Batboard

Ok, so I was asked by a customer to install a siren into his new Toyota Prius Hybrid car. I took a look at the car. It has a nice space to mount the siren speaker and seems to have a 12v fuse panel inside the hood. Anyone ever work on these before? Any suggestions, or anything I should be careful of??

Thanks!

bwahahahahahahaha

Yeah, I'd be concerned about the siren either:

1) Weighing more than the car
2) Drawing a total amperage that exceeds all the other functions of the automobile
3) The owner asking you to install a rotating beacon which in turn causes the car to spin and the light to remain stationary

Seriously though, I mean this all in jest and good humor, but where do people draw the line? What's next, a streethawk on a moped????????

yeah, if he's gonna be responding, he needs to leave the toy at home.

Jay G. wrote:Ok, so I was asked by a customer to install a siren into his new Toyota Prius Hybrid car.

Basic - Can the accessory circut support the load of a siren?

I have a co-worker with a Prius & she was extremly dissapointed to find out she could not move the gigawatt audio system from her previous car due to power constraints in the Prius.

Martin

spareparts wrote:

Jay G. wrote:Ok, so I was asked by a customer to install a siren into his new Toyota Prius Hybrid car.

Basic - Can the accessory circut support the load of a siren?

I have a co-worker with a Prius & she was extremly dissapointed to find out she could not move the gigawatt audio system from her previous car due to power constraints in the Prius.

Martin

Lookin around, and not finding a true accessory spec for accessory voltage & current draw, i would say BARELY. The car comes with a 270 amp alternator that is basically devoted to augmenting the hybrid power source, and when the car has the AC on, the gas engine WILL run, indicating that the vehicle requires decent engine support for accessory loads.

i agree with slimbob, leave the windup toy at home...if he's that big a stemwhacker, tell him you'd put a couple of LEDs in it, but on good faith, i wouldn't burden that already pathetic engine system with a siren.


...oh yeah, and don't TOUCH anything wrapped in orange.

thebigphish wrote: ...oh yeah, and don't TOUCH anything wrapped in orange.

What happens if the car is painted orange? (had to!)

n1pfc wrote:

thebigphish wrote: ...oh yeah, and don't TOUCH anything wrapped in orange.

What happens if the car is painted orange? (had to!)

Then it should have been left on the lot.....

I don't know, I mean, I'm sure you can probably pull 20A out of it somewhere (it does have a cigarette lighter, doesn't it?) but I just don't see that car being useful for responding.

1) it's small
2) it's underpowered
3) it's carrying a lot of weight for it's size due to batteries
4) it's not really designed to go fast.

Not many things are designed to go fast, but even a 01 Sonoma will let you do 96 MPH. I don't know how long it takes to get there.

Ideas? I've not had the chance to look at a Prius. I've thought about buying one, off-handedly. But not enough to want to drive through and get up close.

SlimBob wrote:1) it's small
2) it's underpowered
3) it's carrying a lot of weight for it's size due to batteries
4) it's not really designed to go fast.

Not many things are designed to go fast, but even a 01 Sonoma will let you do 96 MPH. I don't know how long it takes to get there.
.

i've heard its acceleration described in many colorful ways...

such as "you can time the zero to sixty with a calendar..."

but, AFAIK, the you can probably get 12v from the car in a variety of places, but hell, the engine would probably be toolin away at 3 grand most of the time...

Lets face it, some things (like an install on this car) are clearly a sin against nature.

well the Mayor of New haven CT just got one. and i think it has UHF radio lights and siren. just liek his big Navigator he has

What does a Mayor need lights, siren, and a radio for? I can see a public official maybe wanting to monitor the radio traffic, but a scanner can do that... (shrugs) Sounds stupid to me.

