being a good neighbor--

[RadarTech]

I suppose I might qualify as a techno geek these days...

...Since my current job is building a fiberoptic IP network spanning 182 traffic signals city wide.

Currently have somewhere aroud 200-250K feet of fiberoptic cable installed, 150 level 3 mamaged switches VLANed, programed and deployed (145 online). I have 36 fusion splices left to do on Monday to be able to patch and bring the other 5 online.

The network actually consists of a combonation of fiberoptic, DSL, and wireless connections. Mostly fiberoptic though. The wireless are the worst. Trees can play havoc when your trying to shoot the signal for 8 blocks.

Wireless.... hmmm.. shame you did not consider doing MESH wireless...

But I have done a TP bounce with wireless...

Wireless over range is a tough sell though.. anything over 1/2 mile is just plain hard to do......

need a consultant? That would give me reason to fly out!!!:thumbsup:

J

 

[dcyrilc]

Wireless.... hmmm.. shame you did not consider doing MESH wireless...

But I have done a TP bounce with wireless...

Wireless over range is a tough sell though.. anything over 1/2 mile is just plain hard to do......

need a consultant? That would give me reason to fly out!!!:thumbsup:

J

My partner is in the Navy Reserve and does comm for the Navy. We tried to sell the engineers on letting us do a satelite bounce, but they just wouldn't go for it. Something about money.:laughing:

 

[RadarTech]

My partner is in the Navy Reserve and does comm for the Navy. We tried to sell the engineers on letting us do a satelite bounce, but they just wouldn't go for it. Something about money.:laughing:

you don't have to go all they way to a sat to do a TP bounce...
if you have a strong enough transmitter and the beams intersect properly the signal will bend and back path the way down.....

Did it alot with the ole TRC-170s....

it will depend on the transmitter power...
there are some that actually do 1 GIG...
we have some of them and they work good...


J

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...Since my current job is building a fiberoptic IP network spanning 182 traffic signals city wide.

That answers a question that has been looming in my mind for years...

All of those traffic signals ARE communicating with each other conspiring against me.

 

[RadarTech]

That answers a question that has been looming in my mind for years...

All of those traffic signals ARE communicating with each other conspiring against me.

I think you missed the point.....

They are all wired togather to a central management point...
And there sits the guy you spilt your coffee on yesterday at McDonalds...
He is the guy that Cyril just helped to have a laugh at your expense..

Go figure...:confused2:


J

 

[dcyrilc]

That answers a question that has been looming in my mind for years...

All of those traffic signals ARE communicating with each other conspiring against me.

Not yet, but by the end of the year...:laughing:

 

[dcyrilc]

I think you missed the point.....

They are all wired togather to a central management point...
And there sits the guy you spilt your coffee on yesterday at McDonalds...
He is the guy that Cyril just helped to have a laugh at your expense..

Go figure...:confused2:


J

Yup, yup.

 

[RadarTech]

Yup, yup.

and the other rumor is this:

Fire- police and certain other agencies can have a special remote control that turns all lights RED as the approach...

or so I have heard...

what say ye? fact or fiction???

J

 

[NSBound]

and the other rumor is this:

Fire- police and certain other agencies can have a special remote control that turns all lights RED as the approach...

or so I have heard...

what say ye? fact or fiction???

J

I have no doubt that's true in certain areas. In Toronto, even the public transit authority (TTC) has signal controls for the streetcar drivers to change the signals in their favour.

 

[dcyrilc]

and the other rumor is this:

Fire- police and certain other agencies can have a special remote control that turns all lights RED as the approach...

or so I have heard...

what say ye? fact or fiction???

J

Optical pre-emption. Fact. A digitaly encripted infered signal transmitted to the signal alerts it that an emergency vehicle is approaching. The signal has rules it has to follow before it can give the green light to the emergency vehicle though. For example: if a "Walk" signal is active the other direction, the signal will terminate the walk, but it must give the full time for pedestrian clearance before it can give the emergency vehicle the green light and turn all opposing directions red.

