Honeywell Gent, formerly Gents' of Leicester, is a British manufacturer of life safety equipment based in Leicester, England. Established by John Thomas Gent, the company is thought to have started in 1872 however it could have been trading as early as the 1860s. The company had a workforce of several hundred at its height.
For over a century, the company was a well-known manufacturer of electrical equipment, in particular its electric clocks, which were used in public buildings and railway stations all over the world. Since the late 20th century, the company's primary focus has been fire detection and alarm systems.
Products
Early years During the early years of the company, John T. Gent and Company manufactured both electric and pneumatic bells and other indicating equipment. By 1888, the company had a sizeable catalogue of electrical and mechanical products as well as products intended for the generation and storage of electricity. Gent also manufactured cables however this would be brought to an end in 1914.
Early 20th Century In 1914, the Midland Electric Wire Manufacturing Company ceased trading, bringing an end to the manufacturing of cables at the Faraday Works factory on St Saviours Rd. The reclaimed factory space was used to further grow the business. By the 1930s, Gent were manufacturing bells, clocks, power supplies, fire alarm systems, telephones and signalling and recording equipment. The company also produced sirens as wells as electrical parts for aircraft communications and radar equipment. Trading as Gents' of Leicester by the 1940s, the company owned showrooms to demonstrate its products. Gent also made air raid sirens, particularly the Tanhent series, during World War II.
Mid-to-late 20th century Some of Gent's most recognisable products were produced during the mid to late 20th Century. The company continued making electric bells and, trading as Chloride Gent following the acquisition, released the Chloride Gent Warbler – one of the first electronic fire alarm sounders. The Warblers were extremely loud and were used in many schools across the United Kingdom. The original Warbler has three selectable tones: warble, continuous and intermittent. It had adjustable pitch and speed dials. Later models such as the Model 3500 Warbler were considerably quieter, lacked speed and pitch controls and included an additional tone: the sweep tone. Due to the success of the Warblers, other companies started manufacturing similar electronic sounders such as Protec's SR2. In recent years, the Warblers have become valuable collector's items due to their increasing scarcity.
Chloride Gent's other popular products included the Model 1102 Manual Call Point, which could be fitted with an optional hammer attached to a chain. Model 1102 call points could be used on AC or DC fire alarm systems. Gent continued making sirens such as the Model 1500, often used in large open areas or industrial spaces. The model 1500 sounded very similar to air raid sirens.
Following the acquisition by the MK Electric Group, Gent (now Gent Limited), continued producing life safety equipment. The 1980s saw the introduction of new electronic sounders (the Model 2511 and 2510) which were manufactured until 2003. The company also introduced the 1195 Manual Call Point, distinguishable by its square design as opposed to the rectangular design of the Model 1102.
Analogue Addressable Systems
System 3400, 3300 and 2400
System 3400 and the 3217 Protocol
The current Gent addressable protocol, called the Gent 3217 protocol, started with the launch of the System 3400 fire alarm system in 1985. The panel was one of the first addressable fire alarm systems ever created and was revolutionary compared to the simplistic conventional fire alarm systems that preceded it – both power and data could be carried across two conductors. System 3400 was available with both 4 and 8 loop panels (the 3404 and 3408 respectively). It was not until 1987 that loop-powered sounders would be available for system 3400, partly due to the difficulties in reducing their power consumption so as not to affect loop communication. These sounders (the 3420-02 and 3420–03), commonly referred to as 'Hornstyles', were available in both two-way and three-way models and with grey and white horn parts, with three way models having an additional pair of terminals for spurring off the addressable loop. Model 3421 base sounders were also available but were not as popular as the wall-mounted 3420s.
System 3400 used MCPs (Manual Call Points) similar to the Model 1195 however they were fitted with an addressable module and had the model number 3480. 3471 Optical Heat, 3472 Heat, and 3473 Ionisation detectors were all available and could be fitted to a 3470 two-way or three-way base. A range of interfaces for connection to external equipment were also available.
The Gent 3217 protocol supports multiple spurs and a mesh-like configuration although this was not utilised in the final product . The protocol is a simple implementation of asynchronous serial, with each frame having a start bit of 0, 8 bits of data, an odd parity bit and finally a stop bit of 1. For panel-to-device communication, a voltage of 0v is used to represent a logic 0, with logic 1 being represented by the normal loop operation voltage. Device-to-panel communication uses current pulses as is typical with most addressable fire systems.
System 3300 System 3300 was a cut-down version of System 3400, marketed as a cheaper option for installers and businesses. It used the same 3217 protocol as System 3400 but was limited to 2 loops. Devices were similar to those of System 3400 however had more visible System 3300 branding. 3320 sounders had a white horn section instead of the more common grey style of 3420s.
System 3300 was sold as Senator under the SMS brand. Devices did not include the Senator branding although the panel included the Senator logo. A revised version of System 3300 was released, called System 3300 Mk 2. System 3300 Mk 2 used a panel design similar to System 32000's 32020 control panels.
