Rollercoaster Proximity sensors and photo eyes

This is a basics on how proximity sensors and photo eyes are used to control rollercoasters and show how basic logic and bee seen from these peripheral sensors.

[@Jenlovescoasters]

Funny story, i had someone lose their dreadlock wig on my former launcher, it took out a bunch of sensors and turned a couple of upstops into squares. That was fun to fix..😂

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Capes…. Don’t let people ride with capes. So many octagon wheels from them.

[@alkankondo89]

SO MUCH GREAT INFO! I now have more mechanisms to look out for when I'm at the parks. I particularly appreciate hearing the thought process through the proximity-sensor troubleshooting scenario you shared. It gives me more clarity when a ride goes down for what seems like an "unknown" reason.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Great!

[@MythicHellebore]

Wow, the more I watch your channel the more l learn just how complex roller coasters and flat rides are. They are amazing machines and feats of engineering we regular people take for granted. I love watching your channel! I have learned a lot over the past few months and your humor is a bonus. I'm so glad Fury broke a leg😂

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Thank you so much. Love hearing comments like this.

[@snakesonn3590]

Great comment as usual Mythic. When I grow up I want to be just like you.

[@WolfRaging95]

Such a good video, Ryan. I really enjoy your content.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Thanks!

[@WolfRaging95]

@@ryantheridemechanic you’re welcome! 😊

[@Jenlovescoasters]

Great video! Shared with new co workers! Love your "theme intro"

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Haha! Thank you.

[@ghettoside21]

Where was this channel when I was a kid 🫠 I definitely would of been in this profession

[@ryantheridemechanic]

I would have done anything for this info as a kid.

[@CritterCrossingFam]

I know, RIGHT?! I totally agree! Now I’m a middle aged mom beyond my prime, but sure love learning!

[@MrMakoFL]

If you haven’t subscribed then whatcha doing with your life. For real these videos are very interesting and informative. I like this school.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Thank you. I’m on my way to 1.3m subscribers! All in need is another 1.3m subscribers haha!!!!!

[@BrennanWhoLikesRollercoa-ki1uf]

Hey Ryan, can you cover the maintenance that a wooden coaster requires daily and annually - and also how that compares to an RMC hybrid.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Yea I think I can work that in

[@sharkheadism]

Thank you

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Your welcome!

[@danlastname9002]

Another interesting use of photo eyes is data transmission. B&M flyers have a photo eye on the port side of the train (I don't want to use 'left', 'right', 'load', 'offload' in this case to avoid confusion), and another photo eye mounted at the front of the station, and that's how they communicate restraint states. On Air it used to be done via radio transmission but that was very faulty!

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Best bus I’ve seen is ASI to do that but they mess up from time to time. The modules are kind of susceptible to heavy vibration. Hard to keep computer onboard trains.

[@danlastname9002]

@@ryantheridemechanic Yeah, flyers are a whole beast to be playing around with when it comes to electronics and weight. Those trains use a split power supply, here half of the bus bar powers the front half of the train, and the other half powers the back. On coasters with continuous bus bars along the station, is this normal? Would love to see a deep dive on these more advanced coaster types!

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@danlastname9002 honestly, I don’t have too much experience with the really complicated trains that being one of them. I do have more experience with smaller, but still somewhat complicated things. I know a lot of manufacturers went for individual pick ups for each coach which means there’s a lot of hardware and moving components in the station, but the wonders of not having the past cables from hitch to hitch is amazing.

[@dfgwm30]

Thanks!

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Thank you very much!

[@definingimage]

My current employer uses a lot of the pepperl fuchs 5ways. Takes me back to my days as a ride mechanic!

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Ahh P&F… the AB of the sensor world. No one what’s AB sensors though hahaha! Wasn’t until 2016 then I started to see Sick pop up. Those seemed to be good.

[@definingimage]

@@ryantheridemechanic same but Sick are kinda unjustifiably overpriced

[@Colaholiker]

@@definingimage I would have said "That's Germany for you", But P+F are German too. 😅 I think Americans have to pay for the fun factor, dealing with sick sensors...

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@definingimage welll…. They used to be cheaper. But not anymore.

[@richywiggins3845]

Brilliant video, reminds me of when I used to train engineers PLC controls and the amount of time I spent training experienced maintenance engineers about normally open and normally closed. "I would ask the class, does everyone know the difference between normally open and normally closed, to which the reply would always be, can you go over it just in case?" then you have the joys of safety relays. Admittedly, I worked with PLC for over 20 years and never knew the difference between PNP and NPN.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Nice. What still messes me up is on photo eyes “light operate” vs “dark operate” because I’m sitting there going, wait?, is this when the beam is broken or when it sees its source? Always confusing. By most things o worked on were light operate and I had two ride that were dark operate. (Water rides, go figure)

[@bassjasinski]

Great video. Explaining transistor doping is always fun.

