I was approached by Glen & Michael, the people who took the Old Time Photos and Roller Coaster photos, to see if I could fix their roller coaster photo control box. It was something that a fellow in America had made for them a number of. It’s biggest problem was that if you made 1 adjustment, it changed several other adjustments as well. You were always going in circles trying to keep it adjusted. After telling them what the problem in the design of the system was, they asked if I could make a more accurate/repeatable system.
I studied the ride, and how everything was being done, learned how the photo printers liked to work, and devised a prototype. After very little adjusting, the prototype was accurately photographing which ever car of the coaster they chose. Well, they ordered 10 of them that day, as they had coaster photo concessions in a number of the American theme parks. All up I made 27 of that type of control box, nearly all of them went to the states.
This first style of box was triggered by a photo sensor system and the first wheel on the coaster. The second style of box I made, was a system that counted the brake fins on the bottom of the coaster carriages. It was hoped that it would be more accurate then the timing system I had been using for use on the fastest roller coasters. In the end it worked slightly better on the faster coasters, but was a bit harder to adjust. I made them about 7 of this type.
These boxes were used on all three coasters at Wonderland.
Kent Learned