By Kent · Lock Depot Staff Writer

You pull the old strike out of an aluminum storefront jamb and find barely an inch of room behind the faceplate. A standard cut-in strike bottoms out against the back of the tube. The door is fire-rated, so hogging out the frame or swapping the door is off the table. That is the exact wall the Camden CX-ED1420 was built for, and it is a short job once you know what to measure first.

What the CX-ED1420 is

The CX-ED1420 is a low-profile, Grade 1 electric strike for cylindrical locksets, listed to BHMA/ANSI A156.31 Grade 1. The body measures 3-3/8" long, 1-7/8" wide and 1-3/16" deep. That last number is the reason to buy it. Most cut-in strikes want more depth than a narrow aluminum stile or a thin hollow metal return will give you.

It ships with an ANSI square faceplate and a trim plate. Finish is 630 / US32D satin stainless. It is verified by UL for 90-minute fire-rated openings (UL10C / CAN4-S104) and carries UL 1034 and UL 294 listings. It is a cut-in strike, so plan on prepping the frame.

Measure the latch throw before you order

This strike is tuned for a latch that projects 1/2" to 5/8". Outside that range you get binding, or a latch that never seats clean. Camden says so plainly: if your latch projects past 5/8", stop and go to the deeper CX-ED1410. Same footprint, deeper 1-3/8" body, cut for the longer throw. We do not list the 1410 right now, so I am not linking one. If the measurement says you need it, call us.

Measure the latch, not the lock brand. Camden lists compatibility with cylindrical locksets from Arrow, Best Access, Cal-Royal, Corbin Russwin, Hager, PDQ, Sargent, Schlage, Town Steel and Yale-Accentra. That list tells you the prep is standard. It does not tell you the projection on the lock in your door, and that number decides the job.

Fail safe or fail secure, decided in the field

The CX-ED1420 switches between fail safe and fail secure in the field with no extra parts. That matters on a service call. You are not stuck with the wrong strike because the spec sheet said one thing and the building wanted another. It also runs on 12 or 24 volts, AC or DC, field-selectable, so one part number covers most access control power supplies you will meet.

Fire doors get one rule on top of that. A fail-safe strike on a rated opening has to tie into the building fire alarm so the door relocks on alarm. Camden's own notes say to confirm your local AHJ requirements before final wiring. Do that before you finish the wiring, not after the inspector shows up.

Wiring: current draw and the AC buzz

Draw is light: 260 mA at 12VDC and 150 mA at 24VDC. Light does not mean you can ignore the wire. On a long run of thin-gauge cable, work out your voltage drop before you energize it. An under-volted strike chatters and does not release reliably. At 24V the strike draws less current, so it tolerates a longer run than the same strike at 12V.

Camden also notes that on AC the strike buzzes when energized, and on DC it operates silently. In a quiet lobby or a medical suite, wire it DC. If you have a choice of power supply, that is the easy decision. Our electric strike category lists the other strike options if your latch or door type does not fit this one.

Holding force and cycle life

Static hold force is 1,500 lbs. Endurance is 1,000,000 cycles factory tested and 500,000 cycles UL verified. Warranty is 5-year limited. For a commercial lobby door that gets hundreds of cycles a day, that is a sound number to build a job around. It is not a substitute for a proper door closer and a frame that is not racked. I have replaced plenty of strikes that were blamed for problems a sagging door was causing.

Where this strike fits, and where it does not

Good fits:

• A shallow aluminum storefront frame where a standard-depth strike bottoms out against the back of the tube.
• A fire-rated cylindrical-lock opening where you need the 90-minute label intact.
• A mixed-voltage building where you do not want to stock 12V and 24V parts separately.

Poor fits:

• A latch that projects past 5/8" (the 1410 is the answer there).
• Mortise locks and rim exit devices. This strike is for cylindrical lock preps.

Also note that the product is not a monitored strike. The catalog lists monitoring as no. If your access control panel needs a latch-position or bolt-position signal, this is the wrong part. See our guide to the HES 8300C for another way to solve a fire-rated retrofit without cutting the frame.

Buying it

Check three things against the door before you order: latch projection (1/2" to 5/8"), frame depth (at least 1-3/16" behind the faceplate), and voltage on your power supply. Everything else is a field setting. The full Camden line lives on our Camden page, and the CM-30E request-to-exit pushbutton is the usual partner when a strike or mag lock needs a way out.

Common questions

Does the CX-ED1420 keep a fire door's rating?

Yes, it is UL verified for 90-minute openings (UL10C / CAN4-S104). The frame prep and the lockset still have to be correct for the opening, and a fail-safe setup on a rated door must be tied to the fire alarm. Confirm your AHJ requirements before final wiring.

Can I switch it between fail safe and fail secure after it is installed?

Yes. The mode is field-selectable with no extra parts. Set it before you close up the frame and test both a power-on and a power-off cycle.

What if my latch projects 3/4"?

Do not force it. Camden's answer is the CX-ED1410, which has the same footprint and a deeper 1-3/8" body for the longer throw. The CX-ED1420 is only tuned for 1/2" to 5/8".

Should I wire it AC or DC?

Wire DC anywhere noise matters. On AC the strike buzzes when energized. On DC it runs silently. It accepts 12 or 24 volts either way.

Does it report whether the latch is engaged?

No. The catalog lists monitoring as no. If your panel needs a latch or bolt signal, pick a monitored strike instead.