Jamar TRAX Apollyon Plus II User Manual

Download

Automatic Trafﬁc Data Recorder

User’s Manual

JAMAR

Technologies, Inc.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

LIMITED WARRANTY

JAMAR Technologies, Inc. warrants the TRAX Apollyon Plus II against defects in material and workmanship for a period of one (1) year limited warranty on parts and one (1) year limited warranty on labor from the date of purchase. For information on extended warranty call 1-800-776-0940.

JAMAR Technologies, Inc. warrants each new instrument manufactured by the company to be free from defective material and workmanship and agrees to remedy any such defect. At its option, it may furnish a new part in exchange for any part of any instrument of its manufacture which, under normal installation, use and service discloses such defect. The instrument must be returned to our factory or authorized service agent intact, for examination, with all transportation charges prepaid.

This warranty does not extend to any products which have been subject to misuse, neglect, accident, vandalism or incorrect wiring not our own. This warranty does not extend to water damage caused by the use of faulty or improperly installed road tube or damage caused by improper installation in disregard of the instructions furnished by us. This warranty does not extend to products which have been repaired or altered outside our factory or authorized service agent.

In no event shall JAMAR Technologies, Inc. be liable for any damages arising from the use of this product including damages arising from the loss of information.

This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties expressed or implied and no representative or person is authorized to assume for us any other liability in connection with the sale or use of our products.

JAMAR Technologies, Inc. reserves the right to make improvements on the product and/or speciﬁcations at any time without notice.

Questions concerning this warranty or any JAMAR Technologies, Inc. product should be directed by mail or telephone to:

JAMAR Technologies, Inc.

1500 Industry Road Suite C

Hatﬁeld, PA 19440

215-361-2244

This manual is copyrighted. All rights are reserved. This document may not be, in whole or part, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without prior consent, in writing, from JAMAR Technologies, Inc.

iii

If you have any questions about the TRAX Apollyon Plus II that you cannot ﬁnd answers for in this manual, there are several ways to get additional information.

For the latest support information on the TRAX Apollyon Plus II, please visit our web site at:

http://www.jamartech.com/traxapollyonplusii.html

Support is also available by e-mail at:

support@jamartech.com

Support is also available by phone at:

1-215-361-2244

Monday — Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern time

Volume 1.1 August 2018

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

Technical Support .................................................................. iii

Quick Setup Guide for the TRAX Apollyon Plus II ...................................... vi

Chapter 1 – Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II ...........................1-1

What is the TRAX Apollyon Plus II? ................................................ 1-2

Before You Do a Count ................................................................ 1-2

Learning About the TRAX Apollyon Plus II .....................................1-3

Chapter 2 – Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II ............ 2-1

How is the TRAX Apollyon Plus II Powered? .................................. 2-2

Using the Keypad .............................................................. 2-2

Start-up Screens ................................................................ 2-3

Main Menu ................................................................ 2-4

Utilities Menu ................................................................ 2-5

Tube Spacing ................................................................ 2-5

Data Interval ................................................................ 2-6

Dead Time ................................................................ 2-6

Time/Date ................................................................ 2-7

Clear ................................................................ 2-7

System ................................................................ 2-7

Tests ................................................................ 2-9

Count Menu .............................................................. 2-11

Tubes .............................................................. 2-11

Basic .............................................................. 2-11

Volume Only .............................................................. 2-11

Tube Layout Selection ......................................................2-12

Site Code .............................................................. 2-12

Count Start-up Menu .............................................................. 2-14

GPS .............................................................. 2-14

STAT .............................................................. 2-15

Start .............................................................. 2-15

Basic Data Status Screens .......................................... 2-15

Volume Only Status Screens ...................................... 2-16

Ending a Count .............................................................. 2-18

Downloading a TRAX Apollyon Plus II .................................. 2-19

Direct USB Download to Computer .................................2-19

USB Flash Drive Download ..............................................2-20

Table of Contents

Chapter 3 – Road Tube Installation ............................................................. 3-1

Using Road Tube ................................................................ 3-2

Installing Road Tubes ................................................................ 3-2

Step 1 – Select an Installation Location ..................................... 3-2

Step 2 – Select Layout ................................................................ 3-3

Step 3 – Prepare the Road Tube Lengths ................................... 3-3

Step 4 – Prepare the Installation Equipment .............................. 3-4

Step 5 – Install the Road Tubes .................................................. 3-4

Step 6 – Check for Accuracy ...................................................... 3-5

Chapter 4 – Road Tube Layouts ................................................................ 4-1

Layouts for the TRAX Apollyon Plus II ...........................................4-2

Layout: L1 ................................................................ 4-3

Layout: L2 ................................................................ 4-4

Layout: L3 ................................................................ 4-5

Layout: L4 ................................................................ 4-6

Layout: L5 ................................................................ 4-7

Layout: L6 ................................................................ 4-8

Chapter 5 – Troubleshooting & FAQ ........................................................... 5-1

Appendix ............................................................... A-1

Installing USB Drivers ............................................................... A-2

Low Speed Data Collection .............................................................. A-7

FHWA Type F Classiﬁcation Scheme .............................................. A-9

Memory Table ............................................................. A-11

Speciﬁcations ............................................................. A-12

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

Quick Setup Guide for the

TRAX Apollyon Plus II -

Bicycle & Mixed Trafﬁc

1. Road Tube Requirements – First and very important, you must use mini tube with a 3/16 inside diameter. This does not mean you can use the large 9/16 OD tubing with that small ID because bicycles are too light to make the pulse needed.

• For mixed trafﬁc applications, bicycle lanes on both sides of a normal 2 lane roadway where the posted speeds up to 45MPH, we recommend using a 40’ tube. For higher posted speeds a 50’ tubes will be ﬁne.

• Securing the tubes is a very important part of this process. You need to be sure that the tubes are secured to the road surface so as to avoid 'tube bounce' when tires run over the tubes. If a large, fast vehicle bounces the tube it will generate a low level pulse similar to that of a bike, which you want to avoid. To get this right, watch the regular trafﬁc traveling on the regular lanes and observe where their tires are normally running in the lanes. Once the tubes are down, mastic those running areas so as to avoid bounce.

2. Turn the TRAX Apollyon Plus II ON by pressing the POWER button. (Make sure the Main Power toggle is set to ON.)

3. TAB to Utils and press the DO key once.

4. Check the tube spacing currently set for the study (Sp:). The spacing should be

set to 1.0 ft. To change the Spacing, press DO with Sp: ﬂashing. Otherwise, press TAB until Exit is ﬂashing, then press DO. The default tube spacing will remain stored in the TRAX for all future studies. You will not need to set it again unless you are going to use a different spacing.

5. From the Main Menu, press the DO key when Count is ﬂashing.

6. Select 'Basic' as the study type. Do this by using the TAB key and hitting DO

when Basic is ﬂashing.

7. After selecting your type of study, you will be prompted to select a tube layout. Layouts L5 or L6 are the recommended layouts for the best accuracy. TAB to your selection and press the DO key to select it.

8. You will then be prompted to select a site code. Press DO with Yes ﬂashing to enter one or press DO with No ﬂashing to not use a site code.

9. Press DO with Start ﬂashing to begin your study!

1-1

Chapter 1

Introduction

to the

TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-2

What is the TRAX Apollyon Plus II?

The TRAX Apollyon Plus II Counter/Classiﬁer is an automatic trafﬁc recorder designed and built by JAMAR Technologies, Inc. It is designed for ease of use, but contains many options and features that are needed for comprehensive trafﬁc data collection. The TRAX Apollyon Plus II has been optimized to allow you to accurately collect both standard automotive trafﬁc and mixed bicycle/automotive trafﬁc using the same unit.

With the TRAX Apollyon Plus II you can collect data than can be processed for volume, speed, class and gap using a tube spacing as small as four inches.The Apollyon Plus II contains a built-in GPS receiver that allows the unit to automatically store GPS coordinates with a study. It can also report how accurate it thinks the coordinates are based on an analysis of the GPS readings throughout the course of the study.

The Apollyon Plus II can store up to 150 different studies. It stores the type of study done, the date and time, a site code and the data for the study. At any convenient time, you can transfer the data to the TRAXPro software on your computer using the USB Download Port.

Note that you can also transfer the data to a USB ﬂash drive using the USB Memory Port. Once on the ﬂash drive, the data can be easily transferred to TRAXPro on your computer. Once the data is in the TRAXPro software, reports for volume, class, speed and gap can be generated.

Before You Do a Count

Before you attempt to collect important data with the TRAX Apollyon Plus II we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with both the operation of the Apollyon Plus II and how to properly install your road tubes. Few things are more frustrating than trying to resolve problems when working on a tight deadline or with critical data.

The next section provides a tutorial that walks you through the basics of setting up the Apollyon Plus II and starting a count.

Whenever possible, we recommend that you perform a test count if you are new to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II or are planning to collect data that you have not in the past. This will help you become comfortable with the operation of the equipment and how the data is collected, which should make things easier when you have to do a real count.

1-3

Learning about the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

The remainder of this chapter provides a tutorial that will walk you through the basics of setting up the Apollyon Plus II and starting a new study. Once you have completed this tutorial, you should have a good working knowledge of how the Apollyon Plus II operates.

At its heart, the Apollyon Plus II is a very simple unit to set up and use. This tutorial will not attempt to cover every feature and option of the Apollyon Plus II, just those that are most commonly used. If you would like more information on a speciﬁc feature that is not covered in this tutorial, refer to chapter 2, which provides details on all the features and options of the Apollyon Plus II.

Turning the Apollyon Plus II On and Off

To start, we’ll familiarize ourselves with the basic features of the Apollyon Plus II. Open the lid of your Apollyon Plus II and you will see the faceplate, which contains a display for showing information and keys for entering data.

Note the Main Power toggle switch located at the top

middle of the Apollyon Plus II. As the name suggests, this switch controls the main battery connection to the Apollyon Plus II. This toggle should always be left set to ON, except in cases where the unit is no longer responding to the POWER key (described below) and needs a hard reset.

The ﬁrst thing we want to do is turn the unit on. This is done by pressing the black POWER key (also labeled TAB) at the lower right of the keys. Press this button now.

A start up screen will appear on the display, then it will show the Main Menu. Before we start to learn about this screen, let’s learn how to turn the unit off.

Again, press the POWER key, but this time continue to hold it down for about 5-6 seconds. The display will go off and the Apollyon Plus II is now turned off. It’s as simple as that – press the POWER key to turn the unit on, press and hold the same key to turn the unit off. Note that you can turn the

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-4

Battery Conservation

The Apollyon Plus II has a battery-saving feature that turns the display off if no keys have been pressed for 2 minutes. The Apollyon Plus II is still on and running, but the display has shut itself off to conserve power. When the Apollyon Plus II goes into this conservation mode, you need only hit any of the keys on the keypad for the display to come back up.

