Types of Smoke Alarms and Detectors

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), approximately two-thirds of U.S. household fire deaths result from fires in homes with:

• No smoke alarms
• Working smoke alarms with old or missing batteries

Whether it’s a household setting or in a business, the selection and maintenance of an early warning system is critical to save lives and minimize property loss.

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Smoke alarms should be placed on each level of your home and outside of each sleeping area. If bedroom doors are closed, additional alarms should be located inside the bedrooms, as well. Since smoke rises, the installation should be on the ceiling at least four inches away from the nearest wall and away from drafts from windows or air ducts. As always, make sure to follow manufacturer’s installation instructions and verify all codes and compliance with your local authority. That could include your building inspector, fire marshal or insurance bureau.

There are two broad types of fire alarm systems; heat detectors and smoke alarms. Knowing the differences between the various types of fire alarms available is key to matching the appropriate product to the application.

Fire Alarm Types:

Heat Detectors:

Heat detectors are the oldest type of automatic fire detection device. Heat detectors feature a detecting element inside the unit that activates when it reaches a predetermined fixed temperature or when a specific increase in temperature has occurred. Heat detectors are best suited for:

• applications where detection speed is not a prime consideration or where ambient conditions would not allow the use of a smoke detector
• fire detection in small, confined spaces where rapidly burning, high heat fires are anticipated

Heat detectors have a lower false alarm rate, but they are also slower than smoke detectors in detecting fires. Studies have shown that heat detectors are not as effective as smoke detectors in detecting fires in residential homes.

Smoke Alarms:

Smoke alarms will detect most fires more rapidly than heat detectors. There are currently three types of smoke alarms on the market: ionization, photoelectric and combination ionization/photoelectric.

An ionization smoke alarm contains a small amount of radioactive material. The radiation passes through an ionization chamber which is an air-filled space between two electrodes and permits a small, constant current between the electrodes. Any smoke that enters the chamber absorbs the alpha particles, which reduces the ionization and interrupts this current, setting off the alarm. This type of alarm responds best to fast raging fires.

Photoelectric smoke alarms operate using a light source, a light beam collimating system and a photoelectric sensor. When smoke enters the optical chamber and crosses the path of the light beam, some light is scattered by the smoke particles, directing it at the sensor and thus activating the alarm. This type of alarm responds best to slow smoldering fires.

Combination smoke alarms feature both ionization and photoelectric technologies. Ionization smoke alarms respond faster to high energy fires, whereas photoelectric detectors respond better to low energy smoldering fires. The NFPA recommends using both smoke alarms in the home for the best protection.

Smoke Alarm Power Sources

Smoke alarms also vary in how they are powered. 9 volt battery powered smoke alarms are very popular due to their low cost, however, care must be taken to replace the battery on a regular basis.

Smoke alarms are also available in 120 volt and a long life 10 year rated lithium battery. Many local or state building codes may require 120 volt interconnected smoke alarms with a battery back-up in case of power outages. The interconnected feature allows all smoke alarms to be linked together. This is especially important in multi-levels homes or in apartment buildings. Smoke alarms with high intensity strobe lights are also available for the hearing impaired.

Regardless of the type of detector or alarm selected, the proper placement and maintenance of the device is crucial. Follow all manufacturers instructions for placement, testing and maintenance. The NFPA suggests battery replacement at least once a year on battery equipped units and a monthly detector test to verify the alarm function. Many users utilize daylight saving time in the spring and the fall as a reminder to change batteries.

Commonly Asked Questions

Q. How often should I change my smoke detector?

A. The NFPA suggests changing your smoke detectors every 10 years.

Q. Are there options for the hearing impaired?

A. Yes. There are smoke detectors that use visual and audible warnings. These use a bright flashing strobe light in conjunction with the horn to warn of danger.

Q. Why is my smoke alarm chirping (or beeping)?

A. This is usually an indication that the battery is dying and needs to be replaced.

Q. Are there distance or square footage requirements for smoke detector installation?

A. A general rule of thumb and most smoke detector manufacturers’ instructions state, that smoke detectors should be installed every 30 feet in straight runs, such as a hallway or large rooms without obstructions in the ceiling. Most smoke detectors will cover approximately 900 square feet. Some states may have more stringent requirements for location and distances. It is best to check with the local municipality or fire department for code requirements and also the insurance carrier for the facility may have further requirements.

