Code 3 New Code 3 360 Project

This just in, another code 360 lightbar has come into my possession. I've been able to ascertain that these bars were pulled from Milwaukee County WI Squad cars, a mix of Impalas and crown vics. This one is optioned as follows:

Lens Blue/red Clear center
3 Rotators
Strobes front and rear (Rear default, rear cutoff to front only, pursuit mode all flash)
LED-X Flashers front and Rear
Configured in random flash mode with the following patterns.
Cycle Flash Cycles through various patterns @ 70 fpm
Five Flash Five Pulses per flash @ 70 fpm
Quad Flash Four Pulses per flash @ 70 fpm
NFPA Four Pulses, 70% Duty Cycle @ 75 fpm
Triple Flash Three Pulses per flash @ 70 fpm
Quad Pop Flash Four Pulses per flash ( 3 equal, 1 extended) @ 70 fpm
X-fire Strobes with Color filters
Alley lights (indexed at a 45 degree angle)
Take downs

The rotators are plastic but I've never seen this type of plastic rotator before. And I've never seen filters on the crossfires either.

I put one on my car for fun with all red domes but it was temporary. LOL

 

[Master X]

As Promised a video of the finished bar.

 

[tsquale]

Ooooooooooh.... I need me that! Looks great!

 

[stansdds]

LED's are generally not good as revolving bulbs or with rotating reflectors, but they are really good in stationary light applications such as steady-burn/take-down/work lights, flashers, and strobes. Well done!

 

[TDC]

The upper strobes split the power in all-four-on mode ... with either only front or only back they are effectively doubled in output... at least on mine it is.
The one I have was the Demo from the enclosed Streicher's demo trailer from 2007. Same, except both LEDs are Blue, which shouldn't be in Wisconsin.
So the time is whatever they ran it, and the maybe 8 minutes I have played with it. Looks here like it has plenty of time left in it... the cross-fire strobes look fragile.

 

[Master X]

@TDC

Correct, the top strobes by default only flash to the rear, there are two override wires that are green. Per Code 3 360 Manual:

Alternating Flash Pattern
Connect the RED and/or RED/BLK wire and GREEN wire in the 16 wire cable to +12 VDC through a
user supplied switch. This mode overrides REAR ONLY MODE.
4/6 Head: Front and Rear inboard and outboard strobes on each side will flash at a minimum rate of
70 FPM (flashes per minute).
2 Head: Front or rear inboard strobes will flash at a minimum rate of 70 FPM.

Pursuit Flash Pattern
Connect the RED and/or RED/BLK wire and GREEN/BLACK wire in the 16 wire cable to +12 VDC
through a user supplied switch. This mode overrides ALL OTHER MODES.
4/6 Head: Front inboard and outboard strobes on each side will flash at a minimum rate of 70 FPM.
2 Head: If front inboard strobes are present, strobes will flash minimum at a rate of 70 FPM.


One of the lower strobes didn't function due to the stainless steel wire around the tube disintegrating. I attached a thin copper wire to both ends and wrapped the tube to fix the issue.

 

[JohnMarcson]

It's cool you were able to rewind the trigger wire, I'm impressed.

Code 3 strobes were always a "look we have strobes too" kind of effort. I remember being so excited that they were offering the MX7000 with strobes until I saw one. What I had pictured as the best of both worlds was actually the opposite. When Code 3 used metal rotators and stuck to halogen they were among the best bars. Their strobes and plastic rotators were just not up to previous standards. They almost got back into the swing of things with the LEDX which was popular when other companies were still using 5mm leds, but that didn't last.

The 360 was essentially "homer designs a car". Let's add everything that everyone wants to one bar to the extent it works for nobody.

Also making it designed for the roof line of a specific vehicle was probably not the way to make it a widely used product. Regardless, I think they're very cool bars and I'm glad people are still hanging on to them.

 

[Master X]

In my opinion this particular configuration is one of the best out there for a 360 as far as blending all the lighting technology. Strobes rule the night, halogens rule the day and LEDs are somewhere in between. Now if you could have a half crossfire strobe and intersection sweep light combo for each side that would be awesome, maybe toss in an arrowstick to boot for the rear.

 

[JohnMarcson]

In my opinion this particular configuration is one of the best out there for a 360 as far as blending all the lighting technology. Strobes rule the night, halogens rule the day and LEDs are somewhere in between. Now if you could have a half crossfire strobe and intersection sweep light combo for each side that would be awesome, maybe toss in an arrowstick to boot for the rear.