Similarly, the Apollyon Plus II has another feature that will turn itself off completely if no keys are pressed for 10 minutes (if there is no count in progress, of course). If this occurs, you can press the POWER key and the Apollyon Plus II will turn itself back on. The nice thing about this feature is that it will help preserve the Apollyon Plus II’s batteries if the Apollyon Plus II is accidently left turned on.

Apollyon Plus II off at any time, regardless of which screen you are on, by pressing and holding the POWER key down for 5-6 seconds.

Now that we’re familiar with how to turn the Apollyon Plus II off and on, let’s restart it and start looking at some of the features. Press the POWER key again to restart the Apollyon Plus II and let it boot up to the Main Menu.

Menu Navigation

There are two keys on the keypad of the Apollyon Plus II that are used to navigate through the various screens and select options. The black TAB key is used for navigation, while the red DO key is used to select an option. In general, you press the TAB key until the option you want is ﬂashing, and then press the DO key to select the option. If you move the highlight too far and overshoot the desired option, just keep pressing the TAB key until it is re-selected. Let’s see how this works.

The Main Menu shows several options on the top line – Count, USB and Utils. Notice that Count is ﬂashing. This means that it is the currently active option. Now, press the TAB key once and notice that

Press to move

highlight

Press to select

option

COUNT USB UTILS :0

Bat:3.6v :0

Count:00 7104K :0 15:21:58 02/13/18 :0

Main Menu

1-5

USB is now ﬂashing. Press it again and Utils is ﬂashing. Press TAB again, and the display goes back to Count ﬂashing. The TAB key is used to scroll through the various options shown on the display.

Notice that the bottom two lines of the display show some information on the current status of the Apollyon Plus II, including the number of counts stored in memory, the amount of memory left available (out of 8000K) and the currently programmed date and time.

Now we'll take a look at how to change some of the settings on the Apollyon Plus II. On the Main Menu, press the TAB key until Utils is ﬂashing, then press the DO key.

Utilites Menu

The Utilities menu contains an assortment of features that are necessary and/or helpful to the operation of the Apollyon Plus II. The options that can be selected are: Tube Spacing (Sp), Interval Length (Int), Dead Time (DT), Time/Date, Clear, System and Tests.

To start, let's take a look at the ﬁrst option, setting the Tube Spacing. Highlight the Sp option, then press DO.

Setting the Tube Spacing

When collecting data that will be processed for speed or classiﬁcation, you have to use a tube layout with at least two road tubes set at a ﬁxed distance apart. It is by knowing what this ﬁxed distance is that speed and classiﬁcation can be determined.

The typical value used for this distance with the Apollyon Plus II is 2.0 ft.

Set the Tube Spacing to the value you will be using by pressing the numbers on the keypad. Enter 2.0 by pressing 0,2,0. Once the correct number is entered, press DO to return to the Utilities menu.

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Sp:2.0ft Int:15min DT:0035ms Time/Date Clear System Tests Exit

Utilities Menu

TUBE SPACING

2.0 ft

DO:enter TAB:clear

Tube Spacing Screen

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-6

The next two settings on the Utilites menu, Interval Length and Dead Time, are typically left at their default values, so we won't go into details on them here. If you have a need to change either of these, refer to Chapter 2 for more information.

The fourth option, Time/Date, is used to enter the correct Time and Date for the Apollyon Plus II. We want to see how this works, so highlight Time/Date, then press DO.

Setting the Time and Date

The Apollyon Plus II contains a real-time clock, which means it is always keeping track of the time, whether the Apollyon Plus II is turned on or off. When you do a count, the data is stored based on the time and date that is set in the Apollyon Plus II, so it's important that the time and date are set correctly. If they are not, the data you produce will be inaccurate.

Highlight Time/Date, then press the DO key. To change a value in this screen, you press the TAB key to highlight the ﬁeld you want to change. You then press the Change keys (numbers 3 and 6) to either scroll up or down through the values.

Let's give this a try. With HR ﬂashing, press the 3 key several times and notice that the hour value increases up. Now, press the 6 key several times and notice that the value decreases.

Use the 3 or 6 key to reset the time to the correct hour. Note that the time style used is the military format, meaning 2:00 PM equals 14:00, so be sure you're selecting the correct hour. If you set the Apollyon Plus II to 2:00, it's set to 2:00 AM.

Check the remaining time and date values to make sure they are correct for your location. Make any changes that are necessary, then press the DO key to store the values and return to the Utilities menu.

HR MIN MON DAY YR 10:21 02/ 13 /18

3 and 6 change

Press DO to set date

Time & Date Screen

1-7

Clearing the Data Memory

The ﬁfth option listed in the Utilites menu is Clear. This option is used to clear the data memory of the Apollyon Plus II.

When you do a count with the Apollyon Plus II, that count stays in the memory of the Apollyon Plus II (regardless of how many times you download the data to a computer) until you clear the memory using this option. That's an important fact to remember, so we'll repeat it - when you do a count with the Apollyon Plus II, that count stays in the memory of the Apollyon Plus II until you clear the memory using this option.

Let's take a closer look at this process. Highlight Clear, then press the DO key.

If you are worried about losing your data by following the previous instruction, don't be. When you select the Clear option, the Apollyon Plus II does not immediately clear the memory. Instead, it brings up the ﬁrst of two conﬁrmation screen that you must go through before the memory is actually cleared. This is designed to prevent you from accidentally clearing the memory. To clear the memory, you must conﬁrm that that is what you want to do on both conﬁrmation screens.

How often you should clear the memory is a matter of personal preference. We recommend that you clear the memory after you have downloaded your data to the computer and checked to make sure it looks okay. However, some people like to leave the counts in the Apollyon Plus II's memory for a while as a sort of a backup of the data. It's up to you to decide which you prefer.

Since we don't want to actually clear the memory at this point, press DO with Exit ﬂashing to return to the Utilites menu.

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-8

The sixth option on the Utilites menu, System, lets you change some system settings for the Apollyon Plus II. In most cases, you probably won't need to change any of these. However, if you're using the Apollyon Plus II outside the US, you can use this menu to set the Apollyon Plus II to Metric mode.

The last option on the Utilities menu, Tests, allows you to run several diagnostic tests on the Apollyon Plus II in case you ever encounter a problem with its use.

Now that we've taken a look at how to program some of the setting of the Apollyon Plus II, let see how to actually start a count. Highlight Exit on the Utilites menu, the press DO to return to the Main Menu.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Data Memory

There are a few common questions people ask related to the memory of the Apollyon Plus II:

Q: If I download the data from the Apollyon Plus II to the computer, does that remove the data from the Apollyon Plus II? A: No. You can download the same data as many times as you like and it doesn't affect what's stored in the Apollyon Plus II.

Q: If I start a new count in the Apollyon Plus II, does that wipe out any old counts? A: No. The Apollyon Plus II can store up to 150 different counts in memory.

Q: If I have several counts stored in the memory of the Apollyon Plus II, can I delete just one speciﬁc one? A: No. Clearing the memory deletes the entire memory. You cannot clear individual counts from the memory.

1-9

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Starting a New Count

With Count highlighted on the Main Menu, press the DO key.

You have two options for the type of data you want to collect – Basic or Volume Only.

So what do we mean when we say ‘Basic’ data and ‘Volume Only’ data?

Basic data means that the data you are collecting in the ﬁeld with the Apollyon Plus II is in its most basic format – a time-stamp recording for every single axle that goes over the road tubes you have put down. (Some people refer to this type of data as Raw data or Time-stamped data – we call it Basic data. They all essentially mean the same thing.) Depending on the tube layout you select (we'll cover this shortly) Basic data can be processed to provide data for volume, speed, classiﬁcation & gap, all from the same original ﬁle.

With Volume Only data, as the name implies, you can only get volume information. This format also does not time-stamp every axle, but rather sorts and stores the volume data into speciﬁc interval times.

In general, we recommend that you use the Basic format whenever you can. There are several reasons for this, the most important of which is that if something goes wrong with one of your counts, it is much easier to de-

termine why (and potentially ﬁx the problem without having to re-do the count) if the data is collected in the Basic format.

There is a third option listed on this menu, Tubes, that can be used to view the strength of the pulses that are coming in on the road tubes. We'll learn more about this feature a little later on in the tutorial.

With Basic highlighted on the screen, press the DO key.

BASIC VOLUME ONLY TUBES EXIT Basic Data Press DO to select

Count Menu with Basic highlighted

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-10

Selecting a Layout

The next screen you see is used to select the type of layout you will be using to collect your data.

The Apollyon Plus II contains 6 pre-programmed layouts, labelled L1 through L6. These all represent different ways of placing road tubes on the road to collect data.

Press the TAB key and the highlight will move from L1 to L2. Also notice that the bottom two lines of the display changes to provide a description of whichever layout you have highlighted.

Which layout you select largely depends on the type of data you need. Some layouts can only provide volume and gap data (L1, L2, L3, L4) while others will provide speed and class in addition to volume and gap (L5, L6). For full descriptions of the different tube layouts, refer to chapter 5. Note that the recommended layouts for collecting accurate bicycle

classiﬁcation data is the L5 or L6 layout.

If you need to produce reports for speed or classiﬁcation data, the most commonly used layout is L6. This is designed for standard two-lane roads with trafﬁc traveling in opposite directions. Another commonly used layout is L5, which is designed for one-lane of trafﬁc (or possibly two if each lane is going in the same direction). (Note that any layouts that provide speed & class data also automatically provide volume data.)

For this tutorial, we'll select the L6 layout, so press the TAB key until L6 is ﬂashing, then press DO.

The next screen gives you the option to enter a Site Code for your count. This feature allows you to enter information speciﬁc to where the study was done, such as street names, location codes, etc. If you do a lot of counts at different locations, using Site Codes can help you keep track of them all. We won't use one for this tutorial, so press TAB to highlight NO, the press DO.

L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6

L1: Two Channel Vol. A,B

Layout Menu with L1 highlighted

1-11

Viewing GPS Information

The next screen you see is the Count Start menu. It gives you three options: Start the count, view the GPS data or view the Status of the setup.

We want to see how the GPS coordinates work, so press TAB to highlight GPS, then press DO.

Once the GPS screen appears the GPS receiver within the Apollyon Plus II will start looking for GPS satellites.

Generally, the Apollyon Plus II should be able to get a ﬁx on the necessary number of GPS satellites and display the coordinates within one minute.

Keep in mind that to properly 'see' the GPS satellites the Apollyon Plus II will generally need unobstructed access to the sky. Things that can adversely affect getting a good GPS signal include, but are not limited to, any overhead metal, close proximity to buildings (especially tall buildings), dense foliage and ice or snow on the top of the unit.

Once the coordinates are displayed, press DO with Done ﬂashing to return to the Count Start menu.

The GPS receiver will download the count’s location coordinates to memory when the data collection is started. It will then re-download the coordinates throughout the span of the count. Once the data collection is ﬁnished and the count downloaded to TRAXPro, the software analyzes the coordinates throughout the count. It veriﬁes whether the counter has been moved and provides a master latitude and longitude for the count.

