Code 3 Excalibur User Manual

INSTALLATION &

OPERATION

MANUAL

EXCALIBUR® LIGHTBARS

EXCALIBUR

DUAL LEVEL LIGHT BAR

CONTENTS:

Introduction...................................................................................2

Unpacking & Pre-Installation.........................................................3

Installation & Mounting..........................................................3-5

Wiring Instructions.................................................................5-6

Options & Specifications.........................................................................6-11

Maintenance...........................................................................11-15

Parts List (Replacement Parts / Exploded View).................16-19

Trouble Shooting.................................................................20-21

Notes..................................................................................................21-23

Warranty.....................................................................................24

For future reference record your lightbar's serial no. here __________________________________________

IMPORTANT:

Read all instructions and warnings before installing and using.

INSTALLER: This manual must be delivered to the end user of this equipment.

Introduction

The Excalibur® Light Bar is a dual-level light bar that is approximately 4 1/2" high, yet delivers unobstructed 360° warning and more signal power and versatility than any other light bar of its size.

The low profile and aerodynamic lines reduce air drag, which results in fuel savings and stability at high speeds. This light bar has a strong extruded internal frame, shock-resistant polycarbonate lenses, and warning signals that exceed SAE standards.The Excalibur is designed on a modular basis, which means that the light bar can be customized to meet any requirements. Because of its dual-level design, the Excalibur has room for an incredible number of options: standard or high speed rotators, an OsciLaser up to 12 locations for special purpose stationary lights in the lower deck. While we do not recommend a light installed in every location, the design of the Excalibur offers the ultimate flexibility in the location of warning and auxiliary lights.

The use of this or any warning device does not ensure that all drivers can or will observe or react to an emergency warning signal. Never take the right-of-way for granted. It is your responsibility to be sure you can proceed safely before entering an intersection, driving against traffic, responding at a high rate of speed, or walking on or around traffic lanes. The effectiveness of this warning device is highly dependent upon correct mounting and wiring.

WARNING!

Read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions before installing or using this device. The vehicle operator should insure daily that all features of the device operate correctly. In use, the vehicle operator should insure the projection of the warning signal is not blocked by vehicle components (i.e.: open trunks or compartment doors), people, vehicles, or other obstructions. This equipment is intended for use by authorized personnel only. It is the user’s responsibility to understand and obey all laws regarding emergency warning devices. The user should check all applicable city, state and federal laws and regulations. Code 3, Inc., assumes no liability for any loss resulting from the use of this warning device. Proper installation is vital to the performance of this warning device and the safe operation of the emergency vehicle. It is important to recognize that the operator of the emergency vehicle is under psychological and physiological stress caused by the emergency situation. The warning device should be installed in such a manner as to: A) Not reduce the output performance of the system, B) Place the controls within convenient reach of the operator so that he can operate the system without losing eye contact with the roadway. Emergency warning devices often require high electrical voltages and/or currents. Properly protect and use caution around live electrical connections. Grounding or shorting of electrical connections can cause high current arcing, which can cause personal injury and/or severe vehicle damage, including fire. PROPER INSTALLATION COMBINED WITH OPERATOR TRAINING IN THE PROPER USE OF EMERGENCY WARNING DEVICES IS ESSENTIAL TO INSURE THE SAFETY OF EMERGENCY PERSONNEL AND THE PUBLIC.

in the top deck, alley lights and intersections in the lower corners, and

Wiring Instructions (read Carefully Before Installation)

Unpacking & Pre-installation

Carefully remove the light bar and place it on a flat surface, taking care not to scratch the lenses or damage the cable coming out of the bottom. Examine the unit for transit damage, broken lamps, etc. Report any damage to the carrier and keep the shipping carton.

Standard light bars are built to operate on 12 volt D.C. negative ground (earth) vehicles. If you have an electrical system other than 12 volt D.C. negative ground (earth), and have not ordered a specially wired light bar, contact the factory for instructions.

Test the unit before installation. To test, touch the black wire to the ground (earth) and the other wires to +12 volts D.C., in accordance with the instructions attached to the cable (an automotive battery is preferable for this test). A battery charger may be used, but please note that some electronic options (flashers, stingrays, etc.) may not operate normally when powered by a battery charger. If problems occur at this point, contact the factory.

Installation & Mounting

WARNING!

number of screws may result in loss of warranty coverage on the equipment.

