What exactly is the difference in the edge 9000 and the 9m? I never understood what the difference was..
Edge 9000 -VS- 9m..... a question i should know..
- Thread starter localhero800
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The only thing that is the same between the 2 is the I-beam. It is a totally redesigned bar. The strobe heads are different, lenses are different, the halogen flasher board is different has muilti-flash patterns, the power supply’s are different, has muilti-flash patterns and are at the ends of the bar (behind the corner strobe and alley lamp assembly) instead of the center. The distribution or relay board is different.
Im buying an Edge9000 with 6-8 strobes.. but i want to fill it up with as many lights as possible, but not be "rigged up". So i wasnt sure what all i could get in one.
I would not say limited options, more along the lines, the 9M is a revised version of the 9000
The 9000 bar has been around since 1980's. Whelen has made upgrades to that platform by going from the "V" shaped tubes, to the "J" shaped tubes and onwards. Same with the power supply's, double flash to quad flash and so on.
The 9M is a new look at the 9000. The parts are interchangeable between the 2 (for the most part), and so are the lenses. The only thing is with the end caps. The alleys snap into the end cap on the 9M as opposed to having an alley light holder as in the 9000.
The 9000 bar has been around since 1980's. Whelen has made upgrades to that platform by going from the "V" shaped tubes, to the "J" shaped tubes and onwards. Same with the power supply's, double flash to quad flash and so on.
The 9M is a new look at the 9000. The parts are interchangeable between the 2 (for the most part), and so are the lenses. The only thing is with the end caps. The alleys snap into the end cap on the 9M as opposed to having an alley light holder as in the 9000.
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localhero800 said:
The options on both are unlimited, within reason. The 9M is somewhat more modular then the 9000.
Also keep in mind, the 9000 with the matrix board are more user friendly to add options after the fact.
The 9000 was considerably better in terms of aesthetics for bars that were less than fully loaded. If you had only a basic 4-strobe version with no other options, it would usually have one-piece lenses plus the endcaps, and the normal black center section. But with the 9M, you'd have a bunch of empty colored sections, each with its own lens, which made it kinda ugly for any lightbar that wasn't fully loaded.
I think 8 strobes was the max number of strobes for the 9000 (except the fancy ones with a dedicated side-facing strobe) but with the 9M, if you want to have an 8-strobe bar, that'll likely leave you with those ugly empty sections in the center, which makes me wish they still offered a black center section in place of the two empty lenses (or, even better, the option to use multiple black double-wide lenses for bars with even fewer options)
I think 8 strobes was the max number of strobes for the 9000 (except the fancy ones with a dedicated side-facing strobe) but with the 9M, if you want to have an 8-strobe bar, that'll likely leave you with those ugly empty sections in the center, which makes me wish they still offered a black center section in place of the two empty lenses (or, even better, the option to use multiple black double-wide lenses for bars with even fewer options)
nerdly_dood said:
Not quite. The "Y" or duplex series you could have up to 12 strobes and I have a Lake County SD bar that has 10. You could also get a piecer unit for the center.
You are right on the goofyness on how a 9M looks with only 4 strobes.
jdh said:
You can just get longer lenses. I've seen plenty of tow trucks where the corner strobes had their own lenses, and the rest of the front was 2 longer lenses with spacer in the middle.
You can also get black lenses for unused areas.
The benefit is how easy it is to add-in things later. If you want to put rear flashers in the back and have them amber, you can change those 2 lenses rather than replacing them all or cutting the existing ones. If you're only going to have corners, just get the mini version.
localhero800 said:
This is the reason why I hate when people sell Edge bars and their description focuses on only what can be seen. What can't be seen can greatly vary between bars. Many older bars are not as they were right from Whelen. Parts break and are replaced and/or people customize them over the years.
If it is an eight strobe you might have two four outlet power supplies, one eight outlet power supply, two six outlet power supplies, one six outlet power supply and one four outlet power supply... The possibilities are endless. You might be able to add more strobes without adding more power supplies depending on what is currently inside the bar.
Then it is just a matter of finding the right strobe heads and the right mounts to add warning power.
I cant remember who it was, but someone used to have like a 32 strobe custom edge that had external power supplies and some other custom tweaks. They used a lot of the duplex strobes an several of the smaller 3X4 directional strobes (like used in the old dashmaster strobes). It was truely a sight to see. The possibilities are really as endless as the length of I-beam frame you have and how much time & money you sink into it.
Craig
Craig
When I had an Edge 9000, it was the power supply that had the quad only pattern and some other weird, unexplainable pattern. After these blew up, not at the same time, I replaced them with EB6s. The bar had the helix tubes in the inner sections and was originally an 8 head strobe bar.
When I upgraded, I added two strobes in the alley position and the bar had a Piercer II in the middle when I bought it. So, it became a 12 strobe bar and I still had room to add four more strobes due to the EB6 running six outlets each, as the Piercer II has it's own power supply.
As said before, customizing an Edge can go any direction, depending on what EQ you have or can get a hold of. Thankfully, they're common and old enough that it's affordable.
When I upgraded, I added two strobes in the alley position and the bar had a Piercer II in the middle when I bought it. So, it became a 12 strobe bar and I still had room to add four more strobes due to the EB6 running six outlets each, as the Piercer II has it's own power supply.
As said before, customizing an Edge can go any direction, depending on what EQ you have or can get a hold of. Thankfully, they're common and old enough that it's affordable.
Im getting the bar saturday.. and im trying to find a set of blue and set of amber leds for the bar.. and i want to fill the rest up with strobes..
i also had that idea of drilling out a few of the halogen reflectors and inserting the new Pimp HAW's in them... just to see what it would look like
i also had that idea of drilling out a few of the halogen reflectors and inserting the new Pimp HAW's in them... just to see what it would look like
I added TIR3s to a mini edge once by making a cheap custom bracket. Since the power supply takes up rail space in the center of the lightbar I cut a flat piece of aluminum stock the length of the power supply. I then got a couple plastic spacers so that the piece of aluminum would have a small space behind it (between it and the power supply for the TIR3 wiring). I then mounted the TIR3s side by side to the aluminum stock. I then mounted it in front of the power supply using the bolts that the power supplies uses to mount on the rail brackets.
It worked out really well. You could probably mount a bunch of different model surface lights this way. It was really inexpensive and I liked it because it utilized otherwise wasted space.
Here is a quick idea of what I'm talking about:
It worked out really well. You could probably mount a bunch of different model surface lights this way. It was really inexpensive and I liked it because it utilized otherwise wasted space.
Here is a quick idea of what I'm talking about:
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