The Siren Board

Hello everyone,

I am working on a general categorization of siren types according to their functional principle and would like to hear your opinion. And since English is not my first language, maybe you can help me find the right terms and wording.

Each category is a combination of the following criterias:

• Sound generation (electronic/speaker, rotor+stator, horn, whistle?)
• Air source (self-priming, directly charged, stored air)
• Power supply (battery, mains, gasoline, manually, not rechargeable)

With this criterias, all existing siren types should be describeable:

• Electronic, DC powered (all known electronic sirens)
• Rotor/Stator, Self-priming, DC powered (e.G. FS Model 2001)
• Rotor/Stator, Self-priming, mains powered (e.G. all "typical" sirens)
• Rotor/Stator, Self-priming, gas powered (e.G. Mobil Directo BN52)
• Rotor/Stator, Self-priming, hand operated
• Rotor/Stator, directly charged, mains powered (e.g. Thunderbolt, Hurricane, Model 120)
• Rotor/Stator, directly charged, gas powered (e.g. Thunderbolt 2000, Chrysler)
• Rotor/Stator, stored air, mains powered (e.g. Hörmann HLS 373, HLS 473)
• Rotor/Stator, stored air, gas powered (e.g. Hörmann F71, Pintsch Bamag Anlage 1)
• Rotor/Stator, stored air, not rechargeable (e.g. Hörmann HLS 673)
• Horn, stored air, mains powered (e.G. Kockum Sonics tyfon)
• Horn, stored air, gas powered (e.G. old finish Air horns)
• Horn, stored air, not rechargeable

What do you think?
Can you think of another siren that wouldn't fit into a category?

Joachim

I hate to say it, but it seems like you're re-inventing the wheel here. You are on the right path, though.

"Rotor/stator" sirens are referred to as mechanical, ones with speakers are electronic. As for horns and whistles, those are not considered sirens as they generate sound in different ways.

"Self-priming" isn't something that is generally mentioned as it is the default option. However, sirens which use a blower are referred to as "supercharged", since they use the same roots-type blower as in supercharged vehicles. Those which used stored compressed air are typically referred to as pneumatic.

Hello Ziginox,
Thank you for your reply!

It is not my aim to reinvent the wheel or make things too complicated. My suggestion was a first attempt from a German point of view. If you already have commonly used categories, I will adopt them. I would like to have a set of accepted categories that are known and understood by all siren enthusiasts around the world.

As for the siren categories themselves, you say these are in common use:

• Electronic
• Mechanical
• (Mechanical) Supercharged
• (Mechanical) Pneumatic

Since the main energy source is also an important feature of a siren in my opinion, can we also divide it into some common categories?

• Battery powered
• Mains powered
• Fuel powered
• (Manually operated)

Greetings,
Joachim

I think AC-powered or combustion-powered are good categories.

As for battery, "DC powered" would likely fit better. For instance, all 2001s use DC motors, but batteries are not a requirement in every installation. They're perfectly happy to run from the mains, using the 2001TR rectifier. That being said, some models (especially electronic sirens) do run from battery regardless if AC power is provided.

Our wiki has some categories, but could really use some tweaking. Maybe I'll work on that in the near future.

Hmmm ok. But if a DC powered siren has no batteries, it is still completely dependent on the mains. So where is the advantage of using DC motors and large transformers/rectifiers over AC motors?

On the other hand, there are battery-powered electronic sirens that are charged by solar energy and do not require any mains power line at all.

So perhaps the categories should reflect the dependence on the mains?

- mains dependent (AC)
- mains dependent (DC with transformer)
- mains independent (battery-powered)
- mains independent (combustion-powered)

Mithotyn wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 25, 2024 1:11 pm

Hmmm ok. But if a DC powered siren has no batteries, it is still completely dependent on the mains. So where is the advantage of using DC motors and large transformers/rectifiers over AC motors?

Yes, you only need to source one motor and produce one variant of the siren, lowering design and manufacturing costs. The 2001TR isn't really that large, either. I imagine batteryless installations are fairly uncommon, too.