Brand Information
Orbis® is a range of conventional detectors which has been developed and tested to create advantages for fire engineers and installers, as well as owners and users of buildings.
Orbis is a range with modern styling and a mounting base that saves installation time. It is electrically compatible with Apollo Series 65 and previous ranges of conventional detector.
Orbis is a demonstration of Apollo’s commitment to the market for high quality conventional detectors for use in small to medium size installations. In developing this range Apollo has put ease of installation and reliability in daily operation at the forefront of considerations. The attractive and compact design means that Orbis will blend in well with all architectural styles.
Orbis is manufactured in Apollo’s factory near Portsmouth, England
Orbis has been tested and approved to the following standards:
EN54–7: 2000 + A1: 2002
optical smoke detector
EN 54–7: 2000 + A1: 2002 &
CEA 4021: 2003-07
multisensor smoke detector
EN 54–5: 2000 + A1: 2002
heat detector
Detectors have been declared
as being compliant with the essential requirements of the EMC Directive 2004/108/EEC and the Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC
Brand Features
- TimeSaver Base® designed for fast installation
- StartUp™ for fast commissioning
- FasTest® reduces maintenance time
- automatic drift compensation
- with DirtAlert® warning to easily identify dirty detectors
- SensAlert® which indicates that the detector is not operating properly
- wide voltage and operating temperature ranges
- optical sensor designed for high
- reliability and reduced false alarm incidence
- multisensor smoke detector for detecting fast-burning fires
- flashing LED option
OperationOrbis heat detectors have an open-web casing which allows air to flow freely across a thermistor which measures the air temperature every 2 seconds. A microprocessor stores the temperatures and compares them with pre-set values to determine whether a fixed upper limit–the alarm level–has been reached.
In the case of rate-of-rise detectors the microprocessor uses algorithms to determine how fast the temperature is increasing. Static heat detectors respond only when a fixed temperature has been reached.
Rate-of-rise detectors also have a fixed upper limit but they also measure the rate of increase in temperature. A fire might thus be detected at an earlier stage than with a static detector so that a rate-of-rise detector is to be preferred to a static heat detector unless sharp increases of heat are part of the normal environment in the area protected by the heat detector.
Maintenance & ServiceDetectors should be checked regularly at the intervals indicated by the locally applicable code of practice. Apollo recommends that detectors be checked at least once a year.
One of the features of Orbis is FasTest® which makes it possible to carry out a functional test, using smoke or heat, within about four seconds. If detectors appear not to be functioning correctly they should be returned to Apollo for testing.
If detectors are externally dirty they can be cleaned carefully with a damp cloth sing a small amount of industrial alcohol.
DirtAlert™Orbis detectors have drift compensation to compensate for changes caused by the environment. The most usual change is contamination.
If the detector is dirty to the point where it can no longer compensate, its LED will flash yellow while it is in StartUp.
Maintenance checks should therefore include removing a detector from its base and re-inserting it or pressing reset on the panel to imitate StartUp. A flashing yellow LED is not a sign that the detector needs to be replaced immediately. The decision to replace should be taken by the service engineer, taking the environment of the detector into account. If the detector is not replaced it will eventually cause false alarms.
When deciding how long to leave the detector on site in such a case, the following rule of thumb may be used: installation time + 25%.
For example, if a detector had been installed for four years when the LED flashed yellow, it could be left in place for up to 12 months.
Dirty detectors can be returned to Apollo for cleaning and re-calibration.
Additional InformationOrbis has been designed with a number of features that make commissioning easier and that save time.
StartUpWhen Orbis detectors are powered up they automatically enter a phase known as StartUp and in which they stay for 4 minutes. After this they revert to normal operation. If the detector is reset, ie, if power is disconnected for one second or longer, the detector will always enter StartUp for the first four minutes after power has been restored. The detector LED flashes red once a second to indicate that it is in StartUp.
What StartUp indicates
StartUp is used to check that the positive and negative cables are connected in the correct polarity and that power has been applied to the detector. If this is the case, the LED will flash red once a second.
StartUp will not check whether the IN+ and OUT+ connections have been transposed. This is not a problem if standard bases are used as the detector will operate normally.
If, however, diode bases are used and a detector is removed from a base with transposed positive connections none of the detectors beyond this point will operate.
FasTest®Orbis detectors incorporate a test facility known as FasTest®.
In normal operation Orbis smoke detectors do not change to the alarm state at the first sensing of smoke. If they did, they could be too sensitive and cause false alarms. Algorithms determine the point at which the detector changes to alarm.
This could slow down routine
maintenance during which detectors are tested by means of smoke or a smoke-simulating substance.
In order to avoid such a problem Orbis detectors have FasTest, a facility which is automatically available during StartUp and which modifies algorithms so that testing is possible within 4 seconds.
The problem of testing is even more acute in the case of heat detectors as they absorb a great deal of heat during testing. Orbis heat detectors also incorporate FasTest®.
In the case of heat detectors a fast test is defined as a sample which recognises a rise of 10°C within one minute. Since sampling takes place every 2 seconds an Orbis heat detector will respond within about 4 seconds.
Smoke or Heat TestingSmoke or heat testing Orbis detectors is aided by the FasTest® feature. A detector will react rapidly to the correct stimulus if applied within 4 minutes after power up.
Choose the appropriate test function on the control panel and reset the detector circuit. This should place the detectors into FasTest®. Apply smoke or heat as appropriate and the detector should enter the alarm state within 4 seconds. The panel may sound the alarm and reset the zone automatically (refer to control panel’s instructions). If not, silence the alarm and reset the panel. Repeat the procedure as necessary.
Note that the multisensor detector will respond to either smoke or heat while
in FasTest®.
OptionsThe Orbis range incorporates seven heat detector classes to suit a wide variety of operating conditions in which smoke detectors are unsuitable.
The European standard EN54-5:2001 classifies heat detectors according to the highest ambient temperature in which they can safely be used without risk of false alarm. The classes are identified by the letters A to G. (Class A is subdivided into A1 and A2.) In addition to the basic classification, detectors may be identified by a suffix to show that they are rate-of-rise (suffix R) or fixed temperature (suffix S) types.
All heat detectors in the Orbis range are tested as static or rate-of-rise detectors and are classified as A1R, A1S, A2S, BR, BS, CR and CS.
Environmental CharacteristicsThe environmental performance is similar to that of the Orbis optical smoke detector but it should be noted that heat detectors are designed to work at particular ambient temperatures.
Product InformationThe Orbis Heat Detector monitors temperature by using a single thermistor which provides a voltage output proportional to the external air temperature.
Key Features
- Can be used for applications where smoke detectors are unsuitable
- Ideal in environments that are dirty or smoky under normal conditions
- Red flashing LED at StartUp confirms the device is operating.
- SensAlert®, yellow flashing LED indicates faulty operation
- FasTest® takes just four seconds to test and confirm detectors are functioning correctly
