Federal Signal Highlighter LED probs.. schematic???

[Grotonems5]

I have a Highlighter LED that all of a sudden stopped working for a customer... He bought a new light from me and :!: gave :!: me the highlighter. Upon power application it lights up momentarily but will not continue to work. Seems as though the conductor or what have you for the magnetic pattern change is corroded.. Maybe this is the problem or it could be something worse??? It will cost about $150 to get it sent in and fixed by fed sig but not sure on a 4 year old bar if it is worth it?? Anyone have a similar problem with a quick fix? Really don't want to throw $150 into it if I don't have to. Also could not find a schematic online, maybe fed sig would fax me one so I could play with it?


Thanks for any input in advance!!

 

[rwo978]

I've seen the same thing on a couple other bars, but they continued working. I got an RMA from FedSig, but never sent them in. My impression was that they were going to fix them on their dime and I just pay the shipping there.


Wonder if there's a way to bypass the pattern changer, maybe it's 'stuck' closed not allowing the bar to work.

 

[Grotonems5]

Yeah I am going to keep working at it, but a schematic would help me find out if there is a way to bypass that pattern changer.

 

[Sigma Safety]

They're not 5 yrs old yet, so just return it under warranty.

 

[Grotonems5]

Warranty covers parts not labor so $110 plus shipping to and fro.

 

[Richard P]

Wonder if there's a way to bypass the pattern changer, maybe it's 'stuck' closed not allowing the bar to work.

same thing happened to my viper s2, coulld be very possible

 

[Grotonems5]

I messed around with it some tonight, applied power to certain locations and got the LED's to light up, but could not get them to flash. So I know the LED's are good so I am leaning definitely towards the pattern changer stuck. I guess I have two options... sell it to someone that thinks it is worth fixing it or send it in myself... My intent was to fix it and sell it..

 

[RJ*]

I messed around with it some tonight, applied power to certain locations and got the LED's to light up, but could not get them to flash.

Can you hook up an external flasher and get it to work that way?


BTW what color is the bar?

 

[rwo978]

You could, but you'd get the whole bar to flash on/off and you'd have to get the bar to steady burn to begin with. Everything on the highlighter is on the circuit board.... LEDs, electronics, flasher.... It's not a 'tech special', something you can tinker with compared to a Responder LED.

 

[Grotonems5]

Actually if you were handy with a soldering iron you could hook up an external flasher... The thought crossed my mind but I couldn't sell it like that... There are diodes or transisters resisters WHATEVER near each "set" of LED's... and if I "jumped" the right inputs it activated that "set" I could light up one end at a time, or one of each of the three "sets" on the front or the back. Interesting really but I don't want to play with it anymore. It is red LED's with a red dome. I attached my own feet from a jetstream bar.

 

[Sigma Safety]

I recall there was a way to disable the hall-effect sensor so that people couldn't use a magnet to play with the patterns. I think it just was basically cutting a leg off the hall-effect sensor where it went into the circuit board. You might want to try that, then just set the pattern via the pins on the board instead. It'd be easy to try, and easy to fix if it doesn't work.

 

[Grotonems5]

Where would I find this "hall-effect" sensor you speak of? Any idea what it looks like or where on the board it would be..? I am pretty much clueless when it comes to circuitry... I can figure out the basics but not anything with these chips and resistors and such... With a shematic I would be golden but still no luck on that...

 

[Grotonems5]

Did I mention that I called Federal Signal and they won't release the schematic to me.... They will only release it to an authorized service center... anyone here qualify for that??? ... I have the bar sold already but it would make me joyous to make the darn thing work!!

 

[rwo978]

I think the 'hall effect' sensor is the little black part you run the magnet over to change the pattern. It's in the corner of the ircuit board.