Ginny Wiehardt - The Balance

Ginny Wiehardt - The BalanceGinny Wiehardt - The Balance

A HighTech Bump for Bumper Cars

A HighTech Bump for Bumper Cars A HighTech Bump for Bumper Cars A High-Tech Bump for Bumper CarsWhen you think of amusement parks, the Ferris Wheel comes to mind. The rollercoaster. But maybe lost in the shuffle over the years is the bumper car. Well, its very much alive and welland improving.Originally many bumper cars were electric or gas and youd commonly see them powered by a floor or by a ceiling, says Dutch Magrath, president of Amusement Products LLC. The old way, in the early stages in the Fifties and Sixties, you had a big pole stuck up in the car and it ran around a grid in the ceiling which welches chicken wire. One part was the positive side and what you couldnt see dragging along the floor was the negative. To switch the ride off, youd just flip the switch off, which would turn the circuit off.Magraths company eventually found a way to utilize another transportation favorite of the amusement world. We already were doing a lot with electro-drive systems with go-karts and liked the way we could do power control and performance and wireless control on electric vehicles, he says. The wireless controls for go-karts allowed us to shut motors off and what we ended up doing was creating our own dual motor for the bumper cars.Using one to six batteries, the Spin Zone bumper cars can run up to 12 total hours of continuous rides. renommee Amusement Products LLCThere were numerous challenges to the transition. The piece that allows us to switch from positive to negative and vice versa is an H bridge, he says. It drew a lot of power going back and forth with a hand-powered system. Certain system spikes would happen from going forward at full speed then slamming backwards. It would create surges. We had to take care of it to stop electronics from blowing. There was a lot more load than you would think.To avoid the load problem, eventually they used amp-lighting technology. So when the circuit sense amp draws at a certain rate or amount, it will shut itself down, Magrath says.Another big challenge was integrating radio controls to do wireless. We went to electronic switches to sense where the car was going to make it work correctly, he says.Whether the issue is how far apart to put motors and belts or dealing with batteries, everything was adjusted to be completely enclosed so the customer couldnt get to it. We started out with a CAD program and kept refining it to make sure it would fit in the space available for motors, he says. There was a wide range of DC motors. We worked with a motor supplier and then custom built it.Spin Zone bumper cars are started and stopped by remote control. Image Amusement Products LLCImprovements have also been made outside of simply bumping. With a change in systems, the advantage for the rider and driver of the vehicle in response is better but it also allowed for competition, says Magrath. We could have a target on another car and, when you hit it, the other car would spin for three seconds. It became an ex tra reward for nailing the target, which is different from the past.Bumper cars also have been adjusted for portability, which is important since theyre often part of traveling carnivals or fairs. Instead of building ground metal flooring, its a semi, where sides of the trailer are not sides but are floor-positioned for shipping, he says. When you get to the site, hydraulic jacks allow a 30-foot by 50-foot platform to open. I start by dropping two sides and 30 minutes later, everyones ready to have fun.Eric Butterman is an independent writer For Further DiscussionWe started out with a CAD program and kept refining it to make sure it would fit in the space available for motors.Dutch Magrath, President, Amusement Products LLC

The Minimum Legal Working Age in Georgia

The Minimum Legal Working Age in GeorgiaThe Minimum Legal Working Age in GeorgiaIf you live in Georgia and want to begin your first job, youll need to know what the extremum legal working age is. Are you old enough to be hired? Working can be a rewarding experience for young people. It can teach you how to be dependable, punctual, set financial goals and not live beyond your means. If youre on your own, it can keep you out of harms way and help you support yourself and any family members who may rely on your income. How Old You Must Be to Work in Georgia Federal child labor laws state that the minimum age to work is 14, but Georgia has set the minimum age at 12. However, that only applies to employers that are not subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. When state law contradicts federal law about the minimum age to work, the strictest law will apply. Children who work in the entertainment industry (actors, singers, dancers, models etc.) are considered exceptions to the rule and can work, despite child labor laws. The same goes for children working in the family business or on the family farm. Child labor laws do not apply to a number of jobs, including some types of yard work, babysitting, shoe-shining, and newspaper deliveries. Before youth start working, it is important to review the rules and restrictions regarding child labor laws, particularly if juveniles plan to keep working as they age. Required Certificates Georgia state law requires child employment certificates for youth under age 18. Employment certificates are provided by the school. Age certificates arent required in the Peach State. What Hours You Can Work Although teens ages 14-15 can work in a variety of jobs, including in offices, hospitals, and retail stores, the hours they work are limited. Youth this age cant work mora than four hours ona school day, eight hours on a non-school day or 40 hours during a non-school week. Additionally, these teens mustwork hours that fall between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Minors 16 and 17 years of age have no work hour restrictions. Just because these teens have no restrictions doesnt mean parents should let them work as many hours as they choose or their employer wants them to work. If a teens job is interfering with school or may put the youth in a dangerous position because of late (or very early) hours, parents should take caution. Teens are at more risk than adults both as workers and on the streets, and it may not be a good idea to have a teen leaving the house in the wee hours of the morning or returning home from work late at night, especially if theyre responsible for closing up shop. Teens have been robbed, raped, and otherwise harmed on the job. Youth of all ages may not work in hazardous conditions that might cause injuries, death or adverse health effects. For more information on the minimum age to work in Georgia and how to obtain employment certificates, visit the Georgia State Labor website.