A basic dual weigh bridge setup allows the capturing of weights from traffic moving in both directions at the site gate without traffic impeding each other, as occurs on a single dual direction weighbridge.

Typically this type of gate will have boom gates at both ends and 1 sets of traffic lights at each end. The traffic lights will be facing in the direction that vehicles enter the bridge, thus protecting entry an exit from the gate directions.

The following are the different states that the gate will be in during a typical transaction:

Bridge Empty - Boom gates at the entry side should be up and the exit gate is down, entry lights will be green and exit lights from the gate will be red.

Vehicle in position on Bridge with ticket not complete - Both boom gates down, all traffic lights will be red.

Vehicle in position on bridge and ticket is completed - The boom gate at the exit point for the direction of the transaction will be open and the other gate will be closed, the exit traffic light will be green and all others will be red.

A dual weighbridge gate can be controlled using either 1 POS computer or 2. The benefits of 2 computers is that one computer can be set as the out bridge terminal and the the other computer used to control the in bridge. Dual computers also provides a redundancy capacity in case one computer fails to functions.

In the dual computer setup one computer is defined as the primary host and both computers will connect to the database on that computer. The other computer will then be used in case of a failure of the first device. This means that both computers must be a member of the data replication setup.

A weight bridge is made up of 2 components. There is the load cells found under the bridge which are then connected to the scale reader (see image). The scale reader will display the current weight and provide some other functions (see manufacture instructions). The scale readers must be certified by an authorised certifier on a regular basis to conform to government standards.

It is the scale reader that the Mandalay software will communicate with to get the current weigh bridge weight. The connection between the scale reader and the system can be made by 2 methods:

1. Direct serial connection to the host computer or a serial hub
2. TCP connection through a ethernet port on the scale reader. (Not all scale readers can support this method)

Most external devices that can be connected to the Mandalay system use a serial interface these can be connected directly to a serial port on a computer as long as there are sufficient ports or a serial hub can be used, similar to the one shown above. These devices allow multiple serial devices to be communicated with over a LAN using a TCP IP interface. The Mandalay hardware layer can communicate directly with these devices as if they were directly connected to the computer. In most cases these devices will have there own IP address, which will need to be made static, and connection to this IP with a web browser will display a configuration web pages that can make setting up the devices easier.

Traffic lights are used to give a clear indication of the what drivers should currently do. Traffic lights protecting the entry to a weighbridge will be red when a vehicle is present on the bridge and green when the bridge is empty. Traffic lights protecting the exit from a bridge will only be green once a transaction has been completed, it will be red all other times.

The controlling of these lights is managed through a relay card. These cards are able to control devices such as traffic lights (and boom gates) by opening and closing a relay that directs a control signal to a light. This could either be telling the light to go green or go red depending on the how the manufacturer has setup the device.

Relay cards can either be connected directly to a computer via the serial port or to a serial hub device (see previous step). Some relay cards are able to be connected directly to a LAN via an ethernet port, which means a serial hub is not necessary and the device can be controlled from any computer that has a network connection. Mandalay recommends using the network enabled relay cards.

Boom gates provide a physical barrier preventing entry or exit from a weigh bridge. Boom gates are an optional alternative to traffic lights or as an extension to traffic light control. Each end of a weigh bridge will have one boom gate and will operate differently depending on the direction of travel through the bridge. If a weigh bridge is empty then the boom gates will all be up allowing entry to the bridge. Once a transaction is complete then the boom gate in front of the vehicle will rise and allow the vehicle to exit the bridge. Once the bridge is empty the other boom gate will then raise.

The controlling of these gates is managed through a relay card. These cards are able to control devices such as boom gates(and traffic lights) by opening and closing a relay that directs a control signal to the device. This will be to tell the boom gate to go open.

Relay cards can either be connected directly to a computer via the serial port or to a serial hub device (see previous step). Some relay cards are able to be connected directly to a LAN via an ethernet port, which means a serial hub is not necessary and the device can be controlled from any computer that has a network connection. Mandalay recommends using the network enabled relay cards.

The Mandalay system does not tell a boom gate when to close it is only able to tell a gate to open the gate. The gates are connected to a sensor such as a beam or ground loop and while these sensors indicate a vehicle present then the gate will not close until they are clear, the sensors do not open the gates. The Mandalay system can also be configured to periodically send out an open command to force the boom gate to stay open regardless of the sensor states, this is used when there is nothing on the bridge and entry can occur from any direction.

Cash draws provide a secure method of storing cash during an operators shift. They are connected to a the local computer through a serial connection (only the DB9 interface will work through a serial hub) and are triggered by the Mandalay software to open either when a transaction is complete or when a till check is required.