[@Spike-sk7ql]

14 mins in. We call that "loading the parts cannon". What you described from the beginning was firing the cannon. I get it though. Guests are mad that the eide is down. Just try something fast.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

And sometimes it’s “fire at Will “!!

[@Spike-sk7ql]

@@ryantheridemechanic I can't say that I'm not guilty of firing the parts cannon a time or 2. It's a bit different in automotive. I end up paying for it if the repair doesn't fix the vehicle. We tend to do that as a last resort. I'd say I'm at least 85-90% good when it comes down to it. When it doesn't work, we'll I guess it's just time for another volley😂😂 Maybe load it a bit hotter too.

[@DJBenJamInn]

Another great video Ryan! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Your welcome.

[@kylea9022]

Great video love this kind of content, exactly what I was looking for 👍🏻

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Thanks. I like making it but it seems to flop with the viewers.

[@kylea9022]

@@ryantheridemechanic you gotta do what you like man , it's your channel

[@foldedlettuce1554]

33:30 why was the logic controller tweaking so much when you weren’t flagging it?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

I reused this controller from a home haunt I did. I was using an immutable I had programmed an effect output for in a random sequence. So that was the affect.

[@andrewleonard3623]

I assume Allen Bradley sensors are the ones typically used on the rides? How about how they interface with the PLC Rack though? Are Siemens controls more common or Rockwell Controls?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Normal ride use Allen Bradley PLc with pepperl and fuchs proximity switch. P&F is the top of the sensor game.

[@matb9027]

Are photo eyes still used on new attractions? I feel like they’re older tech compared to prox and don’t remember seeing them on newer coasters here in the uk at least. Perhaps more so on rapids / flukes etc.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

They are more of an older control. Like you said mainly now on things that don’t have a well defined path like water rides. After smiler, there was a lot of photo eyes installed across the low side of tracks to help see if there was a valleyed train.

[@spinba11]

Why was the output light on the box repeatedly turning on/off when you were messing with the sensors

[@ryantheridemechanic]

The last time I had used this controller, I had programmed it for a haunted house that I made at home so the input was just triggering a programmed output for the video it didn’t particularly matter, but it was trying to run a solenoid output that wasn’t there

[@Davidvariance]

Really enjoying these electrical segments, I think youve uncovered a really fun way to explain circuitry. Cant tell you how many people ask me about how my pyro firing system works only for their eyes to gloss over 😂 So, now i want to know about that teal color.... it seems the P&F sensors arent the only thing sporting that color-- theres some type of wearable part above the drop chain on B&M dives.... and now i really want to know if theres any significance to this color 😂😂 are there any amusement industry standards with part colors or form factors? Are all those green/teal sensors on the rollercoasters from P&F?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Most are from P&F. I know what you’re talking about. A lot of UHMW is also a tea color but that’s sun faded. It starts out a vibrant green. Sometimes the manufacturer of those plastic components makes the bottom part of that red so you know when it is worn down to the point where it should be replaced really cool

[@Davidvariance]

​@@ryantheridemechanicfantastic, I assumed they were wearable parts. Are there any unique ways that ride manufacturers implement sensors that others do not? Do some manufacturers use more sensors than others would in a similar ride? The ingenuity of B&M restraints, moving floors, train transfers has me feeling like they have some simple, yet effective control system designs

[@NewEnglandModz]

What are the rules with ride envelopes on older rides? I’m too afraid to put my hands up on Space Mountain in the main, dark section, but I have put them up in the two tunnels and have been able to touch the ceiling. I can’t imagine that would be allowed if it was built today. And if I am correct in assuming that, why isn’t Disney obligated to retrofit the ride to make the clearances larger?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Depends on the mountain. Ride envelope is safe on both California and florida. If you’re very tall there are finger guards on the one in florida. If it’s an existing ride, then they need to guard against it. If they’re retrofitting to a complete new assembly, then they need to manufacture the hazards out of it.

[@noobcraft6225]

Great video! If you could do a video on brakes that’d be really cool. Question: I remember on a video you mentioned “NET” sensors (I think on Incredicoaster at California Adventure). What exactly are they and what do they do?

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Old video actually about the net sensor Hope this works NET sensors on rollercoasters kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIq2lmltqaiWgtE

[@noobcraft6225]

@@ryantheridemechanicCool. That helps a lot. Thanks!

