locking hardware all in one. Some of these locks are designed to integrate with existing access control systems without the need to run cable back to the panel from the door; others interface with their own software on the end user’s computer or computer network using a wifi gateway.

Left: Dorma Kaba Eplex ………… Right: Alarm Lock Networx

The Independent Systems

Alarm Lock and Dorma Kaba are two manufacturers that offer wireless access control locks with proprietary software designed only to control and monitor these locks. This represents a step up from standalone programmable locks that needed to be visited with a notebook computer or handheld programmer for programming and audit trail download purposes. The locks connect via a wireless router or gateway to a single PC or to a server on the end user’s computer network.

The Alarm Lock Networx product can also be integrated into a few access control systems; see the Alarm Lock Networx web site for details. The Dorma Kaba wireless Eplex lock is compatible with Dorma Kaba E-Enterprise software.

These independent solutions are good for folks who want to upgrade from mechanical locking systems to electronic access control, offering full featured access control capabilities, near-instantaneous reporting and monitoring and requiring very little wiring to install.

If, however, the end user has an existing access control system that they would like to expand, using the Alarm Lock Networx software or Dorma Kaba E-Enterprise software would mean adding a second access control system – a complication many end users would like to avoid.

In the past, when a facility wanted to expand their access control system their access control company would be called in to run wire and install credential readers and the door hardware installer might be called in to install electric locks or strikes to be controlled by these new readers. Today, however, the door hardware installer can install wireless access control locks that can be integrated into the end users existing system.

But wait! Not so fast, there, champ.

Left: Schlage AD-400 ………. Right: Sargent IN120

The Integrators

Allegion and Assa Abloy are two major lock manufacturers that offer wireless access control locks that integrate with existing access control systems. This means that the end user can program these locks using the same access control software they are currently using.

Using the Allegion AD series wireless as an example, a single interface panel can allow up to sixty-four of these locks to the panel. There is actually some wiring involved with wireless locks: the interface panel (or wifi gateway) must still be wired to the main access control panel. This is the great attraction: that one can greatly expand an access control system without spending a lot of time and money on wiring. A wire is run from the access control panel to the interface panel in a distant wing of the building, and then the interface panel (or a few of them) communicate with all the locks in that wing.

Conflict arises from the very fact that these locks are designed to integrate with existing systems. Over the last several decades, access control systems have become big business. Traditionally, for every door in the system, the access control company sells a reader. In addition, an expansion module may be needed at the access control panel. If we install sixty-four wireless locks and integrate them into the existing access control system, it can be said that we just deprived the access control company of the sale of sixty-four readers.

Access control does a lot more than control access these days. Access control, environmental control systems, fire and security alarms, elevator control, employee time and attendance, student meal plan administration and other systems may all be incorporated into the same system, run by enterprise level software on a server on the end user’s computer network. You might say the access control company that owns the rights to the software and manufactures the access control panel is in a very secure position. Extricating one access control company to replace it with another could be a monumental task, involving every person whose life the system touches.

What can access control manufacturers do about these wireless locks being attached to their systems? Plenty. They can update their software so that these locks are incompatible. They can charge the end user a licensing fee for every lock that is added. In short, they can make the addition of wireless access control locks to their system expensive or impossible.

Both Allegion and Assa Abloy have made agreements with access control manufacturers that allow their products to be added to existing access control systems. Allegion has a range of agreements with various manufacturers limiting to whom Allegion wireless access control products can be sold. In many cases Allegion wireless products can only be sold to the access control company with whose system they will be integrated. Assa Abloy wireless access control locks can only be sold to their designated Certified Integrators. It is through these channels that wireless access control locks make it onto job sites.

Because of these sales limitations, bidding on jobs that specify these kinds of locks can be complicated. Bidders often find they must exclude specified wireless access control locks from their bid because they are unable to buy them. In the case of Assa Abloy products, some bidders may elect to take the online course and become a Certified Integrator. In the case of Allegion, they might be fortunate enough to be bidding on a job in which the access control manufacturer has no agreement with Allegion, and the job can therefore be freely bid. In either case, however, it is a more complicated process than simply pricing out a piece of door hardware.

