www.ElevAider.com

John,

I have always wondered how Otis's yellow "vanishing" indicators worked. They are the ones with the black circle with yellow numerals in the Arial Black font, and are found on Otis elevators from the 70s and 80s. Were they mechanical? Did they work like a slide projector?
Also, how did Westinghouse interlock release "bars" work? I can see that they don't work like traditional release rollers with an arm linkage, and I have looked and looked but can't find how the whole thing goes together.

Thanks,
Chris
On YouTube: ThyssenElevator95

P.S. Your website is awesome and very informative!

Wow! Thanks so much for the information!

John,

I have a question about what I feel is a bad elevator problem. It is on a new 2007 Otis inground hydraulic elevator. Is it normal for the cab to tip from side to side (and very dramatically and loudly as well) as the weight in the car shifts? You can see it when the door opens (it is a single-slide door) and you can hear it and feel it if you move around in the cab. I always fear that somebody will move and the elevator will get stuck if the selector looses contact with the metal tape from moving around so much or the "door vane" will not clear the release rollers on the 6940A door lock and stall the elevator. What could be causing this? Did somebody forget to tighten down on some screws on the bolster? I have noticed that all of the screws on the car panel were loose, and the directional lantern is not secured very tightly (it clips into the door jamb), so is this a sign of many other loose screws somewhere? Otis does quarterly preventative maintenance checks on this elevator, so they won't be back again for another month or two. In the meantime, I have referred the board of directors to a company called Marshall Elevator which is based in Pittsburgh. I figured that they may be able to fix the problem since Otis doesn't seem to be doing a good job maintaining this elevator.
I hope you can answer this question to help me better understand the problem at hand.

Sincerely,
Chris
On YouTube - ThyssenElevator95.

Thank you for your question Chris.
Cab float is normal as long as it is not excessive. A car that tips back and forth may be a symptom of something deeper.The dead give away was you can see it when the door opens. That appears to be a sign of shoes/rollers/steadying plates out of adjustment or worn.Service is definitely required. If you are thinking about another elevator company ask the same questions when looking for a good family doctor.
How many years does my mechanic have in the industry?
20 or more is better than 5 or less.
Did the mechanic bounce around from company to company or has he held a secure footing within the company?
Men leave a company for the following reasons: More money,better treatment,
lack of work.
If a mechanic has a long history with a company odds are likely that he is paid well, is treated fairly and is a competent worker.
How many elevators ( patients ) does he take care of?
Your mechanic may be gifted at what he does but if there is too much on his plate you as a customer will not see your fair share of service. A mechanic servicing a hundred elevators on his route can not give the same amount of care to an elevator that a mechanic with a 50 car route maintains.
Before deciding on another elevator company, find out about your service mechanic and the relationship he has with his employer. Talk to the mechanic yourself and you will be surprised how much you can learn. I hope this information is helpful.
John Fellin

hey guys i have a health related question I have injured by back and also have some nerve damage which is making it dificult for me to walk and in turn work, i sound like a dork but i would rather b workin im only 26 and have never been out sick like this the injury didnt happen on the job, does anyone have any advice on how to go about getting disability and how long it usually takes to go into effect as well as any pointers you feel would help thank you !

I would like to ask you to consult on a project.
May we speak by phone?
Thanks.

415 264-6050

Hello Terrance and Ian
Thank you for the compliment.
As a union employee I can not provide the consultation requested as it would be in breach of union governed by-laws.
I wish you the best.

All Elevators are safe in design and minor bugs removed once out of production and into the field. Many elements can make an elevator unsafe.
Vandalism,Incompetency,and the list goes on. One of the very first elevators I learned to service in my career was an Armor Relay Logic. A wonderful ,sturdy,reliable controller. I continue to work with some Armor relay logic to this day ( some over 50 years old ) and these old war birds are chugging away without any sign of quitting.

