It's hard for me to hear the depth gauge alarm

[opie]

I am a bit hard of hearing. For example, I can not hear higher frequencies like a beeping watch. And my Hawkeye depth gauge uses a beep tone that I can not hear over the engine noise, although the Admiral hears it well. But, a couple of times when she was asleep or not aboard, I have hit bottom as my mind wanders and I don't look at the gauge display often enough.
Here is my question. The gauge is placed into the cockpit wall so that the rear of the gage is accessible in the X's head compartment. The gauge has a 7/16" hole in the back that is 1 inch deep and inside that hole is where the sound comes out. I was thinking that a small condenser microphone could be placed inside that hole and the beeping warning could be amplified for an old farx like me. It would need to be triggered only when the beeping low-water occured and not by galley normal noises or cockpit sounds. I read a bunch of web-related stuff about "sound-triggered burglar alarms" etc, and I went so far as to buy stuff from radio shack, but failed miserably to get results. Any ideas available?
Thanks.

[TAW02]

Mr. Opie;

The microphone idea sounds like a good one. Finding a small portable amplifier like 'Mr. Microphone' is probably the 'ticket' here. Mmm sounds like a lot of contraptions to rig up tho.

Might even consider finding one of those 'bionic ear' devices to wear at night. Go to the drug store and look around. Radio Shack is a good place to get ideas too.

best of luck

Big T

[Hamin' X]

If you can find where the signal comes from the monitor to turn on the alarm, you could just use a simple transistor switch and power any kind of alarm device you want, from a light to a klaxon. Simple and easy to make. Fig. 1 assumes a Negative signal and Fig. 2 a Positive. Make sure that the transistor that you use will carry the max current of the device you want to power and if you use a relay for the load, make sure that you use a protection diode across the relay coil, as shown in Fig. 3. Failure to do so will destroy the transistor.



~Rich

[pokerrick1]

make sure that you use a protection diode across the relay coil, as shown in Fig. 3. Failure to do so will destroy the transistor.



~Rich

Right

Rick

[Night Sailor]

Not being versed well in electronics, I would simply install a cheap red LED in a conspicuous place, or maybe more than one, and tie it to the same circuit as the alarm. It should use a lot less current than a buzzer or speaker so should not require amplification. Have you considered moving the alarm buzzer or speaker from teh isntrument to the helm, so it's under your nose?

[David Mellon]

If it is like my old boat the speaker is built into the back of the gauge so it is best heard by the gerbils living inside the dashboard. There were red LED warning lights on the front of the gauge but my eyes were either on the horizon or the nearest bikini. Fortunately the instruments did provide for remote speakers, it had a nice system where the engine and depth alarms ran through the external VHF monitoring speaker. Even so, the twin V8 Corvette engines made so much noise I could never hear them anyway. If your concern is with alarms being heard when motoring I too would suggest LED warning lights foreward of the pedestal, perhaps in the bulkhead aft of the fuse panel.

[TAW02]

Well the the thing of it is ... Mr. Opie was stating about an alarm that would wake him up if he was dragging anchor.

Don't think a small LED would do that and with all due respect, a transistor circuit unless you understand that. That is pretty deep, you must admit. So let's think simple or use the ol' KISS philosophy!

So it just occurred to me that maybe there are devices already developed that will suffice. Something simple and something that is waiting to be Googled-up!

Sure hope so.

Big T

[Hamin' X]

Well the the thing of it is ... Mr. Opie was stating about an alarm that would wake him up if he was dragging anchor.

Big T

I'm not sure why he would leave the engine running while at anchor?

~Rich

[Divecoz]

You wont need any of that over kill stuff above........It should be answered in your owners manual ( my garmin aux alarm wire is yellow IIRC.) most often its a one wire hook up 2 wire screw up. You can add a beeper or a horn or a light or ??? most often its a positive lead but it can be a neg lead from the unit. so tie that to your desired signal device and then either supply a feed or return path ... there in, as we call it a 1 wire hook up. HULL make the signal unit a buzzer or a clapper bell and you'll feel it thru the wheel...
I just looked and manual is available on line for Hawkeye depth gauges

[opie]

Look, I am old, but not falling apart yet........ anchor alarm....ha....that's not my problem yet. A "night-time falling in alarm" would be more like it, as my nightly urges to go force me on-deck. With the motor off, I can hear the alarm fine. A LED would not help if I was watching bikinis or mind-wandering to the shoreline to watch herons and ducks (more likely.)
The Hawkeye depth gage alarm is small and encapsulated, no external alarms and it is stuck in the bulkhead where only the gerbils and admiral can hear it. And no way to get inside the Hawkeye to solder a connection. I could dremel the cover off and tape it back when done.
A triggered alarm blaster to raise the hair on my neck is what I want and I vote that the best idea above is the transistor one connected to a 100 db horn. haha. I'll go get the dremel tool out.....as soon as I change my Depends..

[Hamin' X]

Opie, what is the model number of your alarm. Perhaps I can find the manual and a schematic online and come up with a simple solution for you.

~Rich

[Indulgence]

The real difficulty I see with this circuit is the interphase connection to the flux-capacitor is unclear
and the dilithium crystals will only power the warp reactor when the omega vector turns blue.

On the upside, going back in time to turn off the alarm before it wakes you will ensure a peaceful night's sleep.

[Divecoz]

The real difficulty I see with this circuit is the interphase connection to the flux-capacitor is unclear
and the dilithium crystals will only power the warp reactor when the omega vector turns blue.

On the upside, going back in time to turn off the alarm before it wakes you will ensure a peaceful night's sleep.

That's OK because you dont need to know or understand any of it .
If there isn't an alarm lead in your wiring harness chances are real good its a sealed or semi sealed unit and none of that will help you without voiding the warranty.
Unless your a Techie of some sort or big into any number of hobbies like maybe ham radio etc . you most likely wont possess the degree of skill and the delicate tools needed to solder and unsolder etc etc well unless you want to just hack it together .

[opie]

I am dredging up an old thread because I never came back and told what I did.

Here is the link

It has worked for a couple of years now and keeps me out of trouble when going down the ICW in skinny water.

I sent the finished schematic and link to Hawkeye in Norcross Ga and they sent me a hat....

[Catigale]

Thanks for the f/up Opie. Glad you got those Depends changed finally

Keywords. Hawkeye depth alarm aux speaker external