Whelen CanTrol
- Thread starter Storm4200
- Start date
fleetcomm
Member
I wish, I am still waiting on 4 vehicles I orderd to get here so we can start installing the CanTrol units and lights.
fleetcomm
Member
fleetcomm
Member
factorone33
Member
Storm4200 said:
You really can't, unless you're going to meet one of the following criteria:
1. You become an authorized Whelen CanTrol distributor or reseller
2. You're on a big department (e.g. your fleet will have more than 100 vehicles with CanTrol on it)
3. You're an AMSR for Whelen itself.
I'll be doing video later this week of our CanTrol Charger, since I finally got a video camera to work with. There's more to the whole system than just syncing lightheads with the lightbar.
The Whelen rep has been by my place with a Cantrol demo and I know they have several demo cars running around the Tri-State area with them.
oh I'm well aware that there is more to it than just synching of light heads. a WHOLE LOT more!!
http://www.whelen.com/pb/Automotive/ProductSheets/Sirens_Switches_Speakers/CANTROL_Siren_Switch_Control.pdf
http://www.whelen.com/pb/Automotive/ProductSheets/Sirens_Switches_Speakers/CANTROL_Siren_Switch_Control.pdf
factorone33
Member
i just came across the Install PDF for CanTrol, and call me nuts, but i think i can install and program it without ever going to this 'CanTrol School'.
does anyone have any updates on CanTrol, or are there any videos of newly configured set-ups utilizing this new system?
does anyone have any updates on CanTrol, or are there any videos of newly configured set-ups utilizing this new system?
theroofable
Member
Storm4200 said:
I agree. While people may not understand some of the more complicated tricks and features, who cares? Why not just sell it to someone willing to pay the money for it. I don't get why it is some big secret that you have to go to school for.
If a consumer is willing to spend the money on a product, I don't understand why anyone would deny them the ability to purchase it. For something as complex as the CanTrol, make them sign a waiver or something if you really must...
Core Public Safety
Member
theroofable said:
I think it's:
A. There's a lot that someone who doesn't know what they are doing could potentially mess up
B. It helps support Whelen's dealer network. Especially on the service side
C. If just anyone could get it the fuzzy magic special sauce would be gone
D. All of the above
fleetcomm
Member
theroofable said:
It is not a big secret but, Whelen does not want thier product being sold and installed without the installer knowing how to correctly program it. The CanTrol has a feature that you can program a single button to do 3 different functions or that every light output is programable. There is alot to know, to make it work the way it should and the school is a must so you can program it correctly. I thought the same thing when I was told about buying CanTrol why do I have to go to school I have been doing this for 27 years and how can this be that hard to program. I was wrong I needed the school.
Funny..."You don't know what you don't know, " seems like an applicable phrase here.
CANTrol installs much like a CenCom Sapphire. It's not hard to wire for standard use. However, tying it into the host vehicle and integrating it into the whole vehicle warning and communications suite is something else entirely. And planning and designing the programming you want to run everything the way you want or need is another thing, too.
Most customers don't want or need the system, although almost all customers could benefit from using it. True system standardization is the real benefit, and is truly priceless, IMO.
Whelen is smart, and right, to control distribution of the system. If its not sold, installed, and programmed in such a way that customers are educated about the system benefits and to ensure maximum leveraging of system capabilities, then it loses value. And it takes a very keyed-in salesperson, installer, and fleet manager/customer, working together, to make certain this happens. It is about a holistic, total systems approach.
If you just want the whiz-bang, baddest, newest shiny-thing, that's not a compelling reason, IMHO, for Whelen to dumb down its strategic plan for the product class.
"Shut up and take my money" is not always the best method.
CANTrol school is put on by Whelen at the factory, or at select locations as needed to support large customers. I haven't been...I cheated and used my "phone-a-friend" lifeline. And programming was definitely a challenge.
CANTrol installs much like a CenCom Sapphire. It's not hard to wire for standard use. However, tying it into the host vehicle and integrating it into the whole vehicle warning and communications suite is something else entirely. And planning and designing the programming you want to run everything the way you want or need is another thing, too.
Most customers don't want or need the system, although almost all customers could benefit from using it. True system standardization is the real benefit, and is truly priceless, IMO.
Whelen is smart, and right, to control distribution of the system. If its not sold, installed, and programmed in such a way that customers are educated about the system benefits and to ensure maximum leveraging of system capabilities, then it loses value. And it takes a very keyed-in salesperson, installer, and fleet manager/customer, working together, to make certain this happens. It is about a holistic, total systems approach.
If you just want the whiz-bang, baddest, newest shiny-thing, that's not a compelling reason, IMHO, for Whelen to dumb down its strategic plan for the product class.
"Shut up and take my money" is not always the best method.
CANTrol school is put on by Whelen at the factory, or at select locations as needed to support large customers. I haven't been...I cheated and used my "phone-a-friend" lifeline. And programming was definitely a challenge.
I've gotten a chance to see a few MA State Police vehicles outfitted with CanTrol and I'm very impressed with the system and how it's integrated into the vehicle, i.e. Vertex's in the tail lamps tied into the brakes, park override flash pattern, light sensor, Liberty corner lamps shut off when the driver's door opens.
It's more of a system I'll ever need, not to mention my small agency would never cough up the money for it.
I can only hope Whelen is going to make a cheaper alternative to the CanTrol, without all the "bells and whistles" most agenies/departments don't need. Sort of like the WeCan Control Point Module with the 18 different inputs, the Light Bar Conecter, and the ability to program flash patterns. But just adding 6-8 5AMP outputs to connect all your other light heads. It could work with any other switch/control box for departments which transfer over equipment a few times.
It's more of a system I'll ever need, not to mention my small agency would never cough up the money for it.