START GPS STAT EXIT

Press DO to view the

GPS Location data

Count Start Menu with GPS highlighted

Receiving GPS Data Waiting For

Signal

Refresh Done

GPS Screen waiting for signal

GPS Location Found Lat:040*15.8115m N Lon:075*16.9724m E

Refresh Done

GPS Screen with Coordinates

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-12

Starting a New Count

We're now ready to start our count. Before we do so, notice the STAT option on this screen. The STAT option lets you review how you have set up the count.

Now, to start our count, press DO with Start ﬂashing. The Apollyon Plus II immediately goes into data recording mode and the count has begun.

Once the count has begun, the ﬁrst of four status screens is displayed. The top line of this screen tells us what layout we have selected and the data format we are using. The middle two lines will show the hits that are being received on the road tubes. Whenever a vehicle's axle hits one of the road tubes, you should see an asterisk appear on that tube's row. The bottom line shows what number count this is in the Apollyon Plus II's memory, the percentage of memory available, and the battery voltage.

Press the TAB key and the second status screen will appear. This screen provides a more detailed description of the layout we are using, along with the default dead time value (DT) set in the Apollyon Plus II. (Dead Time is explained in detail in chapter 2 – in most cases a value from 25 - 40 milliseconds will work ﬁne.)

START GPS STAT EXIT

Press DO to Start

Count Start Menu with Start highlighted

L06 BASIC-DATA A: B: CNT: 01 MEM:97% 3.6v

Count Status Screen #1

Layout Selected

Data Format

Battery Voltage

Count Number & Memory Available

Tube Hits

L6: Two Equal Tubes with spacing; 2 dir

DT:35ms

Count Status Screen #2

Dead Time Setting

Layout Description

1-13

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Press the TAB key again and the third status screen will appear. This screen shows the time and date that are set in the Apollyon Plus II, along with any site code that has been entered.

Press the TAB key again and the ﬁnal status screen is shown. This screen shows the strength of the hits that are being received on the tubes that you are using.

When a hit is received on a tube, the strength of that hit is shown for about a second on the display of the Apollyon Plus II. Pulse levels are broken down into 4 categories: ‘X’ for Poor, ‘-’ for Fair, ‘G’ for Good and ‘!’ for Excellent.

In the example shown below, the pulse strength is excellent for the A, C and D tubes. However, the pulse strength for the B tube is poor, indicating that the tube should be checked, and possibly replaced.

By checking this screen, you can determine if a tube should be reinstalled, or replaced, before leaving the site.

Note that the Main Menu of the Apollyon Plus II also contains a version of this tube test feature, which assigns numeric values to the strength of the pulses, ranging from 0 for no pulse to 9 for strongest pulse. These are shown by the numbers on the far right side of the screen on the Main Menu.

16:04:52 02/13/18 SITE CODE:

Count Status Screen #3

Site Code Fields

Time & Date

A:XXXX - - - - - - - - GGGG!! B:XXX C:XXXX - - - - - - - - GGGG!! D:XXXX - - - - - - - - GGGG!!

Count Status Screen #4

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-14

Now press TAB again, and the display will go back to showing the ﬁrst of the status screens.

If we were doing a real count, at this point we'd close the lid of the Apollyon Plus II and lock it up. The Apollyon Plus II will then continue to do its job of collecting data until we tell it to stop.

It's a good idea to periodically check the status of your count, if possible, when you are doing one for an extended period of time. If you are doing a count for a week or more, you may want to stop by and check the status screens once or twice during the count, just to make sure everything is still recording correctly.

Ending the Count

When you want to end a count, simply turn the Apollyon Plus II off by pressing the POWER key and holding it down for 5-6 seconds. This shuts the Apollyon Plus II down and stores the count ﬁle in memory. Go ahead and do that now to end the count we started. Once the unit is turned off, press the POWER key to start it back up again.

Downloading Your Data

Once you have collected data and stored it in memory, the next step is to download it. The data can be downloaded either directly to a computer using the USB Download Port or to a USB Flash Drive through the USB Memory Port. We'll cover both options in this tutorial.

To download your data directly to a computer, ﬁrst plug a USB cable into the USB Download Port of the Apollyon Plus II, then plug the other end into your computer.

Note that the ﬁrst time you are connecting the Apollyon Plus II to a computer using the USB port, you will need to install the drivers for it. (This is typically an easy process – refer to the Appendix for information on how to do this before proceeding.) The USB drivers create a virtual comm port that you will select in the TRAXPro software.

On the Apollyon Plus II itself, check to see if the Main Menu is visible. Your data can be downloaded if this screen is visible.

1-15

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Once your Apollyon Plus II is properly connected (and the drivers have been installed), start the TRAXPro software and click on the Download a TRAX counter icon. The Download Trafﬁc Recorder screen will then appear.

The baud rate setting determines how fast the data will be transferred into the program. Note that the TRAX Apollyon Plus II will automatically sense whatever baud rate you select in the software. The higher the baud rate, the faster your data will be downloaded. Most computers can be set for the highest setting, 115200, so select this. Once this is set, select the comm port which was created by the USB driver. (Refer to the Appendix for more information on this.) TRAXPro will only list the comm ports that are available on your computer, making the selection easier.

After making any needed adjustments, click on the Begin button in TRAXPro and the program will attempt to connect to the Apollyon Plus II. The trafﬁc signal icons at the bottom of the TRAXPro screen provide the status of the download.

If the connection is made, you will see a blue progress bar moving across the TRAXPro screen as the data is transferred. While the data is being downloaded, the display on the Apollyon Plus II will show:

When all of the data in the Apollyon Plus II has been downloaded, you will either see a screen for assigning a name to your ﬁle or, if there is more than one count, a list of counts to choose from.

Once the data has been transferred to the computer, the Apollyon Plus II display will return to the screen it was on before the download began.

Downloaded counts will remain in the memory of the TRAX until they are cleared, using the method we covered earlier in this tutorial.

TRANSFER IN PROGRESS COUNT:01 BLOCK:000001 Sending Data...

Download in Progress

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-16

The other option you have for retrieving your data is by using a USB ﬂash drive. This is a convenient way of retrieving your data without having to either bring the Apollyon Plus II back to your ofﬁce or take a laptop into the ﬁeld.

USB ﬂash drives (also known as jump drives) come in various shapes and sizes and are made by many different manufacturers. Shown here is a model distributed by JAMAR for use with the Apollyon Plus II, but note that just about any recently made ﬂash drive (2006 or later) should work.

To retrieve data using a ﬂash drive, plug it into the USB Memory Port of the Apollyon Plus II, then highlight the USB selection on the Main Menu of the Apollyon Plus II and press the DO key.

You will then see the USB Download screen, which gives you the option to download the data in memory to the ﬂash drive. To do this, with the Download option ﬂashing, press the DO key to start the data download.

While the data is being retrieved, the display on the Apollyon Plus II will show:

When all of the data in the Apollyon Plus II has been downloaded, you will see the message 'Transfer Complete!' on the Apollyon Plus II. It will then return to the screen it was on before the download began.

DOWNLOAD EXIT v3.68 Write ALL counts to the USB Flash Drive

USB Download Screen

TRANSFER IN PROGRESS COUNT:01 BLOCK:000001 Sending Data...

Download in Progress

USB Flash Drive

1-17

Chapter 1 — Introduction to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

The USB Flash drive can then be used to retrieve data from additional counters, or taken back to the ofﬁce for download into TRAXPro.

To retrieve the data from the ﬂash drive to your computer using TRAXPro, plug the ﬂash drive into your computer then go to the File menu in TRAXPro and select Acquire > USB Flash Drive.

Congratulations

Now that you have completed this tutorial, you should have a good working knowledge of how the Apollyon Plus II operates. The next chapter covers all the options and features of the Apollyon Plus II in detail, both those we touched on in this tutorial and additional ones.

We commend you on your choice of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II for your data collection needs. A lot of thought and care has gone into the design of this unit, and it should provide you with years of reliable service.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

1-18

2-1

Operational

Features

of the

TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-2

How is the TRAX Apollyon Plus II powered?

The TRAX Apollyon Plus II is powered by long-life lithium batteries. No battery charging is required.

Using the Keypad

The TRAX Apollyon Plus II contains a membrane keypad comprised of 12 keys: numbers 0 through 9, DO and TAB (also POWER). This keypad is used to make all entries and menu selections for the TRAX.

Important Note: The keys of the membrane keypad do not need to be pressed very hard to activate. A light touch is best and will prolong the life of the keypad.

The POWER button (also used as the TAB button) is used to turn the unit on. Simply press the press the button and the unit will turn itself on. To turn the Apollyon Plus II off, press and hold down the button for ﬁve seconds.

Note that the Apollyon Plus II also has a Main Pow- er toggle switch, which is located at the top middle of the Apollyon Plus II. As the name suggests, this switch controls the main battery connection to the Apollyon Plus II. This toggle should always be left set to ON, except in cases where the unit is no longer responding to the POWER key (described above) and needs a hard reset.

Two buttons are all that are used to move from menu to menu, and to select from the various options shown on the display. One key (TAB) is used to move the highlight to the option you want, and another is used to implement it (the DO key). In general, you press the TAB key until the option you want is ﬂashing, and then press the DO key. If you move the highlight too far and overshoot the desired option, just keep pressing the TAB key until it is re-selected.

2-3

Start-up Screen

A four-line, 20-character LCD display, located in the middle of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II’s front panel, is used to display current options and status.

Important note: The TRAX Apollyon Plus II has a power-saving feature that turns off the display if no keys have been pressed on the unit for two minutes. To bring the display back up, simply hit any of the buttons on the keypad.

After you power on the Apollyon Plus II, the sign-on screen is displayed. This shows the version number of the ﬁrmware in the Apollyon Plus II on the bottom line. The ﬁrmware is the internal program that the Apollyon Plus II uses to operate. If you ever encounter a problem with your unit and request support for it, you may be asked for this version number.

After a few seconds, the screen clears and the Main Menu is displayed.

JAMAR TECHNOLOGIES

Firmware version

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Startup Screen

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-4

Main Menu

The Main Menu is the starting point for all of the options in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. The options on this screen are:

COUNT Program a new count. When Count is selected you can

choose from BASIC or VOLUME ONLY. Depending on the mode of data collection you have selected, you can produce reports in the software for volume, class, speed, gap, length and following distance.

USB Use a USB Flash drive to retrieve data from the memory

of the Apollyon Plus II.

UTILS Perform miscellaneous operations that include the option

to clear the memory of the Apollyon Plus II, set the time & date, perform diagnostic tests, and program a variety of default settings.

Note that the four numbers on the far right side of the display are related to the Apollyon Plus II's road tube testing feature. Any time you have road tubes connected to the Apollyon Plus II, these numbers will reﬂect the strength of the air pulses being received, ranging from 0 for no pulse, to 9 for strongest pulse. This feature is discussed in more detail on page 2-10.