MOUNTING HARDWARE - All mounting hardware is packed in a small box inside the main carton. Four standard kits are available: (1) Hook-On Type, (1) Tow and Recovery and (2) Permanent Types. These are discussed in detail later. Note: Hook-on mounting for "gutterless" type vehicles will require a special hook for mounting. Several special application hooks are available. Contact the factory for details.

Hook-on Mounting

Begin the installation by attaching the rubber feet to the mounting brackets using the black 1/4" carriage bolts and 1/4" nuts provided. See Figure 1. (Do not install shims at this time). Place the light bar upside down on a table or other work surface, being careful not to scratch the lenses. Slide the 5/16" carriage bolts into the frame. Secure the mounting brackets finger tight so they support the weight of the light bar, but still are positionable. Locate the vehicle on a level surface. Place the light bar on the roof of the vehicle. Place a soft pad in the center of the roof to protect the paint. The mounting brackets must be placed so that the rubber feet are resting on the curved section of the roof, see Figure 2. This is the strongest part of the roof. Once the light bar is centered, tighten the mounting bracket to the light bar. Using a tape measure and a level, center the light bar from side to side and locate a position on the roof where the light bar is level.

Utilizing non-factory supplied screws and/or mounting brackets and/or the improper

5/16" Cap Screw

5/16" Nut

5/16-18 Carriage Bolt

Bottom of Lightbar Mounting Bracket

1/4-20 Carriage Bolt Gutter Hook 5/16" Split Lockwasher 5/16" Trim Nut (Do Not Overtighten) Plastic Shim (if needed)

Rubber Foot 1/4" Acorn Nut

FIGURE 1

Curved Feet on Curved Portion

Vehicle Gutter

Vehicle Roof

FIGURE 2

The shims provided may be used here to help level the light bar, see Figure 1. Also, the tabs on the mounting brackets may be bent at any angle to match the curvature of the roof. Select the appropriate length cap screw and insert through the holes in the gutter hook and mounting bracket, and into a lockwasher and acorn nut as shown in Figure 1. If a special hook for a "gutterless" vehicle is used, refer to the instructions for that hook at this time. The stainless steel cap screws supplied are sized for the most common installations, but longer and shorter bolts are available at any hardware store. Tighten the cap screws on both sides evenly keeping the light bar centered and level.

NOTE: Tighten only until the bar is secure (bar does not move when bumped sharply with the heel of the palm). It is NOT necessary to dimple the roof to obtain a stable attachment. If the light bar "bows" more than 3/16" (determined by placing a straightedge along the front, bottom part of the frame and measuring downward at the center of the frame), loosen the 5/16" trim nut sightly.

Re-Installation: When moving a light bar from one vehicle to another, we suggest that new rubber feet be used. These are standard hardware items, and can usually be found at any hardware store, or can be ordered from the factory. The special hooks are stainless steel and should be saved and reused. Mounting kit parts are available to permit remounting on vehicles of different design or make. Consult your local dealer or Code 3, Inc. for detailed information.

Permanent Mounting

Typical Mounting: Refer to Figure 3. Place the light bar upside down on a table or other work

surface, being careful not to scratch the lenses. Slide the 5/16" carriage bolts into the frame. Secure the mounting brackets finger tight so they support the weight of the light bar. Place the unit on the roof of the vehicle. Place a soft pad in the center of the roof to protect the paint. The mounting brackets must be placed so that they are resting on the curved section of the roof, see Figure 4. This is the strongest part of the roof. Once the light bar is centered, tighten mounting brackets to light bar. Using a tape measure and a level, center the light bar from side to side and locate a position of the roof where the light bar is level. The shims provided may be used here to help level the light bar. Also, the tabs on the mounting bracket may be bent at any angle to match the curvature of the roof (see Figure 4).

5/16" Nut

5/16-18 Carriage Bolt

Bottom of Lightbar

Mounting Bracket Customer Supplied Bolt

Plastic Shim (if needed) Rubber Foot

FIGURE 3

Place Feet on

Curved Portion

Once the light bar is level and centered, mark the holes through the mounting tabs and remove the light bar from the vehicle. Make sure that the drill will not damage anything when penetrating the roof. Drill the mounting holes and remove any burrs. Attachment can be made using 1/4" cap screws, toggle bolts, or other fasteners as may be convenient. Use sealant as necessary to prevent water leakage into the vehicle.

