Basic Federal Signal Pathfinder Programming - External Rumbler Amplifier - Ep 3
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- In this video we will cover if you are running an EXTERNAL Rumbler amplifier, and how to activate it via a timed button. If you are running an internal Rumbler amplifier from the Pathfinder itself, this video is useless to you.
Been following you on the FB programmers group. I don't have facebook, so obviously it makes it hard to comment back and interact on that board. Let's see if you and that board can help me out
I've been running my system for about a month now with no issues, dual tone pf200 with external amp triggered by relay six. For technical info only the rumbler is hooked to channel 2 speaker in my setup so it will rumble whatever speaker 2 is doing.
It's fed by 8g power and battery ground to a fed sig pathfinder pdu. The 30amp virtual fuse on output 1 is set to 15amps and is fed to the rumbler amp power with 16g. Ground was originally in the 30amp max ground output of the pdu I did move it to the common terminal of the battery ground during troubleshooting. No other power hungry equipment on the pdu and all my warning lights are led, the biger two are an ils and cnsm.
Last week I noticed at the peak of my unitrol wail that the rumbler became garbled. It happened on all my tones that involve wail including manual. Couldn't quite tell if it was happening in yelp or futura but I think it was just not nearly as noticable. This was coming out of both rumbler speakers. I checked all my connections and all are good. I reprogrammed ssp wail and it does the same. I also programmed an old file with only one or two things on it and checked to see if it was doing it. Yesterday I dropped one of my siren speakers in my wiring rerouted it and reprogrammed to use the internal rumbler to ensure it wasn't my speakers. Everything works perfectly fine with one 100 watt speaker and the 2 rumbler speakers working off rumbler tones of the PF.
I spoke to fedsig technical support before I did all this just to make sure my wiring was correct since the rumbler manual only shows how to hook up to an ssp style wiring with the two speaker leads connected in phase to the 2 speakers rather than the PF style 4 speaker leads two for each. Tech support said it was wired correctly, recommended I move my ground for the rumbler amp off the pdu ground port and onto the main incoming ground.
That did not fix the problem.
Today I went back to trouble shoot again and hooked back up the external amp with the intent on trying a blank programming file with only relay 6 and wail on the program. Now the rumbler does not work at all.
Confirmed with diagnostics in the software, so I'm wondering if my amp is at its end of life?
Amp is is rumbler-2 with date code of 15238 so I doubt when I call them tomorrow it will be in date for repair.
I do have a video I'll upload and link to the problem before I lost the rumbler functioning all together today.
Sorry for the late reply! I finally just had time to read your comment and watch your video. So as Federal Signal has said, did you ensure your wiring is correct? Incorrect wiring of the rumbler can damage it and the primary siren. I've seen rumblers last longer than 5 years, but that's assuming it has been wired correctly.
www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj-w7OXobD4AhWwK0QIHR-MCBwQFnoECAkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fedsig.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fresource_library_document%2FInstall%2520Manual%2520Rumbler%2520Amplifier%2520l%25202562420.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0Jz2i1d4QevejclApNHawB
@Coplites
Not a problem. Thanks for getting back to me. It was working perfectly fine for a couple months. Talked to them again yesterday and hooked the rumbler back one more time and reprogrammed. I did successfully get to try that blank program with only relay 6 and wail on the program. The amp worked today but the same result. Confirmed everything is in place according to directions including striped black going to speaker side and solid going to amp side. Checked connections on the terminal strip and even ommited the terminal strip just in case and threw in some butt connectors. Same garble. They said they'd look at it so I'm planning on sending it in. It's definitely out of date so I'll let you know what they say.
Just following up got my amp back from RMA from fed signal and whatever they did they fixed the issue. Aside from some erroneous part numbers listed as replaced it states the timer module was replaced it's functioning as normal now
That is kinda of an uncommon issue, but that's interesting that they repaired it.
I was under the impression that the pathfinder can handle two speakers or one speaker and one rumbler without an external amplifier. Is it possible to have one rumbler and 2 speakers and program it to where you have dual tone as the primary for siren output but when activating the rumbler it cuts speaker 2 so there is enough power from the internal amp?
In your example it is not without having an external rumbler amp. You can only power one normal 100 watt speaker, and two rumblers on the second channel, you CAN NOT run two 100 watt speakers and a rumbler without an external amp.
Pathfinder Instructions - "The Pathfinder
PF200 can drive one or two 11-ohm impedance, 100-watt speakers. The two
11-ohm impedance, 100-watt speakers have separate wires that allow the
Pathfinder to provide dual siren tones. Alternatively, the Pathfinder can drive one
11-ohm impedance, 100-watt speaker on one channel, and two Rumbler speakers
on the second channel to provide Rumbler integration without the need for a
secondary external amplifier."
ua-cam.com/video/8i3Osobmfcw/v-deo.html
Example 2