KitN1MCC wrote:well the Mayor of New haven CT just got one. and i think it has UHF radio lights and siren. just liek his big Navigator he has

hey kit, ya'll voted him in... i'm glad i only spend 2 hours a day there at my classes! now if nmfire10 could hook me up with some parking passes for Yale....

and i saw that navigator. talk about "compensation"

c17loadsmasher wrote:What does a Mayor need lights, siren, and a radio for? I can see a public official maybe wanting to monitor the radio traffic, but a scanner can do that... (shrugs) Sounds stupid to me.

Don't know what it's like today, but back in the days of Frank Rizzo in Philly, he rode in a black Lincoln with a red fireball on the dash and a Q under the hood. Everybody knew to look out when "Mary 1" was on the air, looking for the status of your incident.

TomSlick wrote: Don't know what it's like today, but back in the days of Frank Rizzo in Philly, he rode in a black Lincoln with a red fireball on the dash and a Q under the hood. Everybody knew to look out when "Mary 1" was on the air, looking for the status of your incident.

Seeing you talking about a Q under the hood of a Caddie reminded me of a chief in Montgomery County, MD (for those of you who're locals, last time I checked, he's the deputy chief of Bethesda Fire Dept.) who also has a Caddie with a Q on it. Not an eQ2b, a real Q. As well as a nice little assortment of their lighting and audible warning devices. His departmental buggy, a Bronco when I saw it, had an air horn that was run off a Scott air pack bottle; he'd just swap or fill the bottle after it's use, I believe.

Just thought I'd throw my $.02 in.

fd2119 wrote:
Seeing you talking about a Q under the hood of a Caddie reminded me of a chief in Montgomery County, MD (for those of you who're locals, last time I checked, he's the deputy chief of Bethesda Fire Dept.) who also has a Caddie with a Q on it. Not an eQ2b, a real Q. As well as a nice little assortment of their lighting and audible warning devices. His departmental buggy, a Bronco when I saw it, had an air horn that was run off a Scott air pack bottle; he'd just swap or fill the bottle after it's use, I believe.

Just thought I'd throw my $.02 in.

Oooooooooohhh yes I know EXACTLY what vehicle you are talking about... If memory serves me correctly, this was a maroon colored Bronco, had a flushmounted Q on the bumper, a set of airhorns, a powercall siren, a fully decked out edge bar AND a roto-ray in the grille!!!
That's insane (I admit I did take a liking to all that stuff!)

i dont live in new haven just work there for the Ui

familo77 wrote:3) The owner asking you to install a rotating beacon which in turn causes the car to spin and the light to remain stationary

Alright.. this wins for "best comment of the year"...

jedi_saber wrote:

fd2119 wrote:
Seeing you talking about a Q under the hood of a Caddie reminded me of a chief in Montgomery County, MD (for those of you who're locals, last time I checked, he's the deputy chief of Bethesda Fire Dept.) who also has a Caddie with a Q on it. Not an eQ2b, a real Q. As well as a nice little assortment of their lighting and audible warning devices. His departmental buggy, a Bronco when I saw it, had an air horn that was run off a Scott air pack bottle; he'd just swap or fill the bottle after it's use, I believe.

Just thought I'd throw my $.02 in.

Oooooooooohhh yes I know EXACTLY what vehicle you are talking about... If memory serves me correctly, this was a maroon colored Bronco, had a flushmounted Q on the bumper, a set of airhorns, a powercall siren, a fully decked out edge bar AND a roto-ray in the grille!!!
That's insane (I admit I did take a liking to all that stuff!)

That's da one. He also has his own firehouse in Potomac, MD, complete with antique engines and, as I recall, even an ambo or two. Someone who's W-A-Y into the FD!

Kit:

Saw hizzoner the other day. Broke his chops on the hybrid... he was not a very happy person (me or the car???)...Noticed there was no radio in it... nor an antenna on the roof.

didnt ask HIM, but am hearing a story that there WAS a Spectra UHF in it, but it was taken out due to "power issues". I imagine he is either using his cell phone or a NHPD portable.

lets see, the Navigator was paid for. The Navigator worked well.

the Hybrid cost $$ they could have used the $$ to buy more gas...

oops, thats not politicallycorrect!!!!

is UI doing stuff on hybrids? I imagine they are trying out all sorts things.

keep smiling... its free...

