Another new video of the Rockit making test runs has been added to Orlando Rocks this week. Here you can hear what has got to be the loudest part of the ride… the new anti-rollback system the installed on the lift hill. Otherwise this thing runs wickedly silent. Speaking of test runs… a couple of readers also claim to have heard an employee mention to them that the Rockit most likely wont open for another 3 weeks, and will likely miss that July 3rd preview date that was leaked out on a local radio station website, but has since been removed. Bottom line though, they’ll open it when it is ready to be opened…
(6/24/09) Universal Orlando was kind enough to send me a really good picture showing off one of the new Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit trains, where you can not only see the speakers in each seatback, but you can also make out the colored light panels on the sidepanels near the floor (lit up Red in the photo). Oh, and in case you forgot… notice that this sweet ride only has a lap-bar to hold you in. Universal also shared a bit about the audio and video technology involved in this new ride that have never really been put together in this way before.

The first thing you’ll notice when you plop down in the seat is likely that large lapbar clamping down, because embedded in here is your touch-pad panel where you can pick the exact soundtrack you want to hear during the ride. This is a Florida theme park after all, so these panels have been designed to meet the same durability and weatherproof requirements as military equipment, so it’s got to be damn near bullet proof. It’s also a wireless system that once you make your select, your track will be wirelessly uploaded into your stunt chair that is loaded with a 165-watt sound system, blasting your song up 90 decibels… and yet they promise you will never hear the song playing for the other rides nearby.
Next up, lets talk about the video recording system, which is made up of 14 different cameras. Six of those cameras will be installed onto your coaster train (1 per row) to capture your screaming mugg during the ride itself, while 8 more cameras are hard-mounted along the ride’s route to capture the highlights. These aren’t cheap little security camera units or web-cams… but production quality cameras designed for use under intense conditions, normally used on high-speed trains. Overseeing it all is a system of laser triggers that will time everything together to ensure that your music and video are always in sync.
At the end of your ride, each riders experience will be wirelessly downloaded to a kiosk system in just 25 seconds. Here you can check out, edit and purchase your own personalized Rockit experience video.
What else is different about the Rockit trains? They’ve are the only coaster trains to be covered with daylight LED color-changing lights. Each vehicle has 36 different lights that can stay solid, strobe, twinkle, race or pulse. Universal has also confirmed that the Rockit will feature the only “moving roller coaster load platform” that will use a peoplemover conveyor belt system in the station so that the trains (and guests) will never stop moving during the unload/load process. This will allow for a train to dispatch every 23 seconds at maximum capacity. It’s during this slow crawl through the station that the onboard systems (audio, video and lighting) will also receive a quick battery charge.
So there you have it… in a nutshell, the answers to almost any question you might have about this unique new coaster experience. Currently the long testing process has begun as we’ve heard that the park needs to log about 100 hours of operation time on each of the trains before they can put human riders to the test. Of course early word has also gone out to the Universal Orlando staff to prepare themselves, as full scale human testing on the employees will begin as soon as they are able.

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