Loop Detectors: How Do They Work?

You might think someone used a remote control to open the gate when you drive into an area, and the gate swings open on its own. However, a loop detector is probably what opened the gate. The simple underground magnetic coil picks up on the metal of your car and sends an electromagnetic signal to the gate opener, letting you in. This guide will go over everything you need to know about loop detectors in Newcastle.

How Far Does The Loop Detector Go?

If a loop detector is part of the plan for a new business or home, construction workers will dig a trench between one and six inches deep and install a burial loop or pre-form loop before putting down asphalt or concrete. The crew will attach the loop to the rebar before putting down the asphalt. If you do not plan or want to add one after the fact, a saw-cut loop or cut-in counterpart can embed it in your driveway or road.

How Do Loop Detectors Work?

The loop detector is hooked up to the gate operator's main circuit board. The loop is a continuous length of wire that repeats at a certain rate. When something big and metal rolls over the loop, the frequency increases. When this change is picked up, the open relay closes and stays closed until the vehicle rolls off it. This is also true for things like intercoms and traffic lights.
Detection is affected by many things, from the vehicle's height to the loop's height. Most of the time, a loop has the uncanny ability to spot a vehicle that is about two-thirds higher than it. It is the part of the loop that is the shortest. So, you will need a bigger loop detector if you have a lot of high-bed vehicles like monster trucks coming to your property.

Where Should The Loop Detector Be Put?

Loop detectors need to be put in the right place to work well. Most of the time, they find a car's front axle. If your business is a fast-food drive-through or your home's gate has an intercom system, you need to put your loop up to two feet in front of the speaker post. The long axis of the loop should cross the traffic lane at a right angle. On the other hand, SUVs and other highbred vehicles may not be able to make this required right angle for two reasons. First, they are tall. Second, the larger turning radius means that the length of the vehicle may end up being too far from the speaker post for good loop detection.

Your automated security gate system cannot work without a good loop detector in Newcastle. When a car comes onto the property, it tells the gates to open and stops them from closing. A loop detector is also useful because it can turn on the outside lights when a car approaches or let a home or business owner know that a car has arrived.