Operating System Upgrade & Automated Fault Recovery
Project Overview
I've been around this particular Tango for years — it originally belonged to a show I worked for, and they remained a good customer of mine for a long time after. When the show was sold, the new owner wanted the ride to be more reliable. The old system had a frustrating issue: if a fault happened during operation, the operator had to climb up onto the deck, switch into maintenance mode, and bring everything down manually. As the ride got close to the deck, the operator had to release brakes by hand and carefully position everything to avoid jamming the arm or the passengers into the deck. This upgrade automated all of that.
What We Did
New Operating System — Completely new operating system built on the original code, modified where needed to support modern features.
New Operator Stand with 12-Inch HMI — Large 12-inch HMI screen for full visibility and control.
Automated Fault Recovery — In a fault situation, the operator can manually position the arm through the maintenance screen, lock each gondola at home automatically with built-in safeties, then bring the ride down safely — all without leaving the operator stand.
Wireless Communication — Upgraded to 95% wireless communication between the operator stand and main cabinet. The original 48-pin umbilical was reduced to a clean 10-pin plug.
UPS Battery Backup — Added a 24-volt UPS system. If power fails, the PLC and HMI stay operational, allowing the operator to safely manage the ride and run diagnostics even with no main power.
Backup Manual Controls — The original manual control system is still in place as a backup, but operators rarely need it — the automated screen handles fault recovery cleanly.
Project Photos
The Result
The Tango now recovers from faults safely without anyone leaving the operator stand. Downtime is dramatically reduced, the system is far easier to operate, and the UPS backup adds a layer of protection that wasn't there before. A much more modern, automated platform on a ride that was already proven.
