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Build Your Own Carnival Ride

Posted by michael on from the you-ride-it-first dept.

SoCalChris writes "Check out these guys who are building their own dark ride similar to the ones found at carnivals and theme parks. The ride is complete with PLC's in each of the cars, and one more PLC for the entire ride. The ride also features a blocking system like professionally built rides."

14 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Already?! by Xtraneous · · Score: 5, Informative

    Arghhh, slashdotted, yet there is a Hope!

    Google's Cach

    --
    .noitacidem deen uoy siht daer nac uoy fI
  2. call me anal by spacefem · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm really tired of people getting the plural form of every abbreviation wrong. It's PLCs. Not PLC's. The PLC doesn't own anything. You wouldn't say "programmable logic controller's". Uhg.

    --

    spacefem.com
    1. Re:call me anal by LadyJessica · · Score: 5, Informative

      I agree. Can't people follow the simplest English punctuation? :-) Check out Bob The Angry Flower for a tutorial for the apostrophe impared.

      --

      -- Jessica
      The mutant geek grrl from Hell.

  3. For those who don't know what a Dark Ride is by EraseEraseMe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Visit here

    The Dark Ride and Funhouse historical Society

    --
    "Anybody who tells me I can't use a program because it's not open source, go suck on rms. I'm not interested." (LT 2004)
  4. This is insane by Dragon218 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Before any comments are up, this site is already slashdotted. Google's mirror. No pictures, but better than nothing.

    --

    "It's the little touches that make a future solid enough to be destroyed" --William S. Bourroughs
    1. Re:This is insane by pete-classic · · Score: 4, Informative

      Google will give you thumbnails.

      -Peter

  5. Re:Link or Mirror? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Only 5 replies and the darn URLs been /.ed!

    I don't, but my friend Google does:

    http://216.239.35.100/search?q=cache:j8SrIlANLtUC: www.phantasmechanics.com/darkride/+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

  6. Mirror by ahaning · · Score: 4, Informative

    All I'm missing is the last file, drvplan.jpg, but here you go anyway: http://www.osuweb.net/~ahaning/www.phantasmechanic s.com/darkride/

    *ahaning throws the URL at the rabid users and gets out of the way as quickly as possible... as if feeding starved dogs*

    --
    Withdrawal before climax is very ineffective and those who try this are usually called "parents."
  7. Convenient mirror... by Jouster · · Score: 5, Informative

    I grabbed what I could, but the site was in the middle of a meltdown.

    Grab the .ZIP file, or the .BZ file.

    Jouster

    1. Re:Convenient mirror... by Jouster · · Score: 3, Informative

      Okay, new version, page 1 is complete, page 2 has some pictures missing, and no page 3 (sorry!).

      Grab it in ZIP, BZ, or convenient browseable form.

      Jouster

  8. While I know money is an object by mhesseltine · · Score: 5, Informative

    From the second page of the article:

    On Friday, February 15, the Chinese -made Enco metal lathe arrived. It took about 4 hours to set it all up, as it had to be hoisted and mounted upon its pedistal. The whole rig probably weighs over 1,200 pounds. Don't even think of starting a project like this dark ride unless you invest in one of these machine tools. (You'll also want a milling machine.) This unit, plus tools and digital readout (DRO) runs about $6K. It's a bit noisy and vibrates, but it's a lot cheaper than a domestic unit - and it works.
    If you are going to do something like this, please invest in a decent tool. EMCO machine tools are the sorriest pieces of crap you can find. Look at a used machinery auction and buy a good Clausing-Colchester lathe and a Bridgeport or Lagun milling machine.

    As another alternative; if you're going to drop this much money on buying machine tools, just to build one ride, contact a local job shop and work with them on making the parts.

    --
    Overrated / Underrated : Moderation :: Anonymous Coward : Posting
  9. The use of an apostrophe is indeed. . . by kfg · · Score: 5, Informative

    accetable in pluralizing acronyms, as well as for other "non word" elements.

    It's a contraction. The apstrophe substitutes for the "e" in the suffix "es," which is an older, but still acceptable form.

    The dropping of the apostrophe in pluralizing acronyms is a modern phemonemon that comes about because of the modern practice, unjustifiable by traditional usage, of treating acronyms as if they were actually words.

    They are not. They are abbreviations.

    KFG

    1. Re:The use of an apostrophe is indeed. . . by ottffssent · · Score: 5, Informative
      The dropping of the apostrophe in pluralizing acronyms is a modern phemonemon that comes about because of the modern practice, unjustifiable by traditional usage, of treating acronyms as if they were actually words.

      They are not. They are abbreviations.


      And the word is controller. Which pluralizes to controllers, not controlleres.

      So, while you may be right in general, that doesn't make PLC's any more acceptable than before.
      --
      High-speed Road Trip (18.000KPH)
  10. Mirror by SoCalChris · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm not sure how long it will last, but here's a mirror...

    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr1.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr2.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr3.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr4.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr5.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr6.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr7.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr8.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr9.htm
    http://www.chrisnaimee.com/sd/dr10.htm