I can only hope Whelen is going to make a cheaper alternative to the CanTrol, without all the "bells and whistles" most agenies/departments don't need. Sort of like the WeCan Control Point Module with the 18 different inputs, the Light Bar Conecter, and the ability to program flash patterns. But just adding 6-8 5AMP outputs to connect all your other light heads. It could work with any other switch/control box for departments which transfer over equipment a few times.
factorone33
Member
code60a said:
+1
fleetcomm said:
You can add as many "states" to a button as you want (I've messed around with one button having 45 different "presses" before it cycled back to being "off"), and you can literally do anything with any head (including in the lightbar) on the vehicle.
C2Installs said:
+1
I've been playing with CanTrol since it came out (in fact, we got one of the first prototype systems back when it was called "CanCom", and more affectionately known at the factory as "Can'tCom"), and in that two-year time span, I've just now begun to really grasp the vast capabilities of the system itself. CanTrol isn't just "rig it up, play with flash patterns and loud noises, and go" (well, it can be...) but is rather a platform for solving multiple warning problems with one system, and then applying it to problems you never knew you had before.
If* I can get ahold of a video camera, I'll get our Charger, our Durango, our Interceptor Utility, and our new Ram that all have CanTrol or CanTrol WC on them and show you all what they're capable of.
*Big "if" :suicide:
emtanderson51
Member
I believe it took Whelen over 100 hours to get the MSP program down. I know it was in that range anyway. It will take the traditional red/amber rear light bar light heads and make them both amber during the day and both red at night. They also flicker in red when the brake is applied. This is in addition to the other features stated above by Tackleberry.
ford-dealer
Member
I am in no way dissing the Cantrol system... but I will say this. For those of you that have never studied the B-Link system(s) and their respective capabilities, I think you would be very surprised as to how close the 2 systems are.
Example: Drivers Door Open Cancels Corner LEDs... nothing new there as far as capability. (You can do that with a Cencom as well....(Just saying)
Brake lights cause light bar to Steady Burn 2 light heads... B-Link can do the same.
Front Light activation when siren is on? No problem. Cencom can do that too.
Where the CANTROL system sings is the capability to "Sync' light heads. It has a few features (Like "Presses") that are unique to that system. All I am saying is that the B-Link system was far more advanced than most know. The B-Link system was WAY ahead of its time. The light bars and other equipment just hadn't caught up the capabilities of the system itself. That having been said, SC series Freedoms and Libby's were catching up quickly to the possibilities of the B-Link system.
Example: Drivers Door Open Cancels Corner LEDs... nothing new there as far as capability. (You can do that with a Cencom as well....(Just saying)
Brake lights cause light bar to Steady Burn 2 light heads... B-Link can do the same.
Front Light activation when siren is on? No problem. Cencom can do that too.
Where the CANTROL system sings is the capability to "Sync' light heads. It has a few features (Like "Presses") that are unique to that system. All I am saying is that the B-Link system was far more advanced than most know. The B-Link system was WAY ahead of its time. The light bars and other equipment just hadn't caught up the capabilities of the system itself. That having been said, SC series Freedoms and Libby's were catching up quickly to the possibilities of the B-Link system.
ford-dealer said:
I would agree that Cantrol is an evolution of the early SC systems. An important note you are missing is the ability to apply rules. Sure you can make lights come on with siren tones, but you can't choose when you want that to happen. Ie, when lights are in "rear only" mode, and not when lights are off, etc. SC only had two inputs. CenCom has 4, one of which would be used for horn ring. You have no programmability of the inputs, or timing. You have no ability to toggle between flash patterns that are built using virtual inputs. You have no virtual inputs for that matter. Virtual inputs are key programming features that are used to perform various scenarios.
SC was very primitive. Sure you could do certain things with it that were out of the ordinary, but it evolved into something so much better and far more useable.
ford-dealer
Member
Outsider said:
Like I said... I wasn't dissing on the Cantrol system. What I was saying was for those that think that the Cantrol system was a GIANT leap from the simple toggle switch... that the B-Link/SC system had a TON of capabilities. I personally think the MPC01/.BL627 swtup is FAR better than ANY Cencom. The Cencom was a step backwards IMHO. I guess that is why one can still get that 90s MPC01 brand new from Whelen to this day.
You defining the system as "Primitive" to me is a bit harsh. I think that based on the equipment it was designed to run, it was a giant leap ahead of anything in the industry.
That being said, I am looking forward to exploring the Cantrol system. It does indeed have some capacities that are in some ways only limited by ones imagination.
ford-dealer said:
I assume you mean multiple presses of a single button to control different functions? The funny part is, that's nothing new. If you know how to edit the XML-ish .tpl files of the Cencom Red programming software, you could do the same. My CC Red has five siren tone buttons - wail, yelp, piercer, hi-lo, and "tri-tone". Tri-tone controls the secondary Alpha22Q siren - first press is mechanical, second is whoop, third is warble. Fourth press deactivates the function.
Hey Whelen - when people are smart enough to reverse engineer your software, maybe you should lighten up a bit about the whole "cantrol school" thing! I would love to buy a CanTrol setup for my next vehicle... but I like doing my own thing, and having to go to a dealer every time I want to make changes to my lighting configuration isn't going to happen.
Here are some basic cantrol videos. Both day park mode to drive, the rear video shows rear TA coming on steady when the brakes being applied.
http://youtu.be/6vcxPUtmKT0
http://youtu.be/Jv0GEZHd5mA
http://youtu.be/6vcxPUtmKT0
http://youtu.be/Jv0GEZHd5mA
Old thread but does anyone have the program for CanTrol? Really need to work on the new ride for work. Any help is appreciated rmclearen@aubreytx.gov