Give Me the Green Light Part 3: Traffic Controller Surgeon
In this blog post we’ll be covering how to acquire a traffic controller and get it up and running. We’ll include where to find hardware, how to get it powered on, and how to configure the web interface.
Tools and Materials
1 3-prong computer cable
3 lever nuts
Wire Strippers
Drill with stepper bit
Wire clamp
Finding Hardware
The first step to building a good lab is finding the hardware you need. At this point we’re going to stick with just sourcing controllers as they are the heart of the system and can function independently. EBay is your best options for finding used traffic controllers, another good source for controllers is govdeals or any other government surplus website.
When viewing pictures of controllers you want to make sure you they have an ethernet port. Old Eagle or Naztech controllers should be avoided for lack of a web interface and because they’ve mostly all been phased out at this point. Intelight, Econolite, and Siemens are all good controllers to look for with the Siemens m60 still being heavily deployed across the U.S.
eBay traffic controller
Struggling to find power
Once you receive your controllers you’ll find that there’s no place to plug in power. A search of the internet will lead you to a dead end. I searched high and low on every forum trying to determine the connector type and find a cheater cable. I found the wiring schematic for Intelight and then determined the connector type was a 22-55p the connector itself ranged between $150-350. I also found a video on how to make a cheater cable but the Nema cable for traffic controller runs between $300-1000. I shelved my Intelight controller and moved onto Econolite. Since Econolite is still in business I sent an email to their sales team who promptly responded with a quote for the exact cable I needed for the low price of $210.
Controller Surgery
Since I was already over $1000 invested in this project I was determined to not throw any more money at a sinking ship and figure out how to power these things. The first step is to open them up which is surprisingly easy with just two thumb screws. Despite the size of the cases the electronics are attached to the front panel and are easily accessible after cutting a few zipties.
After looking at wiring diagram and the power supply I was able to determine the power wires. Now for the next tricky part, determining if it’s 24v or 120v. I noticed the black wire ran to a fuse on the front of both controllers rated for ~120VAC. Running from the other side of the fuse was a black wire that ran into a connector that had a white, green and black wire. At this point I decided to yolo it and cut the wires.
The 3 pin connectors in the next picture appear to be the industry standard.
Next, we use painters tape to prevent any metal filings from falling onto the circuit board and drilled a hole using a stepper bit.
Finally, we need to cut the end off of our power cable, feed the wire clamp through the hole and strip back the power cable. Match up the colored wires, twist the ends, and attach with wire nuts
We didn’t get so lucky with our 3rd controller. After wiring up the power the unit refused to power on. We determined the issue was with a faulty 27 pin connector. We were able to use lever nuts to bring this “dead” controller back to life by removing the faulty connector and directly connecting wires. 27 connectors later we had power. Please don’t judge my cable management.
With the power sorted out our last step is to configure the web interfaces.
Siemens
From the main menu select 6-Configure Ports > 4-IP Addressing, Set DHCP to 0 and input your ip information. > Hit Esc, > Then go to 5-Network Config, Change the option to Type 3 for Gateway and input your default gateway.
Econolite
From the Front panel hit the main menu button > Select option 1 for configuration > Select option 5 for Communication > Select option 1 for Ethernet > Configure your IP information
Intelight
From the Front panel hit the main menu button > Select option 3 for Administration > Select option 2 for Communication > Select option 1 for Ethernet Configuratoin > Configure your IP information