Curved Roof

FIGURE 4

Flat Roof

Wiring Instructions

Larger wires and tight connections will provide longer service life for components. For high current wires it is highly recommended that terminal blocks or soldered connections be used with

WARNING!

shrink tubing to protect the connections. Do not use insulation displacement connectors (e.g. 3M® Scotchlock type connectors). Route wiring using grommets and sealant when passing through compartment walls. Minimize the number of splices to reduce voltage drop. High ambient temperatures (e.g. underhood) will significantly reduce the current carrying capacity of wires, fuses, and circuit breakers. Use "SXL" type wire in engine compartment. All wiring should conform to the minimum wire size and other recommendations of the manufacturer and be protected from moving parts and hot surfaces. Looms, grommets, cable ties, and similar installation hardware should be used to anchor and protect all wiring. Fuses or circuit breakers should be located as close to the power takeoff points as possible and properly sized to protect the wiring and devices. Particular attention should be paid to the location and method of making electrical connections and splices to protect these points from corrosion and loss of conductivity. Ground terminations should only be made to substantial chassis components, preferably directly to the vehicle battery. The user should install a fuse sized to approximately 125% of the maximum Amp capacity in the supply line to protect against short circuits. For example, a 30 Amp fuse should carry a maximum of 24 Amps. DO NOT USE 1/4" DIAMETER GLASS FUSES AS THEY ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR CONTINUOUS DUTY IN SIZES ABOVE 15 AMPS. Circuit breakers are very sensitive to high temperatures and will "false trip" when mounted in hot environments or operated close to their capacity.

Before attempting to connect wiring refer to wire tag attached to the lightbar's main cable. Each wire in the cable controls a separate lightbar function as described in the wire tag.

The only significant difference between the Excalibur with optional ArrowStik® and a conventional Excalibur®, is the additional, thinner cable exiting the bottom of the lightbar. The larger cable is the lightbar power cable. Route the wiring cable into the engine or passenger compartment, taking care to use grommets and to apply sealant around openings to keep water out. It is advisable to leave an extra loop of cable when installing the light bar to allow for future changes or reinstallations. Connect the black lead to a solid frame ground (earth), preferably, the (-) or ground (earth) side of the battery. Connect the wires as directed by the wiring instructions on the cable.

Arrowstik® / Narrowstik®

OPTIONAL HALOGEN ARROWSTIK® (7-wire) / L.E.D. NARROWSTIK® (11-wire) WIRING AND CONTROL HEAD INSTALLATION After installation of the lightbar, route the smaller of the two power cables through the vehicle to the location chosen for the control head. Cut the cable to length and strip back the outer insulation to expose the seven or eleven colored wires. Strip back 1/8” - 1/4” of colored insulation from each of the wires in the cable. Connect these wires to the seven position / eleven position terminal plug enclosed in the user parts bag, according to the diagram on the bottom of the control head.

- Refer to the control head manual packaged with the lightbar for control head installation and operation instruction.

OPTIONAL STROBE WIRING INSTRUCTIONS - For all configurations the strobe power supply(s) will be powered

by the #14 AWG Red and Red/Black wires in the lightbar main cable. For 2 or 4 head configurations only the Red or Red/Black wire will be utilized. For 6, 8, 10 and 12 head configurations both wires will be utilized. These wires will supply DC power to each strobe power supply(s) so all user supplied switches and wiring connected to the Red and/or Red/Black wires should be rated for a minimum of 10 Amps and fused at a maximum of 15 Amps, for each wire used. Two additional wires in the main cable (typically Green and Green/Black) are used to control the flash mode of the power supply. These wires are low current connections at typically less than 1 Amp. (See lightbar "wire tag" for wire color).

OPTIONS & SPECIFICATIONS

Many options are available for the LED X 2100. This section is designed to describe the function of the various LED X 2100 options.

LED WARNING MODULES

L.E.D. Fusing Considerations

Although the average current draw per module is very low, due to the type of circuit used to power each module the instantaneous peak current to a module can be significantly higher during low voltage conditions. To avoid prematurely blowing ATO style fuses or tripping breakers it is recommended the following rule-of-thumb be used to size fuses or breakers. This is especially important in lightbars with many LED modules running off a single fused source wire,

Minimum fuse size calculation:

1.5 x (number of modules being fused) Example:

Excalibur™ Lightbar with 2 corner modules (2 per module) and 4 directional modules.

Minimum fuse requirement for single fuse - 1.5 (2+2+4) = 10A minimum

WARNING!

This Product contains high intensity LED devices. To prevent eye damage, DO NOT stare into light beam at close range.

Dim Operation

Lightbar LED modules are equipped with a low power "Dimming" mode as standard. Dimming will be controlled by applying +12V by way of the appropriate wire(color) in the wire harness/wire list. When DIM is engaged the LED's will operate in a reduced power mode.