Thank you for your question.
Hydraulic Elevators are raised in lowered by means of fluids pushed into or drawn from a piston to raise and lower the elevator. The difference between old and new elevators depends on the person you are asking. If asking a young mechanic,anything that is non solid state may be old. If asking a veteran mechanic 30,40 plus years a manual rope,car switch,may be old. I think any elevator that is properly ,maintained and still function is far from being considered old.
Great Question!

Sorry Matt,
That test was about a month ago.
It made the news. Next test won't be out until next year. I wish you the best.

Thank you for visiting my website.
Your question is duly noted.
I do not work often on hydros but I will see what I can dig up for future.

Thank you for your question and Good Luck!

You will be taking a standard reading ,math ,and mechanical aptitude test. Search on the web for standardized testing for reading, math and comprehension.

I'm sure you'll fly right through this stuff.

Thank you for your question.
The 6040 series interlocks are very sturdy and dependable. If I had any say they would be my interlock of choice.
The much much older style Otis 6047A2 series may still be found in operation but will eventually phase out due to age. GAL is by far the most common interlock in the NY area sold and the replacement for most locks.

I have 4 MCE VFMC-1000 PTC controllers on my route that needs to have the ADA phone reprogramed to another emergency # but I dont not have any manuals on how to program it. I took the ADA phone apart and it had no ID or manufacture on it. I went to the Motion Control site without luck there either. Does anyone know where I can get the manual. Thanks

Nice Work Dave.
Communications can be confusing to the elevator mechanic since this is learned on the job compared to learned in school.You first must determine if the system is being used and is part of an intercom system or is it plain line phone. Fairly new installation 10 years or less have opted to go strictly phone line. It's cheap and very reliable. The GAL 6400 is a HANDS FREE PHONE. It is an excellent product. You must know the phone number of the line it is connected to.If you don't then disconnect the GAL and plug in a standard handheld phone. I used to check the number by dialing 958.
This would return the phone number to the line by automated voice.Then I would disconnect the handheld phone and reconnect the GAL. Once you know the phone number you can program from any location. I would use my cell phone as I stood in front of the car station.
Job Well Done Dave.

Have you heard of Super Routes?

I have heard that some of our competitors are thinking about implementing super routes.

Here's how I heard it will work.
Mechanics routes increase to 80,90 ,100+ cars. They only perform maintenance.
The area Foreman runs and answers the shutdowns.


I have been working in the field for 32 years. This is not the first time some one has tried this. In my opinion
this is a desperate attempt at damage control. Companies are losing business
and need to come up with a quick solution to please their customers and return to profit levels. It does work but for only a short time. That's the idea.
The time element is the key.
Enough time is given to make the company look good temporarily, sign a contract, make a profit just in time to watch it all unfold, crash and burn. There is another dark side. It also leads to layoffs in the end. Areas are broken into quadrants ( 4 parts ).
The foreman is the 5th part.
As the route begins to show signs of strengthening ( remember it is only temporary ) then the weakest mechanic gets let go from one of the quadrants and the foreman is shuffled in to replace him.

This idea was conducted back in the late 70's I should know, I protested
back then and predicted layoffs.
It all came to fruition.
The concept failed.
The company made money.
The men were laid off.

Hi Dave,
Thank you for your question.
Danger lurks everywhere,even when crossing the street.
As probably one of the top paying blue collar jobs in America it does come with a level of danger. It may not be ranked as one of the top 10 dangerous jobs but it has its shares of fatalities. This is the type of job that is not forgiving. One wrong move and you are dead! If you follow the safety courses conducted by your local union and company you will minimize your chances of getting hurt. Injuries associated with elevator work are many.
The 2 that stand out the most is electrocution and being crushed.
Nuff said.
God Bless all my brothers.

John Fellin

Thank you Diane for providing information that may help put some of our unemployed men and women to work.
God Bless.


