Honeywell BC-200, Operation, Installation & Programming Manual, Page: 10 / 156

System Description
BC-200 Manual – P/N DOC-01-013 10
3 S
YSTEM
D
ESCRIPTION
The BC-200 is a microprocessor based distributed Fire Detection/Alarm System. The panel comprises multiple
microprocessors for sharing the processing load both within the panel and in the field modules using proprietary
communications protocols, thus the term “distributed system”.
The main panel communicates with the intelligent annunciators via the RS-485 communications ring. Each field
device can have multiple inputs and outputs. The RS485 communications ring can support up to up to 50 panel
annunciators and 32 LCD80 units in terminal mode. The number of LCD-80s and modules on the ring will affect
panel performance and should be considered when designing the system.
In addition to the RS-485 communication ring, the panel can support up to 4 loops of Analog addressable points
using Honeywell CLIP protocol. Each loop can support 99 detectors and 99 modules.
In its maximum configuration, the BC-200 can support 2 conventional zones and 72 programmable outputs on the
main termination board, 396 addressable detectors and 396 addressable modules which can be a mixture of
conventional zones and input/output modules.
All of this data is stored in a large database and text based scripts are continuously processed to implement the
logic of input and output functions similar to a programmable logic controller (PLC).
The system’s configuration data and event history is stored in non-volatile “Flash” memory, which does not rely on
battery power for its backup. The operating system is also stored in flash memory so there is no need for EPROM
changes to upgrade the firmware.