Instruction manual

Follow these guidelines when using Tubes with the Phoenix II:

 The counter will work with road tubes between 20’ and 100’ (7 to 30 meters) long. Tube lengths 30’ to 60’ (10 to

20 meters) are generally more accurate so use these lengths when possible.

 Make sure the tubes are placed as squarely as possible to the oncoming traffic (so that both wheels of a vehicle

strike the tubes simultaneously).

 After each use, check the tubes for punctures or other damage.

 Plug the end of the road tube away from the counter with a suitable device (such as a set screw) to keep dirt

and water out.

How to connect the Tubes to a Phoenix II when collecting Raw or Binned Data:

 Get two equal length road tubes for each lane desired.

 Install one road tube perpendicular to the direction of traffic across a single lane of traffic. You can string road

tubes across multiple lanes using the “Lane Overlap” function or the “Directional” mode (This is fully covered

under Section 2.c).

 Install the second road tube perpendicular to the direction of traffic from 1 to 25 feet (10-93 meters) from the first

road tube.

 Connect the road tube which will be hit first by oncoming traffic into the 1

Input Nozzle.

 Connect the road tube which will be hit second by oncoming traffic into the 2

Input Nozzle.

3.d.2. Inductive Loops

This type of sensor is made of multiple turns of wire buried under a roadway, whether pavement, gravel, or dirt.

How to use Inductive Loops with a Phoenix II

 Loops should be installed in the center of the desired lane and can be no smaller than five feet by five feet (six

feet by six feet is recommended).

 If you plan on using loops to collect Per-Vehicle (Raw) or Binned data, be sure that each loop of a lane (two per

lane) are the SAME dimensions. The leading edge from the first loop to the leading edge of the second loop

should be 5 to 25 feet (16 feet [5meters] is most common).

 Connect the loops to the Phoenix II Loop Plug exactly the same as you would road tubes (first loop uses the #1

connection and the second loop uses the #2 connection etc.). Refer to the Appendix C for more information on

what color wires of the loop harness go to which loop.

Loop boards that were previous to version 4.00 used a detector called a digital period shift detection method as defined

in the traffic detector handbook (Publication No. FHWA-HRT-06-108). These units use a method known as Multi-

Plexing (time slicing) which alternates the “on” time for each inductive loop so that only one loop (per detector board)

would be running at a time. The units do this at a rate of approximately 300 times per second.

Starting with loop board version 4.00 and above, a modified version of the digital period shift detection method is used to

detect vehicles. Along with some circuitry changes that incorporate RF and lightening protection built into the detector

board, the ability to adjust individual channel frequency, loop board sensitivity, voltage and scan rates were added to

give users greater control over their sensor operation. The loops no longer utilize the Multi-Plexing method to allow for

greater resolution of loop detection.

The Phoenix II is equipped with inductive loop detectors that can be adjusted for frequency, sensitivity, voltage and

detect and dropout settings. These are settable by connecting a PC to the communication port of the counter and using

the Centurion software.

3.d.3. Piezo Sensors

Piezo Axle Sensors combine the permanent advantages of Loops with the individual axle detection abilities of Tubes. In

addition, there are also some non-permanent Piezo strip sensors available. A Piezo Sensor is an “Axle” Sensor for

setup and configuration purposes.