Knob Replacement

Joe S. · Regular Joined: 08 Jun 2006 Posts: 123 Location: Ohio

How easily can the rotating knob on a siren that selects the tones be replaces with another one? The one on my old PA300 Silver Face is circular and kind of hard to turn. When it's hot outside and my hands are sweaty or even slightly moiste from anything (drink, etc. - no dirty jokes, please Razz

) I can't grip it well enough to turn it on! I would like a knob something like this..

Joe S. · Regular Joined: 08 Jun 2006 Posts: 123 Location: Ohio

Anyone have any experience with this??

ATVrescue24

You might wanna try Ebay.

Or post a wanted post for a Knob.

Pete

Mick (firewolf)

Try Priority One Emergency on here - they gpt me a replacement knob for my V-Con. I think they have access to pretty much any mfr, but I wouldn't swear to it. If they can get you what you want, they're great to work with.

http://www.elightbars.org/bb/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=165

Pat H.

Bill Skinner525

Pat (as usual)is right, if the knob is sticky open the unit up & clean the PA300 selector knob. If you want to replace the knob a single set screw holds it in place & a pointy type replacement knob can be found for a few bucks at radio shack. The shaft is 1/4" and a knob that size will work. The older PA300's have an open wafer type selector which will get dirty over time, silver faced units are generally the older type. New PA300's use an enclosed selector which can still be cleaned by shooting contact cleaner in the shaft from the outside. Removing & totally cleaning the knob then shining it up with Armour-All might really help.

If not I have Factory & after market selector knobs in my shop for the PA300 if you are interested

zfire2

It sounds like a bad Potentiometer. You should open the siren and look at what size pot it is. Take it out and bring it to your local radioshack. They sell all different types. Buy a new one, solder the two or three wires back to it and replace the knob. This should do it but you should check to make sure that it is a pot that the knob attaches to.

A pot looks like this:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062357&cp=2032058.2032230.2032275&parentPage=family

Bill Skinner525

The only pot on a PA300 is for the Volume control for the PA function, there is an on/off click power function for this switch, but the pot only controls PA volume. Once again all points lead to a bad/dirty selector switch on the PA 300. Based on years of working these units I can say, it is the most used control on the unit & thus usually the first one to act up

Joe S. · Regular Joined: 08 Jun 2006 Posts: 123 Location: Ohio

So, it's not supposed to be that tough to turn? It's the only siren I've owned..

Pimpala03

The knob on the PA300 should be about as easy to turn as a on/off light switch in a house.

Blaine B.

Open it up, use brake cleaner on the switch mechanism, then spray with a bit of white lithium out of the can.

Bill Skinner525

Blaine..... Brake cleaner(great for brakes) is a little caustic for some switches, Contact Cleaner is what it's called and that's what you should use. As far as the grease goes..well
fine if you get it on the mechanical points of the selector switch, but if it gets all over the switch contacts you just got what you cleaned dirty.

Just my 2 cents, but I've worked on over a hundred PA300's, been doing electronic & control work almost 30 years...age & experience do have some benefits...lol

Blaine B.

I wasn't saying you were wrong, just figured the guy had some brake cleaner (who doesn't?) and he could just use that, in a small dose. My understanding is that brake cleaner is not harmful to electronics...

Bill Skinner525

I understand, but I can tell you that not all Brake Cleaners are OK for sensitive electronics or contacts. A can of contact cleaner from Radio Shack is a safer route

tvsjr · Banned user Joined: 27 Aug 2005 Posts: 1501 Location: DFW

ToneFreak

The PA300 is still in production, and you should be able to order replacement parts from Federal. Go to their web site and you should be able to find a link and an e-mail address to their service department.

Joe S. · Regular Joined: 08 Jun 2006 Posts: 123 Location: Ohio

thanks for the tips and suggestions

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