To setup a scale device in Mandalay you must make sure that the Mandalay Hardware Device Manager has been installed on the computer that is hosting the scale. Once installed use either of the following 2 methods to setup the scale depending on if a serial hub has been used or a direct serial connection.

Direct Serial Connection to COM Port

Follow the article Adding device to Mandalay Device Manager and when requested select the communications port that the scale is connected to.

Connection Serial Hub

To connect through a serial hub you will first need to created a TCP port in Device Manager by following these instructions. Once this has been created you can then follow the Adding device to Mandalay Device Manager instructions

A relay control device will be needed to control the traffic lights and boom gates at the gate. Use the same instructions for adding a new device to device manager for adding a relay device. See next step for the NCD Pro XR relay device instructions.

For dual weighbridge sites it may be necessary to install 2 relay control devices to control both traffic light and boom gate operations. In these cases each devices will control the components for one specific weighbridge.

Note: Traffic lights and boom gates should only be connected to relay controller cards by qualified electricians only.

If using Mandalay's recommended relay card, the NCD Pro XR network enabled relay cards then follow the manufactures instructions for adding to the network and use the standard process for adding a a device to Device Manager, but when asked to select a port to search, un check all the options. This will then force the Device Manager to search the local network for any know network enabled devices that it is aware of. If configured correctly the Pro XR relay card should be detected and add the Device Manager.

Once both scale devices have been setup in the hardware layer, the ticketing system can be configured to use the scales.

To do this start up Configuration Manager and go to the Hardware Tab.

1. In the address box enter localhost (if the scales is hosted on the local computer) or the name of a remote computer that is hosting the scaled. Once entered click on the add button.
2. Select the newly added hardware server. Note: It is possible to add more than one hardware server.
3. Check the In Bridge Scale option.
4. From the drop down select the appropriate scale device for the in bridge.
5. Check the Out Bridge Scale option.
6. From the drop down select the appropriate scale device for the out bridge.
7. Click on the Apply button.

Ticketing will need to be restarted if it is already running.

Note: This configuration must be made each computer that will be running ticketing. This includes any back up computers. In dual computer setups both computers will have the IN and OUT bridge configured so that scale reading can be taken from both.

Configuring the traffic lights for a site with multiple weighbridges requires configuration for each bridge. Do the following to setup the traffic lights for both bridges.

1. Check the Use In Bridge relay board option.
2. Select the Relay Controller device that is connected to the traffic lights for the in bridge.
3. Check the Entry Lamp option and select the relay number that the entry light is connected to.
4. Check the Exit Lamp option and select the relay number that the exit light is connected to
5. Check the Use Out Bridge relay board option.
6. Select the Relay Controller device that is connected to the traffic lights for the in bridge.
7. Check the Entry Lamp option and select the relay number that the entry light is connected to.
8. Check the Exit Lamp option and select the relay number that the exit light is connected to

Note: This configuration is setup for single computer operations. In dual computer configurations only the bridge that is controlled by that computer will be setup. E.G the out bridge computer will not be configured with the In Bridge relay settings and vice versa.

Configuring the boom gates for a site with multiple weighbridges requires configuration for each bridge. Do the following to setup the boom gates for both bridges.

1. Check the Entry Boom for the In Bridge and select the relay that is controlling the boom gate.
2. Check the Exit Boom for the In Bridge and select the relay that is controlling the boom gate.
3. Check the Entry Boom for the Out Bridge and select the relay that is controlling the boom gate.
4. Check the Exit Boom for the Out Bridge and select the relay that is controlling the boom gate.

Note: This configuration is setup for single computer operations. In dual computer configurations only the bridge that is controlled by that computer will be setup. E.G the out bridge computer will not be configured with the In Bridge relay settings and vice versa.

There are a few options available to controlling how the boom gates function.

Entry Boom:

Default - Gate is open when the bridge is vacant (i.e. below the minimum weight configured on the Hardware tab in Configuration Manager.

Option 1 - Open when vehicle selected in the ticketing system and closes if the scale weight is below the configured minimum.

Option 2 - Open when vehicle selected in the ticketing system and closes automatically after a configured number of seconds. (boom gate will not close on vehicles if vehicle is triggering ground loops or beams that protect the gate)

Exit Boom:

Hold open while above min - The exist gate will be held open by the system while it believes there is a vehicle on the bridge once a transaction has been complete. The system will check the minimum weight to determine if a vehicle is present.

Pulse Only - The boom gate will open when a transaction is complete and the gate will be allowed to lower after a configured number of seconds. (it will not close on vehicles if a vehicle is triggering ground loops or beams that protect the gate)