M1G Siren Volume

[crumbolt]

Hey, I am finishing up my M1G install and while testing the system I have noticed that the volume of the siren is really low. THe siren is an Elk-74 compact echo siren connected to output 2. Not sure how loud they are suppose to be, but it is alot quieter than the speaker that came with the M1G (hooked up to output 1) when an alarm is triggered.

Has anyone who has used this siren in their system noticed this or have I just hooked it up wrong?

Cheers,

Chuck

 

[felixrosbergen]

I have the Elk RT1 connected to Output 2 and it's loud as hell...

I have the Elk echo siren/speaker that came with the kit on Ouput 1 and it's loud as well.

Check the Elk setting...there's places where you set the volume for Output 1 Global setting G14-G18 in ElkRP, there doesnt appear to be the same setting for Output 2.

 

[tmbrown97]

Make sure output 2 is set to voltage and not speaker out.

 

[crumbolt]

Hey, Thanks for the replies. I changed the output to voltage but now the siren does not make a sound. Is the voltage setting there for speakers and the siren setting for self-contained sirens, like the Elk echo siren. Should I remove the siren driver and convert the Elk-74 to a speaker?

Cheers,

Chuck

 

[tmbrown97]

Not sure I'm following 100%... but if you're running a speaker, use the elk's built-in siren driver by selecting speaker output... If you're running a siren, select voltage (and ensure that it consumes less than 1Amp), and set it to voltage. Are you using a speaker with a separate siren driver? If so, that's redundant.

 

[crumbolt]

Hey, I am using the ELk-74 compact echo siren. It looks exactly like the speaker that came with the M1G, except that it has a circuit board attached to the speaker. I assume this is a siren driver as it explains in the doc that you can convert the siren to a speaker by removing the board and adding +/- terminals.

So I think it is a siren, so the Elk will need output 2 set to voltage. Now to find out why no sound is produced in this mode.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Sandpiper]

Hey, I am using the ELk-74 compact echo siren. It looks exactly like the speaker that came with the M1G, except that it has a circuit board attached to the speaker. I assume this is a siren driver as it explains in the doc that you can convert the siren to a speaker by removing the board and adding +/- terminals.

So I think it is a siren, so the Elk will need output 2 set to voltage. Now to find out why no sound is produced in this mode.

Thanks for the reply.

You can narrow the problem down by doing a small test. Connect the siren driver directly to a 12V battery observing the correct polarity. If the siren works, then there is something wrong with the output. If the siren doesn't work, then the siren is the problem.

By the way, you have observed the correct polarity when wired to output 2, right?

 

[Spanky]

Caution: If you put a DC current into a speaker, you will burn up the speaker. There could be smoke and the nasty smell of varnish burning. A speaker gets an audio output like a siren sound.

Use an ohmmeter and measure the resistance on the leads going into the speaker/siren. If it instantly measures around 5 to 6 ohms, it will be a speaker and you could hear a small pop.

 

[Sandpiper]

Caution: If you put a DC current into a speaker, you will burn up the speaker. There could be smoke and the nasty smell of varnish burning. A speaker gets an audio output like a siren sound.

Use an ohmmeter and measure the resistance on the leads going into the speaker/siren. If it instantly measures around 5 to 6 ohms, it will be a speaker and you could hear a small pop.

Just to be clear........the issue was with a siren not with a speaker. Let's make sure the less experienced understand that a siren driver converts the applied DC into an AC waveform that the speaker requires to make sound.

So applying DC to a siren will not harm it. Applying DC to a speaker may harm it. But I have done it many times. As long as the applied voltage doesn't sit there for a while. I have used a 9 VDC battery (just a pulse) to check speakers many times without harm.

One more thing.......an ohmmeter will show a very high resistance (maybe 10K ohms) when measuring across the input to a siren driver or a siren (speaker with included siren driver).

Just for clarity, Spanky................for the neophites..............

 

[BryanE]

OK, going to revive this thread.

I’m running into the same issue as the original poster, except my siren goes off it’s just not very loud. I have the following:

Output 1: Elk Echo Speaker (for voice announcements)
Output 2: Elk-71 Echo Siren (Two Tone Siren, operates on 12 VDC @ 480mA). I have the Ground and Red lead hooked up and polarity is correct (red is yelp).

I have set Output 2 in Elk RP to Voltage but no increase in volume. Essentially I can stand next to the Elk-71 and it sounds tiny. I expected it to scream.

 

[Spanky]

Test the siren. Connect the siren directly to the battery and see if it is any louder.

Remember if there is a circuit board inside, it is a siren driver and should be driven with 12 Volts DC. Use the voltage setting for output 2.

If no circuit board inside, it is an 8 ohm speaker and must be driven with the siren output from the M1. Do not connect 12 DC directly to a speaker. You will blow it out. You can check the speaker by measuring the ohms value of the speaker with a volt/ohm meter. It should show about 6 ohms on the ohm meter.

Measure the voltage coming out of Output 2 going to the siren. It should read about 12 VDC. Less voltage may indicate a damaged Output 2.

You can program Output 3 Relay to activate with a Rule whenever an alarm activates. Switch 12VDC through Output 3 relay contacts.

 

[singeroi]

was wondering the same thanks for the input guys!