Evolution or intelligent design? Wait, did you say, ‘intelligent?’

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Aluminum Door Latch Electric Strike Retrofit

November 4, 2017 access control / door hardware / electric locking

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Adams Rite 4501 Strike – from the Adams Rite web site.

Often we find ourselves involved in someone’s second thoughts about the use of a particular aluminum storefront type opening, wherein someone remembers that, hey, this opening needs access control. Or, perhaps, the idea of access control comes to the opening later in its life. In any case, the door company provided their usual solution for the customer’s parameters: an Adams Rite latch with a lever handle or push paddle and the standard strike shown at right. Extra credit: What hand is the strike in the picture?*

From Adams Rite 4901 and 4902 install instructions

Above is a drawing of the prep for the 4901 double-hole strike. The prep is 4-5/8 x the width of the door frame less 5/32 inch (.15 inches) as shown – or about 1-7/8 inches wide or so, depending on the actual depth of the frame measured from the stop to the edge.

The most common (non-electric) strike that comes with the Adams Rite latch is the 4901 as of this writing. It was called the 4501 years ago, but it remains mostly the same: 4-5/8 inches tall, with two holes to accommodate left- or right-handed doors. It comes with a plastic insert to block off the unused hole as shown in the picture of the 4501 strike above.

Common electric strike face plate heights are 4-7/8 inches, 6-7/8 inches , 7-15/16 inches, and 9 inches, and common widths range from 7/8 to 1-7/16 inches. The problem lies in the differences. None of these common sizes will fully cover the width of the 4901 prep, and after you’ve installed the strike there are ugly gaps left to fill in the aluminum. You can use one of the following retrofit solutions to avoid this problem.

Retrofit Solutions

Trine 3458 electric strike, from the Trine web site.

Two companies have led the way in solutions to this very specific and often-occurring problem: Trine and Adams Rite. Trine has the quick fix and Adams Rite has the relatively heavy-duty fix.

Several years ago Trine redefined itself into a company of innovative solutions from a company that was much more focused on price point. They went from being the cheapest guy on the street (though in many cases they still have the best price) to being a great problem-solver. Case in point, the Trine 3458 electric strike (see pic at left), designed as a drop-in replacement for the Adams Rite 4901 with NO CUTTING. This is a big deal for installers.

Despite its tiny body, the strike boasts an ANSI Grade 1 rating and 1200 lbs. of holding force.

The downsides: not voltage selectable without a line conditioner, not field selectable for fail safe/fail secure, and keeper depth is 1/2 inch – fine for use with the Adams Rite 4510 latch which has a 1/2-inch throw, but could be an issue with the Adams Rite 4900 (5/8-inch throw) if the gap between the door and frame is less than the 1/8 inch it should be.

Adams Rite remains the premier manufacturer of locking hardware for aluminum storefront doors and frames as it has been for decades. They have consistently worked to improve product quality and performance and they have succeeded.

FPK45 Retrofit Kit by Adams Rite

The Adams Rite solution to the 4901 retrofit problem is actually two-fold because it applies to two very different models of strikes: the 7100 and the 7400. For the 7100 series, Adams Rite offers the FPK45-00 face plate kit, and for the 7400 series they offer the FPK7445 face plate kit. Installation of either one is largely the same: enlarging the prep on the top and the bottom, and keeping the bottom screw mounting tab.

At right you can see the overall dimensions of the FPK7445 or FPK45 and how it aligns with the 4901 (or 4501) strike. The mission is to line up the keeper of the electric strike to the active hole of the 4901. You can see that enlarging the prep represents a significant amount of work. You might well ask, “Why would I do this?”

First, as I mentioned, if you have a 4900 latch in the door and/or no gap between door and frame, you are going to want a deeper keeper than the Trine. Like the Trine, the Adams Rite are also ANSI Grade 1 burglary resistant but offer a slightly higher holding force of 1500 lbs. If you do not know the voltage in advance, the 7400 series is completely field selectable for a number of popular voltages – although one can get the Trine LC-100 line conditioner with the Trine strike and accomplish much the same thing. Both the 7400 and 7100 are field selectable for fail safe or fail secure operation whereas the Trine are not.

