Automated Car Wash Control Systems, Profiling, and Payment Integration

This advanced course trains technicians to integrate, configure, and service the electronic control and automation hardware powering automated car wash facilities. Students investigate ultrasonic, photo-eye, and light-curtain profiling arrays used to map vehicle geometry, calculate wash clearance envelopes, and adjust dynamic equipment paths. The curriculum explores programmable logic controller (PLC) architecture, ladder logic troubleshooting, input/output modules, and industrial communication protocols such as fieldbuses and industrial Ethernet. Technicians analyze automated payment terminals, coin acceptors, barcode scanners, and credit card interfaces, focusing on secure serial and network data transmission to machine controllers. Practical diagnostics emphasize signal tracing, voltage isolation, and systematic fault correction for sensor blind spots, logic stalls, and transaction timeouts. By mastering these interconnected systems, technicians ensure seamless handoffs from the initial customer transaction through precision wash execution, optimizing site throughput while safeguarding vehicles and sensitive electronics against electrical noise and environmental wash bay hazards.

InstructorJacob Calhoun

Prerequisites

ACW 105 ACW 110

Course outline

Lectures, virtual labs, and graded assignments — completed in your browser.

01Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Car Wash Automation and Control Architecturelecture

02Lesson 2: Vehicle Sensing Technologies: Photo-Eyes, Sonar, and Loop Detectorslecture

03Lesson 3: Advanced Vehicle Profiling: Optical Light Curtains and 3D Dimensioninglecture

04Hands-on Lab: Hands-On Lab: Vehicle Profiling Array Alignment, Calibration, and Testinglab

05Lesson 5: PLC Hardware Architecture, Power Supplies, and I/O Moduleslecture

06Lesson 6: Interpreting Ladder Logic and Timing Diagrams for Wash Sequenceslecture

07Lesson 7: Industrial Communications: Fieldbuses, Ethernet, and Machine Interfacinglecture

08Hands-on Lab: Hands-On Lab: PLC I/O Diagnostics, Logic Verification, and Fault Tracinglab

09Lesson 9: Automated Payment Kiosks, Currency Acceptors, and Peripheral Hardwarelecture

10Lesson 10: Point-of-Sale Integration, Wash Authorization, and Queue Signallinglecture

11Hands-on Lab: Hands-On Lab: Payment Terminal Configuration and Machine Enable Simulationlab

12Lesson 12: Electrical Noise Suppression, Grounding, and Wash Bay Enclosureslecture

13Lesson 13: End-to-End System Interlocking, Safety Relays, and E-Stop Circuitslecture

14Capstone Service Project: Integrated Control, Profiling, and POS Commissioningassignment

Syllabus

["Week 1: Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Car Wash Automation and Control Architecture", "Week 2: Lesson 2: Vehicle Sensing Technologies: Photo-Eyes, Sonar, and Loop Detectors", "Week 3: Lesson 3: Advanced Vehicle Profiling: Optical Light Curtains and 3D Dimensioning", "Week 4: Hands-on Lab: Hands-On Lab: Vehicle Profiling Array Alignment, Calibration, and Testing", "Week 5: Lesson 5: PLC Hardware Architecture, Power Supplies, and I/O Modules", "Week 6: Lesson 6: Interpreting Ladder Logic and Timing Diagrams for Wash Sequences", "Week 7: Lesson 7: Industrial Communications: Fieldbuses, Ethernet, and Machine Interfacing", "Week 8: Hands-on Lab: Hands-On Lab: PLC I/O Diagnostics, Logic Verification, and Fault Tracing", "Week 9: Lesson 9: Automated Payment Kiosks, Currency Acceptors, and Peripheral Hardware", "Week 10: Lesson 10: Point-of-Sale Integration, Wash Authorization, and Queue Signalling", "Week 11: Hands-on Lab: Hands-On Lab: Payment Terminal Configuration and Machine Enable Simulation", "Week 12: Lesson 12: Electrical Noise Suppression, Grounding, and Wash Bay Enclosures", "Week 13: Lesson 13: End-to-End System Interlocking, Safety Relays, and E-Stop Circuits", "Week 14: Capstone Service Project: Integrated Control, Profiling, and POS Commissioning"]