73, Mike KM1R
beautiful uptown N. Guilford

I'd pay good money to see your customer try keying up a 100W UHF Spectra with that siren on

Lets see: A Hybrid car, with a Federal Q and a 100w low bander.

Kinda reminds me of when I started out as a vollie, (dont ask when)... BUT we had a 1939 Ford Fire Truck with a Fed Q, a big ol Red Dome lite and a vibrator powered Mocom? in it...

Yep, key the radio whilst the sireeeeen was going, and BINGO, stalled truck. And the best part was when it started up again...
BLAMMMMM

good ol backfire from the AMOCO white gas that we fed into the flathead.

(Yeh Matt/Kitt/JoeTNY... it was 'Staven)

Mike KM1R

what's white gas?

SlimBob wrote:what's white gas?

A fuel.

Some camping stoves use it.

Jonathan KC8RYW wrote:

SlimBob wrote:what's white gas?

A fuel.

Some camping stoves use it.

my buddy had a Scout that ran on white gas....and diesel, and home heating fuel, and kerosene, and unleaded....

i can only imagine that backfire from that flathead cookin off...good lord.

The thing in Southern New England was always to use Amoco White Gas for fire apparatus. supposedly it was best for trucks that sat in a barn, then had to start everytime, on the first try.

not sure if the theory worked, it was GODS RULE that white gas be used.

I remember it was VERY expensive.. around 33 cents a gallon back in the days of 24 cents for regular.

and yes... it did cook off rather nicely...

BANG !

Mike in CT
KM1R

Wasnt white gas aka NAPHTA

Ok, so the install of the siren was today. PIECE OF CAKE! Had to drop the bumper cover to mount the siren speaker, but the siren itself only draws 8 amps, and his LED dashlight draws nothing, so it was a real simple install!

Thanks to all those who helped, and thanks to the hecklers for keeping me smiling!

The Prius would make an excellant response vehicle.
Those that make jokes about them have obviously never driven one. Having an electric drive on the wheels gives them more torque than a gasoline engine.
In fact keeping the wheels from cutting loose when taking off on slightly slippery surfaces (wet pavement, gravel and snow) was one of the design challenges.
They'll easily do more than any posted speed limit, and can merge onto a freeway as fast, or faster than a camry (which isn't a slouch). In fact, since the gasoline engine makes a constant RPM sound, you don't realize how fast you're really going. I looked down at the speedo and realized I was doing about 80 in the 55mph zone, and couldn't believe I was going that fast!!! Due to the low center of gravity (the batteries) they corner pretty good too!

They'd make a great under-cover vehicle. Under about 15 mph they are usually on electric 100 percent, and are therefore virtually silent. It's eerie to watch one zip across a parking lot with no sound except for the crunch of gravel under the tire. You could easily sneak up on a "perp".

The Prius has two electrical systems. One is a normal 12 volt system with a standard car battery. The other is a HIGH voltage system. The wiring for this system is a different color (bright orange). You DO NOT WANT TO MESS WITH THIS SYSTEM. The voltage is high enough to kill you.

"and when the car has the AC on, the gas engine WILL run, indicating that the vehicle requires decent engine support for accessory loads" - OK, if you were the engineer designing the car, how would you make the AC compressor work, without running the engine? An electric compressor?

Take one out for a test ride. Bring your 4 biggest friends (they plus you will fit inside). You may change some of your opions on hybrid vehicles. Most of the major manufacturers are planning a hybrid vehicle in the near future. Some are licensing the technology from Toyota. They probably won't go away any time soon.

...means the gas has NO LEAD in it.

Ah, the advantages of being old!

I saw a Toyota Prius being used as a marked vehicle for the city's Department of Transportation, I don't know if it had a siren but it did have a Liberty LED mini-light bar. They may have been testing the car since I only saw one driving around. Other city agencies are using them for example the DEP, but none have emergency lights and sirens that I could notice.