In the industry there remains a lot of loyalty to the 7100 series. In its time, the 7100 was a revolution in design and remains one of the most reliable and repairable electric strikes on the market today.

*The 4501 strike in the picture is left hand, or right hand reverse.

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Field Reversing the Precision E2203 SVR Exit Device

October 19, 2017 access control / door hardware / electric locking / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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The Precision E2203 is a Surface Vertical Rod exit device with a solenoid in the head that controls the outside lever trim. Ordered complete with trim: part number is E2203 × 4908A, specify door width, finish, handing, fail safe or fail secure. The right thing to do is to order it fail safe or fail secure and handed at the factory for your application.

But… let’s say for the sake of this article that you ordered the device and did not specify handing or fail safe / fail secure. You might find yourself needing to field reverse the handing. Here is what you need to know.

Handing

Changing the hand on the basic 2200 device is not very difficult, but changing the hand on the E2200 is fairly difficult, and requires skill, patience and … tape.
For the non-electric, purely mechanical version of this device, changing the hand is not as simple as it is with some other exit devices, for example, flipping the device over, but it is not all that hard to do. Below are the directions for field handing excerpted from the 2200 Series installation instructions from the Stanley Precision web site. Why they have arranged the steps to be followed in counterclockwise order is a mystery to me, but I am not here to judge, just inform.

At a glance you can see that there is some disassembly of the exit device head required to change the handing of the device. But when you add electrified trim control it complicates things a bit.

In the photo below you see the wires for the solenoid where they pass through the hole in the bracket. That bracket is an integral part of the active head and it does not move. However, the solenoid must be installed at the other end of the active head in order to interface with the working parts of the device and the wires are just long enough to allow it to be installed where it is. There is no play in the wire that would allow the wire to remain where it is and yet allow one to move the solenoid.

In order to move the solenoid to the other side of the active head, one must either cut the wires (a nightmare, do not do it) or to completely disassemble the exit device, bar and all.

Why do you have to completely disassemble the exit device to pull the wire through? Because it is taped to the baseplate of with a piece of filament tape that runs the length of the bar. The tape must be removed to free the wire so you can pull it out through the hole in the bracket.

I could not find the directions for changing the hand of the E2203, but here is a drawing of the solenoid placement for the E2103 rim exit device taken from the installation instructions from the E2103 Kit.

Once you have pulled the wire through the hole, changed the hand of the head, taped the wire back down the length of the bar baseplate and reassembled the device, you’re done.

Below is a picture of the E2203 with handing freshly changed and the device reassembled and ready to install.

Like I said: order it fail safe or fail secure… AND ORDER IT HANDED.

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Von Duprin QEL Kit Diversity

September 20, 2016 access control / door hardware / electric locking

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QEL and HD-QEL modular conversion kits.

Von Duprin offers several versions of its QEL (Quiet Electric Latch retraction) conversion kits for its 33, 35, 98 and 99 series exit devices. The variations are:

Modular (no baseplate)
Modular, with connectors (Molex)
Modular with hex dogging
Modular with hex dogging and connectors
With baseplate, specify 3-ft. or 4-ft.
With 3- or 4-ft. baseplate and connectors
With 3- or 4-ft. baseplate and hex dogging
With 3- or 4-ft. baseplate, hex dogging and connectors

None of the modular kits come with baseplates. Kits with baseplates offer a small ease-of-installation advantage because replacing the whole baseplate is slightly faster than field installing the modular kit onto an existing baseplate. Modular kits can be installed in either 3- or 4-ft. devices, so if you want to have one kit on your truck, a modular kit would be the logical choice.

Which modular kit should you get? I would suggest the HD-QEL Modular Conversion Kit with Connectors. If you don’t want hex dogging, you can use a blank cover plate or plug the dogging hole in the existing cover plate. If you don’t want the connectors, you can cut them off. And since at the time of this writing there is no price difference between a modular kit with connectors and/or hex dogging, or without connectors and/or hex dogging, you might as well get the one with all the bells and whistles. As I indicated, you can always dial it back.

