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Curious Constance
Well-Known Member
No previews tonight?
PorterRedkey
Well-Known Member
Here is a post that wraps up the first advancement in the tech, from UoE and GMR to the tech used in ToT. I think the tech has advanced even more for the newer attractions like Ratatouille and Mystic Manor.
"As the years progressed, Disney invented other forms of vehicle conveyance that did not use a large track on the floor, but still guided the vehicles on a set path. This was first used in Epcot’s Universe of Energy. Those vehicles are guided by an 1/8th inch wire that runs through the floor from the theatre room, through the dinosaur swamp, and then into the second theatre room. This wire communicates with the vehicle to make sure that it stays on course. This system also is used in the Great Movie Ride. Later, for Disney World’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a new form of technology was introduced to communicate with the vehicles and keep them on a set path when moving from the initial lift shaft, across the floor in the “5th Dimension” to the drop shaft. This system used wireless communication elements, and although it also still ran on a wire track in the floor, was an important step in the development of truly trackless vehicles."
It is from this site and it synchs up with what I know about the tech. @marni1971 could speak more on this than me. I just know trackless tech has progressed. How could it not? UoE debuted in 1982.
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Deleted member 107043
Original Poster
Fascinating! I always wondered how the 5th Dimension Room worked, and I never considered that it could be trackless tech. Thanks for posting.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
That scene where the elevator starts moving forward scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. The ride was brand new in the summer of '94, had only like one drop and a lap bar that went across the whole row instead of seat belts. Anyway, I had no idea what to expect other than dropping in an elevator and certainly didn't expect that.
Tower if Terror in Orlando found its trackless tech became its Achilles heal. A discarded park map landing across the buried wire was enough to trigger a loss of vehicle and E stop. One of the (many) reasons that following Towers were different. And helped drive the push for LPS technology for Tokyos Pooh, Aquatopia and Hong Kongs Mystic Manor, where instead of relying on a buried cable a local positioning system (think internal, localised GPS) is used along with other failsafes.
That article also mentioned advancements in tech. Energy and GMR vehicles trigger wayside sensors to tell the RCS where they are to open doors, start show elements and the like. For Tower onwards the vehicles constantly talk to the RCS and the RCS talks back. Instead of the RCS (ride control system) saying "light beam 3 was broken, the car is approaching door number 2 now so I'll open it", the vehicle itself says to the RCS "I'm approaching door 2 now, please open it" and the RCS says "it's opening now... It's open, carry on".
The other big hurdle to overcome was power. Batteries in 1982 and 1989 were large, heavy, and didn't hold much charge. Energys travelling theatre for example is charged twice just get around the attraction once.
That article also mentioned advancements in tech. Energy and GMR vehicles trigger wayside sensors to tell the RCS where they are to open doors, start show elements and the like. For Tower onwards the vehicles constantly talk to the RCS and the RCS talks back. Instead of the RCS (ride control system) saying "light beam 3 was broken, the car is approaching door number 2 now so I'll open it", the vehicle itself says to the RCS "I'm approaching door 2 now, please open it" and the RCS says "it's opening now... It's open, carry on".
The other big hurdle to overcome was power. Batteries in 1982 and 1989 were large, heavy, and didn't hold much charge. Energys travelling theatre for example is charged twice just get around the attraction once.
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PorterRedkey
Well-Known Member
It really is special, since it is the only WDW's ToT that has this feature. I think it elevates Florida's version from an awesome drop ride to an awesome mini-dark ride.
PorterRedkey
Well-Known Member
How did Florida's ToT solve that? Just curious.
In Short? It never did. Though the obstacle has to land in the perfect position.
PorterRedkey
Well-Known Member
It is sad the effect couldn't be duplicated. Not only is it a great what-the-heck (edited for the language filter) moment of the ride, it is also a good use of 2 drop towers. Four elevators going up and 2 going down, is really efficient at getting riders on and off the ride.
When I was at DL, one tower was down, so no Fastpasses were distributed. The wait at 10:30 was 70 minutes and it continued to be throughout the day. So I believe Florida's ToT handles crowds better. And even when a tower is down, you can still load 2 elevators at a time.
When I was at DL, one tower was down, so no Fastpasses were distributed. The wait at 10:30 was 70 minutes and it continued to be throughout the day. So I believe Florida's ToT handles crowds better. And even when a tower is down, you can still load 2 elevators at a time.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
With the rumored application of LPS in SWL's Battle Escape attraction, will we see any enhancements to the LPS technology? For instance, could something like the ability for ride vehicles to go up or down slopes* be coming?
*current LPS attractions can only operate on precisely flat courses/environments.
GiveMeTheMusic
Well-Known Member
Does anybody know how these ride vehicles are charged? I would have thought with most trackless rides when they pulled into the loading station contacts could charge the vehicles, however I have noticed the Luigi's vehicles never go to a loading station and remain in the middle of the floor. The only way I could think is they move on top of a wire coil and use inductance to charge them which is why there is that small re-positioning motion at the end of the ride sequence. Is this how most of these rides charge?
I also think the reason the vehicles must limit their speed is due to the accuracy of the LPS systems, which clearly this uses due to the multiple tracks where wires would need to cross and would not work. The best accuracy for an LPS system I could find was around 3.1cm (1.22 inches) which is much better than a GPS system but still not super accurate. If the cars are run in such confined spaces as these are I would think you would not want them to operate very quickly in case they veer even further off their respected path and need time to stop before a collision occurs.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
If you look at the floor there are these squares made up of four small squares of some sort of medal. The cars tend to finish on those.. So I assume that's how they charge.
I doubt it. The drive needed would possibly be too much for the motors, not to mention braking on a hill with a power failure or a cascade.
I've not looked into Luigis but usually it's inductive charging. You can see the plates for example in Energys theatres one and two, and at GMR load alley.
dweezil78
Well-Known Member
Not true. Little known fact -- and one omitted from your great tribute video -- is that, in the case of Energy, the extra large theater vehicles were designed to literally drain the life from the souls of its guests throughout the 45 minutes you're in there which is why you always feel a little bit groggy/hungover by the time you exit.
