WANNA CHALLENGE?

allectronics has pizeo alarms and small audio circuits, maybe replace the Cutler with something else

You might be using the wrong search terms. I tried "ac voltage high low alarm" and received over a million results. The Kussmaul looks interesting.

Of couse you DO know that sales literature sans price means only one thing and that one thing ain't pretty. I want just an alarm. Gizmos with backlit LCD monitors, current transformers and such are just a tad out of my league. These things are the size of a four-slice toaster. But thanks for the link.

Really what I need is a nine volt chirping piezo. One chirp every 30-seconds. Sounds like project box 555 and find a piezo time. I have the mini 120 vac DPDT relays and lithium batteries. Maybe go rechargeable. Man there has GOT TO BE a nine volt interval piezo chirper out there!

Mallory Sonalerts work down to 7 volts DC.

When I was at work on Y2K, my bosses thought that the power 'might' go out, so somebody had to be there! I took in my motorhome, and wired up a 120 volt relay with NC and NO contacts. I also had a 12 volt DC relay with NC contacts.

I wired the NC contacts on the 120 volt relay with 12 volt power going through it, to the NC contacts on the 12 volt relay, then to the relay coil. So the 12 volt power from my RV panel would go through the closed contacts on the 120 volt relay if it lost power, then would energize the 12 volt power relay opening the contacts on the 12 volt coil, until the relay lost power, and opened the contacts again. I hoped it would wake me. . . It did not, but no matter, we did not lose power afterall.. .

Perhaps a Kill-A-Watt type of product can detect low voltage? Or out of range voltage?

Many years ago, a digital voltage meter that could be plugged in all the time was expensive, but now days they are only about $20 to get a Kill-A-Watt on Amazon.com

There are several energy management devices that constantly measure the voltage, and shut down select loads at low voltage input, such as the air conditioner. Other products such as the Hughes Autoformer measure the input voltage and boost it when below the threshold voltage, such as 112 volts input will then boost by 12 volts.

I made my own transformer (well bought the transformer and wired it up myself) with a 12 volt isolated coil 500 watt transformer, 40 amps output at 12 volts. The 12 volt output coil is wired to the input wires, to give it a 120 volt input and 132 volt output. When the input falls to 100 volts, the output is still an acceptable 110 volt output, and still run the A/C unit.

I actually used a 1,000 watt transformer, with dual 12 volt outputs, so mine has 12 and 24 volt outputs, and I can have 90 volts input, and still have over 110 volts output! I put this to good use while camped in Bowling Green at a hot rod event, while in the pits. They have 20 amp receptacles wired up to #2 overhead wires (with no fuses in sight). To this I plugged in a 50' #14 extension cord, and a 25'#12 cord, my 30' #10 cord, then the 24 volt transformer, and the RV's 25' of power cord to the power panel inside. There I still had 118 volts while running the A/C unit! I did melt the 15 amp to 30 amp adapter into the center of my #12 extension cord, but that is the cost of running a A/C on a hot and humid day in Bowling Green KY!

Good luck on your project!

Fred.

I was foolish to not post details describing how what where and why of the power outage alarm. Forgive me.

Plugs into a 2-prong non polarized (Mexican) outlet.
My 30 watt LED reading light, Bi-Pap and fan are all 12-volt
Running UPS through the Lifeline and 55-amp WifCo
When the power goes out I don't know it.
I need to switch over to 10 watt LEDs, the fan on slowest speed and if shove comes to punch the BiPap humidifier completely off.

I -could- buy another 400 amp Schottky rectifier and isolate the output power of the WifCo and DPDT control that using 12 volts from the Lifeline. The extreme amperage of the Schottky is to keep vf to a minimum, maybe .215 or so.
But the blip (perhaps 20ms every 30 seconds, 70db 1KHz) piezo annunciator is a challenge. Maybe use a 10K uf cap connected to the Schottky input to power the piezo power circuit for a limited time.

IOW I want to know when I lose power. I -could- build a load shed center but that would go over really big hauling it in and out of a hotel room. But then again...

Too many of those 2,170,000 "hits" include stuff like the following...

Part No.
361A-V0-DMRN-DIN-NCR
Description


Alarm, 10 to 36V DC-power; 0 to 10V DC, 100K ohm input impedance; dual alarm, two SPDT relays; DIN rail G or T mount; no certification/approval required.
Price (in $USD)
$402.50

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I was foolish to not post details describing how what where and why of the power outage alarm. Forgive me.

