Alarm Controls System Accessories - FA-200 DPDT Indicating Shunt Switch

The FA-200 drops into a 9/16 inch hole. It comes with a black plastic dress nut and lock nut to secure it, so you can mount it through a panel, a box cover, or a faceplate you drill yourself. If you'd rather not drill, Alarm Controls offers the RP-44 single gang wall plate for self-mounting.

It ships as an alternate action (maintained) button, so one press latches it on and the next press releases it. That is what you want for shunting an alarm zone while a door is legitimately open. If your application needs a momentary pulse instead, the FA-200 can be field converted to momentary action, so you don't need to order a different part.

Watch the load. The DPDT contacts are rated 2A at 28 VDC, which suits signaling, shunt inputs, and control-panel logic. Most electric strikes and mag locks pull more than that or run on AC, so switch a relay with the FA-200 and let the relay carry the lock current.

No. The FA-200 is a manually operated push button, so it only reports what someone pressed, not what the door is doing. For actual door status you need a magnetic contact such as the Schlage Electronics 7764 concealed flush mount or the 7766 surface mount door position switch. Many jobs use both: the magnetic contact to sense the door and the FA-200 to shunt the resulting alarm.

The FA-200 is a panel-mounted button with a black plastic dress nut and lock nut that mounts in a 9/16 inch hole, supplied with solder terminals, and is intended for commercial interior control points. For exterior or wet locations, the Dortronics 5277-PZL is a weather proof heavy duty touch sensitive piezo push button with a dual-color illuminated ring, and the Dortronics WR5276-HD22 is a heavy duty waterproof switch with a 5/8 inch round stainless entry button.

The FA-200 is a DPDT indicating shunt switch that mounts in a 9/16 inch hole using a black plastic dress nut and lock nut, and Alarm Controls offers the RP-44 single gang wall plate so the FA-200 can be self-mounted at a gang box. If you would rather buy a switch already built as a plate-mounted device, the Dortronics 5287 Series is a heavy duty push button with a 1-1/2 inch wide push plate on a 3 inch wide back plate marked Push to Exit, and the Dortronics 5286 Series is a push plate exit release with Push to Exit text. Those are full plate assemblies rather than a bushing-mounted button.

The Alarm Controls FA-200 carries DPDT contacts rated 2A at 28 VDC, so one button press operates two independent circuits - typical when you shunt a zone and report the shunt state at the same time. The Norton Rixson 504 is a dual SPDT momentary vestibule switch with a stainless steel face plate, which also gives you two circuits but in momentary action. Single-circuit devices such as the Locknetics CSW-100 / CSW-200 concealed desk release and the Command Access REXKIT-CL request to exit kit for CL180 cylindrical locks are SPDT, so they switch only one circuit.

The FA-200 uses an alternate action push button that can be field converted to momentary action, so it can serve either way. If you prefer a switch that is momentary out of the box, the Norton Rixson 503 vestibule switch is an SPDT momentary push switch with a 15 amp rating, and the Norton Rixson 504 is a dual SPDT momentary vestibule switch. The Dortronics 5286 push plate exit release is also a momentary-style exit device rather than a latching shunt.

The FA-200 DPDT contacts are rated 2A at 28 VDC, which suits low current signaling and shunt circuits rather than switching a load directly. For a higher current single circuit, the Norton Rixson 503 vestibule switch is an SPDT momentary push switch rated 15 amps. If the higher load is the reason, size the switch to the load rather than adding a relay at the FA-200.

No. The Schlage Electronics 7764 is a concealed flush mount magnetic door position switch and the 7766 is the surface mount version, both single pole double throw - they report whether the door is open or closed on their own, with no operator input. The FA-200 is a DPDT indicating shunt switch with an alternate action push button whose indicator changes to orange when depressed, so it is a manually operated control point. Many alarm shunt jobs use both: the position switch senses the door, the FA-200 shunts the zone.

The FA-200 requires a physical press of its alternate action push button. For no-contact actuation, the RCI 913 is a microwave motion switch using Doppler radar technology intended for sterile environments, the RCI 910TC Series is a touchless actuator with a 433 MHz remote control operating at 12/24 VDC, the Locknetics WS-200 and WS-200-MB are flush mount wave switches, and the Cal-Royal 8633-SW is a microwave cell switch supplied with single and double gang black faceplates in the 8600 Series.

