Electrified Hardware

WWYD? Secure Pair

I recently visited a facility where security is their top priority.  Many of the doors are set to sound an alarm if they are left open for more than 6 seconds.  This presents a challenge when carts are being moved through the opening, because the doors need to stay open long enough for the carts, but need to close before the 6-second mark.  There are 10,000 employees on-site during a typical day, and leaving a door unsecure / not locked or latched can result in termination of their jobs.  Many of the doors are fire doors, which adds some extra complexity to the issue.  Almost all of the doors have access-control.

By |2013-02-14T14:46:04-05:00November 2nd, 2012|Electrified Hardware, WWYD?|15 Comments
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Mag-Locks – Security Impact

For the second time in two months, a news story came across my desk that involved the impact of mag-locks on security.  For some involved in the security industry, mag-locks are perceived to be an easy way to retrofit a high level of protection, because the field preparation is limited and the manufacturers' literature shows holding force specifications which seem like more than enough to keep out the average burglar.

By |2014-11-25T23:22:07-05:00October 23rd, 2012|Electrified Hardware, News|11 Comments
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WWYD? Double-Egress Pair

This is an actual problem on a current project, and I'm hoping some of you will have ideas to help out.  The doors and a portion of the hardware have already been installed, and the remaining hardware is on-site.  It's a double-egress pair in a health-care facility, and it is equipped with a system to prevent patients with Alzheimer's Disease or other conditions from "eloping".  There is a sensor in the vicinity of the doors which detects an approaching occupant wearing a transmitter bracelet, and when an occupant is detected the system automatically arms the delayed egress locks, which prevent the patient from leaving the unit before staff members can arrive.

By |2013-12-04T23:49:43-05:00August 6th, 2012|Electrified Hardware, Means of Egress, WWYD?|29 Comments
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WWYD? Theater Security

As I read about the terrible movie theater tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, I thought about things from a door hardware consultant's perspective.  Could future tragedies be prevented by changing the way we think about the hardware on movie theater exits?  Because the suspect allegedly propped open the exit door so he could return during the movie with guns, explosive chemicals, and a protective vest, would monitoring or alarming the emergency exit have thwarted his attack?

By |2016-08-10T14:07:17-04:00July 30th, 2012|Electrified Hardware, Means of Egress, WWYD?|15 Comments
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WWYD: Access Control on Sliding Doors

Jon Bossie of Surveillance Specialties sent me the photos below to see if any of my readers had ideas about how to add access control to these sliding doors.  He and I both have some thoughts but maybe there's something we haven't considered.  The doors are mounted on the outside face of the wall, each serving an individual office.  When the door is closed, it overlaps the aluminum frame face.  There is currently no method of securing the doors.  WWYD?

By |2012-04-12T21:46:36-04:00April 10th, 2012|Electrified Hardware, WWYD?|33 Comments
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Creative Application: Pair with Electric Strike

As many of you know, I was away last week to do some specwriter training.  While I thoroughly enjoyed hanging with some of my peeps for a few days (not to mention 12 hours in the car with 3 of them), my email really piled up.  I was so happy to find these photos in my emailbox, so I could put up a quick blog post.

By |2012-04-08T23:27:50-04:00April 8th, 2012|Doors Gone Wrong, Electrified Hardware|3 Comments
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Fractured Fairy Tales: Electrified Hardware and LEED®

Every so often I love to have a guest blogger write a post for me, so I can have the night off to do something fun and exciting like attend a PTO meeting (sad, right?).  My colleague, Steve Ostapower, was recently involved in a situation where the power usage of a Von Duprin EL (electric latch retraction) device was questioned, and I asked him to share his findings with you (Thanks Steve!).  Enjoy!

By |2013-12-04T23:50:16-05:00February 2nd, 2012|Electrified Hardware|2 Comments
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Access-Controlled Egress Doors

I'm in San Antonio, Texas at a beautiful hotel and conference center for our annual sales meeting, and there are A LOT of doors with mag-locks.  Check out the coordination of the bank of pairs below...concealed closers, overhead stops, and mag-locks all coexisting in the same space.  Notice that the mag-locks have a split armature to save space vs. a double-magnet.  Every pair has a motion sensor, a push button, and a key switch, presumably for locking and unlocking the mag-lock.  I would not typically specify a separate key switch for each opening in a bank of doors, but nobody asked me.

