Arrow Sticks

Cam · Post by **Cam** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 10:34 am

As I was setting in traffic today and looking at the City Light trucks parked on the road with their light blinking, I saw that two of the trucks had amber arrow sticks above the rear door. Both looked to be of the same brand, but were doing there "move to the left" flash in different ways. The first truck's light would start on the right and light up all the lightheads moving left until they were all lite and then turn them all off and start over. The other truck would start at the right and then turn off each light before it would turn on the next until it got to the last lighthead on the left and then it would start over.

I guess I'm wanting to know what the point of the flash pattern on the second trucks is? The first one is much easier to see and understand IMO and I don't see a reason for the second flash pattern. Maybe the maker just wanted to be about to say they have 10 flash pattern over 5?

Anyone know the why this is?
Or think that the second pattern is better and I have no idea what I'm talking about?

Cam

fd2119 · Post by **fd2119** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:10 am

As I was setting in traffic today and looking at the City Light trucks parked on the road with their light blinking, I saw that two of the trucks had amber arrow sticks above the rear door. Both looked to be of the same brand, but were doing there "move to the left" flash in different ways. The first truck's light would start on the right and light up all the lightheads moving left until they were all lite and then turn them all off and start over. The other truck would start at the right and then turn off each light before it would turn on the next until it got to the last lighthead on the left and then it would start over.

It's possible that the one truck had the arrow bar set on low power. Depending on the brand, the low power does everything from dimming the bulbs, but keeping them functioning normally to lighting only one bulb at a time.

For example, arrow right (x=on, o=off)
High power[/b[
xooooooo
xxoooooo
xxxooooo
xxxxoooo
xxxxxooo
xxxxxxoo
xxxxxxxo
xxxxxxxx

Low power
xooooooo
oxoooooo
ooxooooo
oooxoooo
ooooxooo
oooooxoo
ooooooxo
ooooooox

HayesCrestReact · Post by **HayesCrestReact** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 11:36 pm

actually i belive that each arrow stick has a different control head... sounds like the secound light was a whelen and the first was a federal signal

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:16 am

The Whelen control panels have boat load of DIP switch programable patterns. Both of what you describe are on that list of patterns, among several others.

Cam · Post by **Cam** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 7:07 pm

I guess I was just wondering why you would want:
ooooox
ooooxo
oooxoo
ooxooo
oxoooo
xooooo

when you can have:
ooooox
ooooxx
oooxxx
ooxxxx
oxxxxx
xxxxxx

It just seem like it much easyer to understand number two then one, but maybe it just me. I guess it good thing most people don't seem to understand them no matter what. A few days ago I saw a state cop with this pointing into the wall.

Cam

KG6EAQ · Post by **KG6EAQ** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 7:45 pm

Cam22 wrote:.... A few days ago I saw a state cop with this pointing into the wall.
Cam

The installer must of put his connector on backwards

Post by Pj » Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:55 pm

I have my arrow pattern set that way...turn on one by one then turn off one by one. Whelen calls it sequence on/off.

Cam · Post by **Cam** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 10:18 pm

Pj wrote:I have my arrow pattern set that way...turn on one by one then turn off one by one. Whelen calls it sequence on/off.

Do you feel it works better?

jedi_saber · Post by **jedi_saber** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 7:38 am

I love the 911ep tracer arrow patterns...

xooooo
xxoooo
xxxooo
xxxxoo
xxxxxo
xxxxxx (believe it then strobes the end LED module)
oxxxxx
ooxxxx (the diminishing tail zips by a lot quicker than the lighting up
oooxxx of course - I think it looks really neat!)
ooooxx
ooooox
xooooo
xxoooo
xxxxoo
xxxxxo
xxxxxx

Post by Pj » Wed Nov 17, 2004 9:12 am

It "flows" with the sequence on/off. I am very picky with how my stuff works as Jaymz or Alex will tell ya!

The other one I like is the typical one segment on at any time to the end with it ending in a tripple flash).

I feel that the 8 lamp arrows look better, but the trend seems to be going to 6 (what i have now in my bar).

jedi_saber · Post by **jedi_saber** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 3:39 pm

Agreed, PJ.

Pj wrote:I feel that the 8 lamp arrows look better, but the trend seems to be going to 6 (what i have now in my bar).

That 911ep stick is actually a 10 module head (tho smaller than most halogen traditional lightheads) , but yes, strobing at the end of the sequence is where it's at. I used the 6 head example bec. I was too lazy to add another two heads to the illustration

.

Post by Pj » Wed Nov 17, 2004 6:56 pm

I like the little 911ep sticks. I was very impressed with alex's setup. The rotator flash pattern is nice. However, the new Whelen Dominator with the Action Scan 720 is really slick.

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 7:06 pm

I had a new Whelen TIR6 LED traffic advisor put on our new rescue. The thing is insane. I have the "flash mode" set for the mode that cycles through:

"LEFT - RIGHT - LEFT - RIGHT -FULL ON/OFF FULL ON/OFF - PSYCHO SCAN - {start over}

Seriously, when it flashes the entire stick at once, it is brighter than all the lights on the truck combined! I actually use the low power function at night because it is so bright.

fd2119 · Post by **fd2119** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 6:26 am

We have the same thing on our new Seagrave. Personally, I wish that the user could select a bit of a more mundane pattern than the ActionScan or ModuFlash patterns, but those are all that seem to be available (according to Whelen's site, anyway).

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 7:36 am

Yea, it would be nice to lock it on the alternating left-right or something. That "Psyco-Flash" part is kinda nuts.

CBP_LB · Post by **CBP_LB** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:53 pm

OK, i donno if we figured this out BUT, i just got a SS2000SM-SD and this controles the lights for the signal master, it has SLOW/FAST... HIGH/LOW power... and different warning patterns.... I also looked into federal-signals book and they have just a control head w/out the siren... and it has three directional and four warning patterns

WARNING PATTERN 1
X0000000
0000000X

WARNING PATTTERN 2
XX000000
000000XX

WARNING PATTERN 3
XXXX0000
0000XXXX

WARNING PATTERN 4
XX0000XX
00XXXX00

HIGH POWER
OOOOOOOO
XOOOOOOO
XXOOOOOO
XXXOOOOO
XXXXOOOO
XXXXXOOO
XXXXXXOO
XXXXXXXO
XXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOO

LOW POWER
OOOOOOOO
XOOOOOOO
OXOOOOOO
OOXOOOOO
OOOXOOOO
OOOOXOOO
OOOOOXOO
OOOOOOXO
OOOOOOOX
OOOOOOOX
OOOOOOOO

Arrow Sticks

Arrow Sticks

LED Traffic Advisor