2001
| Federal Signal Model 2001 | |
 2001-130 | |
| Company | Federal Signal Corporation |
|---|---|
| Produced | 1988-Present |
| Type | Rotational Electromechanical |
| Sound output | 125-130 dB @ 100 ft |
| Horsepower | 6-6.5 hp |
| Voltage | 48 V DC |
| Preceded by | Federal Signal Thunderbolt |
| Documentation | Manual |
The 2001 is a series of DC-powered rotating mechanical sirens produced by Federal Signal Corporation over the past 30+ years, as a replacement to Federal's popular but aging Thunderbolt series.
Boasting a very high sound output with battery backup capabilities, the 2001 series has become one of, if not the most popular option for cities seeking a DC siren system all across the country. It competes with ASC's T-128 as the most popular rotating mechanical siren on the market.
Design
While the 2001 series has gone through many changes over the years, all 2001 sirens take the same general form. The siren's rotor and stator are located in the horn, just behind the nose cone. Unlike nearly every other siren, the chopper on the 2001 faces backwards, with the siren's 6.5 hp (originally 6 hp) 48 V DC motor being located inside the nose cone.
The rotor and stator are the exact same as Federal's long-discontinued C1 1/2 Model 3, coming exclusively in 12-port single tone with small "throats" attached to the stator ports which direct the sound up and forwards out into the horn of the siren. This design is what gives the 2001 its distinctive "rasp" and allows the siren to boast significant sound output without the need for a blower or high-powered motor.
This is all attached to the square/rectangular main housing located behind the horn, which contains the collector ring tube and wiring, with the siren's dual intakes being located on the bottom of the housing, protected by mesh screens. The top of the housing has a slightly pyramid-shaped protrusion, which prevents rainwater from pooling on top of the housing and rusting through.
The collector ring tube is reused from the Thunderbolt in all models. The 2001's rotator is located below the housing and has seen the most changes over the siren's production. All 2001 sirens include and run on Federal's FC controller. Since its production began in 1988, the 2001 has been produced in several different forms, with four distinct models:
Models
2001-SRN (1988-2002)
The 2001-SRN was the earliest model of 2001 produced, being introduced into Federal Signal's lineup in August 1988. The 2001-SRN was intended as a lower-maintenance and DC-capable replacement for the Thunderbolt.
The 2001-SRN's design is very typical for a rotational siren and took some design cues from the earlier 500 series. The nose cone is conical, containing a 6 hp 48 V DC motor. The 2001-SRN is able to reach 126 dB at 100 ft. It reuses the Thunderbolt's belt-driven rotator, which allows the rotation speed to be adjustable from 2, 4, or 8 rpm.
1st generation
The first generation 2001-SRNs use a rounded rear housing, and are colloquially known as "roundback" models. They have "FEDERAL 2001-DC" stickers on the rotator housing, advertising the siren's DC power capabilities. The "roundback" design differs from later models by its rear housing being equipped with a latch and hinges, allowing the top half of the rear housing to swing open for easy access to the chopper and wiring. Later models would instead use a bolted rear panel. Both the "roundback" and the later "squareback" 2001-SRNs used screens placed at the front of the horn, held on by rubber gaskets. These gaskets have often failed over time, causing them to droop from the horn. "Roundback" 2001-SRNs were produced from 1988 until 1990.
2nd generation
The second generation 'Squareback' design was introduced in 1990, replacing the rear housing with a square design. Other than the rear housing, the 2nd generation 2001-SRN was identical to the "roundback" design. The 2nd generation SRNs kept the "2001-DC" stickers, although their official name was still the 2001-SRN.
3rd generation
In 1996, the 2001-SRN received a third generation which improved upon the design. The horn was altered slightly where it attached to the "throats", due to a stator design change. The horn was made slightly larger, with a two-piece horn instead of the older single piece horn. Early 3rd generation units used the old nose cone from the 2nd generation 2001-SRN, before it was switched to the larger, rounder nose cone that the rest of the 2001 series would use. The mesh screen would also be relocated, now being located in front of the 12 throat holes instead of at the front of the horn. This was due to the older mesh screens often falling off if the rubber gaskets failed.
4th generation
The final and fourth generation of the 2001-SRN would be released in 1998, with the housing and rotator becoming slimmer and the 8 RPM rotation speed option being removed. The "2001-DC" stickers were discontinued, with the siren now being referred to only as the 2001-SRN. In the year 2001, the stator was redesigned which slightly boosted the performance of the siren, increasing its decibel rating to 128 dB @ 100 ft. The 4th generation 2001-SRN would be sold until 2002, when it was replaced by the 2001-SRNB, which required less maintenance while retaining the 4th gen SRN's boosted performance.
2001-SRNs of all generations are still very common to find in service, including several roundback units. The 2001-SRN was able to match the Thunderbolt's sound output without the need for a blower while adding battery backup, causing the 2001-SRN to completely replace the Thunderbolt in 1990. A three-signal variant was offered for early 2001 units, though none were ever sold.
