By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

Four stations that look alike and do four jobs

ASP builds a family of stainless wall stations for the door a person has to be able to leave in a hurry. They share a look: a stainless plate, a red mushroom button or a keyswitch, a screw-terminal back. They are not interchangeable. Buy the wrong one and the door either will not let people out or will not tell anyone when they do. Here is how to tell the ASP-DE-1, ASP-KR-1, ASP-EB-1 and ASP-TS-34 apart, using the catalog specs.

ASP-EB-1: the plain exit button

ASP-EB-1 is the egress pushbutton. A 1-1/2 in. red mushroom button, labeled "EXIT," on a single gang stainless steel wall plate. It is momentary action. Press it and the contact moves, release it and it returns. It carries one normally open and one normally closed contact, rated 10 A at 35 VDC, with screw terminals and a switch depth of 2-1/2 in. behind the plate.

That is the whole device. It does nothing but make or break a circuit when pressed. Wire it to the unlock input of an access controller and it is a request to exit. Wire it in series with a maglock and it cuts power to the lock for as long as a finger is on it. How long the door stays unlocked afterward is the job of a timer, which is why this button is usually paired with one. Our ASP UT-1 versus MT-1 timer guide covers that pairing.

ASP-KR-1: the latching panic station

ASP-KR-1 looks nearly the same, with a 1-1/2 in. red mushroom button on a single gang stainless plate and the same one NO and one NC contact at 10 A at 35 VDC or 120 VAC. The difference is in the name: a latching key reset switch. Push it and it stays pushed. It does not spring back. Only a key resets it.

That is the point of the part. Where the EB-1 is a request to exit that clears itself, the KR-1 is a panic or emergency action that stays on until someone with a key makes a decision to reset it. Use it where an unattended pressed button should stay pressed: a lockdown release, an emergency shutdown, a station that trips something that needs a human to put right. The key reset makes sure nobody quietly un-trips it.

ASP-DE-1: the delayed egress station

ASP-DE-1 is a different animal. The catalog calls it a microcontroller based unit that provides an effective means of locking an exit door while still providing egress during an emergency. It mounts on a double gang stainless steel wall plate and runs on 12 or 24 VDC. It has a high-brightness LED lamp, SPDT timed contacts that unlock the door, SPDT instant contacts for a remote alarm signal, and contacts rated 5 A at 35 VDC.

The behavior is what matters. When a person triggers the exit, the unit starts a timer. There is a 2 second nuisance delay at the start so an accidental bump does not trigger the sequence. Then a countdown buzzer and flashing lamp run during the timing mode while the door stays locked. When the timer finishes, the timed contacts release the door. The instant contacts fire immediately to signal an alarm at the remote panel. A keyswitch resets and relocks, and the catalog lists an optional auto reset.

I do not have the delay length, which the catalog does not state on this page, so I will not quote one. Delayed egress is regulated. It is allowed only on certain doors in certain buildings, usually with a sprinkler or detection system and a specific delay limit, and the fire marshal has the final say. Get the authority having jurisdiction to sign off on the opening before you order. Do not assume that a delay that works for your last job is allowed on this one. For the timer side of this same design, our ASP request-to-exit guide on momentary versus latching explains the difference between buttons that reset themselves and buttons that do not.

ASP-TS-34: the buzzer that goes with them

ASP-TS-34 is not a switch at all. It is an electronic piezo buzzer station: 85 dB at 3 feet, operating on 6 to 28 VDC, mounted on a single gang stainless plate. It is the sound half of an alarm. Pair it with a station that has an alarm contact and it tells the room that a door has been opened or an exit is in progress. The catalog notes other plate finishes and custom screening are available.

Picking one

You need	Use	Why
A button that unlocks a door while pressed	ASP-EB-1	Momentary, resets itself
A button that stays tripped until a key resets it	ASP-KR-1	Latching, key reset
A timed release with a warning and a remote alarm	ASP-DE-1	Countdown and alarm contacts
A local audible alert	ASP-TS-34	85 dB piezo buzzer

Mistakes I see

• Using a latching button as an exit button. The door unlocks and stays unlocked until someone finds the key. Staff stop pressing it within a week.
• Using a momentary button where an emergency action should hold. A station that clears itself the moment a hand comes off is not an emergency station.
• Ordering the DE-1 without checking the code. The unit works. The opening may not be allowed to use it.
• Forgetting the back box depth. The EB-1 reaches 2-1/2 in. behind the plate. Measure the wall.

Common questions

What is the difference between the ASP-EB-1 and ASP-KR-1?

The EB-1 is a momentary exit pushbutton. The KR-1 is a latching key reset panic station: it stays pressed until a key resets it.

What does the ASP-DE-1 do?

It holds an exit door locked through a timed countdown with a buzzer and flashing lamp, then releases it. It also sends an instant alarm contact to a remote panel.

What voltage does the ASP-DE-1 need?

12 or 24 VDC.

Does the ASP-TS-34 include a switch?

No. It is a buzzer station, 85 dB at 3 feet, 6 to 28 VDC.

See the full line on our ASP alarm control page, or send us the door type and we will pick the station.