Elektror FS
| Elektror FS | |
 A privately owned Elektror FLS 1a. | |
| Company | Elektror Airsystems |
|---|---|
| Produced | 1940s-≥1992 |
| Type | Vehicular Omnidrectional Electromechanical |
| Voltage | 6, 12, or 24 V DC |
The Vehicle Sirens (VS) (German: Fahrzeug-Sirenen, FS) is a series of small, vehicular sirens produced by Elektror Airsystems, intended to be mounted on a wide variety of vehicles. Introduced sometime in the 1940s, very few units remain today, and little is known about them.
History and design
The FS series was introduced sometime in the early 1940s. They were intended as a vehicular siren for motorcycles, cars, and trucks as well as boats by authorities. All the sirens in the lineup follow the same basic format of having a small 7-port rotor and stator driven by small motor encased in a bullet shaped housing, with a grille covering the front of the siren. The sirens ended production around 1992, with the shift to electronic vehicular sirens spelling the end of widespread use of mechanical sirens.
Models
Type FS 00 (Typ FS 00)
The Type FS 00 (German: Typ FS 00) is the smallest siren in the FS series. It is a relatively simple siren at its core being 7-port and driven by a small 12 V motor encased in a bullet shaped two-piece housing. A grille with 4 cowls covers the front of the siren, and a screen covers the ports. The siren is attached to a swivel mount which allows it to be positioned a certain angle. It has a triangular base with 3 holes in each corner, allowing for the siren to be mounted. Some units are known to have a conical intake between the bottom of the stator and the front of the motor cover, though most lack it. Type FS 00s with these intakes are an incredibly rare site, with only a few known units having one.
It is likely that either the option to include a skirt was discontinued early on or that it wasn't popular among buyers. Sometime between the siren's introduction in the 1940s and 1992, the Type FS 00 would be redesigned. The siren would be radically simplified, with the siren's motor cover now being trapezoidal and the ports now having 4 finger guards going across them, instead of a screen. The mount would also be changed, with the siren now being able to swivel 360°, thanks to a small nut located below the siren and above the stand. The siren would also receive a new grille with a slightly easier to produce design. Not many of these newer units exist today, as they were introduced at the tail end of the series' lifespan. Very few Type FS 00s exist today, with most, if not all, being in the hands of collectors.
Type FS 1a (Typ FS 1a)
The Type FS 1a (German: Typ FS 1a) is the midrange option in the FS series and is essentially a larger version of the Type FS 00. It is the high-toned counterpart of the Type FS 1b, and both are identical, minus their port ratio. The Type FS 1a is relatively similar to its smaller counterpart, being 11-port and driven by an either 6, 12, or 24 V motor which is encased in a bullet shaped motor cover. The Type FS 1a and Type FS 00 differ in slight ways, with the former's motor cover being slightly narrower than that of the Type FS 00's, the spaces in-between the grille protecting the stator being smaller, the Type FS 1a having a slightly larger base, and the grille having an extra cowl added to it. This is largely where the differences end. Unlike the Type FS 00, the Type FS 1a's design remained consistent up until its discontinuation. The Type FS 1a is slightly more common than the Type FS 00, but not by much, as only a handful of units exist today, with most, if not all, being in the hands of collectors.
Type FS 1b (Typ FS 1b)
The Type FS 1b (German: Typ FS 1b) is the midrange option in the FS series and is essentially a larger version of the Type FS 00. It is the low-toned counterpart of the Type FS 1a, and both are identical, minus their port ratio. The Type FS 1a is relatively similar to its smaller counterpart, being 8-port and driven by an either 6, 12, or 24 V motor which is encased in a bullet shaped motor cover. The Type FS 1b seems to have been eliminated from Elektror's lineup prior to 1992, with a product sheet from the time leaving the siren nowhere to be found. Very few Type FS 1b units exist, and it's likely that the siren was overshadowed by its higher-pitched counterpart during production.
Type FLS 1a (Typ FLS 1a)
The Type FLS 1a (German: Typ FLS 1a) is a variant of the Type FS 1a, and both sirens are identical, minus the Type FLS 1a ditching the grille and having a cylindrical light embed in front of the stator with either a red or blue lense taking its place. The Type FLS 1a shares the same mechanical components as its original counterpart, with an 11-port rotor and stator and a universal 6, 12, or 24 V motor which is encased in a bullet shaped motor cover. The Type FLS 1a was eliminated from the lineup prior to 1992, with a product sheet from the time leaving the siren nowhere to be found. It is unknown if a lower toned variant of the FLS was also offered, though the lack of Elektror documents mentioning a siren of that name suggests that an FLS 1b was never produced.