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

50theman

Member
Feb 1, 2011
603
Virginia
rwo978 said:
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.
 

rwo978

Member
May 21, 2010
5,196
ND, USA
50theman said:
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???


ai667.photobucket.com_albums_vv36_rwo978_Sales_20warning_th_Whelen24voltlot.jpg


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.
 

50theman

Member
Feb 1, 2011
603
Virginia
rwo978 said:
Pull out the resistor???
ai667.photobucket.com_albums_vv36_rwo978_Sales_20warning_th_Whelen24voltlot.jpg


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.
 

rwo978

Member
May 21, 2010
5,196
ND, USA
50theman said:
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...). :eek: :eek::-x
 

rwo978

Member
May 21, 2010
5,196
ND, USA
Sorry for adding all this to the other thread....
 

JohnMarcson

Administrator
May 7, 2010
10,971
Northwest Ohio
rwo978 said:
Sorry for adding all this to the other thread....

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

emtanderson51

Member
Apr 9, 2011
3,795
USA Massachusetts
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
 

50theman

Member
Feb 1, 2011
603
Virginia
rwo978 said:
Thanks Man!! That worked. I'm not up on the 'finer' little parts of electronics (resistors, capacitors, diodes...). :eek: :eek::-x

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.
 

Forum Statistics

Threads
54,118
Messages
450,338
Members
19,164
Latest member
Caldwell205

About Us

  • Since 1997, eLightbars has been the premier venue for all things emergency warning equipment. Discussions, classified listings, pictures, videos, chat, & more! Our staff members strive to keep the forums organized and clutter-free. All of our offerings are free-of-charge with all costs offset by banner advertising. Premium offerings are available to improve your experience.

User Menu

Secure Browsing & Transactions

eLightbars.org uses SSL to secure all traffic between our server and your browsing device. All browsing and transactions within are secured by an SSL Certificate with high-strength encryption.