The button itself is the indicator. When depressed, the indicator changes to orange, so a guard or property manager can see from across the lobby that the zone is shunted and the alarm is bypassed. That visual cue is the reason this one gets specified over a plain push button.

The standard FA-200 is supplied with solder terminals, so plan on soldering your leads at the switch. Alarm Controls does make wired versions if you want pigtails already attached.

Two poles give you two independent circuits off one press. Typically one pole shunts the alarm zone or door contact and the second reports the shunt condition back to the panel or drives an annunciator. Single pole switches like the Locknetics CSW-100 / CSW-200 concealed desk release or the Norton Rixson 503 vestibule switch only give you one circuit, so if you need both the bypass and the status feedback, the FA-200's DPDT contacts do it without a second device.

Yes. Beyond the single FA-200, it's offered as the FA-200(50), a pack of 50 switches. That's the one to order when you're standardizing shunt switches across a facility or stocking a service truck.

The FA-200 is a mechanical push button that has to be touched, so for hands-free openings look at a different device. ZenSupply carries the Locknetics WS-200 flush mount wave switch, the RCI 910TC touchless actuator, and microwave motion units like the RCI 913 or the Cal-Royal 8633-SW. Those are actuators for opening a door, though, not indicating shunt switches, so they don't replace the FA-200's DPDT bypass-with-status function.

Fitting a 9/16 inch hole, the FA-200 is a small panel button, suited to a guard desk, control panel, or staff-side location rather than a public exit release. For a large labeled plate that occupants use, go to a push plate such as the Dortronics 5286 Series "Push to Exit" exit release or the 5287 Series heavy duty push button with a 1-1/2 inch push plate on a 3 inch back plate.

The FA-200 has a built-in indicator that changes to orange when the alternate action button is depressed, so the shunt state is readable at the switch. Other indicating options include the Detex CS-400 Series electronic keyswitches with LED indicators, which require a key to operate, the Locknetics TS-100 dual LED status indicator touch switch with a programmable timer, and the Dortronics 5277-PZL piezo switch with a dual-color illuminated ring.

The FA-200 is an open push button - its alternate action button can be pressed by anyone who can reach it, which is why it is usually mounted behind a counter or at a guard station. Where the control must be restricted, the Detex CS-400 Series electronic keyswitches with LED indicators require a key, and the Locknetics CSW-100 / CSW-200 is a flush mount concealed desk release with an SPDT switch, mounted out of sight under a desk. The RCI 916 Series is a tamper-resistant push button if the concern is abuse of the button rather than who presses it.

The FA-200 is a small panel-mounted button in a 9/16 inch hole with an orange indicator, sized for a control panel or counter rather than a public wall-mounted actuator. For a marked accessible release, the RCI 916 Series is a tamper-resistant push button with a handicap logo, 1-3/4 inch and blue. Larger plate actuators such as the Dortronics 5286 push plate exit release with Push to Exit text serve public exit points where the target has to be easy to hit.

The FA-200 is sold as a single switch and as FA-200(50), an additional pack of 50 switches, which suits standardizing many openings or control panels on one part. It ships with solder terminals, and wired versions are available. Among the alternatives, devices such as the Norton Rixson 503 and 504 vestibule switches and the Dortronics 5287 heavy duty push buttons are specified per opening rather than as a bulk switch of this style.

No. The RCI 903 Series is an audible alert with a tamper-resistant design rated 80-96dB - it produces the sound, it does not switch the circuit. The FA-200 is a DPDT indicating shunt switch rated 2A at 28 VDC whose alternate action button opens or closes contacts. On a door alarm, the 903 would be the annunciator and the FA-200 the shunt control, so they are paired rather than traded against each other.

The FA-200 is a separately mounted button that goes in a 9/16 inch hole in a panel or, with the RP-44 plate, a single gang box - it is not a lock-integrated device. For request to exit signaling taken from the lock itself, the Command Access REXKIT-CL is a field installable request to exit switch kit for CL180 Series cylindrical locks in an SPDT configuration, so the exit signal comes from the lever rather than a wall button.

It's a commercial door hardware item, built for access control and alarm systems in commercial buildings rather than residential use.