Smoke Alarm Engineers - why can't they think?
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Anyone that has a battery operated smoke alarm knows that "chirping" sound when the battery needs to be replaced. Studies have shown the battery is low, not dead, and the chirping will continue for 4-6 weeks if not changed. Everyone knows that the chirp never happens during the day. It always occurs in the middle of a deep sleep. Mine went off 1:15am last night. It's my backup battery for my C0 detector (which is plugged in). Why not place a simple clock mechanism in these alarms? Let the customer set the time for the warning chirp to start, and when to stop. Make sure the time frame is at least 15 hours long, so the odds of the person not hearing the chirp during work has been taken into account. I know the easy way is to just change them on regular intervals, like the daylight savings time changes, but this is an easy fix that would not drain much battery power, and help to avoid issues like mine in the future.
They have considered this problem. The solution is the 10 year lithium battery model.
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
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ednrgc wrote:
Let the customer set the time...
Most folks don't even change the stinking batteries! Why entrust them to set a clock? How many flashing 12:00 VCRs have you seen? Bad, bad idea. Change the battery, or deal with it.
"A good athlete is the result of a good and worthy opponent." - David Crow
"To have a respect for ourselves guides our morals; to have deference for others governs our manners." - Laurence Sterne
DavidCrow wrote:
How many flashing 12:00 VCRs have you seen?
VCRs? Isnt that what early mammals used to wipe out the dinosaurs? :laugh:
------------------------------ I win because I have the most fun in life...
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That kind isn't really safe since an electrical fire (or a fire between the breaker box and alarm) could deprive them of power before they go off.
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
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Anyone that has a battery operated smoke alarm knows that "chirping" sound when the battery needs to be replaced. Studies have shown the battery is low, not dead, and the chirping will continue for 4-6 weeks if not changed. Everyone knows that the chirp never happens during the day. It always occurs in the middle of a deep sleep. Mine went off 1:15am last night. It's my backup battery for my C0 detector (which is plugged in). Why not place a simple clock mechanism in these alarms? Let the customer set the time for the warning chirp to start, and when to stop. Make sure the time frame is at least 15 hours long, so the odds of the person not hearing the chirp during work has been taken into account. I know the easy way is to just change them on regular intervals, like the daylight savings time changes, but this is an easy fix that would not drain much battery power, and help to avoid issues like mine in the future.
The clock would be an additional point of failure and one thing you don't want in a smoke alarm is an additional point of failure. They always go off at 2am because battery power is related to temperature so a dying battery nealy always drops below the trigger point when the battery is at its coldest.
'--8<------------------------ Ex Datis: Duncan Jones Merrion Computing Ltd
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Anyone that has a battery operated smoke alarm knows that "chirping" sound when the battery needs to be replaced. Studies have shown the battery is low, not dead, and the chirping will continue for 4-6 weeks if not changed. Everyone knows that the chirp never happens during the day. It always occurs in the middle of a deep sleep. Mine went off 1:15am last night. It's my backup battery for my C0 detector (which is plugged in). Why not place a simple clock mechanism in these alarms? Let the customer set the time for the warning chirp to start, and when to stop. Make sure the time frame is at least 15 hours long, so the odds of the person not hearing the chirp during work has been taken into account. I know the easy way is to just change them on regular intervals, like the daylight savings time changes, but this is an easy fix that would not drain much battery power, and help to avoid issues like mine in the future.
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Anyone that has a battery operated smoke alarm knows that "chirping" sound when the battery needs to be replaced. Studies have shown the battery is low, not dead, and the chirping will continue for 4-6 weeks if not changed. Everyone knows that the chirp never happens during the day. It always occurs in the middle of a deep sleep. Mine went off 1:15am last night. It's my backup battery for my C0 detector (which is plugged in). Why not place a simple clock mechanism in these alarms? Let the customer set the time for the warning chirp to start, and when to stop. Make sure the time frame is at least 15 hours long, so the odds of the person not hearing the chirp during work has been taken into account. I know the easy way is to just change them on regular intervals, like the daylight savings time changes, but this is an easy fix that would not drain much battery power, and help to avoid issues like mine in the future.
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dan neely wrote:
could deprive them of power before they go off
They all have battery backups. :rolleyes: obviously
As long as the battery is still good ;)
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: Popfly! Check this out! Latest Tech Blog Post: 15 Free utilites!
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Anyone that has a battery operated smoke alarm knows that "chirping" sound when the battery needs to be replaced. Studies have shown the battery is low, not dead, and the chirping will continue for 4-6 weeks if not changed. Everyone knows that the chirp never happens during the day. It always occurs in the middle of a deep sleep. Mine went off 1:15am last night. It's my backup battery for my C0 detector (which is plugged in). Why not place a simple clock mechanism in these alarms? Let the customer set the time for the warning chirp to start, and when to stop. Make sure the time frame is at least 15 hours long, so the odds of the person not hearing the chirp during work has been taken into account. I know the easy way is to just change them on regular intervals, like the daylight savings time changes, but this is an easy fix that would not drain much battery power, and help to avoid issues like mine in the future.
It is not just when you here the chirp, but also determining "which" one of the detectors is doing it. Also, if it is chripping, does it actually fail a test... Too many rooms with too many detectors can be a pain!
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: Popfly! Check this out! Latest Tech Blog Post: 15 Free utilites!
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DavidCrow wrote:
How many flashing 12:00 VCRs have you seen?
VCRs? Isnt that what early mammals used to wipe out the dinosaurs? :laugh:
------------------------------ I win because I have the most fun in life...
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Aren't you supposed to manually test it every few weeks or so anyway? I think I'd prefer beeing woken up during the night due to a low battery warning than not at all during a real fire. But... Hey! That's just they way I am.
Upcoming events: * Glasgow: SQL Server 2005 - XML and XML Query Plans, Mock Objects, SQL Server Reporting Services... Never write for other people. Write for yourself, because you have a passion for it. -- Marc Clifton My website
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It is not just when you here the chirp, but also determining "which" one of the detectors is doing it. Also, if it is chripping, does it actually fail a test... Too many rooms with too many detectors can be a pain!
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: Popfly! Check this out! Latest Tech Blog Post: 15 Free utilites!