Speaker Wire...

[noshali]

What kind to wire do you suggest I use for the elk speaker. Any particular one needed or any speaker wire would do? Or better yet what is the skinniest wire I can use?

Regards,

 

[Steve]

For that small speaker and a short distance 18 gauge should be fine. If you go with a better speaker or really long distance use at least 16.

 

[WayneW]

Assuming the speaker is only used for Elk announcements and only in brief spurts, I would think 22 or 24 would be acceptable for short distances, if you really need the thinnest possible. I think I used 18 or 20 on mine.

 

[noshali]

Thanks Steve. For future ref what is considered a short distance and what is considered a long distance.

Regards,

 

[jrfuda]

I used this: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.c...tnumber=100-712 and it works great. It's very easy to run too.

 

[electron]

For halloween, I ran the speaker signal over a mix of cat5e and alarm wiring, and it worked fine. Distance was probably about 50-75 feet.

 

[smee]

Mine are run using Radio Shack alarm wire. My runs branch a couple times - I'm running 5 speakers in a mixed parallel/serial configuration - but I think the farthest distance from amp to speaker is about 75-100 feet.

I'm using the Elk amplifier to drive them.

 

[Spanky]

On an eight ohm speaker running 12 VDC driving the siren amplifier you could be running 1.25 amps through the wires. I like to use 18 guage minimum, 14 to 16 on long audio runs. You will loose some audio on long wire runs.

 

[noshali]

How long is long? Is 50 fet a long run?

Regards,

 

[Guy Lavoie]

50 feet is the beginning of what we usually start to call a long run, but for this application it shouldn't be any cause for worry.

 

[WayneW]

On an eight ohm speaker running 12 VDC driving the siren amplifier you could be running 1.25 amps through the wires. I like to use 18 guage minimum, 14 to 16 on long audio runs. You will loose some audio on long wire runs.

But that 1.25 amps is using the speaker with the built in amplifier/siren driver, right? I think most of us are just using the speaker for audio purposes and with the built-in siren amp.

 

[Spanky]

If you crank up the volume on the M1's output 1 in the siren mode you will get in the range of 1 to 1.25 amps on an 8 ohm speaker. The 20 watt audio amp has a push pull circuit that doubles the audio voltage for more power output.

You will be OK with 18 ga. wire up to 100 feet. This is a subjective call because you start loosing speaker volume. It is so loud anyway, you probably won't tell much difference.

Remember fatter wire is better!!!!

 

[Digger]

Speaker placement will probably affect the volume more than the loss in the wire. If you are using the M1 for Fire then you want to make sure that any location in the home/business with the doors closed and whatever the normal ambient sound level is will not mask the siren.

In my home (a split with 4 levels) I have 2 speakers installed (one on lower level adjacent to the panel and one adjacent to a junction box in my sons bedroom closet on the top floor where all my upstairs smokes, co's and motions tie into a zone expander)

On the main level its not that loud so I will have to install a third speaker one of these days. Unfortunately I did not plan quite right and I do not have a spare pair of 18 or better wire run to that level from the basement CAN. After replacing almost all of the sheetrock in my house (over 150 sheets) I am not opening the walls again. I have to get creative or ELK will need to design a Wireless Siren (hint hint). Temporarily I plan on having an output from the M1 trigger a siren in my intercom. Not exactly what the NFPA would call Kosher but it will have to do until I can think of something more suitable.

ALWAYS ALWAY ALWAYS pull as much wire as you can fit in your walls........... you will need it some day.

 

[jlehnert]

Temporarily I plan on having an output from the M1 trigger a siren in my intercom. Not exactly what the NFPA would call Kosher

:lol: That's one way to do it. As you mention, there are some code problems, but any handyman will tell you, sometimes you have to improvise. A wrench will do if you don't have a hammer handy.

 

[Digger]

I am actually gutting the masterbath on Monday. I might be able to run a line down through the pipe chase to the basement. I am low on wire and bought a roll tonight on the way home.

BOY WIRE GOT EXPENSIVE! $70 for 500 ' of sheilded 4 conductor 18 awg. GEEZ

I like to do things by code as much as possible. The code is really a guideline but clearly I did not have the coverage with the sirens.