Wales-based designers and manufacturers of vehicle access control systems, Nortech, has launched two new products at Europe’s largest dedicated parking exhibition, Parkex, which is running in parallel with the Traffex show in Birmingham, UK.
Nortech, along with its technology partners, has been demonstrating systems that can be applied to most parking, vehicle access, and security applications. The company has launched a new full-color variable message sign (VMS) that incorporates high-intensity RGB LED technology and seamless integration with the NorParc counting and parking guidance system, which can handle facilities with multiple entry and exit points. The signs use low profile LED matrices and are each capable of displaying 4-digit count values, with the option to display ‘FULL’ when a count value falls below 1. The display options are set via the counting/control module. Display settings include the display colors and the options to replace the count value with either ‘OPEN’ or ‘SPACES’ when the count value is 1 or more.
The luminance of the signs can also be manually adjusted to match ambient light levels. The high-intensity setting is ideal for regions with extremely strong sunlight. The default setting provides automatic luminance adjustment using the built-in ambient light sensor.
Available with either 4in- or 8in-high characters (10cm or 20cm) high characters, the signs can be viewed at distances of up to 98ft (30m) and provide a wide horizontal viewing angle. Depending upon the application, up to eight signs can be connected on a single RS485 bus, each displaying a different count value.
As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of inductive loop vehicle detectors, Nortech are also demonstrating how their new enhanced 7-Series vehicle detectors can be set up using a smartphone application. The new 7-Series detectors are both stable and robust, capable of working in all conditions, and have a range of features that increase reliability and reduce the need for manual intervention, including automatic frequency selection and an anti-locking feature. The latest range of easy-to-install vehicle detectors not only come with many new features to improve performance and reliability, but are backed up with a compact diagnostic unit that links to a smartphone app to enable quick and easy detector setup and comprehensive loop fault analysis.
Installation engineers no longer need to get on their hands and knees and strain to see a tiny display while reaching for switches and buttons on the detector. The compact DU700 diagnostic unit simply clicks into place on the front of a 7-Series detector. It collects diagnostic data from the detector and sends it via a Bluetooth link to the diagnostic app running on a smart device. The DU700 links with the app to show loop excitation frequency, loop frequency drift, minimum and maximum level detection and detector DIP switch configuration. As well as providing vital feedback on the state of the installation, the app can generate a full report that can be used to formally sign off a site or be sent for expert analysis where a fault is suspected.
