FX-50SQ

The FX-50 range of detectors have been developed to build on the already immensely successful RX-40QZ, the first of our detectors to incorporate Quad Zone Logic. The FX-50QZ offers 15m range and improved sensitivity, while the FX-50SQ Super Quad has the additional benefit of high white light immunity and RFI protection. While we have introduced the FX-50 series as a natural extension to our product range, there is also another factor that has contributed to the product's development.

There is an increasing trend by installers to fit dual technology detectors in areas that may be hostile or problematic. However, there is also a trend by these same installers to insist on purchasing low cost detectors where quality of performance has been sacrificed, in order to achieve a budget price point.

But in many instances, the product is then placed into environments that are unsuitable, and the problems begin. We ourselves at Optex produce a high quality dual technology detector. Such is our commitment to quality and to protect the integrity of our name that we refuse to follow this route of producing inferior products to achieve low pricing.

The Optex philosophy is to ask the question, is the product suitable for the job? One of the most hostile and demanding areas to install a detector in residential applications is in a conservatory. Not only is the option of fitting a purpose designed detector such as the FX-50SQ the right one, there is also a cost saving as this detector is available at a lower price than even the cheapest combination detectors. Why fit a poor quality dual technology detector, when you can fit a better performing, high quality PIR that will save money as well? There are often circumstances where using microwave technology is the wrong thing to do.

The mainstay of the FX-50SQ's performance is its ability to deal with direct sunlight, car headlights and also its high immunity to RFI. This is in addition to the high performance that any installer can expect from an Optex detector.

What our experts say...

Optex has produced a number of professional passive infra red movement detectors over the years and this one, the FX-50SQ, lies above the existing domestic EX-35 and FX-35 models, but below the higher specified CX range for commercial applications. This 15m range detector is expected to be specified for the domestic market when a high level of stability is required to cope with expected environmental problems due to the excessive heat of a conservatory, for example, or an environment with higher than normal levels of RF interference, perhaps from a home office set up with computers and fax machines. The unit is CE marked for European compliance and comes with a very generous five year guarantee.

Construction

The two-part case is constructed from a very rigid ABS plastic in a soft white finish, with a single white headed screw on the underside to secure the cover. The whole package gives good protection from casual vandalism, including the fresnel lens which takes the form of the characteristic Optex spherical shape. Though this design gives the lens good mechanical strength, it has to be said that not every one found the modern shape pleasing on the eye. Overall, the detector is professional and looks the part.

The whole case, including the optical section, is sealed against insect and dust intrusion, so the cable entry and wall mounting holes need to be created in the usual 'knock out' positions for either flat or corner mounting. Inside the case, the single printed circuit board is secured by a plastic clip holding it tightly on the horizontal sides of the board. This means there can be no vertical adjustment of the board position to give the usual mechanical means of range control of the PIR.

The operational mounting height of the unit however is fairly flexible, between 1.5 and 2.4m. (Installers wishing to conceal the feed wiring by tucking the detector under the ceiling can do so though it should be noted that increasing the fixing height will of course diminish the effective range of the unit).

The wiring connections are via a six-way terminal block along the bottom edge of the PCB. Connections are printed on the PCB using conventional terminology. A six-core cable is the minimum requirement to provide for 12v DC supply, one normally closed anti-tamper pair and one normally closed alarm output pair. A seventh terminal is provided labelled SP, which is a spare terminal to park a single wiring joint. A pair of jumper pins is provided on the face of the PCB to select the pulse count feature, calibrated at two or four pulses. For the purposes of the test we used the two pulse count throughout. The on-board walk test LED can be disabled altogether by an additional two pin jumper.

The FX-50SQ did its stuff in the oppressive heat of a loft space during a sunny afternoon

The FX-50SQ has no memory latch, though a modified version is available for such a requirement, the FX-50SQL. A seventh wire is required in this configuration, giving either a positive or negative change of state during set/unset conditions to latch the on-board LED.

Note: With the advent of point ID systems and inexpensive multi zone control panels, PIRs with an alarm memory have come to be considered 'old hat' by most installers. They can however, be very useful when fault finding troublesome false alarms, by giving confirmation of a genuine activation by the detector, as opposed to a wiring fault which would cause the zone to activate but not the LED light to latch on.

The SQ name is an abbreviation for 'super quad'. Although the unit is sold as a 'Quad detector', the marketing people at Optex are being a little disingenuous since the pyro sensor is a conventional dual type and achieves a high level of false alarm immunity by use of patented logic circuitry to filter out extraneous noise and environmental interference.

The 'quad' name tag then is notional rather than factual, the increased stability of the unit being software based. The pyro sensor is heavily shielded within a potted case called double conductive shielding which is designed to earth any stray RFI and block excessive visible light such as halogen headlights and reflected sunlight.

Performance

We found the current consumption to be slightly less than the quoted specification, at 13mA. And though the detector is designed to operate at a nominal 12v DC, the voltage range is said by Optex to be usable from 9v – 16v DC. The relay output gave a reading of exactly 2 ohms.

The lens is segmented into 76 zones divided into six horizontal layers, which accounts for the impressively fast catch offered by the unit. A mirrored section of the outer case gave a usable 'creep zone' to prevent intruders crawling immediately underneath the detector. The horizontal spread of the detection pattern was close to 90 degrees.

We mounted the FX-50 at 2m height for the duration of the test where it performed very well during our series of standard tests (see factfile performance panel). In a further test, the FX-50SQ did its stuff in the oppressive heat of a loft space during a sunny afternoon.

The accompanying instructions are provided on a single printed A4 sized sheet with schematic diagrams for identification of parts and coverage patterns for the PIR detection area. The instructions are good with installation guidelines in a mostly pictorial form, and a troubleshooting guide for common problems.

A specification is included with all the information required by an installer i.e. current consumption, operating voltage, operating range and temperature requirements.

In addition the trade literature makes mention of the availability of a mounting bracket for either ceiling or wall, called the FA-3, which allows the detector to be swivelled plus or minus 45 degrees horizontally and declined 15 degrees vertically.