Federal Signal speaker magnets flake.

[Robert Gift]

Two TS100 speakers have failed over several years.
Upon closely examining the voice coils, I found where something had abraised the coil and rubbed off the wire shellac insulation.

Later I learned that the old (big) magnets were made of a metal which flaked.
Some pieces would migrate to the voice coil channel.

They were some kind of compressed metal, I was told.

The new neodynium magnets do not have this problem.

Has anyone gotten FS to replace their defective magnets?

[AllSafe]

Not unusual for plated metal magnets to flake, even neodymium-iron-boron if the plating is weak enough.

[q2bman]

They refurbished 2 of my BP100 speakers, by the way those speaker realy rocked. They had that problem, although rare.

Have you noticed any sound difference with the new mags? The old vs the new Neos. They are much cheaper and look weak to me. Also, why the big sound difference in the older analog sirens and the new digital crap sirens. I liked the old PA200 the new ones sound like crap.

[Robert Gift]

They refurbished 2 of my BP100 speakers, by the way those speaker realy rocked. They had that problem, although rare.
What are BP100s. I forget.

Did they have their own special drivers, or use the existing interchangeable drivers?

Have you noticed any sound difference with the new mags? The old vs the new Neos. They are much cheaper and look weak to me. Also, why the big sound difference in the older analog sirens and the new digital crap sirens. I liked the old PA200 the new ones sound like crap.

Don't the Neos have the same gauss at the voice coil as the old big magnets?
Is there really an audible difference between analog and digital?

Wish we could use the old CP100s -the most efficient speakers.
Next most efficient is TS100s, which I fit behind the Expedition grill.
Hard to believe any of the other compact designs are as efficient and as loud.
Our paramedic gave me a pair of Whelen? aluminum compact speakers.
They were pushed into snow and sand which destroyed the drivers.

[q2bman]

I don't know on the interchangeable driver. It looked to be close to the TS driver but the threads were shorter If I remember right.

I have noticed a tone quality difference in the digi and analog sirens. The old coil seemed to have a deeper sound to it. The new digi stuff has a harsh shrill sound compared to the old guys. Also, the real old PA200 and unitroll have different intervals in which the wail operates. In that I mean the wial is faster or slower. The older PA200 has a very slow wail "wind up" and a fast "fall". New ones do not. And the yelp is very fast compaired to the older ones. I like the old guys better. Seems the quality was better. Better switches too. Those toggle type switches suck compared to the wider paddle switch of the origional PA200.

And, I will have to argue with you on the TS100 speaker. I think the order is the CP100, BP100, then the TS100. The CP and the BP seemed to project the sound forward more and the TS had a more widespread distribution makeing it seem not as loud. Although a DB meter will probabaly prove us both wrong.

[AllSafe]

Well, I do know that the Dynamax (TS100) is the smallest 100W speaker available from Federal, and it's rear-loaded if I remember right. But the newer ones aren't quite the same; they've been having driver problems.

[Robert Gift]

Well, I do know that the Dynamax (TS100) is the smallest 100W speaker available from Federal, and it's rear-loaded if I remember right. But the newer ones aren't quite the same; they've been having driver problems.

TS100 is not Dynamax. I forget that model number.
TS100 is a reentrant speaker. Its cone screws onto the driver and cone base holds outside plastic rectangular bell to the driver.
One can use either the big old magnets, ours, or the smaller newer neodynium magnets.

I thought the flaking was only with the large older magnets.
Thanks

[JasonC]

The old sirens actually generated the siren tone from circuits of capacitors, resistors, and the like. Most of the new ones just have a tone chip pre-recorded with a siren sound clip. Its the same deal with the old analogue vs. the new digital synthesizers. Old things do sound warmer.

As far as speakers go, don't quote me on this, but I think neodynium magnets are just lighter vs. the older magnets, although I do believe they are stronger as well.

[q2bman]

OOPS. I kept saying PA200. It's a PA300 before someone elese corrects me. Sorry.

And it's nice to hear someone agree with me on the sound difference. Everyone says I'm crazy.

Thanks for the explanation. I never thought of a siren sound chip vs the electronics they used to have. Why change something that works? Cheaper I guess. Just like the new magnets. My department bouhgt Dynamax speakers that are designed to be thin to conceal behind a grill. Then they mounted them on the pushbars on the bumper??? Why. Buy a cheaper more effecient siren speaker if your bumper mounting. AND if you have a pushbar why mount the speaker behind the grill anyway? That's for undercover cars. FS says in the instructions that mounting these speakers behind the grill deminishes the sound output. People should pay better attention to this. Some of our cars are crazy weak when the siren is mounted behind the grill. AND THEY HAVE PUSHBARS! Sheesh.

[Robert Gift]

The old sirens actually generated the siren tone from circuits of capacitors, resistors, and the like. ...

Yes.
I slowed the Yelp of my Unitrol 800.
Now I don't believe I can change anything in the new sirens like my present Unitrol 480K.