COUNT USB UTILS :0

Bat:3.6v :0

Count:01 7468K :0 08:46:14 02/13/18 :0

(Utilities)

Main Menu

2-5

Utilities Menu

The Utilities Menu contains an assortment of operations that are necessary and/or helpful to the operation of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. Press the TAB key until UTILS is ﬂashing, then press the DO key to enter this menu. When you have selected UTILS from the Main Menu the screen shown here is displayed.

Note: The nonvolatile memory in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II will retain the default settings you program. These settings will be used for future trafﬁc studies without having to re-enter them.

Tube Spacing

The Tube Spacing selection allows you to set the proper tube spacing for the tube layout you will be using. When collecting data that will be processed for speed or classiﬁcation, you have to use a tube layout with at least two road tubes set at a ﬁxed distance apart (L5 or L6). It is by knowing what this ﬁxed distance is that speed and classiﬁcation can be determined.

The currently set tube spacing is shown. To change this, use the TAB button to select Sp: and press DO. The screen shown here will then be displayed.

The typical value used for this distance with the Apollyon Plus II is

2.0 ft.

Set the Tube Spacing to the value you will be using by pressing the numbers on the keypad. Enter 1.0 by pressing 0,1,0. Once the correct number is entered, press DO to return to the Utilities menu.

Sp:2.0ft Int:15min DT:0035ms Time/Date Clear System Tests Exit

Main Menu > Utils

Main Menu > Utils > Sp

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TUBE SPACING

2.0 ft

DO:enter TAB:clear

Tube Spacing Screen

Utilities Menu

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-6

Data Interval

The Data Interval selection only applies to data collected in Volume Only mode. It allows you to internally store data in 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, or 60 minute intervals.

The currently selected interval is shown. To change this, use the TAB button to highlight Int: and then press the DO key to cycle through the available intervals times. Once the interval time you want is shown, press the TAB key until Exit is ﬂashing, the press DO to return to the Main Menu.

Dead Time

Dead Time (DT), which is also known as D-Bounce, is the amount of time the air switch in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II will wait after it has recorded a pulse before it will accept another one. This helps the Apollyon Plus II to eliminate extraneous pulses caused by an initial pulse reverberating in the road tube.

The currently set DT is shown. To change this, use the TAB button to select DT: and press DO. The screen shown here will then be displayed.

Typically, the DT value is set for 35 milliseconds, which will give good results on most trafﬁc travelling at speeds from 10 to 70 mph. If you are recording trafﬁc at faster speeds, you may want to lower the DT. At slower speeds, a higher DT can be used. (Refer to the Appendix for more information.)

To enter a DT value, use the keypad of the Apollyon Plus II to type in any number from 0000 to 9999. Once the value you want has been entered, press the DO key to return to the Utilities menu.

Main Menu > Utils > Int

DEAD TIME 0035 ms

DO:enter TAB:clear

Dead Time Screen

Main Menu > Utils > DT

2-7

Time/Date

This option allows you to program the date and time in your TRAX Apollyon Plus II. To use this option, press TAB until Time/Date is ﬂashing and then press DO. The screen shown here is then displayed.

The currently set time and date in the Apollyon Plus II is shown. The TAB key is used to cycle through the HR, MIN, MON, DAY and YR headings. When the heading you want is selected, use the Change buttons of the keypad (3 and 6) to enter the value you want.

NOTE: The real time clock in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II uses a 24hour military format so, for example, if you want to enter the time of 5:00 PM you would enter 17:00.

When completed, press the DO button to return to the Utilities menu.

Clear

The Clear option allows you to clear the memory of all data. You are given two chances to change your mind before the data is permanently removed from the nonvolatile memory.

System

This option allows you to program some of the system settings of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. To access these settings, press the TAB key until System is ﬂashing, then press the DO key. The screen shown here is then displayed.

Date

This selection allows you to determine the format of the date used in the unit. The options are USA (month/day/year) or World (day/ month/year). To change the setting, press TAB until Date: is ﬂashing, then press DO to select either USA or World.

HR MIN MON DAY YR 14:06 02/ 13 /18

3 and 6 change

Press DO to set date.

Main Menu > Utils > Time/Date

Main Menu > Utils > System

Main Menu > Utils > Clear

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Time/Date Setting

Date:USA Units:English Count Split: Off Idle:Shut Off EXIT

System Settings

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-8

Units

This selection allows you to determine the format of the units used in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. The options are English or Metric. To change the setting, press TAB until Units: is ﬂashing, then press DO to select either English or Metric.

Note that changing this setting does not automatically convert existing values. For example, if you have a tube spacing of 2.0 ft and change the Units to metric, the new value will be 2.0 meters.

Count Split

This selection allows you to determine whether the data for a study should be recorded in one continuous ﬁle or if the study should be split up and stored in memory on a daily or weekly basis. When the study is split, a new ﬁle is automatically started and the data collection continues.

The Off option tells the unit to never split the ﬁle and to run in continuous mode. This is the most commonly used option.

The Daily option tells the Apollyon Plus II to store the data in daily ﬁles (splitting it at 12 AM), while the Weekly option tells it to split the study on a weekly basis (splitting it at 12 AM Sunday). These options are normally only used if the Apollyon Plus II is set up at a permanent location and data is being retrieved while the unit is still recording data.

To change the setting, press TAB until Count Split: is ﬂashing, then press DO to select either Off, Daily or Weekly.

Idle

This selection allows you to set options related to what the Apollyon Plus II should do when it is 'idle' – meaning it has been turned on, but no study is in progress and no keys have been pressed for at least ten minutes. Essentially, this setting helps preserve battery life if the unit is accidentally left turned on.

The Shut Off option tells the Apollyon Plus II to turn itself off if it has been left on and undisturbed for more than 10 minutes (and no

2-9

study is in progress, of course). This is the setting we recommend as it prevents the battery from draining if the unit is accidentally left on.

The Start option tells the Apollyon Plus II to start a new study if it has been left on and undisturbed for more than 10 minutes and no study is already in progress.

The Stay On option tells the Apollyon Plus II to leave itself on even if it has been left on and undisturbed for more than 10 minutes and no study is already in progress.

To change the setting, press TAB until Idle: is ﬂashing, then press DO to select either Shut Off, Start or Stay On.

Tests

This option allows you to perform diagnostic tests on various features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II to be sure they are operating correctly.

Memory Test

The Memory test will check all memory locations in the unit’s 8 MB memory. To perform the test, press DO while Memory is ﬂashing and the TRAX Apollyon Plus II automatically starts testing the memory. Note that the memory must be cleared of any count data before the test can be performed.

Display Test

The Display test allows you to view all segments of the liquid crystal display to be sure the display has not been damaged. To test the display, press DO after each of the screens that are shown.

Keypad Test

The Keypad test allows you to check the functionality of each of the buttons on the keyboard. When in this test mode a simulation of the 12 keys is shown on the left side of the display. As you press a key an ‘X’ should brieﬂy appear at the correct location in the simulation. Pressing the DO key will exit you from the test.

Memory Test Display Test Keypad Test Tube Test EXIT

Main Menu > Utils > Tests

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Tests Screen

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-10

Tube Test

The Tube test allows you to check the quality of the air pulses that are being received by the Apollyon Plus II from the road tubes. This test should be performed once the TRAX is in the ﬁeld and connected to the road tubes to be used for the study. The test lets you identify potential problems with the tubes, enabling you to take corrective action.

When a pulse is received while in test mode, the strength of the pulse is shown for about a second on the display of the TRAX. Pulse levels are broken down into 4 categories: ‘X’ for Poor, ‘-’ for Fair, ‘G’ for Good and ‘!’ for Excellent.

In the example shown here, the pulse strength is excellent for the A, C and D tubes. However, the pulse strength for the B tube is poor, indicating that the tube should be checked, and possibly replaced.

Note that the Main Menu of the TRAX also contains a version of this tube test feature, which assigns numeric values to the strength of the pulses, ranging from 0 for no pulse to 9 for strongest pulse. Refer to page 2-4 for more details.

Should you see a channel that is reading weak you can swap the hoses on the nozzle to see if the weak signal follows the hose or if it remains on the same channel. This will tell you if the weak signal is an issue with the hose or with the counter.

If the weak signal follows the hose the issue is with the hose and the hose should be replaced with a fresh one. If it stays put then it could be an airswitch or some other hardware issue with the counter.

Press the DO or TAB key to exit the tube test screen.

A:XXXX - - - - - - - - GGGG!! B:XXX C:XXXX - - - - - - - - GGGG!! D:XXXX - - - - - - - - GGGG!!

Tube Test Screen

2-11

Count Menu

When you select Count from the Main Menu, you are given the option of the type of data you would like to collect, or to test the tubes.

Tubes

Selecting this option will take you to the road tube test screen, which is described on page 2-10.

Basic

Basic data means that the data you are collecting in the ﬁeld with the Apollyon Plus II is in its most basic format – a time-stamp recording for every single axle that goes over the road tubes you have put down. (Some people refer to this type of data as Raw data or Time-stamped data – we call it Basic data. They all essentially mean the same thing.) Depending on the tube layout you select, Basic data can be processed to provide data for volume, speed, classiﬁcation & gap, all from the same original ﬁle.

Important note: In general, we recommend that you use the Basic format whenever you can. There are several reasons for this, the most important of which is that if something goes wrong with one of your counts, it is much easier to determine why (and potentially ﬁx the problem without having to re-do the count) if the data is collected in the Basic format.

Selecting this type of count will take you into the tube layout selection menu, described on the next page.

Volume Only

As the name implies, with Volume Only data you can only get volume information. This format also does not time-stamp every axle, but rather sorts and stores the volume data into speciﬁc interval times.

If you select Volume Only you will be taken to the screen shown here, where you can choose a study using either the divide-by-two technique or a straight axle count.

BASIC VOLUME ONLY TUBES EXIT

VOL-VEH VOL-AXLE EXIT

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

Count Menu

Volume Only Format Menu

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-12

Select VOL-VEH for a divide-by two study, where every two hits is counted as one. Select VOL-AXLE for an axle count, where every hit is counted as one. After you select the type of study you want, you will be taken to the tube layout selection menu, described below.

Tube Layout Selection

A screen similar to the one shown here is displayed when in the Tube Layout Selection Menu.

The TAB key is used to move through the layouts. A description of the currently ﬂashing layout is shown on the bottom two lines. Refer to Chapter 4 Road Tube Layouts for more detailed descriptions of the layouts.

Listed below are the types of layouts that can be used depending on the data collection mode selected.

Volume Only

1 or 2 Road Tubes L1, L2, L3, L4

Basic

1 or 2 Road Tubes L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6

Note that only the L5 and L6 layouts can produce data that can be analyzed for speed and class information.

Press DO when the layout you want to use is ﬂashing. You will then be taken to the Site Code menu.

Site Code

The data in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II includes the date and time that the study was done, but no direct information on where the study was done. Use of the Site Code is a way for you to identify the assigned count location.

YES NO EXIT

Enter Site Code

Press DO to select

L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6

Tube Layout Selection Menu

Site Code Menu

2-13

To enter a Site Code, press DO while YES is ﬂashing. You then have the option of using either a numeric (numbers only) site code or an alpha-numeric (numbers, letters and symbols) site code.