Source: https://www.jdslsolutions.com/types-of-smoke-alarms-and-detectors/

Get the Goods: Announcing Updates to Photoshop CC, Dimension CC, and More Today

Download or try out everything in this blog post here:Adobe Dimension CC

KyleBrush.com
Adobe Photoshop CC
Adobe Photoshop Sketch
Adobe Photoshop Express
Lightroom CC
Lightroom Mobile

Photoshop Friends: Every year I look forward to writing this blog post to present the results of a year’s worth of work by our Photoshop teams to deliver great new capabilities to our diverse and incredible customers.

This year, there is something here for everyone: from Adobe Dimension CC, a completely new product that enables you to easily design in 3D; to exclusive access for CC members to Kyle T. Webster’s Kylebrush.com collection (yes!!); to an incredibly long list of new Photoshop features for pros and beginners, and much more across a portfolio of products that is linked across desktop, web and mobile devices.

This year we have also added a lot of new capabilities that are powered by Adobe Sensei. Sensei is our use of artificial intelligence (AI) – machine learning and deep learning to deliver much of the imaging magic that you’ve come to expect from us over the years. More about Adobe Sensei here.

This set of releases represents hundreds of hours of conversations and research with our customers and the passion and focus of many diverse teams at Adobe to design great products for you, the most creative people on the planet. I can’t wait to see what you make!
Designers have pushed our 2D tools to the limits to meet the changing needs of your clients. You have told us that you urgently need a connected set of modern tools that are more flexible, faster and that enable you to experiment and make what used to be difficult changes throughout the design process without incurring big costs.

I am thrilled to announce a new member of the design product family – Adobe Dimension. Dimension gives you the power to design in 3D, without having to learn challenging 3D tasks or tools. You can use Dimension to create photo-realistic, high-fidelity images for anything you can imagine from product shots, to branding concepts, packaging, or anything else that requires realistic lighting and shadows; textures that respect 3D contours, angles and perspectives; and design flexibility that is so difficult to achieve with 2D assets. It also ships with a marketplace of models, lights and materials from Adobe Stock that you can use to create your scenes.

Here are some examples of why you should integrate Dimension into your current design process now. With Dimension, for the first time you can now easily:

• Apply a logo created in Illustrator CC to a 3D model. Light the scene and add a background to show a branding concept. Easily create multiple examples of it in different scenes and lighting conditions, viewed from various angles and more.
• Visualize a photoshoot by staging a scene from many angles. Export to Photoshop with layers that you can use to jumpstart what used to be a tedious masking process and then take your renders even further with all the power of Photoshop.
• Create graphic art, unique digital images or storyboards to accompany editorial for your client. As you get feedback from your client, easily show or make changes to the lighting, perspective, contours, shadows throughout the design process in ways that are not possible when working only in 2D. Dimension was created for designers by designers. Check out how designers are using Dimension on our Behance page here. We launched it as a beta last year called Project Felix. In the time since the beta release, we have conducted over 40 research studies, collecting over 700 hours of direct customer feedback. We’ve received over 9,200 comments via the in-app widget (upper right-hand corner of the UI – in this version you can tell us what you think too). You’ve given us amazing input on what you want to produce with this product and the features you’d like to see, so Dimension will just keep getting better as we continue to customize the product for your needs.Here are a few images and quotes from members of our beta program:

“This is great for beginners who have never used a 3D designing program before and who want to start learning! Besides InDesign, Project Felix is becoming one of my favorite programs Adobe has!”

“I used it to create visualizations of an Augmented Reality app I’m designing to use in our App Store screenshots. It allowed me to create professional renderings instead of just using screenshots of the app in use.”

“I just recommended to my team!!!! Having a quick turnaround on rendered images—already placed into a graphic—makes this a game changer in ads and other various materials!”

Dimension is powered by Adobe Sensei, specifically the smart selection, Auto-IBL, Auto Ground-Plane and Horizon Detection, and Decal features.

For more in-depth information about Dimension, go here.

We’re excited to announce that Adobe has acquired KyleBrush.com. As of today, all Creative Cloud customers will gain exclusive access to over 1,000 high-quality, digital brushes at no additional cost. Digital brushes offer illustrators, animators and designers a rich digital painting experience when working in Photoshop CC and Photoshop Sketch.

As part of the acquisition, Kyle T. Webster, an international award-winning illustrator and leader in the field of digital brush creation, also joins Adobe. He will work closely with Adobe product teams on the development of future brushes for Creative Cloud.