[@bprebula]

You mentioned the photo eyes you have were scrapped and you got to take it. Do amusement parks not have their own repair cycle or supply system type of thing? The reason I ask is because in the AF we replace parts and turn the bad part in as DIFM (due in from maintenance). These assets are sent off to another agency to be repaired and put back into service. It seems like a colossal waste of money and resources to not be able to just replace a lens.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

For most things under a motor or hydraulic assembly, it’s just not cost-effective to try to repair them to put them back on and possibly find out they might not work again. Also, most suppliers and manufacturers won’t sell parts at that small level. They only supply replacement components for the entire assembly. Nine times out of 10. It is just remove the part and replace it with a new one. Even if the problem is not fixed, at least you have a new part in now. Ha ha ha

[@bprebula]

@@ryantheridemechanic lol man, I wish I could throw parts at airplanes. They make us troubleshoot until there's a for sure fix...even when there isn't one 🥴 But I get that manufacturers can be picky for one reason or another.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@bprebula and for rides. They stop. No worries about falling from the sky!

[@bprebula]

@@ryantheridemechanic I'm glad they do lol

[@dindog22]

Now I won't be able to look at a ride without trying to spot the proximity sensors. I was wondering if moving from California to the frozen tundra sucked for you

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Not at all I love it in fact. Seasons are so amazing. California never gets true seasons.

[@dindog22]

@@ryantheridemechanic for me, the older I get, the more I detest winter. I just hate dealing with the snow. I hate digging the car out in the morning, I hate driving in it. and the weird thing is winters aren't nearly as bad as when I was younger. we definitely got more snow back then

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@dindog22 age will turn the tables for sure. For now I can handle it. But I have a higher tolerance than most because I did not grow up in the snow either. So it’s more of a novelty to me.

[@sumguy8]

Can you give your take on Falcon's Flight? How will the wheels handle the heat cycles, especially considering the amount of sand in the area. Great video! btw: You used acrosst again at 16:00

[@ryantheridemechanic]

😂 just a verification that I don’t employ private writers !

[@sumguy8]

@@ryantheridemechanic LOL you don't need to, just giving you a hard time

[@Colaholiker]

My employer uses inductive proximity *sensors*, not *switches*. Their sensing principle is generally the same, but instead of outputting a digital signal (there is something / there is nothing) like the ones you showed, they output an analog signal that is proportional to how much of their active area is covered / how far away the object is. They only run on two wires in that they modulate their current consumption (they basically add dummy load to your circuit) and you need to monitor the supply current in order to read them. Now when customers need spares, they often think that our spare parts are overpriced (not saying they are wrong though😅) and order your garden variety prox switch, just to find out that they don't work when they try to connect them. (Ours are re-labeled with our own markings instead of the OEM part numbers, we know why) However, even if the wiring were compatible, for what they are used in our application, you certainly need the analog output, a pure switch wouldn't do it anyway.

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Sounds like those are more like transducers with a 4-20 mA signal ?

[@Colaholiker]

@@ryantheridemechanic actually this specific interface is called NAMUR, and the current just goes between 1.2 and 2.1 milliamps. We have other kinds of sensors that do 4-20 and a lot of our legacy equipment is 0-10. (and way older stuff used voltage signals instead of current, but that has been obsolete for decades)

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@Colaholiker interesting 🤔

[@Colaholiker]

@@ryantheridemechanic Yeah, but unfortunately it has nothing to do with rides 😕

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@Colaholiker well, you never know.

[@ellexking9136]

So was it a photo eye failure that caused the Trains to collide on Magnum XL200, a few years ago? One Train was sitting on the Brake zone outside of The loading station while there was a Train waiting for dispatch inside the loading station. As a 3rd Train exited from the last Tunnel, the Safety/Holding Brake Zone, failed to Stop the Train. And as Homer Simpson would say, D'OOOOOOHH!!!

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Most of the time photo eyes are used as a 3rd check. So they are responsible for getting stuck on a lift or stuck in a break. Something like trains colliding is typically caused by mechanical failures like brakes, not acting fast enough or something, preventing the brakes from working properly like they were adjusted wrong. The other time is when the system is reset during block shutdown this is the reason why most rides are evacuated prior to resetting blocks.

[@ellexking9136]

@@ryantheridemechanic Oh, ok. As I recall, there was Inclimate weather the day that happened. If it does happen to rain, and of course no lighting in the area, Magnum operates with just a 2 Train Operation. Blue Streak just 1 Train for example.

[@HaroldKuilman]

If you stick to single train ops, your backyard coaster could do without sensors... Just saying 🤷‍♂️

[@ryantheridemechanic]

Still need sensors to shut down the lift. Powers expensive.

[@HaroldKuilman]

​@@ryantheridemechanicthat's an extra, it could be manually turned on and off by the operator. Or even hand cranked to keep it simple and save power 😅 Or go for a launch! With a big red GO button to smash 😂

[@ryantheridemechanic]

@@HaroldKuilman 😂launch button and a hand brake against the track ! here we go!

[@HaroldKuilman]

@@ryantheridemechanic breaks on the end of the track that are in braking mode by default, like a spring loaded skitblock from below or both sides