How to make your directional flasher AUDIBLE

[AUSMHLY]

Cheers all.

Maybe I'm not alone. I find that sometimes my directional signals do not turn off. There I am driving along to find someone pulls up next to me, opening and closing his/her hand. One of the few sign languages I understand. Your directional is still blinking. Thank you, and I turn it off.

Here's what I did.

Bought a Radio Shack 12-volt mini buzzer (no.273-055A), for $3.29. I mounted it with two small screws behind the wood dash.

The black wire I ran through one of the grommets on the firewall and attached it to the center terminal of the flasher terminal.

The red wire I attached to a ground under the dash.

Now I hear when my flasher is on.

Cheers, Roger

 

[JamesWilson]

You're not alone.

While my Healey is still in bits, this is an enhancement one of my friends has made to his and I've got the bits and pieces to do it to mine whenever I reach that stage. Its a pretty easy fix, unlike most of what I've got to do to get there to it....

 

[Keoke]

Well JW. Better be an awful loud buzzer.--Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Ed_K]

I did almost the same thing with a radio shack beeper. I hooked up one wire to the common connector of the dash turn indicator lights. The other goes to ground via a push button switch so I can turn it off if I want. The whole beeper and push button switch are mounted to a small metal bracket half way down the side of the steering column support. It was so loud I had to cover it with RTV to cut the sound down some.

 

[SHG]

I always thought the flashers were supposed to make a sound, and mine just didn't. It's a little embarrassing to be driving down the road that way. What type of sound does the buzzer make? Is there a reason to hook it up directly to the flasher relay rather than hook it up to the lights behind the dash?

 

[AUSMHLY]

Hi SHG,

My flasher relay, that is screwed to engine side of the firewall does make a clicking sound. I think it is suppose to. Thing is, it is not loud enough to hear when the car is running. Moving it to inside, under the dash, it still will not be loud enough.

The buzzer that I reference makes a buzz sort of beep sound. How do I explain? I would think any type of sound a unit makes is not going to be all that pleasing. Hence the reminder to turn it off. I looked for one that sounded like a sexy female voice...Your blinker is on...
Datsun used a verbal in the 280z's (your door is a jar)

Why hook it up to the flasher rather than the lights? Can't tell you for sure if to the lights would work. Works problem free to the flasher.

Cheers, and let me know if you find a soothing...Your directional is on...handsome!
Roger

 

[Keoke]

Hi all: /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif


Just have to chime in here; to avoid all wiring changes BCS in Stocton CA has a directly interchangeable loud flasher.---Fwiw-Keoke

 

[AUSMHLY]

Hi Keoke,
Thanks for chiming in. Your correct.

I purchased one, but found it to be only slightly louder than stock. Still could not hear it when left in the engine compartment.

Moving it to inside the car, would involve lengthening the 3 wires and it still may not be audible enough.

One can not tell I spliced into the center wire, and the unit is still screwed to the firewall. The buzzer is hidden under the dash, so all still looks stock. Which is what I try to do with modifications that improve safety, reliability or performance.

I guess the question would be, does the unit put too much of a load on the system, to create a problem.
If so, them my bad, and I'll look into another solution. Like keeping my thumb on the lever as a reminder.
Cheers, all. Roger

 

[Dave Russell]

Don't know about the RS #273-055A. The current draw should be marked on the back of the package.

The Radio Shack # 273-059 "Pizeo Buzzer" which I use, is very loud & draws 10 ma (.010 amps), not enough current to be of any consequence. But as you say, will sure be heard.
D

 

[AUSMHLY]

Hi Dave,

Well it seems the unit I bought a while back is not exactly what the shack offers now. Mine had the red and black wires attached. However the replacement unit seems to be catalog # 273-055, model # 273-55

Here's a link to view and read about it.

https://www.radioshack.com/product/index....rentPage=family

12VDC
75dB at 15mA maximum current
tone of 4200Hz

 

[Ed_K]

I used this one. It sounds like the backup beeper on a delivery truck, just not as loud.
https://www.radioshack.com/product/index....rentPage=family

 

[Ed_K]

Roger,

The common wire for the two turn signal indicator lights on the dash goes to the center post of the flasher. It is electrically the same place. You will find one open position in the connector where the dash indicators connect together thus making the connection of the beeper very easy and no extra wire is needed to run through the firewall. As Dave has said, there isn't enough of a current draw with the beeper to worry about anything. If there was you would notice a change in the rate that the turn signals were flashing, ( using the standard flasher ). But since yours is already done, no need to worry about it. I just wanted to let others know how easy it is to hook up a beeper in case they are thinking about it. I just noticed that Dave and I selected the exact same beeper from Radio shack.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[Frank C.]

Here's an idea (untested) ... If you are looking at getting the "clicking" noise inside the car instead of a tone, what about getting a 12 volt relay (any garden variety) and mounting it under the dash to get the sound inboard. Just parallel the actual flasher relay. No need to connect anything to the contacts and the current draw would be insignificant.

Just an thought ...

 

[Dave Russell]

The annoying loud beep gets your attention much quicker than a gentle click. I think this is the whole purpose of the project.
D

 

[JamesWilson]

[ QUOTE ]
The annoying loud beep gets your attention much quicker than a gentle click. I think this is the whole purpose of the project.
D

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif

 

[dklawson]

Early Minis and Minors had a cute little lamp on the turn signal stalk as the only indication that your blinkers were on. The flasher is mounted so far up in the engine bay there is no way to hear it unless the engine is off.

I tried the Radio Shack buzzer on my Mini as mentioned above. I forgot to tell my wife and she about wet her pants the first time I turned on the blinkers. After that I tried the Radio Shack electronic door-bell device. I was never satisfied with how its "ding-dong" tone wasn't consistent (based on how fast the blinkers were flashing). I ended up using a Bosch door warning chime from an Alpha. It's pinout is similar to the standard 4-pin Bosch 30 Amp ice cube relays. You have to tie the "switched terminals" to the relay coil terminals then wire to ground and the flasher's dash lamp circuit. The sound is much more acceptable than the buzzer.

 

[Rob Glasgow]

I’m dragging back an old thread hoping to get some advice. I tried a Radio Shack buzzer tied to the turn signals a few years ago but didn’t like the loud buzzing especially while I was sitting at a stop light. I would like to hook up some sort of buzzer with a time delay so that it doesn’t sound until say 30 seconds after the turn indicator has been switched on. In other words, the normal turn signal click would be heard until after 30 seconds the louder buzzer would sound. Hopefully in most cases I would have made the turn and the self canceling would have shut off the blinkers but if not, after 30 seconds I would get a loud reminder.
Any ideas how to rig this up?

 

[BJ8Healeys]

My audible turn signals, Radio Shack items.

 

[equiprx]

Cheers all.

Maybe I'm not alone. I find that sometimes my directional signals do not turn off. There I am driving along to find someone pulls up next to me, opening and closing his/her hand. One of the few sign languages I understand. Your directional is still blinking. Thank you, and I turn it off.

Here's what I did.

Bought a Radio Shack 12-volt mini buzzer (no.273-055A), for $3.29. I mounted it with two small screws behind the wood dash.

The black wire I ran through one of the grommets on the firewall and attached it to the center terminal of the flasher terminal.

The red wire I attached to a ground under the dash.

Now I hear when my flasher is on.

Cheers, Roger

I just wait for the hysterical driver behind me to pass me waving his arms.

 

[Michael Oritt]

A properly functioning trafficator is an easier solution.