For safety purposes, the corner modules in lightbars are not connected to the dimming circuit. This ensures that when corner modules are turned on, full 360 degree coverage and compliance with SAE warning light standards is provided.

The DIM control wires( two white wires) located on each of the modules are connected from one module to the next. To disable the dimming function on a particular module, disconnect the white wires. Then reconnect the white wire to the white wire on another module that has dimming enabled.

The Dim setting reduces the light output of emergency warning lights reducing the effectiveness of

WARNING!

them especially in brightly lit areas. Failure to use adequate light for the circumstances can cause motorists to fail to see the emergency vehicle and lead to serious personal injury or death. Never use the DIM setting in a brightly lit area. Use of the DIM setting may cause emergency lights to not comply with applicable emergency warning light standards. Use caution when using the DIM setting to assure that motorists can clearly see the emergency vehicle.

Code 3® OPTIX™ 360 DEGREE CORNER MODULES

The Excalibur™ Lightbar may be equipped with Code 3® OPTIX™ 360 degree corner LED modules that provide a full 360 degree of warning.The optic has been designed to exceed all applicable requirements for 360 degree warning devices in Red, Blue, Amber and White. The new OPTIX corner module is a ( 1" X 6" ) module and uses larger, higher efficiency, TIR optics to produce an enhanced corner signal over the exisitng ( 1" X 4" ) Code 3 LED X™ corner module. While the OPTIX will become the standard corner module for most configurations, the LED X corner module will still be available and may be required for some configurations. Installation and Operation for both modules will be the same. Consult the factory for further information.

Operating Specifications for 360 degree module:

Operating Voltage: 10-16 VDC, Reverse Polarity Protection Current Draw : Red/Amber - .5A avg @ 12.8 Volts

Blue/White - .8A avg @ 12.8 Volts

Available Colors - Red, Blue, Amber and White

Master/Slave Operation

Each 360 degree corner module consists of a "master" and a "slave" driver circuit board, 360 degree optics and LED light engines along with a single integrated heatsink bracket.

The "master" circuit board (rear position) must always be powered for the "slave"(front position) to flash. The "master" is always located in the rear position of the module. The lightbar is wired to allow running only the rear facing LED on each module by removing power to the front facing "slave" module. This gives a "front-cutoff" function. The flash pattern for each corner pair can be selected by shorting together the 2-pin header J1, on the "master" , momentarily and releasing. The module is set-up for "Cycleflash" as a standard. Holding down the 2-pin header for 5 sec., or longer, and releasing will return the pattern to Cycleflash. The following chart describes the available patterns and order;

360 Degree Module Flash Pattern - Table 1

See Figure 5, page 9, for header location.

Flash Pattern Description

Cycle Flash Cycles through various patterns @ 70 fpm Five Flash Five Pulses per flash @ 70 fpm Quad Flash Four Pulses per flash @ 70 fpm NFPA Four Pulses, 70% Duty Cycle @ 75 fpm Triple Flash Three Pulses per flash @ 70 fpm Quad Pop Flash Four Pulses per flash ( 3 equal, 1 extended) @ 70 fpm

Both heads will be in the mode selected. Both heads will flash together unless in Front Cut-off mode.

LED DIRECTIONAL MODULES

In addition to the 360 warning modules the lightbar may be equipped with a number of single head directional warning LED modules. These modules are available in either the existing LED X™ ( 1" X 4" ) or the new Code 3® OPTIX™ ( 1" X 6" ) and LC-LED directional modules in stationary and flashing versions ( see figure 8). The stationary versions can be flashed by connecting the module(s) to any flasher that does not require ground through the load (example: Code 3® 700 series relay flasher). The flashing modules will have "Cycleflash" as the standard pattern. The OPTIX and LEDX flash pattern can be changed by shorting the 2-pin header, J1 as shown in Figure 5, momentarily then releasing. Table 2 shows the available patterns and the order when stepping through patterns. The module can be reset to "Cycleflash" by shorting the header for greater than 5 seconds and releasing.

Operating Specifications for directional module:

Operating Voltage: 10-16 VDC, Reverse Polarity Protection Current Draw : Flashing Module

Red/Amber - .25A avg @ 12.8 Volts Blue/White - .4A avg @ 12.8 Volts

Steady Burn Module Red/Amber - .5A avg @ 12.8 Volts Blue/White - .8A avg @ 12.8 Volts

Available Colors - Red , Blue, Amber, and White

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