John Fellin

Hi john,

I am a helper, i worked in florida for 1 year for otis, manhattan for 1 year also for otis, got laid off now working for a shop in jersey. anyway i went to a shutdown call for a westinghouse hydro, 2 stop car. The car seemed to be running but it was hesitating between floors for 5-10 seconds before taking off.. i looked at the controller and everything seemed to be in working condition. i checked some relays but did not find any problems... any suggestions?? By the way i think this website is fantastic, i also think that you are a man of high value, being a christian i appreciate others helping other just out of kindness. Thankyou John

God Bless
Ralph

Ooops! There. I did it again!
The HPV600 runs an AC Motor....

A Drive is a Drive is a Drive is a Drive no matter how I look at it! LOL....

Hi John. It is really great to see an elevator website out here run by an elevator mechanic! I am also a big fan of your youtube videos. What is your favorite elevator?

Sincerely, Devlin
youtube user airplanegod

Hi John, Ive just discovered your site through the You Tube. I've looked through the Tid bits as well. I see that you favour MCE Controllers. Would you be able to put on a presentation of how you go about doing a full shaft learn run. Setting it up can be a bit of pain in The "A" when the EOD keeps displaying "Learn Error" after all the jinnering you have to do to get it at the sweet spot below bottom terminal floor.I'm a bit of a part timer with MCE and would love to get your ideas on this. Regards, Joe from Sydney, Australia.

Hi John,
I L@@Ked through your MCE Bible.
I could only find set up for top and bottom terminal limits.
As for full shaft learn(tape)I could not find.
I have actually posted a video on You Tube doing a full shaft learn run 4 MCE but I didn't go into the preliminary set up.
I'm L@@king forward to seeing more of your new videos.

Regards,
Joe
jorologo on YouTube.

Thanks John I received it.
Bless You.

Hello Carl,
Thank you once again for those very kind words and offer. I have been employed for 32 years and will be retiring " God Willing " in a couple of years.I will contact you if there are individuals that I can refer to help your company grow. You will most likely get calls from those reading this. As a former instructor I can put you in contact with the solid state instructor in the apprentice program to see if he can utilize this wonderful drive. I will be more than happy to embed an advertisement on a excellent product which I believe yours is. I am not active in ECNY but will speak with you.
John Fellin

Thank you for your question.
Otis relay logic is by design one of the best controllers I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
What a wonderful experience. The old style controllers such as 10-21-30 UCL were true work horses.The car call and hall call relays used this 3 coil lead design. A typical 3 lead coil was common with Otis. It was actually to coils wound onto one body sharing a common.Feeding one lead would energize one coil on the body and because of the way the coil was wound would pull the armature closed. With the other lead fed it would energize the coil and because the coil was wound in an opposite direction onto the body would push the armature open. The terms are known as Set and Reset. The Otis selector also made 2 coils on one body but did not share a common. It used 4 leads. 2 leads, Black and Yellow were called the set coil and the other 2 leads, Green and Red were the reset.
Thanks for stirring the old brain cells.

Thanks Teraesa
for the nice compliment.

Thanks for the Link.
Alonzo Bertram See founded the A. B. See Elevator Co. in the late 1800's in New York. His company invented destination dispatch.
I'll check out the site.

Thank you for your question.
It is something to think about.
A mailing list or forum sounds like a good idea. It will require thought and plenty of web building time which I do not have at this moment. Definitely will
think about it.
John

John,

I have a really intriguing question that has been bugging me for a year now. We have a Macy's Store (formerly a Kaufmann's) in Downtown Pittsburgh. It is REALLY old, built in the late 1800s. In the store are 6 Otis elevators (upgraded from lever control to the Autotronic system in 1952) and 4 Westinghouse elevators (upgraded from manual to Selectomatic in the 1950s, plus door locks upgraded to GAL quite a while ago, as well as new buttons within the last 10 years). All of the Otis elevators and one of the Westinghouse elevators have a unique feature: They all have their original lock system and piston/pneumatic closer. The really interesting part is that when the door wants to open, the hoistway door seems to open "magically" as there is no clutch or release roller assembly on the door at all. I even verified this by looking into the doors with a flashlight when I was there yesterday, and I could see no physical linkage between the car door and hoistway door.
So my question here is: How did they do that? There are no computers in the system-everything is vacuum tubes and relays. The system even has the original touch buttons.
Also, the doors on the first floor have a lunar key hole on the door.
Also, whatever drives the hoistway doors seems to be very solid. If you pull on the door when the car is away from the floor, it stays tightly shut, yet closes very gently.

