Cooper Wheelock

Cooper Wheelock logo

Cooper Wheelock is a Long Branch, New Jersey, company founded in 1922^[1] specializing in fire alarm and general signaling products. The company is known as an industry leader in fire and industrial signals.^[2] Cooper Wheelock products are often used by other companies to complement their products.

Corporate history

Wheelock, Inc. historic logo, prior to acquisition by Cooper Industries

In March, 2006, Wheelock, Inc was acquired by Cooper Menvier of the United Kingdom, a division of Cooper Industries.^[3]

Products

Wheelock 7002 horn/strobe.

A Wheelock 34T-24 horn rebranded by Honeywell.

The 3x/700x series of electromechanical and vibratory horns and horn/strobes is an earlier Wheelock creation. In the early 1970s, Wheelock introduced the 31 and 34 series horns, a vibratory and electromechanical horn, respectively. Around 1978, Wheelock created the 7001 (flush-mount electromechanical), 7002 (surface-mount electromechanical), and 7004 (surface-mount vibratory) horn/strobes. These were the first audiovisual alarms to use xenon strobes instead of incandescent lights. The horn and strobe on the 7001 and 7002 models are wired together, resulting in a distinctive "skipping" sound. In the mid-1980s, Wheelock redesigned the horn's grilles, making them vandal resistant. These models contain the letter "T" in their model numbers (i.e. 34T, 7002T, etc.). This series became extremely popular among safety companies and resellers. In 1994, Wheelock discontinued this series, due to the ADA requiring that all strobes have clear lenses instead of translucent lenses. The 31T is still in production today for general signaling purposes.

The Series MT (Multi-tone) was introduced in the early 1990s. It featured not only a continuous horn sound and the Code-3 temporal pattern, but five other tones: bell, hi-lo, march time, siren, and slow whoop. These could be set using DIP switches on the back of the horn. However, most of the tones did not grab the attention of bystanders. The commonly used tones were march time, continuous, Code-3, and slow whoop. The strobes have been replaced on these several times. The current model uses a horizontal strobe, which allows for greater strobe coverage than a vertical strobe. However, the original vertical-strobe versions are still ADA-compilant, and continue to be seen today.

In 1995, Wheelock introduced the AS, a combination horn and strobe, which is one of their most commonly used products. The AS was first created in a vertical position with the strobe on the right side of the horn facing vertically, but currently, the strobe is in a horizontal position above the horn, like most other current Wheelock strobes.

In 1998, Wheelock released the NS series. The NS is similar to the AS, except the design is much less boxy, and the piezoelectric speaker disc is slightly visible through the grille. Its strobe is similar to that of the RSS.

The RSS strobe replaced the vertical LSM strobe series, since a horizontal strobe allows for greater coverage. They also introduced the RSSP, a retrofit plate which allows the easy addition of a strobe to older electromechanical horns and bells, such as the 3x series and 43T. Cooper Wheelock also produces several bells as well as speakers, manual pull stations, synchronization modules, and voice evacuation products. Cooper Wheelock does not manufacture fire alarm control panels, smoke detectors, or heat detectors. Many fire alarm control panels are compatible with Cooper Wheelock's line of notification appliances and other products.

In 2008, Wheelock introduced the ZNS, ZRS, and "Exceder" series horn/strobes and remote strobes. The ZNS and ZRS features a "snap-on" mounting system, which allows the base to be installed before the horn is attached.

As of March 31, 2010, the AS, NS, ZNS, ZRS and portions of the RSS products have been discontinued and replaced by the Exceder series.^[4]

See also

• Fire alarm
• Manual pull station

References

1. ^ Wheelock main page
2. ^ Fire Alarm Equipment - A Global Strategic Business Report
3. ^ Cooper Menvier main page
4. ^ Wheelock Exceder Cross Reference Guide

External links

• Cooper Wheelock