Installer Strandsystems, based in Halstead, Essex, has carried out what it calls an unusual gate installation in Northamptonshire.
Installer Strandsystems, based in Halstead, Essex, has carried out what it calls an unusual gate installation in Northamptonshire, using FAAC?s 770 electro-mechanical operating system. The gates on the edge of a country estate are remote from an electricity supply. Strandsystems has designed and built a miniature wind turbine which, with a solar panel, provides power for the operators. The generating equipment consists of a three-bladed propeller (each blade measuring approximately 750mm from tip to tip), mounted on a tower, with the solar panel below. The panel reacts to light as well as to sun. This system has the advantage of being environmentally friendly, as it uses replenishable resources, with excess energy stored for future use.
Five-bar gates
Strandsystems installed two five-bar gates with FAAC 770 24-volt underground operators at the estate?s goods entrance. The 770 range provides concealed automation for swing gates of up to 2.5m per leaf in length, and has been designed with a load-bearing box for automating gates weighing up to 500kg per leaf. It can operate at up to 50 cycles per hour. The system features a corrosion-proof coating that is highly resistant to atmospheric agents, combined with total waterproofing and IP67 protection of the operator. Maintenance is reduced and made easier by the ability to access the operator without removing the gate, whilst electricity consumption is minimised by the 770?s inherent mechanical efficiency ? an especially important consideration in this case. In addition, safety is assured by an electronic anti-crushing device that adjusts the drive torque directly. Bill Dotesio-Eyers of Strandsystems says that the 770 was specified not only for aesthetic reasons ? being a concealed operator, it does not detract from the appearance of the gates ? but also because of its reliability and low maintenance requirements.