Just wondering how do you get into the field of elevator maintenance?

thanks

-Phillip

What are your thoughts?

5 men in their 50's are laid off.
Average of 20–30 years experience.
Company employs just as many young apprentice/mechanics already in field.
Company claims loss of work.
Men file grievance, possible age discrimination.
Company layoffs are based on abilities and performance.
Union points to seniority and experience.

Should these men get their jobs back?

Thank you Chris for that great observation.
As magical as it appears it is an ingenious array of linkages. The car top clutch activated coil releases at the floor to allow opening of the doors.
All integral parts are hidden way behind the return post. I have a video somewhere on my website of this in action.
John

I just discovered your web site a couple of days ago and it is great to see this resource available to people in the elevator industry.

It just so happens that I have an issue with a 1967 vintage Dover hydraulic elevator that is relay logic. When a number of up or down direction calls are placed it bypasses the intermediate calls and answers the call that is furthest away from the floor it starts at. For example, if I am on floor one and floors two and four have the buttons pushed the elevator will travel to the fourth floor and then come back and answer the second floor call. Any ideas on what could be causing this would be helpful.

Hi John B.
The old Dover's are great. Not to many around. Love them old IBM reed contact relays! Ouch!
Did you mean Up or Down (Hall) Calls?

Question: Do you have only one hall button per floor?
If so this is normal in design and is called a down collective system otherwise I would start by looking at the Selector which I think is a Latching Type D605 or similar. They have a tendency to hang up ( become sticky ) over time.
It is usually located at the lower left hand side of the controller and work my way out from there. I do also recall 2 controller mounted 50 watt light bulbs that were used in series with the car and hall call buttons. Possibly current limiters. Check car calls common
(confirm first-102) and hall call common (confirm first-202).
Hope this helps.
John Fellin

Edited by J.F.

I worked for local 3 for 10 yrs before my company was bought out by local 1 i am now layed off with no light at the end of the tunnel i would love to return to local 3 but do not know how to go about it i am a helper i know you john i worked with dwight. we had lunch many times together could you please give me a lead on who to contact thanks ,charles S.

A few weeks ago I posted.
5 senior mechanics were laid off.
Grievances were filed.
Update:

One mechanic rehired under the conditions he had to work the standby list.

One mechanic lost his bid to get rehired. Did not have enough time in the new company.You need 3 years for your seniority to carry over from one company to another. This must change. I would suggest at upcoming negotiations that 1 year is sufficient.

One man agreeing to be rehired for 6 weeks. No guarantee of future work.

Apprentice /Mechanics non journeymen have been pushed back to helpers to make room for the rehired mechanics who were successful with their grievances.

What are your thoughts.

Hi everyone great website! Im interested in the elevator industry and i was wondering how do you become a Elevator examiner and adjuster any info would help.

Thanks in advance!

Dear MetalCap,
Thank you for sharing this story.
Let us all take a moment and pray for our fallen brother. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.I am only hearing of this accident that occurred 2/28/11 as posted by the daily news. Our brother fell 6 stories down an elevator shaft to his death at a Federal Halfway house in Brooklyn and died the scene.
John

Dear Mike,
Sorry to hear you have been on the list for a while. In these sad economic times,
a few months may be considered normal waiting time compared to a number of years which is outrageous. I suggest you contact your local union/ hiring hall to confirm your position.
Best wishes and God Bless,
John Fellin

Im working for a non union company that has money problems. I have 6yrs experience working with elevators and I need to find a more stable company. I would love to join either one of the unions I just don't know how to
Go by doing so. Do I have to wait for the unions to send out applications like they did last year? Can a non union guy apply for a job at a union company? Do I have to contact the unions and beg?do I have to go to another non union shop and hope they pay into the union? I've been to the web sites but there's no information about it.what do I do? I contacted the mta about their elevator division but I haven't heard back.
The feeling I have going home every Friday and not getting paid until the following Wednesday is horrible. I have a wife and son that I need to care for.
Any suggestions would be great. I live in the Bronx and all my local shops are non union except 1 which is local 3.