By |2012-01-27T21:55:18-05:00January 24th, 2012|Electrified Hardware|9 Comments
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EAC Catalog and Power Supplies

Many of Schlage and Von Duprin's electronic access control product numbers have changed within the last couple of years, and I've gotten a lot of calls about converting products and finding current information.  The Electronic Access Control Catalog is now available on the Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies website, and the Search feature makes it much easier to find what you're looking for.

By |2015-10-28T10:21:32-04:00December 16th, 2011|Electrified Hardware|0 Comments
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What If?

Have you ever run into one of those doors that needs access control, but for whatever reason it's almost impossible to get the wires to the lock?  Maybe it's an existing door (especially if it's fire rated), or an opening set into stone or a fancy surround like the door on the left.  It might be a situation where the wiring would have to be run in surface-mounted conduit, or where drilling into the walls or ceiling would create too much dust or would interrupt a busy workspace.  In a health care facility, there are specific procedures that must be followed to protect the air quality for patients and staff.  An exterior gate or remote door would also be a tough access control installation if the product is hard-wired.

By |2019-02-10T20:15:47-05:00September 22nd, 2011|Electrified Hardware, Locks & Keys|2 Comments
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WWYD? – Police Station

One of my favorite job-related activities is going into a facility and helping with their hardware problems.  This week I was called into a police station to look at a door that had allowed several escapes, as well as the main entrance.  I thought it would be fun to see what you all would recommend in these situations.

By |2012-01-27T21:57:28-05:00August 25th, 2011|Electrified Hardware, Means of Egress, Panic Hardware, WWYD?|5 Comments
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Seaside Hotel, Tel Aviv

This is a very unusual door - stone clad and an exterior opening only about 100 feet from the ocean.  The door and panic hardware were installed by Entry Systems Ltd., the stone, mag-lock, and wood surround were added by someone else.  The photos were sent to me by Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd., in Israel (Thanks Eyal!).  If you have any questions about this opening, just leave them in the comments section and I'm sure Eyal will be happy to fill us in.

By |2012-01-27T21:57:29-05:00July 15th, 2011|Electrified Hardware, Panic Hardware|3 Comments
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Calling All Locksmiths!

I have a special place in my heart for locksmiths.  Maybe it's because I've been "saved" a few times...like the time I locked myself out of my apartment in my PJs at 6 a.m.  Or maybe it's because I like the mechanics of what they do.  I always loved helping our in-house locksmith with masterkeying, and I've been told by an experienced locksmith that I'm a natural at shimming cylinders.  How many people can say that?!

By |2014-10-08T09:08:22-04:00July 14th, 2011|Electrified Hardware, Locks & Keys|4 Comments
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Von Duprin QEL Device

I visited a jobsite today and saw some QEL devices in action.  If you're not familiar with the QEL device, it is a *quiet* version of the electric latch retraction exit device.  When the access control system (card reader, key fob, etc.) signals the door to unlock, the latch(es) retract to allow someone to pull the door open.  You can always exit by pushing the touchpad.  I have used the QEL device on several high-profile spaces where noise is an issue.  I recently specified them for auditoriums at the United States Institute of Peace and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where the latches are held retracted while the auditorium is unlocked.  As you can see in the video below, the touchpads are also held in while the latches are retracted so there will be no sound associated with exiting while the doors are unlocked.

By |2013-09-01T09:13:24-04:00August 10th, 2010|Electrified Hardware, Panic Hardware, Videos|0 Comments
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“EL” vs. “E”

Last week I got a compliment about this site from a security consultant, and I asked him if there were any topics he'd like me to do a post about.  He said that a post on electrified lever trim (E) vs. electric latch retraction (EL) would be helpful since he spends a lot of time explaining the difference to his clients.  So Michael, this is for you, and everyone out there who has been wondering how to choose between the two.

By |2013-02-09T01:11:45-05:00July 2nd, 2010|Electrified Hardware, Panic Hardware|6 Comments
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