Note: While the stickers on many 2001-SRNs say "2001-DC", the 2001-SRN is NOT named the 2001-DC in any official capacity. "2001-DC" refers to the fact that 2001 sirens run on DC motors, and any 2001 siren running on DC power is a 2001-DC, while 2001s running on an AC rectifier are 2001-ACs. "2001-DC" was the name used by Federal Signal to advertise the siren's then-new DC powered capabilities, which is why many 2001-SRNs had "2001-DC" stickers.
2001-SRNB (2002-2006)
The 2001-SRNB (Model 2001-SRN, Beltless) was the 5th generation successor to the 2001-SRN, and was introduced in 2002. The 2001-SRNB is essentially a 4th generation 2001-SRN with a new rotator. Rather than using the rectangular belt-driven rotator from the Thunderbolt, the 2001-SRNB introduced a new cube-shaped direct-drive rotator which eliminated the need for belts and made the siren require less maintenance. The rotator runs at 2 RPM from factory, and is adjustable up to 6 RPM. The DC motor is directly coupled to the gear reducer, which then spins the rotator's main gear. The chopper motor was also upgraded from 6 hp to 6.5 hp, which increased the siren's sound output to 128 dB at 100 ft.
The 2001-SRNB also introduced the decals that every later 2001 would use. Early 2001-SRNBs used the smaller FS logo from the 2001-SRN, but this was updated to the larger logo in 2004. The 2001-SRNB had the shortest production run, only being produced for 4 years from 2002 until 2006. Despite this, it still proved to be popular and is still a common find.
2001-130 (2006-present)
The 2001-130 is the 6th generation, newest and best performing model in the series and the current model of 2001 in production as of today. Rather than using the square housing of the 2001-SRN and SRNB, the 2001-130's housing is taller and rectangular in shape. This is a correction for a design flaw of previous 2001 siren models, where the collector ring assembly and support beam for the housing blocked the chopper's intake partially, hindering performance. The 2001-130's taller housing allows for the chopper to now be above the collector ring and support assemblies, which greatly improves airflow to the chopper and increasing the siren's output to 130 dB at 100 ft.
The 2001-130 is easily the most popular siren in the series, with systems of 2001-130s being installed all across the country and often replacing older systems and is still being produced today.
Equinox (2010-present)
While not officially part of the 2001 family, the Equinox shares many characteristics of its design with the 2001-130, essentially being a 2001-130 with an Eclipse-8 rotor and 8-port stator. The 2001-Equinox can be difficult to visibly differentiate from the 2001-130 as they look nearly identical, besides the "EQUINOX" sticker replacing "2001-130" on the rotator box. However, if one looks closely, the stators are noticeably different on the 2 models. The 2001-130 has 12 individual projectors on the stator with narrow gaps between them, where the 2001-Equinox only has 8 with rather large gaps between them. In 2014, the Equinox was publicly introduced as a low tone option to the 2001 series and is still available today. Despite this, only around 200 units have been produced as of 2021.
The Equinox was introduced in 2010. Initially, these sirens were rolled out on special order to the Beaver Valley nuclear power plant that had wanted sirens with a lower peak pitch (500hz, 8-port) than a 2001-130 that would in theory have a longer range and penetration due to the lower frequency. The Equinox was a bit of a rush job, as Federal had little time to design the siren. The Eclipse's rotor, which has an integral intake "cone", unfortunately sticks into the motor housing, which severely hampers airflow to the chopper and reduces the siren's output to 125 dB at 100 ft. Federal would later semi-replace the Equinox with the 508-128, although it would remain in the catalog as a lower-cost option. It resolves the Equinox's airflow issues, providing a significant boost in output while maintaining a 500Hz tone.
The first system of 2001-Equinox sirens were installed in 2010 around the Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, a nuclear plant operated (at the time) by FirstEnergy Nuclear. The next system was installed at another FENOC plant, Perry, beginning in 2012. While these are considered to be the first installation of 2001-Equinoxes, one was installed in New Carlisle, Ohio in 2010, so it is possible that municipalities were able to order the 2001-Equinox on special request during this period. In 2021, Lansing, Michigan, received a number of 2001-Equinoxes to replace their aging system; the largest system of 2001-Equinoxes to be installed since the nuclear plant installations.
Despite the 508-128 being much better than the Equinox, the siren continues to be sold today alongside the 2001-130 and the 508-128 as a lower-cost, special-order siren. Like the 508-128, the Equinox competes with ASC's Tempest-128.
Controllers
The current controllers that Federal Signal sells to operate the siren are the DCFCB and 2001-AC which are used for 120VAC power and 208 or 220/240VAC respectively. Both controllers have NEMA 4X aluminum cabinets with 2 48VDC chargers.[1] 2001-DC used to be the name used for the DC controller sold for the siren and is where the nickname for the 2nd gen 2001-SRNs (the ones with the 2001-DC sticker) came from.[2]