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fire_freak_57
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Strange Transformer Things on Sirens

Mon May 13, 2019 1:19 am

Hey everyone,

As some of you know, the city of Independence, OH (in Cuyahoga County) has a variety of sirens including several 5AT's (technically 7AT's) and two Federal Enterprises Thunderbolt 1000's that were from the original CD system which went up in April 1952 around Cleveland and Cuyahoga Co.

Anyways the 5T's are wired up quite strangely. They are 480V 3 Phase.
They are almost like using transformers or something. Anyone know what these are? I've never seen such a weird wiring setup before. All of them are wired like this. I'd post more photos, but apparently for whatever reason, ARS won't let me post pics over 1 MB.
IMG_3275.JPG
E Pleasant Valley Rd. 5A
IMG_3275.JPG (926.39 KiB) Viewed 2789 times
IMG_3276.JPG
E Pleasant Valley Rd. 5A
IMG_3276.JPG (943.81 KiB) Viewed 2789 times
sirenfreak57
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My YouTube Channel | Summit County Siren Map | Cuyahoga County Siren Map

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Re: Strange Transformer Things on Sirens

Mon May 13, 2019 10:44 am

They are for the electric meter. They don't pass 480 through a meter like they do on lower voltages. These are basically a clamp current meter.

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fire_freak_57
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Re: Strange Transformer Things on Sirens

Mon May 13, 2019 1:44 pm

kb8vul wrote:
Mon May 13, 2019 10:44 am
They are for the electric meter. They don't pass 480 through a meter like they do on lower voltages. These are basically a clamp current meter.
So if that is for the electric meter, then how does the 480V 3 Phase power get to the actual siren?
sirenfreak57
Owner of a Allertor 125 Control Cabinet, EOWS Driver, and other odds and ends.
My YouTube Channel | Summit County Siren Map | Cuyahoga County Siren Map

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Synther
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Re: Strange Transformer Things on Sirens

Mon May 13, 2019 2:38 pm

The power is hooked up to the siren, and the black clamps you see go around the wire measure the current by measuring the magnetic field produced around the cable when the siren draws power.
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Re: Strange Transformer Things on Sirens

Mon May 13, 2019 5:26 pm

The true name for them is 'current transformer';

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_transformer

basically, they provide a fixed ratio of current output to the measuring meter for a certain current thru the main conductor passing thru them; like 10:1
For every 10 amps of electrical current thru the main conductor (the big electrons) the meter will read it as 1 amp from the other leads of the transformer. This way, you can get away with a smaller (less expensive) electric power meter.

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Re: Strange Transformer Things on Sirens

Fri May 17, 2019 2:10 pm

Thanks for the help!
I’d attempt to film one again but these sirens seem to fail as the FC’s on them are either bad or they don’t receive the single tone strong that’s sent out and obviously since dispatch can’t tell what sirens activate or not and only send out one string, these sirens usually fail monthly tests. Nevertheless I’ll try and film one probably this summer.
sirenfreak57
Owner of a Allertor 125 Control Cabinet, EOWS Driver, and other odds and ends.
My YouTube Channel | Summit County Siren Map | Cuyahoga County Siren Map

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