Discovery heat detectors have a common profile with ionisation and optical smoke detectors but have a low air flow resistance case made of self- extinguishing white polycarbonate.
The Discovery Heat Detector uses a single thermistor to sense the air temperature at the detector position. The thermistor is connected in a resistor network, which produces a voltage output dependent on temperature. The design of the resistor network, together with the processing algorithm in the microcontroller, gives an approximately linear characteristic from 10°C to 80°C. This linearised signal is further processed, depending on the response mode selected, and converted to an analogue output.