While Von Duprin recommends any of their PS900 series power supplies together with their 900-2RS relay board to run their QEL devices, many installers are using their own power supplies and this seems to be working just fine. QEL draws a 1-amp inrush. I recommend allowing 2 amps for each QEL on a power supply, and it is always good to isolate them on their own set of contacts in the power supply if possible, using a power distribution or relay board. If these contacts can be protected by a fuses or circuit breakers, so much the better. A regulated and filtered power supply is also a plus.

Unlike many power supplies, I am both unregulated and unfiltered … and I like it that way.

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Experiencing the New Von Duprin Chexit

August 20, 2016 door hardware / electric locking / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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Von Duprin Chexit door label from Chexit installation instructions.

Last year Von Duprin began shipping Chexit self-contained delayed egress exit devices that are motorized instead of solenoid driven. Since they are motorized, the new Chexits draw less current and will probably be more reliable than the previous solenoid-driven version. This means a less serious, less expensive power supply, less need for high capacity, high gauge, high cost wire and greatly increased workable wire run distances – all good things.

The new Chexit will do everything the old Chexit did, including release of the outside lever trim when the external inhibit function is activated by access control or another external switch. That remains a way to get access control out of a Chexit by simply adding a blank escutcheon or other unlocked outside trim to the Chexit exit device.

As of this writing Exit-only function Chexit devices were being shipped less the part number 040193-00 cable used to connect the E996L to the Chexit PC board. The cables are only provided if you order the Chexit from the factory with trim, but that is okay as long as you want to use no trim or non-electric trim. Electrified trim is a means to provide fail secure access control from the trim side, so if the fire alarm goes off and powers down the Chexit, the fail secure electrified trim will stay locked. Entry can still be gained by key.

On another note, recently I was involved in an application where the installer was replacing a mortise exit device and wanted delayed egress from the push side and free ingress from the pull side. Luckily it was a mortise device, so all I had to do was provide a Chexit mortise exit device with blank escutcheon (passage function) trim because THE MORTISE LOCK ACTS INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE CHEXIT ON THE TRIM SIDE. Cool. 🙂

Bear in mind that the Chexit remains active while people are using the passage function trim to get in, so if they happen to depress the touch bar, say by bumping it up against the wall for two seconds, they may activate the Chexit alarm. Von Duprin Tech Support suggested a palm switch on the trim side to activate the inhibit circuit in the Chexit while a person enters from that side.

It was fun, easy, and I looked like a … Hardware Genius.

Choosing a Delayed Egress System: Self-Contained, or Built from Components?

July 3, 2016 access control / electric locking / Life Safety Hardware / security hardware

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Delayed egress is a process that delays unauthorized exit from a space while complying with NFPA 101 life safety code. Use of this process is strictly regulated with the help of building inspectors and fire marshals across the United Sates. With that in mind it is always a good idea to get your local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) on board whenever you are planning to install delayed egress on an opening.

When you beginning planning your delayed egress system you will find that many systems on the market are self-contained. These could be delayed egress electromagnetic locks or electrified delayed egress exit devices.

Here are some examples of self-contained delayed egress maglocks:

SDC 1511S
Schlage Electronics M490DE
Dynalock 3101C

Here are some examples of self-contained delayed egress exit devices:

Detex V40 EE
Von Duprin Chexit
Sargent Electroguard

Almost all delayed egress systems are made up of the same components:

Delayed egress timer and relay logic board
Initiating Switch (to initiate the delayed egress process)
Audible alarm
Signage
Reset switch
Optional bypass switch
Fire Alarm interface
Power supply
Locking device

Therefore it is possible to construct a custom delayed egress system from components. Later I’ll talk about why you might want to choose a built-from-components delayed egress system instead of a self-contained one. The following sections describe each part of a built-from-components delayed egress system.