Plugs into a 2-prong non polarized (Mexican) outlet.
My 30 watt LED reading light, Bi-Pap and fan are all 12-volt
Running UPS through the Lifeline and 55-amp WifCo
When the power goes out I don't know it.
I need to switch over to 10 watt LEDs, the fan on slowest speed and if shove comes to punch the BiPap humidifier completely off.

I -could- buy another 400 amp Schottky rectifier and isolate the output power of the WifCo and DPDT control that using 12 volts from the Lifeline. The extreme amperage of the Schottky is to keep vf to a minimum, maybe .215 or so.
But the blip (perhaps 20ms every 30 seconds, 70db 1KHz) piezo annunciator is a challenge. Maybe use a 10K uf cap connected to the Schottky input to power the piezo power circuit for a limited time.

IOW I want to know when I lose power. I -could- build a load shed center but that would go over really big hauling it in and out of a hotel room. But then again...

Too many of those 2,170,000 "hits" include stuff like the following...

Part No.
361A-V0-DMRN-DIN-NCR
Description


Alarm, 10 to 36V DC-power; 0 to 10V DC, 100K ohm input impedance; dual alarm, two SPDT relays; DIN rail G or T mount; no certification/approval required.
Price (in $USD)
$402.50

Over thinking a very simple "task" if all you want is to "know" when the power goes out.

You don't need fancy gadgets for that task.

Can be as simple as..



Simply need a wall wart, one SPDT relay, one sonalert, one battery and one SPST switch.

Choose wall wart voltage to match the relay coil voltage and battery to sonalert voltage.

Use the common and NC (normally closed)connection on the relay.

Plug wall wart in relay is pulled to NO (normally open), close the switch and you are ready to hear all the power outages you want.

A power outage happens relay drops out of NO to NC, this now allows current to flow as long as the switch is turned on.. You can turn the switch off to silence the alarm..

If you want a delay action on the alarm then add some additional filter caps to the power supply.. This will give some time delay before the relay drops out.

If you want some "load shedding" you could use a DPDT relay and use the extra relay connections to switch other items on/off..

Oh yeah I messed up royally. The complexity was for an under/over voltage alarm not the power outage alert. And I failed to keep the two well separated in my posts. A tablespoon of salsa habanero and slap on the back to make me cough..

It's the blipping sonalert that is less than easy to come up with. A chirp interval slower than every 10 seconds but faster than every thirty seconds.

I want a gentle alert, not a banshee shriek that swami levitates me a foot off the bed. And I will definitely screw up and leave the thing plugged in and I do not want to waste a six dollar battery having the device advise the cucarachas that nobody's there, so form a conga line.

Wall wart, Capacitor, relay with chirp circuit for piezo Annunciation. Might even go with a white blinking LED.

The home made voltage alarm circuit is available but I need a 120/12 transformer, lots of zener's and transistors I do not have. And a stupid piezo.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Oh yeah I messed up royally. The complexity was for an under/over voltage alarm not the power outage alert. And I failed to keep the two well separated in my posts. A tablespoon of salsa habanero and slap on the back to make me cough..

It's the blipping sonalert that is less than easy to come up with. A chirp interval slower than every 10 seconds but faster than every thirty seconds.

I want a gentle alert, not a banshee shriek that swami levitates me a foot off the bed. And I will definitely screw up and leave the thing plugged in and I do not want to waste a six dollar battery having the device advise the cucarachas that nobody's there, so form a conga line.

Wall wart, Capacitor, relay with chirp circuit for piezo Annunciation. Might even go with a white blinking LED.

The home made voltage alarm circuit is available but I need a 120/12 transformer, lots of zener's and transistors I do not have. And a stupid piezo.

Sonalert now days refers to most any noise making devices..

You can get piezo "buzzers" if you will for peanuts and a simple $1 9V drycell could run it for a month since they don't use much more than 5 ma or 10 ma..

HERE

MORE BUZZERS HERE

Circuit would also be self resetting and unless you are having power outages for hrs on end there is no reason a battery would be used up fast..

For over/undervoltage monitoring you can make a "comparator" circuit using a "op amp" a few resistors..

Kind of looks like..



Where you adjust the voltage level the LED lights (or buzzer buzzes or relay changes status) using VR1..

With two of that circuit one can be set to detect high voltage and the other for low voltage..

I made a cool LED "VU" meter years ago using the same circuit just adding more Op amps and setting them to the correct voltage for each DB level I wanted to display.. Cheap and effective.

You could use a unregulated wall supply or a AC output wall supply and make your own ac to DC power supply..

Folks now days are used to over complicating the simplest of tasks..