Traffic light sensors

Except, they don't work that way. See this link for a good discussion

The only advantage of the magnets would be that they might induce you (yuck yuck) to position the bike over the sensitive area of the loop detector.

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Rich Webb   Norfolk, VA

On Thu, 01 Jun 2006 06:34:50 -0500, in message , Ken C scribed:

Don't waste your time. Rather, put the kickstand down on the pavement at the point where you notice the loop buried. That just might do the trick. Or, start wearing stainless steel shoes and put your foot down on the loop.

Lay the bike down, such that the loop of the frame couples to the loop of the sensor, like the secondary of an air-core transformer. It'll be lossy, so should trigger the unit. (like one shorted turn, with a very low Q.) Once, someone posted some links with diagrams of riders doing this, but a quick search:

just turns up a lot of verbiage.

Good Luck! Rich

You don't need a magnet, just something electrically conductive in the field. I found the best method is to find the crack with the sensor line, and center one or both of my bike tires right over it. The lower part of the rims will be close enough to trigger some signals. Some threshholds are just too high, only a car can trigger them. Even aluminum rims will do, but forget about fancy carbon rims.

Mike Ross

Erm...did you ever try just riding over to the pedestrian signal button and pushing it?

If this is too techincal for you, take a loop of 22 awg wire about

4 feet long and wind it into a coil about 1 inch in diameter and imbed it under the insole of your shoe at about the ball of your foot...wave your foot over the sensor loop and the light will trip...eventually, depending on the DOT-programmed delay which in my experience in washington state can be anywhere from instant to 20 minutes....

If this doesn't work, consult your local DOT for faulty/poorly-controlled traffic signals or just run the light using your grey matter over the influence of a simple traffic light and go when it's clear...If it's a main thoroughfare that you are crossing, just ride up to the pedestrian signal instead of standing in the middle of the street for hours like an idiot...

There is no techie solution for government stupidity (especially the DOT), you just have to do it the lemming way anyway....If that still doesn't work, think for yourself and go when it's safe...

I've had sucess just by putting the wheel on the cut line in the pavement

Bye. Jasen

I've seen one sensor that was spoofed by a ring of metal packing strap the road was near capacity normally, and with this causing too-frequent intewrruptions it has traffic held up for 20 minutes....

I think the whole of the rim (and possibly the frame too) couples with with the field in the loop.

i wonder if they could be enhanced with by running a copper wire round e the inside bringing the ends out through the valve hole and joining them there.

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Bye.
   Jasen