Numeric Site Code

Numeric site codes can be one or two lines, with up to 20 characters on each line. Enter the value for the ﬁrst line of the site code using the numbered key on the TRAX. Once done, press DO to move to the second line. Once the second line has been entered press DO and the code is stored. You are then returned to the Site Code selection screen, with the code you entered shown. Select OK to proceed to the Count Start-Up menu.

Alpha-numeric Site Code

Alpha-numeric site codes can be one or two lines, with up to 20 characters on each line. The alpha-numeric code can use numbers, lower case letters, upper case letters and/or symbols. Use of an alpha-numeric site code allows you to include street names or other text as part of your identiﬁcation information.

When you first enter the Alpha-numeric site code screen the ﬁrst ﬁeld is ﬂashing, along with the OK selection. To enter a value, press the TAB key until the ﬁeld for numbers, upper case letters, lower case letters, or symbols is ﬂashing. Use the Change keys (3 and 6) to scroll through the values for the option you’ve selected. Once the character you want is entered, press DO and the highlight will move to the next ﬁeld.

Once the code you want has been entered, press the TAB key until OK is ﬂashing, then press DO. You are then returned to the Site Code selection screen, with the code you entered shown. Select OK to proceed to the Count Start-Up menu.

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

0-9 A-Z a-z SYM OK

- - Press DO for next - -

Alpha-numeric Site Code Screen

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-14

START GPS STAT EXIT

Press DO to Start

Count Start-up Menu

The Count Start-Up menu allows you to immediately begin a count, or check the status of the setup.

GPS

The GPS selection allows you to view the GPS coordinates for your location, to verify that the Apollyon Plus II is getting a good signal from the satellites. Press TAB to highlight GPS, then press DO.

Once the GPS screen appears the receiver within the Apollyon Plus II will start looking for GPS satellites.

Generally, the Apollyon Plus II should be able to get a ﬁx on the necessary number of GPS satellites and display the coordinates within one minute.

Once the coordinates are displayed, press DO with Done ﬂashing to return to the Count Start menu.

Note that the coordinates displayed on the GPS screen may not be the exact coordinates that are stored with the count itself. The Apollyon Plus II checks the GPS coordinates throughout the course of the count and stores that information in memory. Once downloaded to the software, the software calculates the most precise GPS coordinates from all the stored results. This is then used as the coordinates that are displayed with the count.

Count Start-up Menu

Receiving GPS Data Waiting For

Signal

Refresh Done

GPS Screen waiting for signal

GPS Location Found Lat:040*15.8115m N Lon:075*16.9724m E

Refresh Done

GPS Screen with Coordinates

2-15

STAT

When you select STAT from the Count Start-up menu, you are shown some summary information on the conﬁguration of the TRAX.

The ﬁrst screen shows the tube layout selection and the Dead Time setting. Press the TAB key to see the current date and time, as well as the Site Code. After you have tabbed through the available screens, you will be returned to the Count Start-up Menu.

START

When you select Start from the Count Start-up menu, the TRAX Apollyon Plus II will begin recording data. You will be shown a screen that displays the data as it is being collected. There are several screens available for viewing while the TRAX Apollyon Plus II is collecting data. Press the TAB key to page though the available status screens. The following are examples of the types of screens that are available for review depending on the study you have programmed.

Basic Data Status Screens

The top line of this screen gives the layout that has been selected (L6) and the type of study being done (Basic). The next two lines represent the tubes that data is being recorded on (A, B). As the tires from an axle strike the tubes, an asterisk is recorded in the appropriate channel. The bottom line tells you what number count this study is (CNT:02), the percentage of memory available (MEM:95%) and the battery voltage (3.6v).

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

L5: Two Equal Tubes with spacing; 1 dir

DT: 35 ms

Stat Screen

L06 BASIC-DATA A: ****** B: ****** CNT: 02 MEM:95% 3.6v

Basic Data Status Screen #1

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-16

The top two lines of this screen tell you the layout selected and the how the tubes should be arranged for this study. The fourth line tells you what the dead time is set for (DT:35ms).

The top line of this screen gives the date and time as they are set in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. The next three lines provide information on the site code that has been programmed for the study.

This screen shows the road tube diagnostics (refer to page 2-10), which allows you to check the strength of the pulses coming from the tubes while the study is being conducted. By using the screen, you can check to see if any road tubes are starting to fail while you are still collecting data.

Volume Only Status Screens

The top line of this screen tells you the way in which the data is being collected (CHNL CNTS, or Channel Counts) and the current interval number (Int:0001). The next two lines give you the total per channel for the current interval. The last line gives you the time and date as they are programmed in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II.

07:13:12 02/13/18 SITE CODE: 6003-2006 MAIN ST AT ELM ST

A: B: C: D:

L6: Two Equal Tubes with spacing; 2 dir

DT:35ms

Basic Data Status Screen #2

Basic Data Status Screen #3

Basic Data Status Screen #4

CHNL CNTS Int:0001 A:0006 B-A:0008 TD 07:19:50 02/13/18

Volume Only Status Screen #1

2-17

This screen provides the total accumulated volume for each channel for the entire study. This can be used to get a total count without having to download the counter to a computer.

The top line of this screen tells you the layout that has been selected (L2) and the type of study being done (VOL-VEH). The next two lines represent the channels that data is being recorded on (A and B). As the tires from an axle strike the tubes, an asterisk is recorded in the appropriate channel. The bottom line tells you what number count this study is in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II (CNT:02), the percentage of memory available (MEM:99%) and the battery voltage (3.6v).

The top two lines of this screen tell you the layout selected and how the tubes should be arranged for this study. The fourth line tells you what length of interval is being used for the study (Intv:15min).

The top line of this screen gives the date and time as they are set in the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. The next three lines provide information on the site code that has been programmed for the study.

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TOTAL COUNTS A:000006 B-A:000008

Volume Only Status Screen #2

L02-VOL-VEH A:****** B:******** CNT:02 MEM: 99% 3.6v

Volume Only Status Screen #3

L2: Two Tube Vol A, B-A

Intv: 15 min.

Volume Only Status Screen #4

07:13:12 02/13/18 SITE CODE: 6003-2006 MAIN ST AT ELM ST

Volume Only Status Screen #5

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-18

This screen shows the road tube diagnostics (refer to page 2-10), which allows you to check the strength of the pulses coming from the tubes while the study is being conducted. By using this screen, you can check to see if any road tubes are starting to fail while you are still collecting data.

Ending a Count

There are several ways to end a count. The most common way is to manually turn the TRAX Apollyon Plus II off. To turn the Apollyon Plus II off, press the POWER key and hold it down for 5-6 seconds. The Apollyon Plus II will turn off and the count will be stored in its internal memory. Additional studies can then be conducted with the unit. The TRAX Apollyon Plus II can hold up to 150 different studies in its memory.

You can also end the count through the options accessed by hitting the DO key while a study is in progress.

The New option will end the current count and immediately begin a new one with the same default settings. This option is useful if you want to download data you have collected, but still want to leave the Apollyon Plus II in place. The Stop option will end the current count without restarting it. The Back option will return you to the Status screens.

A: B: C: D:

Volume Only Status Screen #6

BACK NEW STOP

Stop Count Screen

2-19

Downloading a TRAX Apollyon Plus II

The TRAX Apollyon Plus II data is designed to be processed by the TRAXPro software. Getting the data from the Apollyon Plus II to your computer can be done in one of two ways. One, you can download the data directly to your computer using the Apollyon Plus II's USB Download Port, or two, via the Apollyon Plus II's USB Memory Port to a USB ﬂash drive.

Direct USB Download to Computer

To download your data directly to a computer, ﬁrst plug a USB cable into the USB Download Port of the Apollyon Plus II, then plug the other end into your computer. Turn the Apollyon Plus II on.

Note: The ﬁrst time you are connecting the Apollyon Plus II to a computer using the USB port, you will need to install the drivers for it. Refer to the Appendix for information on how to do this before proceeding. The USB drivers create a virtual comm port that you will select in the TRAXPro software.

On the TRAX itself, you must have either the Main Menu or the Count Status screen visible to download data. If the Main Menu is visible, the download will transfer all data currently stored in memory. If the Count Status screen is visible, the download will transfer all counts stored in memory, but not the count currently being done. If you have a count in progress that you would like to download you must end the count, using one of the options discussed on page 2-17.

Once your Apollyon Plus II is properly connected (and the drivers have been installed), start the TRAXPro software and click on Download Trafﬁc

Recorder. The Download Trafﬁc Recorder screen will then appear. Select Download TRAX Counter and the TRAX download screen will appear.

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-20

for more information on this.) TRAXPro will only list the comm ports that are available on your computer, making the selection easier.

When all of the data in the Apollyon Plus II has been downloaded, you will either see a screen for assigning a name to your ﬁle or, if there is more than one count, a list of counts to choose from.

Once the data has been transferred to the computer, the Apollyon Plus II display will return to the screen it was on before the download began.

Downloaded counts will remain in the memory of the TRAX until they are cleared, using the method described on page 2-7.

USB Flash Drive Download

The other option you have for retrieving your data is by using a USB Flash drive. This is a convenient way of retrieving your data without having to either bring the Apollyon Plus II back to your ofﬁce or take a laptop into the ﬁeld.

USB ﬂash drives (also known as jump drives) come in various shapes and sizes and are made by many different manufacturers. Shown here is a model distributed by JAMAR for use with

TRANSFER IN PROGRESS COUNT:01 BLOCK:000001 Sending Data...

Download in Progress

USB Flash Drive

2-21

DOWNLOAD EXIT v3.68 Write ALL counts to the USB Flash Drive

USB Download Screen

TRANSFER IN PROGRESS COUNT:01 BLOCK:000001 Sending Data...

Download in Progress

the Apollyon Plus II, but note that just about any recently made ﬂash drive (2006 or later) should work ﬁne.

To retrieve data using a ﬂash drive, plug it into the USB Memory Port of the Apollyon Plus II, then highlight the USB selection on the Main Menu of the Apollyon Plus II and press the DO key.

While the data is being retrieved, the display on the Apollyon Plus II will show:

Note: We recommend that you do not clear the memory of the Apollyon Plus II until you have successfully brought the USB ﬂash drive back to the ofﬁce and processed the data in TRAXPro. Should something happen to the ﬂash drive, such as getting lost or damaged, you can always go back to the Apollyon Plus II for the data.

To retrieve the data from the ﬂash drive to your computer using TRAXPro, plug the ﬂash drive into your computer then go to the File menu in TRAXPro and select Acquire > USB Flash Drive.

Chapter 2 — Operational Features of the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

2-22

3-1

Chapter 3

Road Tube

Installation

Chapter 3 — Road Tube Installation

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

3-2

Using Road Tube

IMPORTANT: For accurate bicycle data you must use mini tube with a 3/16 inside diameter. This does not mean you can use the large 9/16 OD tubing with that small ID because bicycles are too light to make the pulse needed.

