Chch firm sells device to Japan

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 18

Chch firm sells device to Japan

Selling electronic devices to the Japanese may sound a bit like carrying coals to Newcastle, but it is a distinct possibility that a Christchurch manu-

’ facturer will do so. After six months devel- ■ opment and design work, i the Harewood firm of ' Davco Electronics, Ltd, is beginning to market an automatic telephone dialling device which can be used for a variety of pur- : poses including use as a I silent burglar alarm. ! The designer of the dialler, and managing director of the company, Mr D. H. Chambers, said the unit used the latest in microprocessor technology. When activated by any existing alarm system, instead of sounding the alarm the device dials, in rotation, up to eight preset telephone numbers which can be those of the manager, or key employees. If the first number dialled is engaged or there is no answer after a predetermined number of ' rings, the device calls the second number in its programme, and so on until an answer is obtained. It then plays a pre-recorded message from a tape-cas-sette to the answering party. If none of the numbers can be reached, the device

will allow the regular alarm to be activated after a pre-set interval.. If used with a security alarm system, the device allows the person called to call the police with every chance that an intruder will be caught on the premises. The dialler, called the ATD 501, sells for $3OO and installation costs are extra. It has been approved by the Post Office for connection to any telephone. The ATD 501 can also call the right people in the event of a power or mechanical failure in a shop freezer, flooding, a pressure drop in boilers or any number of other malfunctions. Mr Chambers said that his firm was establishing markets for the dialler in Britain and Australia and was advertising the device in Hong Kong and Europe. He hoped to sell it on the highly competitive Japanese market. The dialler, in a case which measures only 12cm by Bcm by 20cm, is powered by a rechargeable 12volt battery. Should the battery voltage drop, the device will call its owner to recharge the battery. The six-year-old company has produced computers, telephones for the deaf, and other electronic items.