Bright Amber Beacon Lights And Their Usage In Emergency Vehicles

By Author: Sunil Punjabi
Total Articles: 2565
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A bright amber beacon is one of the more identifiable objects that we see on top of emergency vehicles or ambulances. The gyrating beacon is the most commonly noticed variety, which rotates to offer a 360 degree visibility, ensuring that everyone around gets the cautionary message. In some cases, the beacon could just be used along with a siren by a vehicle asking for a clearance on the road. There are many different types of beacons which vary based on the light sources used, the construction and design of the beacon and the way it is mounted on the roof of a vehicle.

A very useful variation is the use of a light bulb that is capable of producing 5 - 8 candle power of light. The luminosity from the bulb can be enhanced to some extent using chrome reflectors. To add to the special effects, flashing can be added to the amber beacon, through a controller chip. It is possible to have 60 or sometimes even more flashes per minute to enhance the dramatization created by the beacon. The light source is usually powered by a 12 V DC source that can produce enough intensity for the light beams to be noticed clearly. ...
... Sometimes colored reflectors are used to enhance the special effects, and alternate colors like red and blue are flashed instead of amber.

The base of the amber beacon is very important. Sometimes powerful magnets are used to mount the beacon on top of any vehicle and keep it steady. Fiberglass filled nylon base or polycarbonate base with compression gasket are two other options. The base is responsible for keeping the beacon not only moisture and weather resistant but also vibration resistant, which is important for any type of emergency vehicle lighting.

The amber beacon is usually made out of thermoplastic that can withstand harsh weather conditions and doesn't get overheated due to the light source being on for long hours. The high impact plastic offers resiliency to the beacon. It is crush resistant too and doesn't get damaged very easily upon strong impact making it ideal for the rugged use of emergency vehicle lights. The super bright LEDs are used in beacons because of their high intensity and low power consumption. Unlike other light sources they don't cause a lot of heat dissipation which suits their use during emergencies especially outdoors. Moreover, LED modules are cheap and the LEDs are manufactured to last more than 50,000 hours which is a lot more than ordinary bulbs.

The amber beacon can be used in cop vehicles, patrol cars as well as vehicles used by construction crew. The LEDs which can be easily controlled through an embedded chip can be made to provide light in flashing as well as steady mode. The use of lenses in beacons also intensifies the light. Colored filters are used to enhance the flashing effects by switching one color on and another one off. The beacons are therefore rugged and easy to use at low maintenance and low cost.

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