Thank you Mike for your input.
I will pray for you and your family.
Times are very difficult.
Try contacting the Local unions directly.
You can try Local 3 IBEW by
contacting the JIB at 718-848-5176
They may provide you with some direction.

John

Dear Mike,
Times are tough.I am glad that you were able to talk to somebody.
Applications do come out once a year. I will post on my website when available once more.

John

Have you ever worked on a thyssenkrupp signa4?
Because I just would like to know your opinion on them.

Hi Nick,
I have not worked on the signa4.
I did work with TAC20's and 50's as an employee for a Thyssen owned company.

My opinion on controllers is as follows:
I do not like controllers and would
not purchase any controller that are proprietary in nature. I also do not like controllers that are in essence single layer motherboards. I prefer to see many boards on a controller. As a building owner it is cheaper to replace a single $400 dollar board than an entire $5000 dollar motherboard.
John

Here's a problem I have had for a while and can't seem to find a solution and neither can out supervisors.

Controller - serge "1991"
PLC - directlogic/koyo 405cpu with in/out modules and a 405ex psu
Floors - 1-11
Visolux beam sensors
Magnetek - 412 drive

Here's the problem. Randomly the car will stop hard on the 1 and 11floors. Some days it doesn't happen at all and some days it Happens 2 or 3 times with passengers or without. The stop is right before slowdown and it's a stop like it's clipping a releasing roller but it doesn't.

We have replaced CPU and all plc modules, reloaded the directsoft software, swapped the drive with one Dom another car, jumped out the locks and ran the car going up And down the shaft, Replaced limits, checked governor and car speed/overspeed. Jumped out all safties to see if a safety would open. Nothing has helped. This is a site job and I'm the helper.

Like I said this is an intermittent problem. It just happens and other days it doesn't.

I have a question about oThompson microflite, the old controller. I have a unit that is stalling. Well my grn output is failing to come on. Which is causing my dg not to go high. How can I test to see why my grn output is not going hi. It comes from a board, however it turn on the generator when I put it on hand in the controller but won't turn on grn until I reset

Hi James,
Thank you for your questions.
Been busy lately.
I have a suspicion that the industry is changing in ways never before seen. Today you must have thew ability to grasp electromechanical skills,be prompt daily and obligated to work overtime. Your body will be challenged daily both physically and mentally. This line of work is not for the feint of heart. Under a talented mechanic(s) you should fair well. Concentrate on your apprenticeship studies. This is a job usually for life. You will know quickly if this job is for you. This line of work has the potential to pay your bills but it is not a free ride. I encourage young people to stay in college and go onto white collar professions. This is a real blue collar job. you work hard and come home dirty.
You can potentially raise a family comfortably. The stats on life expectancy are poor after retirement.
You are exposed to many bad elements.
Protect yourself at all times to minimize the health related damages this industry dishes out.
Check my website for more info.
Hope this helps,
John

Hi Nick,

I had the opportunity to see the machine room less elevators once. I was not impressed. I do not like controllers mounted in shaftway or other parts of the buildings away from the car.A mechanic should have a safe and visual contact with the equipment.
John

hey John,

Yes we checked the travelers and the ropes. Everything looks fine. The company was to install an ip8300 unit and see how that works out.Its so hard getting replacement visolux sensors. We are still unsure of what the problem is . It's just one of those things.

Hi Jeremiah,

I forgot to mention that if you can test the I/O rack by swapping your Input or Output cards to see if the problem transfers.

