fabero74
join:2003-03-28
Groton, CT | reply to bogey780
Re: Solved
Wouldn't the traffic boxes size also be attributable to the need to have a large cooling system, especially in warmer states? |
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raster44
join:2003-09-07
North Tonawanda, NY
| reply to bogey780
During our power outage last Fall (freak October snowstorm in buffalo), signal department had small gasoline powered generators (1500 Watt) running traffic signals at major intersections throughout the city. These are like ten three-bulb signals at each intersection of six lane highways. I doubt if much power is involved. The man-power involved was unbelievable though. Three police cars and a three man signal crew which went up and down the highways keeping the signals gasoline generators running. And this for 24 hours and the three days until power restored. |
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mieses
join:2001-06-22
Beverly Hills, CA | reply to Dream Killer
plant some really big trees, with strong and shallow root systems. |
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ff1324
Everybody Goes Home
Premium
join:2002-08-24
On Four Day
| reply to quetwo
Grasses are always good for hiding the boxes. I have some pampas grass hiding the utility boxes in my side yard. Sometimes, part of the grass is trampled or cut. Oh well...that's why I put it there. It grows quickly, won't damage the equipment, and stays through the winter as strong, brown, dormant grass. |
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DSL Oberst
join:2001-11-29 | reply to phattieg
Oldtech is often cheaper than newtech.
That uber-small card you reference is handy, sure...but is bound to cost 10x more than the old dinosaur.
Cheaper. Better. Faster. Pick two. |
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sivran
Long Live The Suite
Premium
join:2003-09-15
Arlington, TX
clubs: | Tell that to the old 168-pin RAM in my older machines. 
Often, but not always. |
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notwrth10
join:2007-03-03
1001EB | reply to ib50MbSoon
Another quality post brought to you my twentymbcabl, order service today at »www.comcast.com
Don't wait, you don't want to be like the slowski's!! |
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
 ·T-Mobile US
| reply to phattieg
said by phattieg  :Uhh, that comment was not well thought out. Considering the iPhone can detect if it's horizontal or vertical, or the smartphones running windows are as thin as a Moto Razr while closed. Unlike a traffic controller I doubt one would last past a single thunderstorm down here.
Why are traffic cabinets so huge? This is my prospective from working on circuits we install within them.
First of all they operate in an extremely hostile environment. The inside of a traffic cabinet can hit 120+ degrees in the summer even with the fans on. You open the door of one and literally have to stand back as it is like standing in front of an oven or an older fully loaded SLC system in a Lucent series 5 cabinet. All of the traffic cabinets I have worked in use outside air for cooling as such the modules are exposed to the same levels of humidity as on the street and all the filth that goes with being on the street. The system modules are built like bricks with an unbelievable amount of surge protection on all of the inputs and outputs. In most cases a single heavy duty connector is used which means power inputs and outputs are all together in the same shell. Within the cabinet they switch incandescent loads which have high inrush currents next to modules that must detect minor changes in the inductance of a loop buried under the pavement or changes in the field of view of a CCTV camera.
The processors (doubled for redundancy) also have to operate in that cabinet of EMI and heat.
As such all the boards require more real-estate for many reasons, less density equals less heat overall, components are over engineered which up-sizes them, heat sinks have to be larger then for consumer use and the list goes on and on. There is also a laundry list of pesky State and Fed DOT requirements as to how much abuse those devices will take without failing. Basically if the i-Phone had to be built to those requirements it would be the size of the old Motorola Brick cellphone would run two hours on a charge and cost thirty grand with a two year agreement.
Then there is lightning. Traffic lights get hit a lot. I know as I get to fix the circuits after they have been hit and when it is not a direct hit the high mounted cameras and buried loops are great for introducing induced hits into the system. The neat thing is they survive the processor/control may be crippled and can no longer contact the mother ship and may have had some of the more sensitive inputs blown down to the next county but the processor is still up and is almost always still working properly bet you can’t do that with an i-Phone.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician. |
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cajundsl
cajundsl Denver Qwest
join:2003-02-05
Denver, CO
| reply to en102
I remember back during the heyday of the Altair 8080 reading that one of the original applications of the Intel 8008 chip that ran it was... to control traffic signals. And you guys are, of course, right - the world is full of things like the BASIC Stamp that have on-chip RAM and ROM and can be burned with all the software required to operate a traffic light.
All I can figure is that the things we see on street corners are over-engineered so that when one fritzes out and causes two city buses to collide head-on (or something equally bad) that during the trial, the highway department can point to the puke-green vault looking thing and say "But we took every precaution, spared no expense to assure the public safety." |
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gflash
@bellsouth.net
| reply to ff1324
Guess you never had to work around Pampas grass. It sticks little needle -like thorns in rows under your skin that get infected . It is also nown as saw grass. if you fall into it you could end up in the hospital. Only a Sadist would do that. it damages the workers --that's why it is being outlawed in so many places--along with those ever present holly bushes. |
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baby toes
@sbc.com | reply to notwrth10
comcast sucks |
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notwrth10
join:2007-03-03
1001EB
1 edit | said by baby toes :
comcast sucks
You just shush!!! don't let Rick or ib50MbSoon see that dammit!!
It's getting harder to keep secrets around here! I will bet neither one of them have an explanation today why comcast brought up the rear (dragging more like it) in the ISP rankings today. I can only imagine what their answers will be. |
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