‎Siren modification | SimpliSafe Help Center
 
J

Friday, October 8th, 2021 11:53 PM

Siren modification

I am a fire alarm technician and electrician.
A client asked about integrating the Simplisafe security system into a group of low frequency sounders which will be located around a large vacation home. After some thought, I believe it may be possible to connect the siren to a relay into the other alarm system.
Is it possible to disassemble the Simplisafe siren without causing significant damage to the electrical components? If so, what is the voltage and amplitude of the siren?

Captain

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5.4K Messages

2 years ago

@asonkenneth09 no company is going to tell you its okay to take their products apart and modify them for non approved applications. Liability considerations alone make that nuts....and will void your warranty.

6 Messages

@captain11​ not to mention these are RF devices... In the USA I can get away with that on a number of frequencies (the gigahertz bands are mostly open to me) being a licensed armature radio operator, but to do it commercially that would be two simple letters... N and O, and to someone unlicensed, defiantly NO... look up 47CFR97 and "Part 15 Exemption".

Advocate

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113 Messages

2 years ago

With Captain having covered those points, I had looked at a small sound activated relay setup many years ago that I was playing with to power a light when the siren went off.  The little microphone board would power the relay.  I think it had a sensitivity setting.  The idea was to have the microphone right next to the speaker and have it close the contacts to power a strobe light outside while the siren was going off.  I never got around to finalizing it for installation, but it was fun to play with.
Look at some of those Arduino sensors/components.

6 Messages

2 years ago

Disassembly can cause damage but that will likely not be the case if you are careful. The actual siren module is mounted behind the front panel and is connected to the main unit by two small wires. The pushbutton is connected in a similar manner but the button assembly will slide out of its slot in the front cover so it shouldn't be an issue. You could unplug the connector where the siren module wiring plugs into the main unit in order to separate the front cover from the remainder of the unit.

I discovered this while converting one of my sirens to work with a rechargeable external battery pack. I used an older base station (BS2000) which has rechargeable AA batteries and a wall charger. I simply connected a 2-conductor cable to the battery terminals in the BS2000 base station and connected the other end of that cable to the battery terminals in the Gen 3 siren by soldering the cable wiring to the circuit boards in each unit.

The batteries in the siren are no longer needed because the rechargeable batteries in the BS2000 now power the siren. I also unplugged the wireless board in the BS2000 along with its speaker. (Large multi-wire connector and red/black 2-wire connector.)  In addition, I clipped the green wire that powers the blue LEDs. Now, the only apparent "activity" in the base station is a single red LED on its main board.

Some hole drilling (in plastic) and soldering was required. This conversion requires familiarity with electronics, wiring layout, etc. It is not all that difficult just a bit tedious.

One point worth noting: The rechargeable batteries in the BS2000 are rated at 1.2 volts each. Their charging voltage is under 1.5 volts. So, the voltage present at the siren's battery terminals will be 6 volts or less. (4 times 1.5 = 6.) Thus, the siren will not see more voltage than it normally does when using regular AA alkaline batteries.

This conversion may not be ideal if your siren is wall mounted. Mine are not so I can place the siren and BS2000 side by side without issue. Obviously, an outlet needs to be available to power the wall charger.

I am NOT suggesting that your perform this modification. I am simply describing the general concept and my experience. If you choose to do so, your result may vary from mine. But, this is one useful way I found to repurpose old base stations.

It might be possible to use a 4-cell battery holder and an appropriate charger for this conversion. 

(edited)

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