John

Hi-

I own a 1950 2-story building in Oxnard, CA 93030. It has an Otis water-hydrolic freight elevator in it. Doors on both sides downstairs, one side upstairs. Photos available.
(http://www.elevatorpreservation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/woolworth-4-elevator-pics.jpg )
Worked well until recently. Water tank started leaking. I have the following questions:

1. How does one fix the water tank? , or, can you direct me to a local person who could do this work? OR- would it be wise to allow a welder to remove the motor and pump, make a new tank, and replace motor and pump?

2. Can you direct me to a qualified local service person for ongoing maintenance and repairs? Or, how do I find someone?

3. Cylinder is leaking water. Could the right service person repair this, and is this expensive? Approx how much?

4. Generally, what does one pay to have an elevator like this updated to a modern passenger elevator?

5. Is there an organization that would want the old parts for posterity, if I can‘t repair and maintain it?

Thanks

-David dfeigin@yahoo.com

Hello David,
Thank you for your question.

Wow! I have not seen a water hydro in years. I have seen tanks leak due to age and vibration. A cylinder leak can be expensive. My suggestion is to contact a consultant prior to an elevator company to give you an honest price and advise you on the current state laws. Knowing a price also avoids conflicts. One never knows if there are companies out there working hand in hand with each other over pricing.
I would feel safer replacing a tank or a cylinder instead of repairing.
Ask about converting over to a traction elevator. Low rise 7 story basement traction conversions can run $ 100-150 grand in my humble opinion.

Hope this helps,
John Fellin

Thank you for your question,
I am sure you checked for the basics.
Check for grounds in brush rigging.
I have witnessed grounds in only one direction. I remember FE contact inside the car top music box. Give that a look. Also check that 1E 2E 3E Q SUD SF and VR as well as UX and DX are OK. These contacts are worth checking as well as they are part of your loop circuit.
Hope this helps.

Hi MetalCap,
I am so glad you were able to resolve this issue. I always try to start with the basics before taking it to another level. Elevators today are solid state control and CPU driven but are dependent upon the input which are mechanical in nature. Switches,infrared,hall effects are no different than the arms and legs on a human being. For a human to be fully functional the brain and body must work together.Same for the elevator controller.Job well done.

John

Thank you Brother Moore
Article 32 Elevator/Escalator Safety Bill is a step in the right direction for this industry. Without checks and Balances,bells and whistles the propensity for injuries all around can only escalate.
This bill would keep many people honest.
Let's hope it passes.
John

Thank you James for your interest in this field. Local 3 Elevator Division has had a unique history in in holding strong through the toughest of times. I can attest to the maintenance end of it having been continuously employed for over 30 years.I have many other fellow mechanics who can say the same. Do not misunderstand me.Companies layoff men and increase workloads as the economy slows just to keep those profit margins. If you are good or show potential you should have no problem. It is the older slower not as sharp that usually fall under the knife. I may be a statistic in the near future as I am approaching retirement age but for now my abilities have pulled me through.
Hope this helps.
John Fellin

You are quite welcome Jim.
I am glad you found and fixed the problem.
Job Well done.

John Fellin

Great find Jim.
Keep up the good work.
John

John,
when i worked as a maintenance mechanic, and also as a mod mechanic, i often found myself working on a controller older than i am, no print and my supervisor either could not be reached or just dint want to help because he was busy with his own problems. their are a few repositories of controller prints floating around the web, although they are spotty. would you be interested in forming one of your own. a lot of us younger guys would find it a real help.
sincerly
Jim Toscano
Local 3 journeyman
unemployed

Dear Jim,
Thank you for your interest in wanting to help your fellow mechanic. There are many legal hills to climb concerning blueprints in the public eye. We would need the OK from a diverse group of controller manufacturers for this repository to take flight. Let's put this out to our reader.
Any ideas?
All comments appreciated

hii friends please help me today i have test the multemeter wid A,C current then the multemeter has fuzed pls help me how to repair this

Hi Kamal,
The simple theory behind ammeter operation is to place the device in series with the circuit. Current flowing through the meter will be deflected by a magnetic sensitive needle also known as a
(electromagnetic transducer).A good quality meter is fused to protect it from damage as a result of meter over current limitations.
Hope this helps
John

John

I am not an elevator mechanic; I am someone who has a real fear of elevators and will avoid them where I can.