I thought I had a price list somewhere that showed combined intersection strobes and sweeps.. probably I'm not remembering that right (I'm not see below). I really like these bars with slow red/blue Dtech rotators. My main gripe with the strobes is the lack of power regulation; supplying the the same power for different numbers of heads activated. Still a cool bar just based on the number of levels alone.

You could put an entire Dtech rotator in the intersection corner spot, I forgot about that...


Interestingly the bar pictured has a center oscilaser but that's not shown in the options.

 

[Master X]

Another interesting thing I noticed for the stationary flashers (Which are the same on the Excalibur) is the bulb wattage in the later versions of the manual state in bold not to use anything above 28 Watts or an 1156 bulb. Just about all the 360s I worked on have 50 watt 795 bulbs in them which cause a majority of the housings to partially melt. I worked on two bars where it got so hot the bulb managed to melt through the stationary housing and partially through the lower tray. LOL

 

[Master X]

The wall of pain, my hands hurt just looking at all the bottom trays I hand polished.

 

[irsa76]

The NSW, Australia, Ambulance service had a few of these bars on trial. I remember one of the VW T4 vans coming it with one that was all halogen. 5 rotators on the top deck, 2 pairs of halogen flashers with a pair of take downs and the halogen X sweep on the bottom, for forward facing with no rear due to the high roof. Same van had a pair of halogen beacons on the rear and halogen grill lights, no side warning. Another van had an all strobe 360 on the front, just halogen rotators outboard, and an MX700 with outboard rotators and strobes on the rear.

 

[bpollard]

As Promised a video of the finished bar.

Bad ass bar. Nice work

 

[CD3]

Another interesting thing I noticed for the stationary flashers (Which are the same on the Excalibur) is the bulb wattage in the later versions of the manual state in bold not to use anything above 28 Watts or an 1156 bulb. Just about all the 360s I worked on have 50 watt 795 bulbs in them which cause a majority of the housings to partially melt. I worked on two bars where it got so hot the bulb managed to melt through the stationary housing and partially through the lower tray. LOL

I can say that Code 3 didn't put in 50 watt lights in the lower plastic housings. It had to be someone wanting more light output, but I can tell you those stupid plastic housings melted over time with the 27watt bulbs too, when you had the filters on, there was nowhere for heat to dissipate. In California, those 28watt lights didn't meet our code, so Code 3 came up with a 50watt light, reflector and red filter mounted centered in the bar. Looked crappy but it worked until the LEDs came out.

 

[Master X]

If anyone is interested, I did track down the patent among other technology such as smart intersection sweeps and such. Something interesting I read in the patent was seemingly a way to tie the lightbar into the vehicles speed sensor to change the warning speed of the lights and strobes based on the vehicle speed. I don't think this made it past the planning stage but it is mentioned below.

"In particular, referring to FIG. 12, a Speed signal TS, Such
as a tachometer Signal, may be generated by a vehicle Speed
sensor 600 or may be generated by other electronic equip
ment on the vehicle itself. The speed signal TS would be
provided to an amplifier and Voltage to frequency converter
602 which would convert the Speed signal into a signal
representative of a frequency corresponding to the Speed of
the vehicle. This frequency signal may be provided to a
pulse width modulated motor control 604 which pulses
would operate a variable speed motor rotating a fixture 606.
AS a result, the rotator would rotate at a speed which
corresponds to the Speed of the vehicle. Alternatively, the
frequency signal may be provided to an interface circuit 608
which fires strobes and/or transient or fixed flashers 610 So
that the Strobes and flashers may be fired at a frequency
which corresponds to the vehicle speed. Those skilled in the
art will readily recognize various correspondences between
the vehicle Speed and the Speed of rotation or firing of the
Strobes and flashers. For example, it is contemplated that the
Strobes and flashers may fire at a faster Speed when the
vehicle begins to slow down to prevent rear end collisions.
Alternatively, as the vehicle Slows, the Speed of the rotator
606 may increase to provide a more transient Signal which
would alert observers. It is also contemplated that the
rotators may be rotated in a particular pattern or that the
Strobes and flashers may be fired in a particular pattern
depending on vehicle Speed. In this configuration, the pat
tern itself or the cycle at which the pattern is repeated may
be varied in response to variations in the Speed of the
vehicle.
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several
objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous
results attained.
AS Various changes could be made in the above construc
tions and products without departing from the Scope of the
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the
above description and shown in the accompanying drawings
shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting Sense"

 

[shues]

Sad, isn't it? Although that patent lists the inventor as a man named Green, the Code 360 was never offered with green upper lenses.

 

[CD3]

No Green uppers but green filters.