RocketPort - Tolltex

RocketPort Streamlines Traffic at TollTex Tollbooths

Picture yourself cruising down the highway in your new Porsche, you have your quarters ready for the tollbooth but when you get there the fare display isn’t working. The attendant manually calculates the toll and gives you the wrong change. You ask for a receipt, but that equipment isn’t working either. It’s not turning out to be the smooth cruise through town you’d hoped for.

That’s not a likely scenario at a Tolltex toll way. Tolltex, Inc., based out of Sparta, N.J., was formed in 1994 to meet the system integration needs of the toll industry. Since that time, Tolltex personnel have completed projects all over the world. Tolltex uses Comtrol’s RocketPort^® multiport serial controller cards to help streamline the day-to-day electronic processes that keep tollbooth stations running smoothly.

The RocketPort card connects all of the peripheral devices used in a toll system. The most common peripheral devices that need to be connected with a serial port card include:

• Receipt printers
• Coin machines
• Patron fare displays
• Slot card readers

With expansion capabilities of up to 32 ports, the RocketPort card not only makes those connections possible, but scalable and very reliable as well. Comtrol’s RocketPort card is being used at toll ways all over the world. “We’ve really zeroed in on it. In fact, even the India toll collection system has a RocketPort card and a 16-port distribution panel. We could have gotten by with an 8-port card but our box is engineered for a 16-port panel. It’s a nice fit and allows for further expansion,” said Tim Wagner, President of Tolltex, Inc. RocketPort is the only controller that dedicates one 36 MHz processor to every eight ports for a consistent application of power from 4 to 128 ports.

Prior to discovering Comtrol’s RocketPort cards, Wagner said they used a different brand of card. They decided to consider switching cards because a consultant in Florida wanted higher speeds. So they evaluated Comtrol’s RocketPort card and selected it because of its superior performance and reliability. The RocketPort had a DB25 connector, whereas the previous solution only had RJ45 connectors. Tolltex didn’t feel comfortable using the RJ45 solution because of the unique connected devices, like patron toll displays and laser overhead sensors. They thought that they would run into a case where some other component or system would need more signals than were available on an RJ45 type of plug. So Tolltex looked to Comtrol for the answer.

Challenge

Tolltex needed a serial controller card that could connect a wide variety of peripheral devices to the main computer at each toll station. The serial card had to offer a wide variety of port options, and be extremely versatile. It would need to be able to handle all types of setups and climate circumstances.

Technology Solution

Comtrol’s RocketPort fulfilled Tollex‘ need for a versatile, reliable connectivity solution.

Versatility

The RocketPort card is available in a number of serial port options. “Based on the unique needs of a particular toll station and the number of peripheral devices that need to be hooked up to the serial port card, RocketPort offers Tolltex incredible options and flexibility,” said Wagner.

Data Integrity

In addition to providing versatility, Comtrol’s RocketPort maximizes host computer efficiency and data integrity while minimizing data loss by offering large FIFOs—64 times larger than a 16550 UART. Data integrity is critical when dealing with the high number of vehicles going through a toll station. “The RocketPort card ensures that the information is processed efficiently and correctly,” said Wagner. This helps the employees feel confident in the money collection system as well as the accuracy of the receipt printers and card scanners.

"The RocketPort card ensures that the information is processed efficiently and correctly."

Reliability

Reliability was also a key factor that led to the decision to use RocketPort. The RocketPort enables reliable exchange of information to take place between registers, PCs, servers and other peripheral devices needed to keep toll stations operating smoothly.

RocketPort performance capabilities also make it ideal for peripheral control applications, even in extreme conditions and temperatures. RocketPort performance is driven by specially designed ASICs that optimize I/O functionality to maximize throughput at each port. RocketPort is the only controller that dedicates one 36 MHz processor to every eight ports for a consistent application of power from 4 to 128 ports. These ASICs replace virtually all major hardware components, including the processor, bus interface logic, and other miscellaneous logic. ASIC integration reduces the number of components by 80 percent, resulting in fewer chances for failure and increased reliability. “Your product is something I never have to think about—it just works,” Wagner said.

Superior Performance

With the industry’s highest throughput across 4 to 128 ports, the RocketPort family of multiport serial cards is unsurpassed in performance.  Delivering up to 921 Kbps transmit-and-receive throughput across all ports simultaneously, the RocketPort family sustains fully compressed ISDN throughput. RocketPort enables faster processing while using fewer resources. What’s more, it’s easy to install because there is no shared memory to configure. Comtrol’s RocketPort serial cards make multiport connectivity more powerful, more reliable, easier-to-use, and more cost-effective than any other controller available on the market today.

Looking into the Future

Tolltex is researching access control, which enables security systems to monitor vehicles entering gated communities or businesses. “We’re just doing that as a ‘research and development’ project at this point, but a lot of the technology that we have used in the toll way can be directly transferred to the access control business, right down to the same software and hardware,” Wagner said. Comtrol’s RocketPort is flexible enough to be used in both applications for Tolltex.