“For years, Kyle has created the world’s best-selling Photoshop brushes for professional illustrators, animators and designers,” said Maria Yap, Adobe Senior Director of Digital Imaging Product Management. “We’re thrilled to bring his award-winning brushes to all Creative Cloud members and at the same time gain Kyle’s expertise to enhance Adobe’s digital drawing experience for designers in the future.”

“I’m honored to join the Adobe team, and excited that all CC members now have access to my vast collection of digital brushes,” said Kyle. “I know the team well and have collaborated with Adobe in the past, including the recent Hidden Treasures of Creativity campaign, a fun project where we recreated the over 100-year old paint brushes of Edvard Munch.”

Easier Access to Your Photos, Simplified Pen Tool, In-Product Learning and So Much More

Download Photoshop here.

This version of Photoshop is much easier to learn for the millions of beginners who try it for the first time every year. Test out the new learn panel and other ease-of-use improvements like the new Curvature Pen Tool. We’ve integrated Lightroom Photos into the start screen and search to save you time when working with mobile and other images you’ve synced via Lightroom CC. We also addressed a number of pro requests like your #1 request of all time – improved brush preset management, and much more.

Significantly expanded support for photographers:

Many of our customers use Photoshop and Lightroom together to create beautiful images. Lightroom has expanded significantly over the past few years, including adding web and mobile versions and connecting all your synced Lightroom photos together via Lightroom Cloud Services. Now we are connecting Photoshop to your Lightroom cloud catalog for a unified experience for your photos across the full Lightroom and Photoshop portfolio.

Lightroom Photos

is now available in the Photoshop start screen and search, so you can search or browse the photos you’ve synced across Lightroom’s desktop, mobile and cloud experiences and import and edit them directly in Photoshop. The search functionality in Lightroom Photos is powered by Sensei so you can search through your photos even if you’ve never tagged them.

This first version of Lightroom Photos in Photoshop will help you save time sending images from place to place, particularly when working with those you’ve captured via the mobile version of Lightroom.
By the way, we also shipped an exciting new version of Lightroom CC today. Learn more here.
Don’t have Lightroom yet? It is included with most CC memberships. Download it here:

Source: https://blogs.adobe.com/photoshop/2017/10/get-the-goods-announcing-updates-to-photoshop-cc-dimension-cc-and-more-today.html

New iPhone Leaks ‘Confirm’ Apple’s Biggest Problems

Apple AAPL +0.13% is fighting fires. While iOS 11 continues to cause serious problems, supply chain leaks have revealed iPhone X supply is severely delayed and interest is so low in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus production is being cut by 50% after less than a month. Now new sources are confirming Apple’s iPhone woes…

First up is none other than Rogers Communications CEO Joe Natale. Speaking during a quarterly earnings call, Natale was reported by CBC as claiming the carrier had witnessed “anemic appetite for the iPhone 8”.One carrier can’t speak for them all, but Rogers Communications is Canada’s largest carrier with over 10 million customers (source) so it represents a wide cross section of customers in North America. It is also the first high profile on the record comment following significant speculation about customer disinterest in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

Interestingly Natale said Rogers’ customers have expressed more excitement about the premium features of the iPhone X, but he believes its outlook is unclear because of both its price (“It’s a very expensive device”) and reduced availability.

Backing Natale up is another leak from the Apple supply chain, this time via the widely respected KGI Securities’ analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a new report picked up by MacRumors, Kuo reiterates that iPhone X stock will be incredibility limited at launch with just 2-3M units available globally on the launch weekend.

To put this in context the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus hold the opening weekend sales record for iPhones (13 million), so 2-3M simply won’t cut it for either Apple’s fans or the company’s bottom line.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2017/10/22/apple-iphone-new-iphones-iphone-x-release-date-iphone-8-specs-price-stock/#777004fc4254

Micromax Bharat 1 vs Reliance JioPhone: Which 4G feature phone do you prefer

The launch of the Reliance Jio 4G service created a huge impact in the Indian telecom market space. In less than a year, the company announced the JioPhone – the 4G feature phone that is effectively free of cost. With the launch of the JioPhone, the company did manage to create a buzz in the entry-level mobile phone market too.Soon after the JioPhone became a success creating pre-booking records in the country, the other mobile makers and telecom operators were also inspired to come up with their offerings in this category to give a stiff competition to Reliance Jio. We already saw the Airtel Karbonn A40 smartphone launch in the market with an effective price of Rs. 1,399. A few days back, the much-awaited Micromax Bharat 1 with bundled plans from BSNL was launched at Rs. 2,200. Also read: JioPhone is listed on OLX starting from Rs. 700: Here’s why you shouldn’t buy it Like the JioPhone, the Bharat 1 is also a 4G feature phone that is aimed to penetrate into the rural markets of India. The only aim of these phones is to provide internet connectivity to everyone. Having said that it comes with BSNL plans, the users can enjoy unlimited calling, SMS, internet and roaming starting from Rs. 97 per month. Here, we will see how the Reliance JioPhone and the Micromax Bharat 1 stack up against each other in terms of specifications, features, pricing and plans. Take a look at the comparison for more Details.

