Multiple doorbells - need a bigger transformer!

[sparkybird]

ooo a flurry of late night activity!

Again thanks to all who posted

Door entry - not an option
Also I'd prefer the cable not to have to be mains rated or flex and a lot will be be visible and will look pants
Don't know much about relays..... but willing to learn!

John - don't know anything about sounders.... how do they differ from bells? DC voltage??

My other thought would be to run 2 bells off a transformer (I've done this before) so have 2 transformers

The house is 3 storeys and transformer(s) in basement - but I don't think the cable runs will be that long. It would be possible to locate 1 tranny half way up as there is a CCU on second floor - although not sure if this helps as bell push is still at front door.....


Ta

SB

PS Eric - just re-read your post - that's helpful - thank you

 

[big-all]

another thought
go for a lower voltage bells at the end off the run
say 12v at the transformer end and 6 to 9v at the other

 

[JohnW2]

another thought
go for a lower voltage bells at the end off the run
say 12v at the transformer end and 6 to 9v at the other

I considered that one - but one would obviously have to be careful to avoid any of the bells getting too much voltage.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[JohnW2]

John - don't know anything about sounders.... how do they differ from bells? DC voltage??

There are thousands of 'piezo' sounders/buzzers around - for example: this one

As you can see, the example I've linked to works over a wide range of voltages (3v - 24V) and, with an impedance of 1KΩ takes very little current - about 8mA (0.008A) with an 8V supply. Considerations of voltage drop along your wires would therefore disappear.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Stoday]

I must have thousands of piezos in my kitchen. When one goes off, we play "hunt the appliance". Generally takes 10 minutes to find the complaining appliance.

 

[JohnW2]

I must have thousands of piezos in my kitchen. When one goes off, we play "hunt the appliance". Generally takes 10 minutes to find the complaining appliance.

However, I doubt that any of them sound like, or are as loud as, a 'piezo buzzer'. I've used them as 'doorbells' for years, with no confusion.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[sparkybird]

food for thought here

John - looking at the buzzers, they are tiny! Having fitted them do you think it would be possible to connect the supply cable tidily to it? I presume you can't open them up and connect directly? They look like an option as I could use bell wire, no probs with volt drop and all can go on 1 driver wired in series.
Can I use this for example?
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SK661406.html

RF - thanks for the detailed wiring info for the relay - can you just confirm that by using the relay (which is effectively the 'switch', yes?) I could use a normal 2A rated doorbell push and bell wire for each of the bells? I would need a transformer with output enough for 4 bells though?

Hmm -just re-read that and I'm not sure now... enough current is still required to operate the bells which if they are looped off each other would larger cable not be required? Think I'm a bit confused...

 

[JohnW2]

John - looking at the buzzers, they are tiny!

They come in all shapes, sizes, loudnesses and appearances. Just Google for 'piezo buzzer'.

Having fitted them do you think it would be possible to connect the supply cable tidily to it? I presume you can't open them up and connect directly?

Again, the means of connection vary. Some undoubtedly have terminals to which you could connect your cable. You can either hide them away, or put them inside some sort of enclosure/'box' to help with tidiness, particularly if you have to join cables together (particularly if you had to use a connector block or something like that).

They look like an option as I could use bell wire, no probs with volt drop and all can go on 1 driver wired in series.
Can I use this for example?
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SK661406.html[/QUOTE]
You'd be better off wiring them in parallel. With a minimum working voltage of 3V, you would obviously be in a very marginal situation if you wirted four in series with a 12V supply. I think I'd just go for something like the Friedland 0.5A 8-10V power supply and run the bells in parallel.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[JohnW2]

I haven't read all this thread post so someone may have already mentioned the jist of my post.
I installed a system 20+ years ago that worked on some sort of radio signal. All you did was adjust the bell push and any number of bells to the same frequency and hey presto. I'm sure I got it from Argos.

Yes, some sort of 'wireless' system is an obvious approach, but the OP's customer is apparently adamant that they don't want that (about half way down first page of thread).

Kind Regards, John.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[JohnW2]

Sometimes you have to do a bit of arm twisting to change someones point of view.

Indeed. That's one advantage of doing work for oneself - one then only has one's own arm to twist

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I really don't think relays would help the OP - they would merely complicate and confuse the issue. It would only really become a useful approach if he wanted .... something (mains cable) he has already said he doesn't want to do...

Rumour has it that sparkybird is not a he....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Its now officially G+T O'clock!

Can't recommend this highly enough:

Unless this is you:

and you're on a mission to rack up all 19 before it gets dark, there's more T than G in your G&T, so the quality of the T is very important.

 

[JohnW2]

Rumour has it that sparkybird is not a he....

Sounds credible. I'm usually fairly careful about what the wretched Word 'Grammar Checker' would jump on as 'gender-specific words', but slipped in this case. "ban-all-sheds" certainly contains no gender clues

On a semi-serious note, I'm come across, or even heard of, only a tiny number of female electricians - although over the years I have known a very appreciable number of female engineers of one sort or another. In fact, I've personally come across more female plumbers and car mechanics than I have female electricians. Does anyone know roughly what proportion of UK electricians are female and if it's very low, why?

Kind Regards, John.