User avatar
ACAhurricaneguy
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 3:13 pm
Real Name: Abraham
YouTube Username: Sirens of Grimes County
Location: Grimes County, TX
Contact: YouTube

How do non-siren horns work?

Fri Mar 22, 2024 2:03 am

I know how air horns work but I've also heard about diaphone and resonating horns that work alongside sirens and I've wondered how do they work? I know theres a horn somewhere that basically is a siren but with a damper that opens to make a horn sound but idk if thats how they work. Someone please explain
Attachments
images (2).jpg
images (2).jpg (12.4 KiB) Viewed 1591 times
proud owner of a rare Honeywell/Ademco model 66 siren, 2x ms-190's, a homemade electronic siren, and a 8/12 port mini siren.

User avatar
Snowpix
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 364
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:37 am
Real Name: Andrew M
YouTube Username: ArxCyberwolf
Discord: snowpix7911
Location: Sarnia, Ontario
Contact: Website YouTube

Re: How do non-siren horns work?

Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:00 am

Airhorns such as the Diaphone use a vibrating diaphragm that's actuated by compressed air moving through it. It's quite similar to how our voices work, air moving through a diaphragm to create vibrations which result in audible sound.
Just a wolf, siren enthusiast and railfan.
Owner of the Civil Defense Sirens Wiki, the best site for accurate siren information.
https://civil-defense-sirens.fandom.com ... irens_Wiki
Proud owner of an FS&S Model L and Sterling Type F!

User avatar
Greenrid
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 159
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2023 4:32 pm
Location: probably know by now!

Re: How do non-siren horns work?

Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:44 pm

Here's a diagram I found of how a diaphragm horn works: (You may have to zoom into the diagram, it is kind of small)

Image

It doesn't show this in the diagram, but the air pipe going into the horn connects to the air chamber, in which the air pressure presses against the diaphragm, causing it to expand just enough so that air can escape to the horn. After the air gets released, the pressure on the diaphragm drops and it then goes back to its original position. The area in the back of the horn is just space for the diaphragm to vibrate in. I'm not so sure if the noise comes from the air escaping or the diaphragm hitting the end of the horn, but Snowpix did explain better how the sound is made.

Keep in mind, this process happens multiple times a second!
Proud owner of the FULL 508 siren map! https://rb.gy/bgjrm1

Hoping to get some sirens in the future...

User avatar
ACAhurricaneguy
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 3:13 pm
Real Name: Abraham
YouTube Username: Sirens of Grimes County
Location: Grimes County, TX
Contact: YouTube

Re: How do non-siren horns work?

Mon Mar 25, 2024 9:59 pm

and what about resonating horns?
proud owner of a rare Honeywell/Ademco model 66 siren, 2x ms-190's, a homemade electronic siren, and a 8/12 port mini siren.

User avatar
Greenrid
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 159
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2023 4:32 pm
Location: probably know by now!

Re: How do non-siren horns work?

Fri Mar 29, 2024 2:14 pm

ACAhurricaneguy wrote:
Mon Mar 25, 2024 9:59 pm
and what about resonating horns?
Sorry for a late reply, but resonating horns work almost the same way as a diaphragm horn. Instead of air, it uses an electromagnet to vibrate a metal plate that moves fast enough to create sound, basically like a simple speaker. The electromagnet is hooked up to a circuit that you might find in fire bells or in old buzzers to make the plate go fast enough so it can make sound!
Proud owner of the FULL 508 siren map! https://rb.gy/bgjrm1

Hoping to get some sirens in the future...

User avatar
ACAhurricaneguy
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 3:13 pm
Real Name: Abraham
YouTube Username: Sirens of Grimes County
Location: Grimes County, TX
Contact: YouTube

Re: How do non-siren horns work?

Sat Mar 30, 2024 11:43 pm

Lastly, I heard about some sort of horn that uses a chopper-stator mechanism like a siren, but uses some sort of mechanical damper to blast the horn open and closed. I have a video from VintageCollection showing this and I wanted to know what these are called.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ch6_3h9p6bM
proud owner of a rare Honeywell/Ademco model 66 siren, 2x ms-190's, a homemade electronic siren, and a 8/12 port mini siren.

User avatar
Greenrid
Registered User
Registered User
Posts: 159
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2023 4:32 pm
Location: probably know by now!

Re: How do non-siren horns work?

Wed Apr 03, 2024 8:14 pm

ACAhurricaneguy wrote:
Sat Mar 30, 2024 11:43 pm
Lastly, I heard about some sort of horn that uses a chopper-stator mechanism like a siren, but uses some sort of mechanical damper to blast the horn open and closed. I have a video from VintageCollection showing this and I wanted to know what these are called.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ch6_3h9p6bM
Yet another late reply, but the name of the short says it's a foghorn!
Proud owner of the FULL 508 siren map! https://rb.gy/bgjrm1

Hoping to get some sirens in the future...

Return to “Other Warning Systems - Indoor, Outdoor and Vehicular”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 79 guests