Living in the Scotland, we do not have a significant amount of high buildings (in comparison to the US). Those that have elevators, or 'lifts' as they're more commonly known here, generally serve a small of number of floors that can usually be accessed by foot for those with a fear like mine.

While not understanding much of the terminology you use, I am absolutely fascinated by your work, the skill you show and the clear love you have for your profession.

The way in which you confidently talk about relays, cables, motors, etc, help calm some of my fears. I spent time each year in the States on vacation and am forced to use an elevator where we stay. Despite being a relatively new building (6 years old?), the elevators still seem to give out bangs and knocks audible from within the car and outside while waiting for it arrive. These noises do nothing to ease my worries, but your wonderful insight into what makes them work go some way to making me a little more confident at getting inside them! If I could always have someone to accompany me in an elevator, you would be the one I would call every time!

I would love for you to publish a couple of pages (photos and videos) for people like me who need to be reassured as to how they work and just how safe they are - despite the bangs, squeals and rattles I hear while inside them!

It is reassuring nevertheless to know there are people like you making sure that they are kept safe for apprehensive people like me to use.

Thank your maintaining a wonderfully informative website. Keep up the good work educating and reassuring others.

Kind regards
Mike

Hi John,
nice website you've made here... I've always been interested in elevators & elevator mechanism. To be honest, I'm not a pro, in fact, I don't have a slightest clue about most of electronic symbols & blueprints lol, but I do know my way around machine room & shaft.

What I always wanted to know, and didn't have anyone else to ask is how exactly do you install the new elevator? I'm referring to traction elevators in this case, with the machine room. Furthermore, how do you build the elevator car inside the shaft, and how do you get it "hooked" with the counter-weight? Same with counterweight, how do you insert the weights, aren't they too heavy to handle just by 1-2 persons?

Thanks in advance, and keep up the good work, I really enjoyed your videos! :)

I have a very general question about geared elevators - relative to reinstalling the oil that has leaked from the machine and caught in the machines oil catch pan. In olden days, (spotless machine rooms, clean oil, lots of PM, clean catch pan) the oil might have been returned to the machine. What is the industry doing currently? Seems PM has deteriorated...not the techs fault if they aren't give the time...but the oil is filthy...is it being returned to the gear box as standard practice?

Hi Bill,
Sorry it took so long to respond.
I am not familiar with the wheel-o-vatorhome lift. I would try to contact the firm for technical support. If that fails then I would try to using my instincts to clear the faults. Looking for resets or powering down the unit than powering back up would be a start.
Go over connections, ribbons,check solid state bosrd for loose chips, Look to see if compnents were damaged by water ,humidity,etc.Lubricate where and as necessary. You need to be the hunter.Try resetting. If it clears then it is probably a simple fault that you can eventually find. If it does not clear then its a hard fault and requires further in depth troubleshooting of motors and other key components.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you.I don't know the anser off the top of my head. I would have to reach out to sales. If I find out I will post it.

Aussie Lift Tech
Thank you for your post.Toe stepping is allowed on my site if it educates and keeps us safe. I do not know it all and appreciate all the input I can get. This is an industry full of many talented individuals all unique and gifted in their own way; many who go unrecognized. My website allows anyone to come forward and speak their mind.

@John

You're welcome, and thank you for your time to answer me back, I'll definitely check out that link you gave me!

Hi John and everyone else I have another question .

I'm having a problem with a car, here's the specs

Serge controller, direct soft 5 software, Ipc regulator, generator,440 plc, B-11 floors, 500fpm

The car skips floors but it only happens above the 5th floor and in the up direction. If I press 9thfl the car will travel normally then begin slowing down like normal but completely bypasses the selected floor in leveling speed and will land at the floor above.