 

[RadarTech]

Optical pre-emption. Fact. A digitaly encripted infered signal transmitted to the signal alerts it that an emergency vehicle is approaching. The signal has rules it has to follow before it can give the green light to the emergency vehicle though. For example: if a "Walk" signal is active the other direction, the signal will terminate the walk, but it must give the full time for pedestrian clearance before it can give the emergency vehicle the green light and turn all opposing directions red.

yeppers.. lots o legal ideas in there...
And I bet it is a touchy subject for that timing too!

J

 

[dcyrilc]

Optical pre-emption. Fact. A digitaly encripted infered signal transmitted to the signal alerts it that an emergency vehicle is approaching. The signal has rules it has to follow before it can give the green light to the emergency vehicle though. For example: if a "Walk" signal is active the other direction, the signal will terminate the walk, but it must give the full time for pedestrian clearance before it can give the emergency vehicle the green light and turn all opposing directions red.

All current signals also have a device called a "Conflict Monitor" which monitors proper operation of the signal and is capable of putting the signal into flash if a fault is observed. We often have to go to a signal where there has been an accident and both parties claim to have had a green light and do what we call conflicting the signal. We manually place a bad output for every operation of the signal and comfirm that the conflict monitor puts the signal into flash. By doing this we confirm that the signal could not have had two conflicting green lights operating and remove any liability from the city for a faulty signal. Two seperate devices have to fail for this to be possible, but the city policy is to test it every time.

 

[dcyrilc]

yeppers.. lots o legal ideas in there...
And I bet it is a touchy subject for that timing too!

J

Although timing and operational parameters are determined by the engineers, I personally don't like having walks come up without requiring the button to be pushed. It slows down the ability of the signal to respond to emergency vehicles.

 

[RadarTech]

All current signals also have a device called a "Conflict Monitor" which monitors proper operation of the signal and is capable of putting the signal into flash if a fault is observed. We often have to go to a signal where there has been an accident and both parties claim to have had a green light and do what we call conflicting the signal. We manually place a bad output for every operation of the signal and comfirm that the conflict monitor puts the signal into flash. By doing this we confirm that the signal could not have had two conflicting green lights operating and remove any liability from the city for a faulty signal. Two seperate devices have to fail for this to be possible, but the city policy is to test it every time.

yea I see the legal issues here...

anyway--- I have always found the PLC with the ladder logic interesting to work on.. course it has been nearly 12 years since I even looked at one...


J

 

[dave1949]

Although timing and operational parameters are determined by the engineers, I personally don't like having walks come up without requiring the button to be pushed. It slows down the ability of the signal to respond to emergency vehicles.

One of my pet peeves - a pedestrian who automatically pushes the crosswalk button, then proceeds to cross without waiting. Eventually brings the whole intersection to a halt for a phantom walker who is 1/2 a block down the street by then. They should be whipped
Dave.

 

[RadarTech]

One of my pet peeves - a pedestrian who automatically pushes the crosswalk button, then proceeds to cross without waiting. Eventually brings the whole intersection to a halt for a phantom walker who is 1/2 a block down the street by then. They should be whipped
Dave.

yea.. but what about the fool that walks across in the middle of the street without the walk button and ready befuddles traffic!!!!


J

 

[dcyrilc]

One of my pet peeves - a pedestrian who automatically pushes the crosswalk button, then proceeds to cross without waiting. Eventually brings the whole intersection to a halt for a phantom walker who is 1/2 a block down the street by then. They should be whipped
Dave.

Mine too. We have a couple of locations where the signal is for a pedistrian trail crossing and peds do that all the time. I hate it.

 

[dcyrilc]

Mine too. We have a couple of locations where the signal is for a pedistrian trail crossing and peds do that all the time. I hate it.

The one I really don't understand though is when people cross the street 25 feet from the crosswalk and have small children with them.:confused2: What are they teaching their kids?

 

[HeyNow]

Back on topic....I need more feel good stories.

 

[RadarTech]

Back on topic....I need more feel good stories.

ABSOLUTELY!!!

And as the OP...
I Second that motion....


Jerry