These directions will assist you in placing your road tubes correctly on the road surface with conﬁdence and a minimum of effort.

Road tubes should be replaced on a fairly consistent basis. Older tube will eventually develop splits that can allow water to enter. When an air pulse is received, this water can be forced back into the unit’s air switch, potentially causing serious damage. Do not risk expensive repair bills by trying to squeezing a few extra studies out of old tube. One rule of thumb is to replace tubes after 30 days of use.

Installing Road Tubes

Proper road tube installation is very important for collecting accurate data with your TRAX Apollyon Plus II. The road tube and the TRAX Apollyon Plus II’s air switches comprise the sensing device for the unit. As with all receivers, the sensor has to be functioning properly to record reliable information. With this in mind, examine your installations carefully and be absolutely certain that your unit is recording data as programmed.

Step 1 – Select an Installation Location

The ﬁrst step in the installation process is to select the location where the road tubes will be installed. The tubes should be placed exactly perpendicular to the ﬂow of trafﬁc and should be installed on a straight stretch of road so that vehicles are not hitting the tubes on an angle.

For the best results, do not install the tubes in a location where trafﬁc will be queueing up and stopping on the tubes, or in a location where vehicle will be turning over the tubes or otherwise striking them on an angle.

3-3

Step 2 - Select Layout

Once you have selected your location, the next step is to decide what layout to use. Which layout you select largely depends on the type of data you want to collect.

The L1, L2, L3 and L4 layouts allow you to record data for volume information, while the L5 and L6 layouts allow you to record data for speed, class and gap in addition to volume. Chapter 4, Road Tube Layouts, con- tains more detailed information on each individual layout.

Step 3 - Prepare the Road Tube Lengths

Proper tube length is a crucial aspect of accurate data collection. The following guidelines should be followed for all studies regardless of simplicity. The lengths listed for each study below have shown to provide the best results based on extensive testing.

L1, L3, L4, L5, L6 (Long tube setups)

To encompass all types of vehicles and speeds, a tube length of 40 to 60 feet for mini tube. These lengths should satisfy all requirements for normal street, road, highway and interstate trafﬁc patterns.

L2 (Short tube, long tube)

To ensure the pulses from the road tubes arrive at the counter in the proper order, the tube length must be the same from the edge of the road to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. This will ensure that the pulse from the short tube arrives before the pulse from the long tube.

To accommodate the required length of tube, tube splices may be used to ﬁt two tubes together. The splices are approximately three (3) inches long, hollow and do not restrict the ﬂow of air. Do not use the splices on the roadway itself, only on the section of tube after the clamp nearest the TRAX Apollyon Plus II.

Chapter 3 — Road Tube Installation

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

3-4

Step 4 - Prepare the Installation Equipment

Once you have decided on your layout and prepared your tubes, you’re just about ready to begin the installation. However, ﬁrst be sure you have all the equipment you’ll need to do the installation quickly and efﬁciently. The equipment you’ll typically need, depending on the type of road tube you are using, includes the road tubes themselves, a hammer and PK nails, mastic tape in 6 inch strips, webbing or another type of clamp, a utility knife, a tape measure, and end plugs.

Step 5 - Install the Road Tubes

Road tubes should be installed exactly perpendicular to the trafﬁc ﬂow.

When using two tubes that must be set at speciﬁc distances from each other, always use a tape measure or ruler to measure from the center of each tube to determine the proper spacing. In short tube, long tube setups, the short tube should be installed to the zone line (center of the highway). Observe trafﬁc to be sure that vehicles in the outer lane are not coming in contact with the short tube.

IMPORTANT: For accurate bicycle data you must use mini tube with a 3/16 (.1875) inside diameter and 3/8 (.375) outside diameter. Do not use large 9/16 OD tubing with a small ID because bicycles are too light to

make the pulse needed with these tubes.

Since mini tube is smaller and lighter than standard round tube, less hardware is required to install the tubes.

Webbing can be used to secure the tube at each end of the roadway. You may tie a knot at the far end of the tube instead of using an end plug or PK nail. Since the mini tube is light and low proﬁle, you may use duct tape or two-inch mastic to secure the tube to the roadway.

Securing the tubes is a very important part of this process. You need to be sure that the tubes are secured to the road surface so as to avoid 'tube bounce' when tires run over the tubes. If a large, fast vehicle bounces the tube it will generate a low level pulse similar to that of a bike, which you want to avoid. To get this right, watch the regular trafﬁc traveling on the regular lanes and observe where their tires are normally running in the lanes. Once the tubes are down, mastic those running areas so as to avoid bounce.

3-5

When installing a short tube, long tube conﬁguration (L2) you may install both tubes completely across the road and tie a knot midway of the half tube. This eliminates nailing the half tube on the center line which can create a safety problem for installation personnel.

Step 6 - Check for Accuracy

Once your tubes are installed and you are collecting data, observe the trafﬁc as it is being recorded to be sure everything is working correctly. If possible, check the tubes periodically during the study to ensure they have not been damaged and data is being recorded as programmed.

Upon completion of your data collection, remove the tubes, clamps, nails and anything else that may be of danger to the motorists. The mastic may be hard to remove in some instances, especially in hotter weather. In those cases, it may be left on the highway and eventually it will blend into the asphalt from the ﬂow of trafﬁc.

Chapter 3 — Road Tube Installation

Mastic or Duct Tape

MASTIC OR DUCT TAPE: 6” Lengths are

satisfactory TUBE: 40-50 ft. lengths are recommended.

Coil any excess tube near the counter.

Do not stretch the tube, just pull it tight to avoid any movement.

TRAX

Mini Tube (.1875 ID x .375 OD) Installation

Webbing

WEBBING: Approx.

4” to 5” long. Loop over tube and nail as shown above.

Webbing

Knot in Tube

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

3-6

4-1

Chapter 4

Road Tube

Layouts

Chapter 4 — Road Tube Layouts

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-2

Layouts for the TRAX Apollyon Plus II

The TRAX Apollyon Plus II is equipped with six pre-programmed layouts for recording trafﬁc data. These are designated as L1 through L6 and represent the most common types of layouts used to record trafﬁc data.

The following are descriptions of each of the layouts and the type of data that can be collected with each. Each layout is different, but there are some common principles that should be used with any layout that is chosen.

• The condition of the road tubes, and the manner in which they are installed, are critical to achieving good results. Refer to Chapters 3 & 4 for more installation information.

• A tube length of 40 to 50 feet is recommended for mini tube, depending on conditions.

• In all tube setups of more than one tube, the tube length from the end of the road to the TRAX must be the same for all tubes.

• In all short tube, long tube layouts, the vehicle must strike the short tube ﬁrst.

• To collect class or speed data, a minimum of one foot of tube spacing is required to achieve accurate results.

• For counts done in the Volume Only mode, the TRAX Apollyon Plus II will either do a straight axle count or use the divide-by-two technique (in which every two axle hits will increment the TRAX Apollyon Plus II by one).

• Data can be collected in the Basic mode with any of the tube layouts, since basic data is essentially a collection of all the sensor activations on an individual basis. However, the minimum tube spacing requirements still apply to Basic data. If a layout says volume only, that is the only information you will be able to accurately get from it. You can collect data in the Basic mode with an L1 layout, but you will only be able to get volume data, not class or speed.

The diagrams for the following layouts assume a length of twelve feet per lane of trafﬁc.

4-3

26 ft.

24 ft.

In this layout, channel “A” and channel “B” record independently. When in Volume mode the TRAX can do either a straight axle count or use the divide-by-two technique.

EXAMPLE: The TRAX has been programmed to use the divide-by-two technique. As a passenger car passes over the “A”, the unit records one count. As a four axle truck passes over the “A” tube the unit records two counts.

TRAX

Layout: L1

Sensors Used: 2 Road Tubes Spacing: None Count Formats: Basic, Volume Only Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 2 Channels, A, B

Chapter 4 — Road Tube Layouts

50 feet

26 ft.

24 ft.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-4

In this layout, channel “A” and channel “B” record independently. The A tube is extended over one lane while the B tube is extended over two lanes. Hits on the A tube are recorded in channel 1. Hits on the B tube are recorded in channel 2, unless they were immediately preceded by a hit on the A tube, in which case the B hit is ignored. When in Volume mode the TRAX can do either a straight axle count or use the divide-by-two technique. Trafﬁc in the outer lane can be going in either direction.

EXAMPLE: The TRAX has been programmed to use the divide-by-two technique. As a car approaches the tubes in the inner lane and both front and rear axles pass over the “A” and the “B” tube, the unit records a one in the A channel, but ignores the hit on the B channel since it occurred immediately after the A hit. As a second car approaches the tubes in the outer lane and both front and rear axles pass over the “B” tube, the unit records a one in the B channel. One vehicle has been recorded in each lane of the study.

TRAX

1 foot spacing between tubes

Layout: L2

Sensors Used: 2 Road Tubes Spacing: 1 Foot Count Formats: Basic, Volume Only Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 2 Channels, A, B-A

50 feet

26 ft.

12 ft.

24 ft.

4-5

In this layout, both tubes (A and B) are extended across the lanes to be counted. Channel A and channel B record independent of each other. When one tube is hit, the next hit is ignored. When in Volume mode the TRAX can do either a straight axle count or use the divide-by-two technique.

EXAMPLE: The TRAX has been programmed to use the divide-by-two technique. A car is traveling southbound, approaching the tubes. As the front and rear axles strike the A tube, a one is registered in the A channel. The front and rear axles then strike the B tube but these hits are ignored since the A tube has just been hit. Conversely, a car traveling northbound will strike the B tube ﬁrst (recording it in the B channel) and then have its hits on the A tube ignored.

TRAX

4 Inch

Spacing

Layout: L3

Sensors Used: 2 Road Tubes Spacing: 4 Inches Count Formats: Basic, Volume Only Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 2 Channels, A to B, B to A

Chapter 4 — Road Tube Layouts

North

50 feet

26 ft.

24 ft.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-6

In this layout, one tube is extended across the lanes to be counted. When in Volume mode the TRAX can do either a straight axle count or use the divide-by-two technique. This layout can be used with single direction or bidirectional trafﬁc; however, there is no lane separation.

TRAX

Layout: L4

Sensors Used: 1 Road Tube Spacing: None Count Formats: Basic, Volume Only Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 1 Channel, A

50 feet

26 ft.

24 ft.

4-7

In this layout, both tubes (A and B) are extended across the lane to be studied. Channel A and channel B record dependent on each other. The tubes should be spaced one foot apart and be of equal length.

EXAMPLE: A car is traveling southbound, approaching the tubes. As the vehicle passes over both the A and B tubes, the TRAX records the class, and speed (or time-stamps) of the vehicle.

North

TRAX

Layout: L5

Sensors Used: 2 Road Tubes Spacing: One Foot for Road Tubes Count Formats: Basic Data: Class, Speed, Gap, Volume Directions: 1 Direction, A to B

Spacing:

1 foot

Chapter 4 — Road Tube Layouts

50 feet

26 ft.

