Official LED Rotator Thread

[JohnMarcson]

Meh, a lot of those patterns look like crap. The slow split flash patterns give it severe "pink-shimmer" syndrome. The only really good patterns appear to be 8, 10, 12, 16, 18 and 26. 6 out of 30 patterns that don't look like pink blobs is really disappointing. 

The problem with putting any rotator directly next to directional LEDs is they don't show up.  The rotating portions of any setup need to be not right next to directional high intensity flashers.  Whelen 4500 rotators look pretty good on their own but fail next to directional 7x3 halogens.  I suspect the same holds true here, which is one possible reason for the twinkle patterns (the other is people like them).  I like multi color LEDs for ambulance applications.  I think the natural use is making white turn red or amber when parked.

 

[nerdly_dood]

Looks to me like the video isn't any good for showing how well the rotators show up next to the flashers. Looking at the corners of the bar, plus seeing the rotators shine on the wall in back, it looks to me like the bar is angled down so the full effect of the rotators isn't hitting the camera. 

 

[lotsofbars]

The problem with putting any rotator directly next to directional LEDs is they don't show up.  The rotating portions of any setup need to be not right next to directional high intensity flashers.  Whelen 4500 rotators look pretty good on their own but fail next to directional 7x3 halogens.  I suspect the same holds true here, which is one possible reason for the twinkle patterns (the other is people like them).  I like multi color LEDs for ambulance applications.  I think the natural use is making white turn red or amber when parked.

That's also true. That's like those old OSP Vistas that had the strobes on top and the LED's on bottom. They might as well have only used the little Cuda LED heads because those strobes were useless on their own. 

 

[nerdly_dood]

Found one. Starts at 30:00, and it'd be better if the guy realized nobody gives a hoot about the bands and people marching. Looks like it's stupid bright.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C29pyO847U&feature=youtu.be&t=30m

 

[Jarred J.]

There are members on this forum that are members of pipe and drum cores.... some of us were in marching bands in school. we "give a hoot" about bands

 

[Sigma Safety]

Found one. Starts at 30:00, and it'd be better if the guy realized nobody gives a hoot about the bands and people marching. Looks like it's stupid bright.

That's not 'marching' (at about 30:00), that's lazy walking in step. 

THIS is marching; http://youtu.be/9l7xKrNDGZc?t=14s

 

[vonirkinshtine]

That's not 'marching' (at about 30:00), that's lazy walking in step. 

THIS is marching; http://youtu.be/9l7xKrNDGZc?t=14s

From 1:16...I totally would.

 

[nerdly_dood]

That's not 'marching' (at about 30:00), that's lazy walking in step. 

THIS is marching; http://youtu.be/9l7xKrNDGZc?t=14s

I took about fifteen minutes debating on that and settled on "eh, close enough".

 

[Jarred J.]

 

[bluestinger90]

An overhead view would have done a better job showing the rotating effect.

 

[signal12]

so much for getting away from moving parts.....when i designed the rotating strobe light back in the late 70's, early 80's i was told by a majority of the manufacturers that they wanted to move away from moving parts in their light systems.... funny how things come back so many years later... to me a lot of the rotating led lights just make a blur of bright light as they rotate into view as opposed to that quick bright flash of a halogen or strobe, thats how they look in the videos that are posted in this thread.

so why all of a sudden are they using more and more moving parts?

 

[bluestinger90]

Perhaps the rotating technology is much more reliable now.

 

[chief1562]

Don't know if anybody posted this yet Fedsig answer to led rotor lights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBGePyD0So

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scyjj1WJTrg http://fedsig.com/docs/M1056_Navigator_Data_Sheet.pdf

 

[kitsune86]

I can't speak for the manufactures, but I know a lot of the older police officers I work with miss the rotators, because "You knew when they were on."

so much for getting away from moving parts.....when i designed the rotating strobe light back in the late 70's, early 80's i was told by a majority of the manufacturers that they wanted to move away from moving parts in their light systems.... funny how things come back so many years later... to me a lot of the rotating led lights just make a blur of bright light as they rotate into view as opposed to that quick bright flash of a halogen or strobe, thats how they look in the videos that are posted in this thread.

so why all of a sudden are they using more and more moving parts?

 

[Sigma Safety]

so much for getting away from moving parts.....when i designed the rotating strobe light back in the late 70's

Rotating strobe light??

Perhaps the rotating technology is much more reliable now.

Of course, the Whelen bar shown above isn't actually a rotator, just sequenced LEDs.  The upside is that it has no moving parts, the downside is that it is pricy because of lots of LEDs, and doesn't provide a true rotator pattern (there is no "snap" to the beam).

The Federal SLR (used in the navigator, SLR "V" bars, and the SLR rotator), is a direct-drive system.  There is only 1 moving part - the shaft/mirror assembly, unlike the older rotators where you had a 'hobby' motor, a plastic worm gear, and a rotating mirror. 

The SLR motor was taking from the robotics industry so it is very reliable (5 yr warranty on it) and quiet.

I still think an actual rotator has a better warning pattern for most uses than a 'faux-tate' pattern (sequenced LEDs).  The rotator provides a very powerful focused beam that is MUCH brighter than any other LED "rotator" system.  Take 10-12 LEDs and focus them into a beam 10 degrees wide, and...wow.

The SLR beacon is the only LED beacon (to my knowledge) to meet the Calif Title 13 Table 2 specs.  All others meet table 4, which is much lower intensity requirements and was actually designed for strobe beacons, not LED.

Title 13 table 2 requirement = 12,500 candela/seconds

Title 13 table 4 requirement = 125 candela/seconds

That said, a $70 halogen Sentry rotator light will still outperform the SLR in terms of pure light intensity.  I think it's about 85,000 candela vs the SLR which is somewhere around the 50K-60K mark.

 

[nerdly_dood]

That said, a $70 halogen Sentry rotator light will still outperform the SLR in terms of pure light intensity.  I think it's about 85,000 candela vs the SLR which is somewhere around the 50K-60K mark.

I think the SLR has a wider beam and the flash isn't as brief; the light is more spread out which helps balance it out.

 

[bluestinger90]

It looks someone bought a bunch of ecco led beacons and made a poor mans vision.

 

[Jarred J.]

vid #1

it has 4 ECCO 7660 beacons and 1 code3 CL199AH beacon

vid #2 is pre vid #1 according to his comments "I'll be installing front indicators and park lights, 2 rear facing work lights along with rear facing red marker lights"  but doesn't say why? LOL

 

[JohnMarcson]

vid #1

it has 4 ECCO 7660 beacons and 1 code3 CL199AH beacon

vid #2 is pre vid #1 according to his comments "I'll be installing front indicators and park lights, 2 rear facing work lights along with rear facing red marker lights"  but doesn't say why? LOL

I don't fault the idea really.... spaced well on a back rack of a pickup or something it might be passable.  But the ruined paint on the roof of a clearly compact car as a backdrop kinda puts it over the edge for me. 

 

[LRGJr72]

Federal Signal 3-Pod Vision with Solaris LED Rotators:

 

[LRGJr72]

A great Federal Signal Navigator demonstration from Sirennet.

 

[7d9_z28]

I wouldnt mind a 3 pod SLR with clear domes with amber warning and all white override. But I would have to sell my first born to buy one, and I dont have a firstborn yet...

 

[LRGJr72]

Pattern #18 didnt look bad... opcorn:

I agree. Pattern 18 looks the most attention grabbing with the least amount of frenetic chaos.