| Author | Message | ||
     Corporatemonkey |
Well recently I posted a thread seeing if anyone has used Aerostich's self contained alarm. Nobody responded, so I figured I would take a risk and order one. I was asked by a few members to post a review, well here it is. http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Aerostich-Self -Contained-Alarm-p-17040.html When I ordered this alarm is didn't have high expectations. I was just looking for something to scare away the curious. No alarm will stop a professional, that is what insurance is for. The alarm is quite small, about the size of deck of playing cards. The remote is a standard automotive key fob. The siren is rated at 120db. The alarm is powered by 3x AAA batteries, the remote uses a flat watch style battery. Aerostich includes a full set of batteries. Battery life is quoted as 100hr standby, or 60mins of continuous siren. I purchased a set of rechargeable lithium ION batteries. I have had it on standby all week and the low battery light has not come on yet. I will post an update when I have a better idea of the battery life.  Here is the alarm on top of my cityx tank. The alarm is quite simple it uses a basic shock (vibration) sensor. You have 7 levels of sensitivity, and 7 different siren length settings(7-30sec). Both are set via the remote. The alarm can be used for all sorts of uses. It is small enough to be stashed in a jacket, or helmet. You could place it in a saddle, or tank bag. Just about anything you can think can be protected with it. I tested the alarm in several different places on my bike. I found it was not sensitive enough (for my liking) when I placed it under the seat. I found it to be more sensitive to movement, verses pure vibration. I found the area around the triple trees to be most sensitive. I found the area directly opposite the ignition (on the other side) was a great area. The problem was it was not perfectly flat. For ease of use I decided to place it on the inside flat surface of my hand guards. The kit comes with a velcro strip to secure it. The idea is to remove the alarm before heading out on a ride. The alarm is VERY loud when placed within my hand-guard. I found the sensitivity to be just about right when my bike cover is on. Any attempt to lift the cover moves the handle bar, thus setting the alarm off.  Here it is installed, unless you are looking for it you don't see it.  Here is a view from below the bars Pro: 1) small 2) self contained 3) loud 4) decent battery life 5) multiple uses Con: 1) expensive 2) Made from cheap feeling plastic 3) Uses 3 AAA - This is a personal nitpick. But most battery chargers are designed for 2, or 4 batteries at a time. So I have to charge a 4th battery to have an entire set. Just a little pet peeve. Post up if anyone has a question. | ||
| Blake |
Great report Jamie! Do you write for a magazine? Thank you very much. I've alway been interested in a simple alarm system like that. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
Not a professional reviewer, I just know what I would look for in a review. I may have an interesting GPS review soon. One more thing I remembered about the alarm. It is not weatherproof. You must place it in a sheltered location if it is to be used outside. I haven't tested it, but a small ziplock bag looks to be perfect for storing/protecting the alarm. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
nice write up but bottom line is would you recommend it to anyone. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Thank you for the review. I wonder how well it would work mounted under the lower triple clamp. The sound would be directed down and may reduce the effectiveness. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
I would recommend it, if you didn't mind the price. I haven't found anything off the shelf that accomplishes the same thing, I tried it under the triple trees, it worked, but not as well. The alarm is more sensitive to motion than vibration, so being lower down it needs more movement to set it off. I found I could take off the cover before it would go off. It did work well when I mounted it above the triple clamps, but I didn't want to place any velcro there for aesthetic reasons. Where ever you mount it, it you have concrete around, it will amplify the sound. My garage is all concrete and the unique sound it makes is almost painful. I will try to take a quick video shot of the alarm going off. | ||
| Warbaby |
Good review. Thanks! It should compliment my .357 SIG very well.  | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
Battery life update: This evening the batteries finally died. 25 days of use on 3x 900mah lithium rechargeable AAA's. I guess this really beats the quoted 100hrs for alkaline batteries. Amazing, just amazing | ||
| Reepicheep |
You mean NiMh (Nickel Metal Hydride) rechargable AAA's? I have been looking for LiIon rechargables in a AA and AAA form factor, and have not managed to ever find any. If you have a source I would love to hear about them. NiMh batteries will "self discharge" through their fairly low internal resistance about 1% a day. So after a month, they are 1/3 used up even if the device they are in is switched completely off. So 25 days before the alarm needs recharging is fairly remarkable. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
Reep, actually you are correct I am using NiMH. I have a set of Lithium AA, but I use them for project stuff. Lithium batteries are stuck with 3.7v, not 1.2v like nicad/nimh. If you were to use a set of lithiums you would have to add ciruitry to lower the voltage. The set I have came from an industrial supply house, but you can get similar types from places like this http://www.batterybook.com/ look under lithium rechargeable I originally was looking into wiring up and external li-po pack for my alarm, but after seeing the run time, I am not going to invest the effort. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Cool site, thanks. (wish they posted prices for the home hacker though...) |