24 ft.

*Note that, in some cases, you can extend the tubes across two lanes of trafﬁc if you have two lanes both going the same direction. However, the data will not provide lane separation.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-8

Layout: L6

Sensors Used: 2 Road Tubes Spacing: One Foot for Road Tubes Count Formats: Basic Data: Class, Speed, Gap, Volume Directions: 2 Directions, A to B, B to A

In this layout, both tubes (A and B) are extended across the lanes to be studied. Channel A and channel B record dependent on each other. The tubes should be spaced one foot apart and be of equal length.

EXAMPLE: A car is traveling southbound, approaching the tubes. As the vehicle passes over both the A tube, then the B tube, the TRAX records the class, and speed (or time-stamps) of the vehicle in the ﬁrst direction. A car traveling northbound, passing of the B tube then the A tube, gets recorded in the second direction.

North

TRAX

Spacing:

1 foot

50 feet

26 ft.

24 ft.

4-9

Layout: L7

Layout Type: Traditional Road Tubes Sensors Used: 4 Road Tubes Spacing: None Count Formats: Basic, Volume Only Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 4 Channels, A, B, C, D

This layout is the same as the L1 layout, but with four tubes over four separate lanes rather than two tubes over two lanes. Refer to the L1 description for more information.

TRAX

26 ft.

24 ft.

50 feet

26 ft.

24 ft.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-10

Layout: L8

Layout Type: Traditional Road Tubes Sensors Used: 4 Road Tubes Spacing: Two Feet Count Formats: Basic, Volume Only Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 4 Channels, A, B-A, C, D-C

This layout is the same as the L2 layout, but with four tubes over four lanes rather than two tubes over two lanes. Refer to the L2 description for more information. The tubes should be spaced two feet apart.

2 foot spacing between tubes

26 ft.

12 ft.

24 ft.

TRAX

26 ft.

4-11

Layout: L9

Layout Type: EZ Belt or Traditional Road Tubes Sensors Used: 4 Road Tubes Spacing: 4 Inches Count Formats: Basic, Volume Only Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 4 Channels, A to B, B to A, C to D, D to C

This layout is the same as the L3 layout, but with four tubes over four lanes rather than two tubes over two lanes. Refer to the L3 description for more information. The tubes should be spaced four and a half inches apart.

4 inch spacing between tubes

TRAX

24 ft.

Traditional Road Tubes

EZ Belt

25 ft. Mini 25 ft. Mini

24 ft.

TRAX

26 ft.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-12

This layout is the same as the L5 layout, but with four tubes over two lanes rather than two tubes over one lane. Refer to the L5 description for more information. The tubes should be spaced two feet apart and be of equal length.

D C

38 ft. 38 ft.

12 ft.

TRAX

Layout: L10

Layout Type: EZ Belt or Traditional Road Tubes Sensors Used: 4 Road Tubes Spacing: Two Feet Count Formats: Basic Data: Class, Speed, Gap, Volume Directions: 2 Directions, A to B, C to D

2 foot spacing between tubes

Traditional Road Tubes

D C

26 ft.24 ft.

TRAX

2 foot spacing between tubes

24 ft.26 ft.

*Note that counting two lanes with one set of tubes (A and B or C and D) will result in a decrease in accuracy as volumes increase.

4-13

EZ Belt

D C

25 ft. Mini 25 ft. Mini

13 ft.

TRAX

*Note: Standard 26' belt can be cut in half.

D C

26 ft.

25 ft. Mini

TRAX

*Note that counting two lanes with one set of tubes (A and B or C and D) will result in a decrease in accuracy as volumes increase.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-14

This layout is the same as the L5 layout, but with the addition of two half tubes (A and C) to provide lane separation. Refer to the L5 layout for further information. This layout is for single direction trafﬁc.

The A and C tubes should be spaced two feet apart, as should the B and D tubes. The A tube should be spaced six inches from the B tube and the C tube should be spaced six inches from the D tube. Remember, vehicles must always strike the short tube ﬁrst.

24 ft.

26 ft.

12 ft.

6 inch spacing from A to B and from C to D

Layout: L11

Layout Type: Traditional Road Tubes Sensors Used: 4 Road Tubes Spacing: Two Feet, A to C and B to D. Six Inches, A to B, C to D Count Formats: Basic Data: Class, Speed, Gap, Volume Directions: 1 Direction, A to C, B to D, With Lane Separation

2 foot spacing from A to C and from B to D

TRAX

4-15

Layout: L12

Layout Type: Traditional Road Tubes Sensors Used: 4 Road Tubes Spacing: Two Feet, A to C and B to D Count Formats: Basic Data: Class, Speed, Gap, Volume Directions: 2 Directions, A to C, D to B

This layout is the same as the L11 layout, but for bidirectional trafﬁc. Refer to the L11 layout for further information.

24 ft.

26 ft.

12 ft.

6 inch spacing from A to B and from C to D

2 foot spacing from A to C and from B to D

TRAX

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-16

Layout: L13

Layout Type: Traditional Road Tubes Sensors Used: 3 Road Tubes Spacing: Two Feet Count Formats: Basic, Volume Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 3 Channels, A, B-A, C-B

This layout is the same as the L2 layout, but with the addition of a tube for a third channel. Refer to the L2 layout for further information.

The tubes should be spaced two feet apart. For improved accuracy with this type of data collection, we recommend that the L7 layout be used with the Road Ramp system to isolate each lane. Visit our web site at www.jamartech. com for more information.

26 ft.

TRAX

12 ft.

2 foot spacing between tubes

24 ft.

36 ft.

4-17

Layout: L14

Layout Type: Road Tubes Sensors Used: 4 Road Tubes Spacing: Two Feet Count Formats: Basic, Volume Data: Volume, Gap Channels: 4 Channels, A, B-A, C-B, D-C

This layout is the same as the L2 layout, but with the addition of two tubes for two additional channels. Refer to the L2 layout for further information.

26 ft.

TRAX

48 ft.

12 ft.

2 foot spacing between tubes

24 ft.

36 ft.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

4-18

5-1

Chapter 5

Troubleshooting

& FAQ

Chapter 5 — Troubleshooting & FAQ

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

5-2

Troubleshooting & FAQ

The following are some frequently asked questions related to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. The possible answers that are stated with them are not necessarily the only answer, but should be checked ﬁrst. If you cannot ﬁnd the answer to your question, do not hesitate to contact us. Contact information is listed on page iii of this manual.

How do I turn the TRAX Apollyon Plus II on and off?

To turn the Apollyon Plus II on, press the POWER button (also labelled TAB). To turn it off, press the POWER button and hold it down for 5-6 seconds. The Main Power toggle can also be used to turn the unit off but should only be used when the unit needs a hard reset and the POWER button is not responding.

I turned the Apollyon Plus II on, but now there is no display visible. What's wrong?

The Apollyon Plus II may have gone into power-conservation mode to preserve its battery. The display automatically goes out when no keys on the keypad have been pressed for two minutes. To bring the display back up, hit any key.

If the TRAX is left inactive for 10 minutes or more, and it is not in data collection mode, it will turn itself off completely. In this case, press the POWER key to restart the TRAX.

When the Apollyon Plus II is turned on, the display reads 'Improper Shutdown'. What's wrong?

If the Apollyon Plus II encounters a problem that causes it to shut down unexpectedly, when it is turned back on it will inspect itself to determine if there is any data in memory. It does this by scanning the entire memory. If it ﬁnds data, it will insert a proper end of ﬁle marker to allow you to download any data that was stored before the problem occurred.

What do the numbers on the right side of the Main Menu mean?

These are related to the TRAX Apollyon Plus II's road tube testing feature. Any time you have road tubes connected to the TRAX, these numbers will reﬂect the strength of the air pulses being received, ranging from 0 for no pulse, to 9 for strongest pulse. This feature is discussed in more detail on page 2-10.

5-3

The TRAX Apollyon Plus II will not download.

Check your connection between the TRAX Apollyon Plus II and the computer. Also check that the Apollyon Plus II is turned on and the display is on. Refer to chapter 2 for other items to check.

When collecting volume data, the data isn't being collected in the time intervals desired. How do I change this?

The majority of the internal settings for the TRAX are stored in the Utilities menu. To access these, select Utils from the Main Menu. The Interval setting is accessed through Int.

Not all layouts are listed when I select to do a Volume Only count. Why?

Depending on the type of data you are collecting, only certain layouts can be used. Volume Only layouts are L1, L2, L3 and L4. Refer to Chapter 5 for more information.

I can't view the tube pulse strengths on the TRAX Apollyon Plus II display after the study has begun. How do I view this while the study is in progress?

There are multiple status screens available when in data collection mode, including the tube test screen. To view these screens, press the TAB key.

The data I'm getting is not accurate. What went wrong?

In most cases, issues with bad data are related to the road tubes and how they were installed. Check the tube layout used in the ﬁeld and the condition of the tubes themselves. Make sure the tubes were set with the proper length, spacing and perpendicular to the ﬂow of trafﬁc. One simple condition check of a tube that is laid out in the ﬁeld is to go to use the Tube Test diagnostic. Refer to page 2-10 for more information on this.

How do I clear old studies from the Apollyon Plus II?

All data you collect will remain stored in memory until you clear it. To do this, select Utils from the Main Menu then select Clear and follow the conﬁrmation process.

How do I change the tube spacing?

To get accurate class or speed data, you need to set the Apollyon Plus II to the correct tube spacing used in the ﬁeld for data collection. To access this, select Utils from the Main Menu. The Tube Spacing is accessed through Sp:. Refer to page 1-5 for more information.

Chapter 5 — Troubleshooting & FAQ

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

5-4

The Apollyon Plus II won't turn on when I press the POWER button.

In this case, the Apollyon Plus II may need a 'hard' reset. To do this, switch the Main Power toggle to OFF, then back to ON. Once that has been done, try pressing the POWER button again.

The Apollyon Plus II shows only black boxes on the display and won't turn off when I press the POWER button.

In this case, the Apollyon Plus II may need a 'hard' reset. To do this, switch the Main Power toggle to OFF, then back to ON. Once that has been done, try pressing the POWER button again.

Additional support information can also be found on our web site at www.jamartech.com. If you are unable to ﬁnd a solution to your problem, contact us using the information located on the ﬁrst page iii of this manual.

A-1

Appendix

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

A-2

Installing USB Drivers

The ﬁrst time you are downloading the TRAX to a computer using the USB port, you will need to install the drivers for it. There are two drivers that will be installed, one right after the other. These drivers are available on the Downloads section of the JAMAR web site (www.jamartech.com) and as part of the Windows Update feature available from Microsoft using an Internet connection.

To install the drivers, first connect a USB cable to your computer and then to the USB port of the TRAX. Next, turn the TRAX on.

The Windows 'Found New Hardware' message will pop up, referencing USB Serial Converter, then the Found New Hardware Wizard will appear.

