Patent ID: 8063763
Filing Date: 2011-11-22
Classification: G08B

Abstract:
1. In a system that provides power to a notification appliance circuit, the notification appliance circuit being operational when supplied with a nominal voltage, and the notification appliance circuit comprising multiple notification appliances, a method for determining whether the notification appliance circuit has sufficient voltage to operate, the method comprising: disconnecting NAC wiring from a fire alarm control panel and connecting the NAC wiring to a handheld diagnostic device; accessing a memory to determine a value indicative of a reduced voltage, the reduced voltage being less than or equal to the nominal voltage; providing the reduced voltage to the notification appliance circuit to power the notification appliance circuit; sensing voltage, using a sensing device, in at least a part of the notification appliance circuit when the reduced voltage is provided to the notification appliance circuit; sending an indication of the sensed voltage to a determination device, the determination device being separate from the sensing device; and determining by the determination device, based on the indication of the sensed voltage, whether the notification appliance circuit has sufficient voltage to operate when supplied with the reduced voltage, wherein the determination device comprises the handheld diagnostic device, wherein providing the reduced voltage to the notification appliance circuit to power the notification appliance circuit comprises executing test software on the handheld diagnostic device in order to reduce the voltage to the notification appliance circuit; and wherein determining whether the notification appliance circuit has sufficient voltage to operate when supplied with the reduced voltage includes the handheld diagnostic device determining whether the notification appliance circuit has sufficient voltage to operate when supplied with the reduced voltage.