System 2400 System 2400 was an even more simplistic addressable system, limited to the one loop. It was also marketed as a cheaper option for installers and businesses and was a potential upgrade path for customers with conventional systems who wanted the advantages of addressable systems. System 2400 used conventional detectors fitted to Model 2420 addressable bases which were connected to zone modules on the addressable loop. A maximum of 16 zone modules could be connected to the loop. Compatible detectors included the 7630 Ionisation Detector, 7640 Optical Detector, 7650 Fixed Temperature Heat Detector, 7660 Rate of Rise Heat Detector and 7011 Beam Detector.
System 34000, 32000 and 800
System 34000 1995 saw the release of a new range of devices and panels. Following the acquisition by Caradon, Gent released the 34000 series of devices for sale with both System 3400 and System 34000. These devices were much more compact and had a more modern design. Model codes were relatively similar with most just having a 0 appended to their 3400 equivalent (e.g. the 3480 MCP became the 34800). Others such as the 3420-02/03 loop-powered sounder became the 34202/3. 34000-era MCPs can be identified by their red lever mechanism which supports the break glass element as opposed to the black mechanism of 3400-era devices. This generation also introduced a control panel design that would stay around until the 2017 release of the Gent Vigilon Plus. The 34000 series was marketed as a more advanced system with the ability for more loops and some more features that the 32000 panel didn't have. In 2019 Gent announced that they were officially discontinuing the 34000 device range, citing problems with part availability. To help upgrade unsupported systems, Gent released the 34000 S-Quad Adapter Base (S4-700-34k), allowing S-Quad detectors to be installed onto Vigilon systems running 34000 loops quickly and easily, without having to replace the 34700 detector bases. The S-Quad adapter base is not compatible with the 19279-01 Semi flush mounting kit or the 19279-10 Sensor Trim Ring. If either of these trim rings are used, the 34000 base must be removed, the ceiling repaired (or replaced), and a regular S4-700 base, or an S4-FLUSH base installed. The S-Quad adapter base is also not supported for use with 34000, or older panels, citing compatibility only with Vigilon and Vigilon Plus. While these devices may work with these older panels, using them on these panels (especially with the S-Quad adapter base) is unsupported and issues can arise, especially with voice sounder models. One of the devices released in the 34000 range was the 34770 optical heat sounder (optical smoke and heat sensor with integrated sounder).
System 32000 Released in 1996, System 32000 replaced System 3300 and saw a brand new panel design as well as devices similar to those in the 34000 range. Like System 3300, it was a cut-down cheaper option and was limited to 2 loops. System 32000 devices had a similar appearance to System 34000 devices but model numbers began with 32 instead of 34. Some devices had slightly changed model numbers to their 34000 equivalents such as the 32775 Optical Heat Sensor Sounder whose System 34000 equivalent was the 34770 Optical Heat Sensor Sounder. These devices were the first ever combined sensor sounder to be released by Gent. System 32000 devices are largely compatible with those from System 34000 as these systems share the same Gent 3217 protocol.
Like system 3300, System 32000 was also sold under the SMS brand name as Senator II. Senator II's panel had a blue colour compared to the grey colour of the Gent 32020 panel.
System 800 Continuing the hybrid-addressable range introduced with System 2400, System 800 brought a new, smaller panel and new devices. System 800 was sold under the SMS brand as the Europanel. It utilised the Gent conventional 17800 detector series, mounted on an addressable detector base.
Vigilon and Nano
Vigilon In 1997, the Vigilon was released. The original Vigilon features a blue LCD, and was originally released with the System 34000 devices as its device suite.
In 1999 the Vigilon was re-released, due to the release of a new set of sounders, detectors, and manual call points. This panel still featured a purple display. The panel was marketed with another 'Hornstyle' sounder, the VIG-SND, and detectors and call points that were again similar to the 32000 and 34000 devices. The Vigilon system has been sold under the SMS brand as Senator Advance, Sentri TWO (Vigilon compact) and Sentri FOUR (1-6 loop panel).
As Vigilon shares the same Gent 3217 protocol as previous Gent addressable fire alarm systems, it is mostly backwards compatible with 3400, 3300, 34000 and 32000 devices however some devices may require the Local Controller Card or Loop Controller firmware to be upgraded.
Around 2001, along with the first generation of S-Cubed (S3) sounders. Mark 1 S-Cubed Sounders are officially compatible with the 3400, 3300, 32000, and 34000 panels, but, depending on model, could require a panel firmware upgrade or loop card replacement. S2 devices were made as replacements for legacy three-way sounders often seen on 3400 and 34000 systems, and these devices are also compatible with Vigilon systems. The S2 Strobe was also introduced to allow strobes to be added to existing buildings with older Vigilon, 34000, 32000 or older systems.
In the early 2000s, a revision was made to the Vigilon, featuring a green, smaller, 8 line LCD, however the layout of the LEDs is the same as the previous EN and BS Vigilon systems.
In 2005, the Vigilon panel design was updated, and more LEDs to display more faults and issues to the end user.