Tower cost

[Cove26flags]

Was Sky Trek Tower Exspensive? And Why does Giant Drop have so many sensors?

[Ilovthevu']

For the first, I would have to say yes. It's 300 feet.

For the second question, Giant Drop cars need to know where to stop on top, and needs to brake before it reaches the bottom again. It probably also needs a sensor for that thing that picks it up for when it comes down. It needs to know how far away it has to reach the cars.

[coastrcorey]

The brakes are magnetic, so sensors don't really apply to those much as they're always on.

[FParker185]

No idea on Sky Trek. PRobably close to a million (have to take into account inflation, so it'd be quite alot more than what the park actually paid for it)

As for Giant Drop, part of that is Single Sensors dont always work right so they are always groups of 2, so that automatically doubles the number of sensors. Also a majority of the sensors are inside the ride tracking the counterweights. I've never understood it.

Fabbri Mega Drops basically have 3 sensors on the entire ride, one at the bottom, and two at the top. One at the bottom when activated allows the restraints to be opened and one up top that slows the catchwagon/car when it's right near the top/release point and one at the very top that tells the system to stop the catch wagon after the car has dropped. Figure times that by 6 and Giant Drop is 6 seperate systems and they could technically get away with a total of 18 sensors(or 36 for doubles)

[sfgamer2]

Are the sensors those little "A" shaped things?

[Carlo]

The sensors are those Green things on GD. They are square shaped. I believe those sensors are call Proximity Sensors.

[sfgamer2]

Okay

[Virtua Tennis]

The green sensors are for proximity so that the computer tracks where the car is at all times, this disables to train to dispatch before the safe interval or if theres a unlocked restraint (on modern steel coasters).

[Ilovthevu']

If you want to see some of these green sensors, V2 has two of them on the side facing waiting to ride the ride. The front wheel of the train stops in between the the two green sensors..

[planea380]

Or just ride Front rown on any coaster and you will see them.

[Virtua Tennis]

Or you can look at any coasters track that uses a plc system.

[coastrcorey]

Yep, those are called Proximity Sensors. Basically all they do is detect the presence of an object, without physically touching it. There's also what are called Inductive Proximity Sensors, which is the same but senses only a metallic object. It can do this because of the change in magnetic field when the object enters the sensor's range.