what is usually the reason rides break down?

I was just curious as to what actually causes rides to go down. Im not talking about closing to remove a train or closing because of weather. Im talking about actually breaking down. I know there are probably a thousand different reasons. But on rides like TTD and MF. What is usually the cause for them breaking down? those are the two that seem to go down a lot.

I would also like to know the reasons. I know Adam can tell whats wrong with Dragster just by where the trains are sitting on the track. I always imagine the computer for Dragster freezing, but I doubt a multi million dollar ride has a slow computer like I do. :)

Actually, Adam and TTD are now telepathically connected. Some would say they are one.

It's sort of like ET. When Dragster goes down, Adam gets sick.

:)

My theory, and I know it won't be confirmed, is that TTD is not a 100% duty cycle machine. It needs time for the cable, hydraulic oil, brake fins and such to Cool down to a good operating temperature. It seems to me they run it for 50 minutes up, 10 minutes rest time.

But that's just me, I kinda wanted to throw that out there to see what people think.

Most, if not all, high-power motors/machines/systems are not 100% duty cycle-capable, so you're probably correct in assuming TTD is limited as such.

However, the launch lasts 4 seconds, so even if a second train launched as soon as the previous train cleared the brakes (~20 seconds later), you'd be looking at a duty cycle, as constrained by the ride's max theoretical capacity (without factoring in the motor constraints), of around 17%. And that's without the ride shutting down ever.

If we're realistic and say that one entire ride cycle (launch to next launch) is 60 seconds, that indicates a duty cycle of 7%. In my experience, time between launches is typically longer (though I've never used a stopwatch), which results in a lower duty cycle (4.4% for 90 seconds, 3.3% for 120 seconds)

All of this is to say that I doubt the ride's frequent shut-downs are related to the launch system's duty cycle. Unless Intamin's engineers really are that dumb.

^Don't forget to add extra time on for when the stupid people can't understand "arms down, arms down, arms down" :)

I've always assumed the most general reason rides go down is that one of the many sensors is either giving a false reading or detecting a minute inconsistency. For example, on Maverick a couple weeks ago, the operator made us lift open our restraints and then close them again twice, as the system was having an issue with a restraint sensor.

The more specific reasons that rides go down varies greatly ride to ride. For example, I know in the past that TTD used to go down frequently when one of the brake fins would become stuck after a launch.

Cause your mom rode them.

I also have a slightly unrelated question. Why is there sometimes orange tape blocking certain seats off in a train?

^I can be due to a faulty belt or malfunctioning lapbar in most cases.

A lot of Dragsters headaches can be rooted to the one thing Intamin knows how to do best, and that's over engineering. Think of Dragster as like a christmas tree. If one bulb goes out......well you know the rest. And, just for the record, my understanding of Dragster is still very limited at best as I am no mechanic or engineer. The only people who truly know it best are the mechanics and a handful of others. That being said, I only really notice the tell tale signs of the more common "hiccups" and usually have good idea how long it'll take. And even those are educated guesses.

It's funny to see what's said about me when I'm not lurking here. :)

I can't speak for CP, but I can speak on behalf of GL...

I worked X-Flight and Steel Venom. As far as X-Flight went, any breakdowns were usually either stuck hydraulic motors (pins that had to move in order to lock train in flight position) or a restraint pin would not come out when the pedal was hit, or come out but not signal to the panel/computer that it was locked. So it would fault out and require reset or repair. Most of the time when this happened, we swapped trains. We went through many, many of those motors though. They would break all the time and we would go down an hour or two usually while they would swap them.

Steel Venom on the other hand was most of the time a sensor fault. So I would imagine it would be similar for WT. Either overspeed or the computer "loses" where the train is and e-stop itself. Maintenance would come, reset, test and good to go. Very quick repair.

It was never anything significant, just safety systems doing their job. I am sure it is the same on Dragster and its thousands of proxies or much any other ride. Rarely is it anything "serious". We also had to close when we lost too many static strips on the train, in which they would come and replace a few.

As far as the "yellow/orange" tape on rows go, usually that was done when a harness system would not work. On Steel Venom, sometimes the electrical contact between the train and the thing that "pops" down would not make good contact and need repaired/cleaned/etc... So they would simple close the row off until night to prevent downtime. Other times, it could of been due to a part needing replaced in which they want to again wait for night shift.

They usually break down when they stop working and can no longer complete the task they are designed to do.