Thread: How to turn a 24 or 28 VDC whelen beacon into a 12 VDC one

The following is a series of posts that detail how to turn a 24 or 28 VDC whelen Rotobeam into a 12 VDC one.

Originally Posted by rwo978

How much did you pay for them?

I payed the list price like $29, but shipping killed me. It has a 12 volt motor with a resister hooked to it and a 24 volt bulb. To convert it all you do is change the bulb and splice the resistor out.

Originally Posted by 50theman

I payed the list price like $29, but shipping killed me. It has a 12 volt motor with a resister hooked to it and a 24 volt bulb. To convert it all you do is change the bulb and splice the resistor out.

Pull out the resistor???


I have these Whelen motors. They were in a 24 volt Guardian. If I were to take out the black resistors, they'd be converted back to 12 volt??

Anywho, I'm looking for a blue RB6 dome, so I got intrigued about possibly finding one cheap. But, if it's a crap shoot what I'll get.... I guess I'll bypass that headache.

Originally Posted by rwo978

Pull out the resistor???


I have these Whelen motors. They were in a 24 volt Guardian. If I were to take out the black resistors, they'd be converted back to 12 volt??

Anywho, I'm looking for a blue RB6 dome, so I got intrigued about possibly finding one cheap. But, if it's a crap shoot what I'll get.... I guess I'll bypass that headache.

Yes, take the inline diode/resistor out of the red wire and it should convert the motor to 12 volt. The way you can check is for sure is to apply 12 volts to the motor directly.

Originally Posted by 50theman

Yes, take the inline diode/resistor out of the red wire and it should convert the motor to 12 volt. The way you can check is for sure is to apply 12 volts to the motor directly.

Thanks Man!! That worked. I'm not up on the 'finer' little parts of electronics (resistors, capacitors, diodes...).

Sorry for adding all this to the other thread....

Originally Posted by rwo978

Sorry for adding all this to the other thread....

It was good info, that's why I split it.

thanks for the credit as I was baffled when I saw this and didmn't remember starting it....thought maybe I was "sundowning" yesterday lol

Originally Posted by rwo978

Thanks Man!! That worked. I'm not up on the 'finer' little parts of electronics (resistors, capacitors, diodes...).

No problem, I actually found this out by accident. I then contacted a Whelen Technician (friend) and he told me they use 12 volts on all motors but just regulate the voltage by diodes or resistors and the light bulb.