About this item
The Hager BB1279 1104 is a 4-wire electrified ball bearing hinge from ACSI's Series 1100 electric hinge line -a 4-inch by 4-inch full mortise hinge with concealed wiring routed internally through the hinge body. If you searched "hager electric hinge", "hager bb1279", "electrified hinges", "electric door hinge", "bb1279 hager", or "wire hinges" -this is the product. Hager Companies is the manufacturer; ACSI (Architectural Commercial Security Inc.) is the series designation used on this electrified variant in the commercial hardware market.
What an Electric Hinge Is and Why You Need One
Standard door hinges are purely mechanical -they allow the door to swing and carry no electrical connection. When a door requires an electrified lock, an electric latch retraction exit device, an electric strike on the door side, or a monitoring switch, power must travel from the fixed door frame (where the access control panel and wiring live) to the moving door (where the electrified hardware is mounted).
The traditional solution is a door cord -a flexible cable that loops visibly from the frame to the door, drooping and flexing with every door opening cycle. Door cords are functional but ugly, and they wear out from repeated flexing. They are visible targets for tampering and create a professional appearance problem on finished commercial interiors.
The Hager BB1279 1104 eliminates the door cord entirely. The four wires run inside the hinge body itself -routed through a gap in the center knuckle that is concealed when the hinge is closed. From outside the door, this hinge looks identical to a standard BB1279 ball bearing hinge. There is no visible cord, no exposed wiring, and no aesthetic impact on the opening.
BB1279 1104: The ACSI Series Designation Decoded
The BB1279 is Hager's standard commercial full mortise ball bearing hinge -5-knuckle, standard weight, 4-1/2-inch standard size (also available in 4x4 as this listing). The 1104 designates this is the ACSI Series 1100 electrified variant with 4-wire (ETW-4 in the ETW designation system) current transfer configuration.
ACSI Series 1100 electric hinges are designed for concealed low voltage current transfer. The 1100 series covers three configurations within the BB1279 platform: ETW (electric through-wire only), EMN (electric monitor only), and ETM (electric through-wire with monitoring). The 1104 is the ETW-4 -four-wire through-wire current transfer with no integral monitoring switch.
4-Wire vs 8-Wire: Which Configuration You Need
The BB1279 is available in 4-wire (ETW-4 / 1104) and 8-wire (ETW-8) configurations. Wire count determines how many electrical conductors pass through the hinge.
4-wire (this listing): Provides four conductors -correct for most single-device electrified openings. Typically wired as two conductors for power supply to the electrified lock and two for a monitoring or request-to-exit switch. Sufficient for most electrified mortise locks, electric strikes, and standard ELR exit devices.
8-wire: Provides eight conductors for applications requiring more complex wiring -multiple devices on the same door, devices requiring additional control and feedback circuits, or systems where separate power and signal conductors are needed for each device.
Confirm the total wire count required by all electrified devices on the door before specifying. The wire count needed equals the sum of conductors required by every device receiving power or signal through the hinge.
How the Wires Route Through the Hinge
The two hinge pins -one from the top knuckle downward and one from the bottom knuckle upward -leave a gap in the center knuckle of the 5-knuckle barrel. The four wires route through this center knuckle gap, protected inside the barrel as the hinge pivots. The wires flex only at the pivot point, not along an exposed external span, which dramatically extends their service life compared to door cords.
28-gauge wire is used throughout -the correct gauge for low-voltage current transfer applications. The wires extend into the door leaf and frame leaf for connection to the building wiring on the frame side and the electrified device wiring on the door side.
UL Rating and Current Capacity
The ACSI Series 1100 hinges are UL rated for 3.5 amperes continuous and 16 amperes pulse. Most commercial electrified locks and ELR exit devices draw well below 3.5A continuous -confirm the current draw of your specific electrified device against this rating. Pulse current (the higher momentary draw on solenoid activation) must also be confirmed against the 16A pulse rating.
Compatible devices include: electrified mortise locks (such as the Yale 8890FL fail safe and 8891FL fail secure), exit devices with electric latch retraction, electric strikes on paired door applications, and locks with monitoring or request-to-exit switches.
Cross-Pinned Non-Removable Pin: Security Built In
The BB1279 1104 hinge pins are cross-pinned -a security pin passes through the barrel laterally, locking the hinge pin in place so it cannot be pulled upward and removed from the outside of the door. This eliminates the need to order a separate NRP (Non-Removable Pin) upgrade that is required on standard ball bearing hinges installed on outswinging doors.
On outswinging doors, a standard removable hinge pin could theoretically be tapped out from the bottom to separate the door from the frame without operating the lock. The cross-pinned design prevents this. The cross-pinned construction is particularly important on electrified openings where the hinge is carrying active wiring -you don't want the door to be removable from the hinge side.
Full Mortise, Standard Weight, 5-Knuckle
Full mortise means both leaves of the hinge mortise into the door and frame -each leaf is flush with its respective surface when installed. This is the standard commercial hinge type for hollow metal and solid core wood doors. Standard weight is rated for medium-weight doors in medium-frequency service -the correct specification for standard commercial office, corridor, and institutional doors in normal traffic.
The 5-knuckle barrel provides the stability and load distribution required for commercial door applications. 4x4-inch leaf size covers most standard commercial door applications; 4-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch is also available in the BB1279 series.
Specifications
Model: Hager BB1279 1104 / ACSI BB1279 1104
Type: Electrified ball bearing hinge, concealed through-wire
Series: ACSI Series 1100, ETW-4 configuration
Wire Count: 4 wires
8-Wire Version: BB1279 ETW-8
Monitoring Version: BB1279 ETM-4 (4-wire with monitoring switch)
Size: 4" x 4"; also available 4-1/2" x 4-1/2"
Knuckles: 5-knuckle
Gauge: .129" leaf thickness
Door Thickness: 1-3/4" standard
Weight Rating: Standard weight, medium frequency service
Ball Bearings: 2
Pin: Cross-pinned, not field removable -NRP not separately required
Wire Gauge: 28 AWG
UL Rating: 3.5A continuous, 16A pulse
Voltage: Low voltage only
Compatible Devices: Electrified mortise locks, ELR exit devices, electric strikes, monitoring switches, REX switches
Fasteners: Machine screws 1/2" 12-24 FPHM (metal) and wood screws 1-1/4" x 12 FPHW (wood) included
American Locksets has stocked Hager ACSI electric hinges since 2001.
Trusted Since 2001
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