ACA Performance Plus.
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 5:11 pm
Some sirens are well known to the point where they achieve fame and recognition outside of the siren circles. Chrysler's Big Red, Decot's Red Arrow, and Federal's Thunderbolt are some of the sirens that really left their mark over the years. Then you have the Performance Plus, an obscure line of sirens that virtually nobody remembers. Despite their total lack of historic notice, they were actually crucial in the development of battery backup sirens which effectively saved the siren market. Here is a brief guide to the Performance Plus sirens.
Changing Times
During the early 1980s, ACA enjoyed a golden age with several sirens being built and installed across the world. They boasted an impressive lineup of sirens that appealed to consumers. By the end of the decade, times were changing. Weather radios and the Emergency Broadcast System were viewed as the most effective way to warn and inform the public during emergenices. Electro-mechanical sirens, once a pinnacle of emergency warning systems, were increasingly viewed as outdated relics that were too clunky and costly to maintain. Several older electro-mechanical sirens from the early Cold War years had begun to fail and consumers were hesitant to replace them with the same basic type of siren. The siren market had to modernize or else face obliteration. Electronic voice sirens were introduced earlier in the decade with ACA's own Alertronic™ however not every city was sold on the idea of voice sirens. Short lifespans and difficulty of operation in cold weather were common faults. So here came the idea to improvise the electro-mechanical siren to keep up interest and sales.
Performance Plus
ACA studied the electro-mechanical siren and scrutinized any faults that could be found. The most obvious fault was the inability to operate during a power outage. Now here's what one could do: make a siren that ran during a power outage, using a self-contained power supply (batteries).
Despite initial troubles and much experimentation, the Performance Plus lineup managed to make sales and keep up interest in new electro-mechanical siren systems. Two models were offered: a Penetrator and a Banshee. Both sirens were modified considerately from their AC-only counterparts to accommodate the battery backup. The primary change was the use of a lightweight Screamer style 9 blade rotor to avoid burning out the small motors utilized. Detailed below are some of the changes made between 1989 and 1992.
The first Performance Plus Penetrator was made specially for Dane County in 1989. A 125 decibel siren with a 240 volt 7.5 HP AC motor - hooked up to a horrific inverter and 25 batteries. Most of these sirens were modified over the years to ensure continued operation. As of 2016, only one of these sirens is left in service and it will likely be replaced.
Another prototypical Performance Plus Penetrator variation, using a single tone P-15's head and an Alertronic's rotator platform. This was a milk dud because the big 8 blade P-15 chopper was too much of a load for the small DC motor. This siren is now extinct as it appears Eden Prairie replaced all their old ACA sirens. Credits to Westy1962 for the video still.
1992 saw the introduction of an improved Performance Plus Penetrator (Pn-20), using the same horn and rotator as the earlier Dane County siren but an improved 72 VDC motor (20 horsepower) setup using fewer batteries. While this one from Billings, MT is colored gray, they also came in yellow or red. A couple locations include Lockport, IL and Hoffman Estates, IL. This siren became the RM-130 under ASC's dynasty.
Under ASC, it didn't change until 1998-1999 when a different rotation drive was tried so the siren rotated at 2 RPM instead of the more common 3+ RPM. These can be found in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
While not shown, a 96 VDC variant was also tried out during the ACA years - this was not a success due to the motor arcing out frequently. It looked identical to the 72 VDC Pn20 from an external viewpoint. Same 9 horns, shroud, and all else besides the motor.
Performance Plus Banshee: a rarity in the siren world compared to its ASC-branded brethren.
Basically an omni-directional version of the Performance Plus Penetrator, it was a 9 port siren that originally gave 115 decibels. At some point it would have been similarly changed to give 120 decibels instead.
Under ASC, this became the OM-120.
The advertisement that mentions ACA's Performance Plus line. ACA was quick to advertise the Performance Plus line despite troubles with the originals made for Dane County.
What's In A Name?
"Performance Plus" was a name drawn up by ACA's marketing department - names were usually meant to sound flashy and interesting to draw in customers who were swayed over by big impressive advertisements. Virtually every ACA siren had a brand name to cover siren models within that brand. The actual production names were the bland technical abbreviations like Pn20 and AL-6000. Worse still, the exact names seemed to vary depending on who was writing what at ACA. Here is a useful chart that should help break down the naming system.
Changing Times
During the early 1980s, ACA enjoyed a golden age with several sirens being built and installed across the world. They boasted an impressive lineup of sirens that appealed to consumers. By the end of the decade, times were changing. Weather radios and the Emergency Broadcast System were viewed as the most effective way to warn and inform the public during emergenices. Electro-mechanical sirens, once a pinnacle of emergency warning systems, were increasingly viewed as outdated relics that were too clunky and costly to maintain. Several older electro-mechanical sirens from the early Cold War years had begun to fail and consumers were hesitant to replace them with the same basic type of siren. The siren market had to modernize or else face obliteration. Electronic voice sirens were introduced earlier in the decade with ACA's own Alertronic™ however not every city was sold on the idea of voice sirens. Short lifespans and difficulty of operation in cold weather were common faults. So here came the idea to improvise the electro-mechanical siren to keep up interest and sales.
Performance Plus
ACA studied the electro-mechanical siren and scrutinized any faults that could be found. The most obvious fault was the inability to operate during a power outage. Now here's what one could do: make a siren that ran during a power outage, using a self-contained power supply (batteries).
Despite initial troubles and much experimentation, the Performance Plus lineup managed to make sales and keep up interest in new electro-mechanical siren systems. Two models were offered: a Penetrator and a Banshee. Both sirens were modified considerately from their AC-only counterparts to accommodate the battery backup. The primary change was the use of a lightweight Screamer style 9 blade rotor to avoid burning out the small motors utilized. Detailed below are some of the changes made between 1989 and 1992.
- Verona Performance Plus Penetrator 2014.png (747.86 KiB) Viewed 8250 times
- Eden Prairie MN Performance Plus Prototype.png (309.93 KiB) Viewed 8250 times
- PerfPlusPenetratorSiren.png (754.56 KiB) Viewed 8250 times
Under ASC, it didn't change until 1998-1999 when a different rotation drive was tried so the siren rotated at 2 RPM instead of the more common 3+ RPM. These can be found in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
While not shown, a 96 VDC variant was also tried out during the ACA years - this was not a success due to the motor arcing out frequently. It looked identical to the 72 VDC Pn20 from an external viewpoint. Same 9 horns, shroud, and all else besides the motor.
- Performance Plus Banshee.jpg (15.79 KiB) Viewed 8250 times
Basically an omni-directional version of the Performance Plus Penetrator, it was a 9 port siren that originally gave 115 decibels. At some point it would have been similarly changed to give 120 decibels instead.
Under ASC, this became the OM-120.
- Safety And Health The Council 1989.png (342.65 KiB) Viewed 8250 times
What's In A Name?
"Performance Plus" was a name drawn up by ACA's marketing department - names were usually meant to sound flashy and interesting to draw in customers who were swayed over by big impressive advertisements. Virtually every ACA siren had a brand name to cover siren models within that brand. The actual production names were the bland technical abbreviations like Pn20 and AL-6000. Worse still, the exact names seemed to vary depending on who was writing what at ACA. Here is a useful chart that should help break down the naming system.
- Names.png (11.13 KiB) Viewed 8250 times