A Belle Question?

[kf4jqd]

Hello:

A guy I know has a real railroad crossing with a belle. He wants a sensor that will turn it on and off automaticilly. I know the belle operates on 12vdc. The question is: Does anyone know the amperage for one of these things? I could drive to his house and use an ampmeter, but that is a weekend project. I just can't do that because of time!

Thanks for the help,
Andy

 

[billk]

Andy - I googled this at http://www.rtands.com/jun99/guide.html:

General Signals, Inc.-Electronic Crossing Bell is a totally electronic device. The tone of the bell has been permanently recorded onto a micro-chip and is then played back through an outdoor speaker. Therefore, the warning sound duplicates that of a traditional bell. No special wiring is required; the unit is connected to the same wire leads that would be used for a mechanical bell. The electronic circuit draws less than 0.15 amps, which is approximately 10 percent of the current draw of a typical mechanical bell. The bell is said to meet all applicable AAR recommendations and pertinent specifications.

So from this I would say about 1-1/2 amps, (unless its the electronic gizmo mentioned above, then its only 0.15 amps).

Hope this helps.