Source: https://www.gizbot.com/mobile/features/micromax-bharat-1-reliance-jiophone-4g-feature-phone-price-specs/articlecontent-pf80529-045079.html

Apple’s iPhone X has a new cheaper Android rival from SHARP

Apple’s iPhone X may not be sporting thin bezels as that of the competition from the Android universe but it’s still an attractive design nonetheless. The only issue is that if you wish to get the iPhone X, you will have to let go of a chunk of your savings. However, you can now get some of the ‘bezel-less thrills’ of the iPhone X without spending an astronomical figure from your pocket, thanks to SHARP.

SHARP has been in the spotlight recently for making some great looking smartphones with bezel-less display designs and they have now tried to bring this new design trend to the masses with the SHARP Aquos R Compact. Priced at $372, the smartphone has an iPhone X-esque design with a small notch at the top for housing the front camera. There’s, however, no FaceID rivalling tech sitting on the top, which is agreed as this is supposed to be a phone for the masses. That could also be the reason for the fat bottom chin with a home button that also houses a fingerprint scanner.
Underneath, the Aquos R Compact means business with its Snapdragon 660 octa core chipset, which is accompanied by 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. The narrow-bezel display has a 4.9-inch LCP panel with Full HD+ resolution and the notch you see above it has an 8MP selfie shooter. There’s a 16.4MP sensor for doing rear camera duties. The phone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo, which is a plus point and comes with EMOPA AI assistant to arrange the screen according to location and timing. It is powered by a small 2500mAh battery, which can be topped up fastly — thanks to Quick Charging 3.0.

While it may not have attention to detail on par with Apple’s iPhone X, it’s certainly a good phone for those who are looking to get a futuristic display at the price of feature-packed midrange smartphone. However, before you make up your mind, there’s another problem to the Aquos R Compact, something on the lines of the actual iPhone X — it’s not available for purchase in India.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/technology/mobiles-and-tabs/221017/apples-iphone-x-has-a-new-cheaper-android-rival-from-sharp.html

Essential Phone gets a $200 price drop, existing customers get credit

Essential has an offer that’s honestly very hard to refuse: The price of the Essential Phone (PH-1, going by technical model number), is now $200 cheaper, so $499 off-contract and unlocked. That’s an amazing price for their debut smartphone, which remains my favorite in terms of straight up industrial design (and it has one of the best color-tuned displays in devices right now in my opinion).

The Essential Phone went on sale just a few months ago, but the company believes that as a young startup just getting out therein a market where incumbents like Apple and Samsung basically take up all the available space, there’s a lot of value in word of mouth and perceived value. That’s why it’s making this price change, Essential tells me – though you have to also wonder whether the company’s not seeing the numbers it was hoping for in terms of initial sales, which is what some early third-party sales estimates have suggested.

Regardless of the reason, the price drop makes Essential arguably the best value smartphone on the market, and definitely the best Android device in that range. It’s one major failing has been its camera, which launched as a slow and buggy feature compared to most out there, but the subsequent camera software updates have improved its speed and reliability a lot, and more updates are promised in the future, too.

Lest Essential’s earliest customers feel slighted, it has a deal for early buyers, too – they’ll receive a $200 ‘friends and family’ credit they can use to further discount (valid through December 15, 2017) a device for a loved one (or another for themselves, if they maybe also want the just-released white Essential Phone, for instance), or to buy the 360-camera attachment. Customers will be able to sign up to redeem the $200 credit on the Essential page, using their phone’s IMEI and serial numbers, along with the email address they used to purchase.

In a time when the price of flagship smartphones in both iOS and Android worlds are ballooning, this is a very welcome nod to affordability. Without question, if you want an amazing phone at a killer price, the now $499 Essential Phone is the one to get.

Also, this is U.S. only for now – details on a program for Canadian device followers will follow, per Essential.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/22/essential-phone-gets-a-200-price-drop-existing-customers-get-credit/