Delayed Egress Timer and Relay Logic Board

This board is UL Listed and specifically designed to perform all delayed egress functions in compliance with life safety code. Here are some examples of component boards for delayed egress:

Securitron XDT-12 or XDT-24
Seco-Larm SA-025EQ

The board is the brains of the delayed egress operation. It has contacts to wire in switches for delayed egress initiation, fire alarm interface and system reset, timers to control nuisance and egress delay, and relays to control locks and notify external devices.

There are also delayed egress controllers that offer more features. The following may include the delayed egress timer/relay board and some other required feature(s) such as the initiation switch or the audible alarm.

Alarm Controls DE-1
Security Door Controls 101-DE
Securitron BA-XDT-12 or BA-XDT-24

Initiating Switch

The switch that initiates the delayed egress process shares several characteristics with any request-to-exit switch. To comply with life safety regulations it must require no prior knowledge to operate; it must require no more than one motion to operate; and it must be placed in relation to the door according to life safety standards in your local jurisdiction. I think that the best possible initiation device is a mechanical push bar with a switch, such as the Adams Rite 8099-M or the Securitron EMB. In a panic situation it remains obvious that to get out, one must push on the bar, and because it is mechanical it is unaffected by power outage. If it is wired to open the contact when pushed, if the wires leading to it are cut it will initiate the delayed egress process.

In rare circumstances where it might be permitted, the locking device might be a fail safe electrified mortise lock that is locked on both sides, inside and out. Then the initiation switch might be a palm switch next to the door.

Audible Alarm

The mandatory audible alarm sounds for 15 seconds before the delayed egress controller releases the locking device to allow exit. It’s loudness must be between 81 and 88 decibels. In some jurisdictions the alarm must be manually reset at the door; in others it may be self resetting via timer or door position switch. Yet another reason to have a heart-to-heart talk with your local AHJ when designing your delayed egress system.

Signage

The wording on the mandatory sign must comply with life safety code. There are minor variations in wording. I suggest buying a sign that is part of a delayed egress system. The sign that comes standard with the Von Duprin Chexit is readily available as a separate part.

Reset Switch

As mentioned in the “Audible Alarm” section above, a delayed egress system reset switch located at the door is mandatory in some jurisdictions. Check with your local AHJ. In some jurisdictions delayed egress systems are allowed to be reset by remote switch or other means, such as a door position switch.

Any kind of momentary contact switch will do the reset switch job, but delayed egress system reset switches located at the door almost always require some kind of security to prevent unauthorized resetting. Standalone keypads or key switches are often used for this purpose. Delayed egress systems can also be integrated into existing access control.

Optional Bypass Switch

Not required but often needed, the optional bypass switch allows authorized personnel to exit without triggering the delayed egress system. Again, any momentary contact switch will do, but usually some security is required. If you are using a keypad as the system reset switch and the keypad has more than one relay, you can program the second relay to be the bypass switch.

If access from the exterior side is required a bypass switch is required on that side. Sometimes security is not needed from the exterior side. In that case a simple momentary contact pushbutton will do the job.

Fire Alarm Interface

The mandatory fire alarm interface allows enables fire alarm panel to deactivate the delayed egress system immediately in the event of a fire alarm. This is an integral part of the life safety code that allows a delayed egress system to exist. Therefore, if your building does not have a fire alarm panel, without special permission from the local AHJ you cannot have a delayed egress system.

Power Supply

All delayed egress systems I have had experience with run on low voltage power that comes from a low voltage power supply. Generally delayed egress systems require regulated and filtered power at 12 or 24 volts. Delayed egress controllers draw very little current, but as will all electrically operated systems, the current draw of all attached devices must be taken into account when selecting a power supply.

Locking Device

The locking device must be electrically locked and fail safe from the egress (interior) side. The most frequently used locking device in a component based delayed egress system is the electromagnetic lock.

Why Build a Delayed Egress System?

Why would you put together a delayed egress system from components when there are so many good self-contained systems?

To Save Money. Piecing together a delayed egress system can be significantly cheaper than buying a self contained delayed egress system.
To take advantage of existing hardware. For example, if there is already an electromagnetic lock on the door, adding the other components is relatively easy.
Conditions at the door prohibit use of a self contained delayed egress system. For example, door size or the presence of existing hardware may require the installer to seek a more creative solution.

