Need help "modifying" Code 3 Excalibur, increased effectiveness and looking coolness

John Smith

Member
Oct 19, 2010
304
CO, US
I have a full LED Code 3 Excalibur, and I want to play with it! I just can't leave things alone, and this bar is the target of my affection as of recent. I want to make the bar look better, and not lose any effectiveness. I don't need any more effectiveness, as the bar is already extraordinarily bright.


Here's how I currently have it. Modules 2, 3, 6, and 7 are on steady burn, and I like that (You all helped me get it this far!). 4 and 5 are on a flasher, but it's a gay flasher. It's an old school one, my headlights are on the same pattern. It's difficult to explain, but red flashes twice, blue twice, red twice, blue twice, red twice, blue twice, and then both flash twice together. Gay and ineffective. The rest of the bar's modules, 1, 8 and the 4 on the upper deck, are not synchronized at all, they just do their programmed dance.


[Broken External Image]:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v336/AaronZ34/Pictures/Lightbar.jpg


This is what I want to happen under Code 3 operation, I just need help with how I get it here. I want the 4 upper deck modules, and the two middle ones (4 and 5), synchronized. I want all 3 red modules to flash 3 times or so really fast, then the 3 blue modules to flash 3 times fast, then red, then blue. I think with the 4 main modules being steady burn, and the 45* angle modules doing their dance, the bar will still be quite effective.


I'm sure I'll need to wire all 6 of the modules to a flasher, so that it can alternate the red and blues, but I'm not sure if I can use the same flasher just change its pattern or what.


If you all could help me identify what I have to do to get the bar to do this, I'd appreciate it. I'm new to lightbars, but I'm hooked. Also, I'm welcome to hearing what setups you think would look good on this bar, hell I'd love to try a few different ones.
 

cory y

Member
May 21, 2010
1,614
code 3 uses internal flashers on each individual head and you would need to set each head on to steady.


in order to get the lights to flash how you want them do i would find a LED dedicated flasher... the whelen ulf44 is very popular and im sure you could find a flash pattern you liked within the 60-something patterns available.


sounds like you want something like an "action flash " style of pattern
 

JohnMarcson

Administrator
May 7, 2010
10,971
Northwest Ohio
bfd740 said:
Halogen intersection sweeps, and mix the colors up (B R B R B R B R) instead of B B B B R R R R
That will make the bar purple.... unless you flash the red against the blue... in which case it's no real advantage over solid color sides.
 

John Smith

Member
Oct 19, 2010
304
CO, US
cory y said:
code 3 uses internal flashers on each individual head and you would need to set each head on to steady.

in order to get the lights to flash how you want them do i would find a LED dedicated flasher... the whelen ulf44 is very popular and im sure you could find a flash pattern you liked within the 60-something patterns available.


sounds like you want something like an "action flash " style of pattern

The bar already has a flasher inside of it, I'm wondering if I can't change the flash pattern of this one easily. I imagine I can...Sounds easy enough too.

bfd740 said:
Halogen intersection sweeps, and mix the colors up (B R B R B R B R) instead of B B B B R R R R

The bar has halogen intersection sweeps, which are very effective. Unfortunately, they only work half the time. I guess this is a common problem with the Excaliburs. And on top of the purple appearance, it's kind of an unwritten rule, bars are red versus blue with every agency around here, including the one this car is part of. Can't be too much of a sore thumb haha!

ark_firefighter said:
With all of those steady burns I don't see how any other light output gets out.

Again...a video would be awsome to see

To be honest, the steady burns are extremely bright, they are responsible for most of the output. But I like this, there's a ton of light output, and enough flashing to get attention. The rest of our cars use standard Code 3 LED low profile bars (Just the lower half of the Excalibur, and without the inner 2 LED modules). So 2 R, 2 B modules to the front, 2 R, 2 B to the sides at 45* angles, and a single red, signle blue to the back (With arrowstick). So less than half of what my bar has, and yet the bars are still extremely effective, much moreso than the MX7000 rotator. These Excaliburs are over the top in all honesty, but I like it!


Yes, steady burn does not flash or blink at all, so 4 of the 10 forward facing modules are steady.


I would get a video, but I don't want the agency identified. I'll photoshop the car's decals out one of these days haha. But that's harder with the video. Plus, pictures of a LED bar are hard as most the LEDs are off at any given time, and if they're all on it doesn't show how they flash. I'll get some up though. It's a kicka$$ lightbar,
 

John Smith

Member
Oct 19, 2010
304
CO, US
I looked around a bit, and remembered that I already have a flasher in the lightbar, used for the center two LED modules (For some reason). Considering it is in a Code 3 bar, and most of what we use is Code 3 stuff, I think the flasher is probably a CODE 3 flasher, and looking around on their website I found their universal headlight flasher, and I think it's one of these (Model 700). These have two flash patterns, which are pretty easily changed (Adding 12 volts to one of the terminals). I'm thinking of setting the inner two halogen lights to flash on Code 3, and double as takedowns. Then just set the inner two LEDs to do their programmed dance. But I'm thinking with the intersectin sweeps, this mist be too much white light and it might overpower the LEDs. Thoughts?
 

John Smith

Member
Oct 19, 2010
304
CO, US
Those look good!


I messed with the flasher today, turns out Mode 2, with a steady 12v, just flashes both lights quickly, doesn't alternate. So I found a car that has an alternating flasher, and I switched the flashers in them. So now mine alternates the two middle LED modules. Next project is to disconnect the two LED modules from the flasher, and wire them into the position 2 wire so that they flash on Level 2. Then I'll reset their internal flashers so they aren't steady burn.


Then I will cut the wire leading to the middle takedowns, and run that wire from the control box, to the "Steady burn" override on the flasher. Thus when I hit the takedown button, 12v will go to the steady burn on the flasher, and it won't flash them. I'll then run one wire from each of the two bulbs to the outputs of the flasher, and I'll find a wie in the bar that goes hot on Level 3 to power/trigger the flasher. I'll get a video to the front one of these days.


I looked at my headlight flasher, which is the same as was in my lightbar, and so it can't alternate either. Easy enough, I'll just switch them between another car. So I found a car with an alternating flasher, and low and behold, I can't find the flasher! I have no idea where it's at.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

John Smith

Member
Oct 19, 2010
304
CO, US
Well I finally fvcked something up.


I wired it in so the center two takedown halogens would flash, and tried them out. I'm guessing they instantly popped a fuse, since they didn't work. And now, the LED modules that were being run off the same power wire don't work either. Seems all 8 top shelf LED modules run off the same wire/fuse, so the addition of the halogens was probably more amperage than the fuse would allow. So now I need to find a fused wire that runs to the bar that isn't being used. There is a wire in the bar that isn't being used, but it won't get hot under level 1, 2, or 3. I'm going to play around with it, see if I can't figure out when it gets hot, then wire it into level 3, and make sure its fused high enough. Which brings me to my question, how many amps should these 2 halogens pull?


I took a couple videos, but they don't show much. Since they are at night, they pretty much just blind the camera lol. I'll upload them when I get to a faster internet connection.
 

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