**What I've done so far**
-I reloaded a back up of the values and it worked for 1 day,
- I reloaded values from a car next to the one I'm working on and it worked for 1 day, 
-manually put in the floor counts. Worked for 1 day
-installed a NEW encoder .didn't help
-installed a new CPU . Didn't help
-upgraded the leveling system to an ip8300. It was visolux rf sensors. Worked for a week or so
-making adjustments to the Ipc regulator seems to get the car to work for a few days. But then the problems comes back.
- the previous company had the car set at 325 fpm even thou it's supposed to be 500fpm. No matter where I put the speed it still happens.
 So far the only thing I haven't done was send out the Ipc regulator to bart or another repair shop. 
This is a patient elevator in a hospital and it's becoming an issue, (like every elevator in these places)

Would like to know the history of MILLAR Elevator in the city? Thanks Steve Grega

Steve G
Thankyou for your question.
There are a number of stories but I can tell you this much.
I have worked for Millar for a number of years and left as they were being sold and the remaining membership chose an alliance to a different union called Local 1. They had a wonderful controller called the CVT. I believe that this was the first truly solid state controller and many others have copied umm utilized these original concepts dating back to the early 80's.
Hope this helps for now.

Hi metalcap,
From the info you are giving me I would definitely go back and look at the chips that store that parameter values. Sounds like they were corrupted. Check your setup and communications between tape head and computer.
Hope this helps.

Jasenko,
The only guess and I can only guess is that it will come down to being either severe mechanical malfunction or human error.

Thank you Simon for the compliments.
Have nor worked on the N 600's Sorry.
Don't recall the model ( German ) at this time. I think it was
Bucher Hydraulics.

I am looking for help with an old OTIS relay logic single speed AC elevator with a pie plate selector. It won't collect more then 1 call in the up or down direction, car and hall calls. In the up, If u put in two call it will travel to the highest call. . And in the down it will travel to the lowest call of the two u enter. any ideas ???

Looking at a handheld elevator control unit with a digital display from what appears to be made by SESAME from the early 1990s. Has a lot of buttons, enter, delete, lock, stream, sync, pulse, and a keypad. Perhaps someone knows if the the company is still in business and has a website?

I do not have access to proprietary controllers and am limited in helping. I am sure that you have a MIPROM tool to help diagnose.
If problem is internal sounds like a board finally went and needs to be replaced. I know of Built in timer removes car off auto after expired license time period.
I have had a problem with a controller that I could not pull off FS PH2 also a few years back and the company had to purchase the license for thousands of dollars to restore car back to auto. If this is the case your company may have to pay up.
This is why I always tell my customers to only purchase generic equipment and American made only.

To Terri out of Clover Carolinas.
You have purchased a proprietary controller that appears to be locked out because the bill was not paid. You are essentially held hostage. What makes it wors is that an 85 year old man is dependent on this elevator for mobility. This can me an emergency situation.Contact your local housing department social worker to see if it is illegal to deny an elderly person from using an elevator.
Hope this helps.

Great Question. In my many years of experience I found there is no one efficient way to lubricate ropes. I found making use of the machine mounted lubing trays requires the least amount of cleanup but not all machines come equipped. Spray bottles, rags, carpets,paintbrushes,etc. work well but can get real messy quickly.
John

My hydraulic lift wont lift up at all but the motor runs and everything seems in order what could i check to get this working?

Great to hear from you Joe!
It appears that the corporate Octopus has reached your sandy shores also. A sign of a great economy is a strong product and incredible purchasing power. Years ago it was normal to hear of elevators working without fault for over 50,60 and 70 years. The world economy today is suffering. Products are cheaply made to sell but will need to be replaced very soon. This is called planned obsolescence. This provide work for everybody, stirs the global economy back to life but comes with a great cost to Quality.
Where men like you and I mastered a skill set in keeping old machinery alive now are resolved to rethink like production line amoebas.It is best to let these machines run the course of short life spans like lowly insects and be replaced soon by even cheaper products. This is a trend that I believe will not change until way after we retire. For now, my best advice is, retire as soon as possible or learn how to catch the falling pieces.
John