6” Low-Voltage Shop & Factory Bell
Durable, high-output industrial bell designed for synchronized signaling in large facilities.
Description
This 6-inch shop and factory bell is designed to improve employee accountability and productivity by clearly signaling arrivals, shift changes, breaks, lunches, and end-of-day departures. When used with Pyramid TimeTrax Sync systems, these bells help standardize time-based activity across large buildings.
The bell operates on 24VDC low voltage, which makes installation simple and cost-effective. Because it is a low-voltage device, electrical permits and metal conduit are typically not required, depending on local codes. This allows facilities to deploy audible signaling without the expense and complexity of high-voltage installations.
These bells are commonly powered by the Pyramid 5300, Pyramid 7000, or Pyramid 5024, all of which provide a 24VDC output specifically for bell and signaling applications. The bell connects using inexpensive, readily available 14–16 gauge two-strand lamp cord, making installation straightforward.
Typical Applications
- K-12 schools
- Manufacturing plants
- Distribution centers
- Correctional facilities
- Large industrial buildings
Electrical & Installation Overview
| Operating Voltage |
24VDC (Low Voltage) |
| Wiring Type |
Two-strand 14–16 gauge lamp cord |
| Typical Load |
Up to 8 bells on a single circuit |
| Power Source |
Pyramid 5300, Pyramid 7000, or Pyramid 5024 |
| Installation |
Low-voltage, no conduit typically required |
Why Bell Volume Can Vary
Customers sometimes ask why bell volume is not always identical from one building to another. In real-world use, two main factors affect how loud a bell sounds:
1) Voltage Levels
Although power is commonly referred to as “110 volts,” actual voltage delivered to a building often varies. Older utility lines, long wire runs, and high electrical demand within a building can all reduce available voltage. Lower voltage results in reduced bell output, even when the system is working correctly.
2) Building Environment
Sound is also affected by what is inside the building. Background “white noise” from compressed air systems, machinery, or woodworking equipment can mask bell sound. Materials such as fabric, boxes, insulation, or open spaces can absorb sound and reduce perceived volume.
Need More Volume?
If your facility requires a louder signal, we have developed a modification that allows these bells to interface with 110VAC or 24VAC bell systems, including in-house intercom or speaker systems. This option is used when maximum audible coverage is required.
This bell is rated at 96dB at 2 meters. Essentially 8 feet.
This has been going on for years: People keep asking "How loud are your bells?" Unfortunately, it's like describing a dinner at a restaurant. It depends on the environment. Is it an empty room like a gymnasium? Does it have lots of rooms, or lots of background noise like a woodworking shop? Is this a warehouse with lots of rows of shelving and boxes of fabric?
Bells and buzzers all seem to max out at 102db. 102db is very loud.
110db is extremely loud, check out the YouTube video below.
In our experience, installing 2 to 3 bells or buzzers is much more effective than just one. Put one by the timer, then run wire out the another, 50 to 100' away. It won't be louder, it will just be more likely to be heard above all the background noise.
So, yours truly did some research recently (2016), this is interesting:
Using an Android phone decibel app, this is what we found:
**A bedroom at night in the country, windows closed: 28 - 32 db
**A bedroom at night in the city with the windows closed: 42- 46 db
**Office environment, people chattering: 62db
**American Airlines 737 inside just behind the wing during takeoff 86db
**Same jet, landing with the reverse thrusters on: 92db That ROAR you hear..
**Same jet, cruising for 3 hours, it's 82 to 86db. That's partially why flying is tiring.
Shop buzzer's: 102db (Edwards, the ones we sell) Other brands "hum" at 82 to 86.
Our bells test out at 98 to 103db depending on voltage
It seems that no one offers anything louder than 103db, unless it goes on a train, ocean liner, or fog horn. In some cases loudspeakers are used on farms; we don't have them, but our equipment will ring them. This is 110db, a train horn on an obnoxious person's pickup truck. In a working environment, this would clearly cause accidents.
In air on Earth, the maximum “ordinary” sound wave is about 194 dB; above this, the wave stops being a normal sound and becomes a shock wave instead. When you see ads for that or higher, you immediately know they are lying. Abover that, it becomes a shock wave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiWNw0A1Ijg&feature=related
More bells or horns does not make it louder, it just makes it more pervasive - easier to hear through the machinery, across the rooms, over the land.