East New York Posted July 28, 2015 Share #1 Posted July 28, 2015 So what causes the signs to completely stop working, or have a color glitch? The new Luminator Spectrum signs have 32-pin connector cables mounted behind the system. The particular supplier that manufactures the cables suffered a quality control issue. When they would solder the individual wires into the conector, some of the 32 would disconnect. This was found to be almost completely isolated to the mounting of the Xcelsior buses. That's why we haven't seen widespread issues with the Nova retrofit's because they are mounted slightly different. The was especially happening when the buses would hit large potholes or uneven spots in the asphalt. At which time, the cables would wiggle themselves loose, and cause the display to glitch or cut out all together. Now that the issue has been isolated, and resolved resolved, Luminator has replaced these particular units, and all should be fully operable from here on out. If any of the existing buses end up suffering this problem, the units will be swapped out immediately for new ones free of charge under warranty. MTA has opted for Luminator's extended warranty plan, which covers all signs for 12 full years. For those that speculated it was an issue related to the current multiplex wiring issues we are experiencing on LaGuardia's buses and a few others, it is not. It was a Luminator supplier issue that has been dealt with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QM1to6Ave Posted July 28, 2015 Share #2 Posted July 28, 2015 Is there a way for a B/O to know that te sign isn't working properly from an error message on the control panel or anything like that? Whenever I tell a B/O their sign is broken, they always are surprised ad say they had no idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East New York Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted July 28, 2015 Is there a way for a B/O to know that te sign isn't working properly from an error message on the control panel or anything like that? Whenever I tell a B/O their sign is broken, they always are surprised ad say they had no idea No there is no indicator. When certain wires slip out they just trigger the colors to change, and it depends on which wire slips out. One wire may make the whole sign green, one may put green rows behind it as seen in my pic. One time I was on the B46 at about 1am and every time we hit a bump the brightest green ever would flash on the whole right side and we could see even it through the front reflecting off everything. One pin may make the whole text change colors whereas another may just cut the whole thing off. Because its only the front sign, and any one (or many) of the 32 wires may be loose, there is no indicator the sign is not working because it actually is. The sign is working properly, but the display isn't getting the connection it needs to operate the way it is programmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QM1to6Ave Posted July 28, 2015 Share #4 Posted July 28, 2015 No there is no indicator. When certain wires slip out they just trigger the colors to change, and it depends on which wire slips out. One wire may make the whole sign green, one may put green rows behind it as seen in my pic. One time I was on the B46 at about 1am and every time we hit a bump the brightest green ever would flash on the whole right side and we could see even it through the front reflecting off everything. One pin may make the whole text change colors whereas another may just cut the whole thing off. Because its only the front sign, and any one (or many) of the 32 wires may be loose, there is no indicator the sign is not working because it actually is. The sign is working properly, but the display isn't getting the connection it needs to operate the way it is programmed. Thanks for the info! I know it's a different problem, but do you know what causes certain signs to "freeze"? In other words, the front destination sign might be scrolling properly, but the side sign can be stuck on one line of text, or even get stuck mid-scroll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 28, 2015 Share #5 Posted July 28, 2015 Is there a way for a B/O to know that te sign isn't working properly from an error message on the control panel or anything like that? Whenever I tell a B/O their sign is broken, they always are surprised ad say they had no idea Or respond sarcastically that they know. If they knew then the sign would be correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gotham Bus Co. Posted July 28, 2015 Share #6 Posted July 28, 2015 Or respond sarcastically that they know. If they knew then the sign would be correct. The bus operator is responsible for punching in the correct code, but is clearly not responsible for electrical glitches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 29, 2015 Share #7 Posted July 29, 2015 The bus operator is responsible for punching in the correct code, but is clearly not responsible for electrical glitches. The point is everyone makes mistakes. If a passenger points it out, accept it and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East New York Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted July 29, 2015 The point is everyone makes mistakes. If a passenger points it out, accept it and move on. His reference was in response to your comment of how the driver shouldn't just say ok it but fix it. It's not the op's mistake or responsibility to fix it. It's a maintenance issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 29, 2015 Share #9 Posted July 29, 2015 His reference was in response to your comment of how the driver shouldn't just say ok it but fix it. It's not the op's mistake or responsibility to fix it. It's a maintenance issue. If it's a maintenance issue then of course it isn't their fault, but B/Os do occasionally put in the wrong info. One of my buddies had a BxM3 sign up by mistake and didn't realize it. When I got on I told him about it and he was like really? Changed the sign to the BxM2 and that was the end of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM5 via Woodhaven Posted July 29, 2015 Share #10 Posted July 29, 2015 If it's a maintenance issue then of course it isn't their fault, but B/Os do occasionally put in the wrong info. One of my buddies had a BxM3 sign up by mistake and didn't realize it. When I got on I told him about it and he was like really? Changed the sign to the BxM2 and that was the end of it. There's a difference between a wrong sign and a broken sign. What you're describing is a wrong sign. What they're talking is about a broken sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted July 29, 2015 Share #11 Posted July 29, 2015 There's a difference between a wrong sign and a broken sign. What you're describing is a wrong sign. What they're talking is about a broken sign. I already made it clear what I was referring to and my stance on glitches. No need to keep going on and on. Jesus Christ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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