I’m curious on what makes the sound on a Mechanical Horn. Anyone know how they work?
There used to be some animated diagrams on NewAgeServerAlarm’s old website that illustrated the various ways electromechanical horns work very well, but them & his website are both no longer available. In general though electromechanical horns move a plate called a “diaphragm” back & forth very rapidly when power is applied to them, which creates sound through disturbing the air (which is where all sound comes from/how all sound occurs), how they actually do so varies by horn however: most use an electromagnet to move the diaphragm, while some use a motor (which are called “motor horns”. The only manufacturer I’ve known to make motor horns is Amseco: apparently they weren’t very popular). Likewise the mechanism that controls the diaphragm-moving component can vary as well: a lot of electromechanical horns use a pair of metal contacts that are opened & closed as the diaphragm moves/the horn operates, while others like some made by Faraday use a circuit board to control the diaphragm’s movement instead.
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