Locations of existing Prototype General Signals Type-1 Electronic Bells

[freebrickproductions]

Wow, great finds! I didn't even realize these existed! Does anyone know what year these started popping up in? If they were installed in the early 90's, they've held up very well. It's interesting that the sound they make seems to be a data compressed version of the regular Type 1 tone (which makes sense considering they were running on older technology). I'd say it's the exact same audio file, but at a lower sampling rate. When the sample rate of a digital audio file is lowered significantly, the high frequencies are reduced, resulting in the perceived "deeper tone" you're hearing. If you compare the sound of the prototype version to the common Type 1, the only noticeable difference (at least to my ears) is the lack of high frequency content. The common production version of the Type 1 uses a AD9652 DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) from Analog Devices Inc which is a surprisingly advanced chip that is also used in devices like CD players. It also has a fairly large EEPROM chip for data storage. This explains why audio could be stored in much higher quality in the Type 1.

These would've been some of General Signal's first ones, starting production all the way back in 1992 (without a doubt).

Wow, that long ago? Do you know if these older versions suffered from the water leakage issues the Type 1 faced? I'm guessing maybe not if they've lasted this long.

They probably did. It is worth noting there are still plenty of regular GS Type 1s in service, despite those issues.

[chris96]

Wow, great finds! I didn't even realize these existed! Does anyone know what year these started popping up in? If they were installed in the early 90's, they've held up very well. It's interesting that the sound they make seems to be a data compressed version of the regular Type 1 tone (which makes sense considering they were running on older technology). I'd say it's the exact same audio file, but at a lower sampling rate. When the sample rate of a digital audio file is lowered significantly, the high frequencies are reduced, resulting in the perceived "deeper tone" you're hearing. If you compare the sound of the prototype version to the common Type 1, the only noticeable difference (at least to my ears) is the lack of high frequency content. The common production version of the Type 1 uses a AD9652 DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) from Analog Devices Inc which is a surprisingly advanced chip that is also used in devices like CD players. It also has a fairly large EEPROM chip for data storage. This explains why audio could be stored in much higher quality in the Type 1.

These would've been some of General Signal's first ones, starting production all the way back in 1992 (without a doubt).

Wow, that long ago? Do you know if these older versions suffered from the water leakage issues the Type 1 faced? I'm guessing maybe not if they've lasted this long.

They probably did. It is worth noting there are still plenty of regular GS Type 1s in service, despite those issues.

True, I suppose a few prototypes would have fallen over the years as well. But it's great to see that there's some still going strong after all these years of service.

[PlyingKibbles89]

I'm going to make a quick bump to say that I found this one in Colorado!

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0932902 ... 6656?hl=en