One of the features of Windows 7 & 8 is to use your Internet connection to search the Windows Update web site for any available drivers for USB devices you connect to your computer, like the TRAX Apollyon Plus II. If you have not used this feature before, you'll ﬁrst see a screen like the one shown to the right when you ﬁrst connect the TRAX.

The drivers for the TRAX are available through this feature, so if you'd like to allow the wizard to connect to the Internet, select one for the ﬁrst two options and click Next.

A-3

After you click Next (or if you have previously instructed Windows to always check the Windows Update web site for drivers), you'll see the screen shown to the right.

This screen is used to tell Windows where to look for the drivers it needs. We recommend using the ﬁrst selection, Install the Software Automatically.

Note that whenever possible we recommend you use the drivers available through the Windows Update web site as this is the easiest method for loading the drivers. However, if you are not able to use the Windows Update web site, the drivers are also available on the Downloads section of the JAMAR web site. If you are downloading the drivers from the JAMAR web site, be sure to follow the directions listed there.

Once you are ready to proceed, click Next. The Wizard will then start searching for the best available drivers and you'll see a screen like the one shown to the right.

Once the wizard is ﬁnished searching, it will begin to load the driver it has found

Appendix

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

A-4

and you'll see a screen like the one shown to the right.

Note that if the Wizard ﬁnds more than one driver, the Wizard will list all the available drivers. You can then select the one you'd like and then proceed.

When the driver is finished installing you'll see a screen like the one shown to the right.

Click Finish and you'll complete installing this driver, but there's still one more to go.

Once you click Finish, the Windows 'Found New Hardware' message will pop up again, referencing a USB Serial Port, and the Found New Hardware Wizard will reappear. Don't be alarmed, this is what's supposed to happen. There is a second driver that needs to be installed to create a virtual comm port.

To install this second driver, follow the same steps as the ﬁrst.

A-5

Once the second driver is installed, you may see a message like the one below, prompting you to restart your computer.

Restart your computer to complete the process of installing the drivers.

The process of installing the USB drivers has created a virtual comm port on your computer and assigned this port a number. You will need to select this comm port number in the JAMAR software when you go to download your TRAX. The software makes this easier to do by only listing the comm ports that are available in the download screen. However, if you want to check to see what port number the virtual comm port has been assigned, you can do so through the computer's Device Manager list.

Appendix

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

A-6

To access this information, right-click on the My Computer icon then select Properties. In the System Properties window, click on the Hardware Tab, then click the Device Manager button. Click the plus sign (+) next to Ports and you should see a list similar to the one shown below, showing the port number that your computer has assigned.

A-7

Low Speed Data Collection

The default settings of the TRAX are designed to accurately collect trafﬁc data at speeds ranging from 10 to 70 mph. In these situations, data can usually be collected without making any adjustments to the settings of the TRAX.

However, the TRAX Apollyon Plus II is capable of recording vehicle data with a high degree of accuracy from as low as idle speeds to 10 mph. If you are attempting to collect data at locations where speeds will be very low (such as driveways and parking lots), adjustments should be made to compensate for the speed of the vehicles being recorded. The following guidelines should be used for these applications.

Dead Time (DT)

When recording trafﬁc with road tubes, there is always the possibility that the tires from each side of an axle will hit the tubes a fraction of a second apart, either from the road tubes being slightly angled or from the vehicle being slightly angled as it hits the tubes.

The Dead Time setting is used to keep these extra hits from showing up as additional volume in the data. This setting allows you to set a speciﬁc time in the TRAX when it will not accept a new pulse from the road tube after it has just received a pulse. At normal trafﬁc speeds, the time from one tire of an axle hitting the tube to when the other tire from an axle hits the tube is usually just a few milliseconds. However, this time increases the slower vehicles are moving.

In the TRAX, the DT is typically set at 20 to 40 milliseconds for normal trafﬁc, as this will cover most speeds. Speeds from idle to 10 mph will require the DT setting to be increased.

When recording trafﬁc in a very low speed situation, use a DT setting of 200 to 300 milliseconds to avoid double counting. Whenever you adjust the DT setting, we recommend that you watch the TRAX as a few vehicles are recorded to be sure the TRAX is recording correctly.

NOTE: Be sure to reset the DT setting once you have ﬁnished your low speed counting. Using an incorrect DT setting for normal speed trafﬁc will produce incorrect data.

Appendix

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

A-8

Tube Length

The total length of road tubes used in low speed applications should not exceed forty (40) feet. Shorter lengths may be used provided all trafﬁc is travelling at low speeds.

Tube Placement

The TRAX will record a count even if the front and rear tires on only one side of the vehicle passes over the tube. As a result, you may choose to extend the road tube only as far as is necessary to be hit by one side of the vehicle.

The above rules may be varied slightly since each tube installation for low speed trafﬁc counting is unique. The tube length and DT may be adjusted to ﬁt your speciﬁc parameters. Once you have decided on your settings, monitor incoming data to ensure accuracy.

With low speed data collection, we recommend that data be collected in the Basic mode. This allows you to make further adjustments in the TRAXPro software once your data has been downloaded.

A-9

FHWA Type F Vehicle Classiﬁcation Scheme

Class 1 - Motorcycles. This class includes all two- or threewheeled motorized vehicles. These vehicles typically have a saddle-type of seat and are steered by handlebars rather than a steering wheel. This includes motorcycles, motor scooters, mopeds, motor-powered bicycles and three-wheel motorcycles.

Class 2 - Passenger cars. This class includes all sedans, coupes and station wagons manufactured primarily for the purpose of carrying passengers, including those pulling recreational or other light trailers.

Class 3 - Pickups, Vans and other 2-axle, 4-tire single unit vehicles. This class includes all two-axle, four tire ve-

hicles other than passenger cars, which includes pickups, vans, campers, small motor homes, ambulances, minibuses and carryalls. These types of vehicles which are pulling recreational or other light trailers are included.

Class 4 - Buses. This class includes all vehicles manufactured as traditional passenger-carrying buses with two axles and six tires or three or more axles. This includes only traditional buses, including school and transit buses, functioning as passenger-carrying vehicles. All two-axle, four tire minibuses should be classiﬁed as Class 3. Modiﬁed buses should be considered to be trucks and classiﬁed appropriately.

Class 5 - Two-Axle, Six-Tire Single Unit Trucks. This class includes all vehicles on a single frame which have two axles and dual rear tires. This includes trucks, camping and recreation vehicles, motor homes, etc.

Class 6 - Three-Axle Single Unit Trucks. This class includes all vehicles on a single frame which have three axles. This includes trucks, camping and recreation vehicles, motor homes, etc.

Class 7 - Four or More Axle Single Unit Trucks. This class includes all vehicles on a single frame with four or more axles.

Appendix

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

A-10

Class 8 - Four or Less Axle Single Trailer Trucks. This class includes all vehicles with four or less axles consisting of two units, in which the pulling unit is a tractor or single unit truck.

Class 9 - Five-Axle Single Trailer Trucks. This class includes all ﬁve-axle vehicles consisting of two units in which the pulling unit is a tractor or single unit truck.

Class 10 - Six or More Axle Single Trailer Trucks. This class includes all vehicles with six or more axles consisting of two units in which the pulling unit is a tractor or single unit truck.

Class 11 - Five or Less Axle Multi-Trailer Trucks. This class includes all vehicles with ﬁve or less axles consisting of three or more units in which the pulling unit is a tractor or single unit truck.

Class 12 - Six-Axle Multi-Trailer Trucks. This class includes all six-axle vehicles consisting of three or more units in which the pulling unit is a tractor or single unit truck.

Class 13 - Seven or More Axle Multi-Trailer Trucks. This class includes all vehicles with

seven or more axles consisting of three or more units in which the pulling unit is a tractor or single

unit truck.

The TRAX Apollyon Plus II also collects data for Class 14 - Unclassiﬁed Vehicles. This class includes all vehicles which the TRAX Apollyon Plus II could not process into one of the existing 13 classes. This data can be retained in your reports, or it can be redistributed by the software into the existing 13 classes based on the percentages in each of those classes.

A-11

Appendix

Memory Table

The TRAX Apollyon Plus II contains 8 megabytes (8,000 kilobytes) of ﬂash memory. The usage of this memory depends on the type of data being collected.

If you are collecting Basic data, each kilobyte of memory can hold approximately 340 axle hits, which means the unit can record well over 2 million hits before the memory is ﬁlled. The table below lists how long you can conduct a typical 2-road tube study (assuming 4 axle hits per vehicle) before ﬁlling the memory, based on the volume of trafﬁc.

If you are collecting data in the Volume Only format, the data is stored in memory on an interval by interval basis. Each one of these intervals can be a maximum of 34 bytes in size, which equals approximately 30 intervals per kilobyte or 480,000 intervals for the entire memory. The table below lists the amount of continuous data that can be recorded with a given interval time.

Interval Length Used Amount of Continuous Data

1 Minute Intervals Approximately 6 months

5 Minute Intervals Approximately 2.25 years

10 Minute Intervals Approximately 4.5 years

15 Minute Intervals Approximately 6.75 years

30 Minute Intervals Approximately 13.5 years

60 Minute Intervals Approximately 27 years

Average Daily Trafﬁc Volume Amount of Continuous Data

1000 Approximately 667 days

5000 Approximately 133 days

10,000 Approximately 66 days

20,000 Approximately 33 days

50,000 Approximately 13 days

100,000 Approximately 7 days

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

A-12

Speciﬁcations

Size: 8.25” x 6.5” x 3.5”

Weight: Approximately 2.5 pounds

Power: Two internal high capacity lithium batteries

Interface: USB ports for computer download & for ﬂash memory

Download Speed: Up to 115200 bps

Memory: 8 MB Internal Memory

Clock: Always active real-time clock

Data Collection Formats: Volume, Time-stamped raw data

Inputs: Two road tubes

Temperature Range: Minus 40F (-40C) to 165F (74C)

Date Format: USA (MM/DD/YY) or World (DD/MM/YY)

Recording Intervals: 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60 minutes for Volume Only

Units: English (feet) or Metric (meters)

Display: Wide Temperature, 4-line by 20-character LCD display

Output: Binary ﬁle capable of being read by JAMAR software

A-13

We are pleased that you have chosen the JAMAR TRAX Apollyon Plus II for your trafﬁc data collection needs. We have strived to develop a unit that is easy to use and has the options that our customers require. The TRAX Apollyon Plus II has undergone extensive testing to verify the accuracy of its operations, and each unit is tested before it leaves our facility. However, just like other complex electronic devices, problems can occur. We always suggest that users verify the continuing accuracy of any device they use. Veriﬁcation against manual counts, or with a JAMAR Trafﬁc Counter Tester, should be performed on an annual basis, as required by the FHWA, to assure proper operations and results.

Should you detect any problems with any of our products, please notify JAMAR Technologies immediately and discontinue use of the unit until we have veriﬁed its operation.

TRAX Apollyon Plus II User’s Manual

A-14

Jamar TRAX Apollyon Plus II User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual