Roller Coaster Operating Panel

[Gordo4444]

I recently got a job as a ride operator at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania. Today, I was operating the new ride, Fahrenheit, and I noticed some pretty interesting things. There is a "Restraint Release" button, that when pressed, opens the latches that keep people in the ride, but it only releases the belts of the car that is in the station. How does it know which car is in the station or not (A best guess)? I think that it would be a button or a switch underneath the car that, when pressed, turns on the RC in the car?

[steferfootballdude13]

Your guess is Possible, however it probably has some sort of detection method that tells a code which car is there. Like a RFID radio tag, so it can allow for the correct car to release the Belts/Harnesses.

[Gordo4444]

Your guess is Possible, however it probably has some sort of detection method that tells a code which car is there. Like a RFID radio tag, so it can allow for the correct car to release the Belts/Harnesses.

I thought of that to, but if the car the just left is to near the RFID reader, then the people would be going through the ride without the harnesses attached (bad)

[Admin]

Just a thought . . . it could be wireless, with the transmitter right next to the station but only a few feet transmission range. So the other cars just don't receive the signal.

[paulstreats]

Maybe its as simple of just having brushes on the track. When the cart is in the correct position then the brushes make connection to terminals on the bottom of the cart. I would imagine that the locking mechanisms are simply push/pull solenoids so the only thing that would need to be sent is power to open or close the solenoids.

[pomprocker]

google is your friend 


The station also has a mechanism to lock and unlock the restraints, which can be physical or electric. A physical interface uses spring-loaded rods in the train that are pushed by plates in the station to unlock the restraints. An electrical interface uses copper contacts mounted to the track and brushes mounted to the bottom of the train to allow the computer to interface directly with the train and control its restraints. One major advantage of a physical interface is that it allows the restraints to be easily unlocked with a simple wrench-like tool if a train has to be evacuated (unloaded anywhere other than the station). An electrical interface, on the other hand, may require a large, bulky battery pack to be plugged into the train in order to manually unlock the restraints. Some electically operated restraints allow manual operation with a wrench or T-bar device, in the event that electrical power is not available. An electrical interface also requires more maintenance, as the electrical contacts in the station must be cleaned regularly to maintain a good connection.

Most coasters also have an interface for giving the computer feedback on the position of the restraints. This is usually a simple electric interface. On some coasters this is not used, instead there is a fixed-length seatbelt that must be buckled to the restraint. If the restraint cannot be pushed down far enough for the belt to be buckled, the train cannot be dispatched.