Bottom line, unless you have a prison, you cannot lock ’em in. Well, not without permission. 🙂

Compact Electric Strikes

August 27, 2014 access control / builders hardware / door hardware / electric locking / hardware sales wars / security hardware

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A common problem with installing electric strikes is cavity depth – that is, how deeply you need to cut into the frame (or wall) so that the electric strike will fit. For most of the twentieth century electric strikes were, and most still are, designed without consideration for this factor. Instead they are designed for burglary resistance and durability.

Von Duprin 6211 Electric Strike

Click on the dimensional diagram of the Von Duprin 6211 electric strike at right. You can see that its total depth is 1-11/16 inches. All of its internal parts are heavy duty, and it has a heavy cast body and a thick, finished face plate. Most of the parts are individually replaceable. To install the 6211 in a hollow metal door frame, the dust box must be removed and often material inside the door frame – sheet rock, wood, masonry, whatever – must be removed in order to accommodate the strike. If the strike must be installed in a grouted door frame the installer is in for perhaps an hour’s worth of work that may involve a masonry drill, a 2-1/2 lb. sledge hammer, a masonry chisel and safety goggles.

In more recent years a new generation of low profile (shallow depth) electric strikes has become available, offering unprecedented ease of installation. The HES 5000 (illustration at left) was one of the first strikes on the scene to offer a depth of only 1-1/16 inches, and advertised that it could be installed without even removing the dust box from the frame. I have found it is usually much easier to knock out the dust box for wiring reasons, but it is true that the unit will fit neatly inside most original equipment dust boxes in hollow metal frames.

More recent offerings in the shallow depth electric strike department include the Trine 3478, the HES 8000 and the Adams Rite 7440, illustrations shown at the end of this article. All are UL Listed burglary resistant. The HES 8000 offers 1500 lbs. holding force, the 3478 offers 1200 lbs. holding force and the Adams Rite, with its innovative double keeper design, offers 2400 lbs. of holding force. The Trine 3478 offers an install with a very tiny lip cutout, and the HES 8000 offers the advantage of needing no lip cutout at all. Each of them fit in a strike cavity only 1-1/16 inches deep.

These strikes have revolutionized electric strike installation. Before, a good installer might install six or ten electric strikes in a day. Now a really fast installer might be able to install 20 or more, greatly reducing labor and other costs associated with installation.

What’s the Trade-Off?

None of the internal parts of these strikes are available. When these strikes break, you throw them away and buy new ones. Also they do not last as long. Whereas it is not unusual to see a Von Duprin 6211 or a Folger Adam 712 still in use after 10 or even 20 years, 6 years of service is a long time for a low profile strike. In ten years you might be replacing a spring or solenoid in a Von Duprin, but you might be installing your second or third low profile strike in the same door frame in that same amount of time. This is a small inconvenience.

Upon installing that third strike in the same hole, you probably will not yet have equaled the price of a single Folger Adam 712 or Von Duprin 6211. If price up front is the primary consideration, low profile is definitely the way to go. But if in about 12 years you are installing the fourth replacement strike in the same prep, those expensive, harder-to-install, heavy duty strikes start to look like a much better value.

HES model 8000, Trine model 3478 and Adams Rite model 7440

Thank you.

Electric Strike Monitors: LBM and LBSM

Card In / Card Out Access Control

Electric Hinge vs. EPT (and oh yeah, Molex)

The Wacky World of Wireless Access Control Locks

Aluminum Door Latch Electric Strike Retrofit

Retrofit Solutions

Field Reversing the Precision E2203 SVR Exit Device

Handing

Von Duprin QEL Kit Diversity

Experiencing the New Von Duprin Chexit

Choosing a Delayed Egress System: Self-Contained, or Built from Components?

Delayed Egress Timer and Relay Logic Board

Initiating Switch

Audible Alarm

Signage

Reset Switch

Optional Bypass Switch

Fire Alarm Interface

Power Supply

Locking Device

Why Build a Delayed Egress System?

Compact Electric Strikes

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