Control Card

The control card can run up to four bollards simultaneously without affecting speed or performance. EasiGard can be controlled by any of the standard interface methods, however is most commonly operated in either of two modes.

Mode 1. The bollard is lowered by closing a pair of voltage free (normally open) contacts. Multiple forms of interface can be used in the same installation by commoning the relay outputs, i.e. a proximity reader for staff and an intercom for visitors. Raising the bollard is normally controlled by the inductive loop which also acts as the safety. Once the bollard has lowered, the control card waits for a signal from the loop detector to say a vehicle has entered the loop (use normally open contacts in presence mode). When the vehicle leaves the loop, the bollard will automatically raise. If another vehicle enters the loop while the bollard is raising, then the bollard will lower until that vehicle leaves the loop. This will continue until the bollard reaches it’s fully raised height and stops. Vehicles entering the loop at this point will not cause the bollard to lower. This type of installation is generally used for un-manned entrances/exits.

Mode 2. The bollard is operated by push button control, one button for down, one button for up. Automatic control can be added, e.g., remote control, but requires a two channel receiver. Induction safety loops can also be included to prevent the bollards from raising below vehicles and/or to automatically raise the bollards.

Standard Installation

Assumes tarmac surface.

EasiGard bollard/s spaced at 1.5 metre intervals across road. Bollards require holes that are well drained 1.2 metres deep by 400 mm square (minimum dimensions).

If installed properly, EasiGard should not collect surface water, however, problems can occur if the local water table is high enough to cause water to seep in through the drainage holes in the bottom of the bollard. Standing water in the bollard can harm the mechanism and will cause the bollard to operate very slowly or to stop completely. It is required that site drainage is adequate to prevent any situation where standing water collects in the bollard.

If the hole is well drained, fill hole with 200mm deep of 10mm chippings, lower EasiGard onto chippings, check for levels (top of collar should be approx. 10mm above finished surface level to help prevent water ingress)and in-fill with more chippings up to 300mm from surface.

Connect 2 x 6mm square CSA cables to connector block on side of bollard casing, and run through conduit back to control housing.

Conduit trench needs to be run from each bollard for minimum 16mm plastic conduit. How deep this trench needs to be may depend on local regulations. Conduit needs to run back to site of control housing.

Fill remainder of hole with 4:2:1 concrete mix, either to surface level or leave gap for top layer, i.e. tarmac. When applying final finish layer, smooth to leave sloping gradient away from bollard edges.

The inductive safety loop is laid around bollard/s such that loop is minimum 0.75 metres from bollard edges, however, the loop dimensions can be altered above this minimum to suit operational requirements. The further the loop is placed away from the bollard the bigger the safety element and the bigger the chances of tail-gating. If tail-gating is to be avoided then the loop needs to be placed close to the bollard, however, this reduces the safety factor.

In determining the shape of the loop, care must be taken to ensure that the detection zone is maintained from the front edge of the loop to the back edge of the loop.

Once the shape has been determined, cut a slot around bollards in tarmac with saw 30-40mm deep. At one corner, extend slot back to control housing. Clean slot with vacuum or air compressor. Starting at control housing, lay loop cable in slot up to bollards, run 3 turns of cable around bollards then take cable back to control housing. For cables running to and from the control housing allow some extra length as these now need to be twisted together minimum 12 turns per foot.

After testing, fill slots with properly mixed loop sealant for temperature conditions.

A standard installation uses a sealed lead acid 12Vdc battery as the primary power source, trickle charged from either a mains derived or solar charger. This is the cheapest and most reliable form of power supply. A 7Ah battery is usually sufficient to run two bollards, any more than that then a 17Ah battery is more appropriate. One bollard will operate about 150-200 times from a single charge of a 7Ah cell.

The controls can be sited virtually anywhere as only the two conductors to the dc motor need to be run from the control site to the bollards. 6mm² cross sectional area cable (10AWG) is sufficient up to 50 metres, further than that then the cable diameter needs to be increased to prevent excessive volt drop.

This information is for guide purposes only and is subject to change without prior notice. Always refer to Bollards & Barriers Limited for current technical and installation recommendations.