My Dad was an "Otis Man", I used to go on calls with him when I was a kid to fix machines just like this one. The man was and is an absolute mechanical genius who was known for his ability to keep elevators running with a flathead screwdriver and a pair of channellocks.
Really quite incredible how elaborate, intricate and massive those machines are all in one place. There IS a lot going on there and countless numbers of fail points that, because of the intricacy, would take a savant to troubleshoot. This was fun! thanks for sharing!
My Mom helped my grandfather Harry Ford who serviced Otis elevators in Vancouver many years ago pre 1940. She and my Dad went on to build PBY's at Sea Island Vancouver during the War. She more than held her way amongst men. :) That paltry unfiltered air ventilation could be a fire hazard with dust on the switches..Fabulous tour! cheers!
This is very cool - thanks for sharing. If I am not mistaken, the relay boards/panels are the early equivalent of PLCs or Programmable Logic Controllers (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Fanuc, GE, etc). I saw something similar in an automotive chassis/suspension parts casting (aluminum alloy) company in south MI, around 1999-2000 (I did some validation work for the (ready for it?) "Y2K issue". The check of the PLCs where to ensure the PLC clocks didn't "crash" the mold presses during the Y2K time change (through 23:59:59 December 31, 1999 to 00:00:00/01 January 1, 2000) .... Happy New Year!!
This mechanism should be on The Registry of Historic Devices.....if such a registry exists. The marvels of modern technology is hidden at the micro/nano level whereas this old tech is “in your face”. Love it!! ❤️
It's so hot because the main cooling fan appears to be switched off and/or dead. Instead of fixing it they hung a cheezy walmart fan on the other side lol.
The machining of pieces pieces let alone installing them, is amazing! Another is thinking of the parts necessary and then drawing them so they can be made.
Im not an elevator repairman, however, every machine room that Ive been in looks like the equipment is in a stage of "halfway" repair. All cabinets open, oil cans laying around, papers on the floor, tools here and there. Its like you can almost see somebody saying " Well lets jumper this out, it will make it work for now, cant make the problem happen now so we'll keep it all open and when it breaks again try something else."
That tube based dispatcher is an amazing timepiece of 1950's computational technology. The Westinghouse equivalent using their 'Reliatron' tubes is equally as fascinating, but always thought Otis's way of doing it was better with their Autotronic system.
Also that one motor needs some serious brush replacement and lapping of the commutator! It's practically arcing over when running, could be causing some of the strange behavior. All I know is I wouldn't want to be riding in that car!
I got to play with a slightly older version of one of these systems inside of Nix hospital in downtown San Antonio, it's a late 20's installation, I THINK 1928 if I remember right. Very very similar system but it had the steam engine style flying steel ball governor and a mechanical selector, no tubes just lots more relays. Clickety clack doesn't even begin to describe the noise! It was a joy to see every time I visited the site to gain roof access for our antenna arrays. Edit: I meant mechanical dispatcher, not selector (she had no tubes whatsoever )
@2:15 I'm surprised they are still running on those mercury vapor rectifier tubes. The far left tube is dying. They are almost impossible to find anymore and are outrageously expensive because the high end tube audiophiles buy them all up for their $20,000+ amplifiers. These tubes can be replaced with modern silicon diodes about the size of a rice grain. And by modern I mean since the late 1960s! It's sad they don't fix that big fan and are cooking this historic equipment to death. But then again this stuff can take it. A modern microprocessor controller wouldn't survive 5 minutes in that heat.
@@andydelle4509 seriously, I felt like I was about to melt in there! And those mercury tubes were crazy, they had such a neat color to them and the camera didn’t capture it just right
My very good friend, in 1972 he was 15yrs old and I was not with him at the time. He wanted to see just how an elevator worked, Climbed thru the top hatch on to the top of the car when a counter wight hit him killing him instantly. I really miss him, be good to the ones you care about.
That's what I did at that age too, but I knew what not to do when on the car roof. Had a handyman in our 22 story apartment building in NYC who used to let me "hijack" the freight elevator, a manually operated Otis that was FAST, I'd hit the UP lever and go up most of the way and then flip it right away to DOWN and you'd almost feel your feet leave the floor, it was very responsive! I probably put ten years of wear and tear on it every time I went up and down switching direction so fast.
Looks like that was developed before safety was invented. My dad probably worked on elevators like these. He started at Otis on the West Coast in 1954 and retired in Connecticut in 1996, having moved to CT in 1969. Took me up to the top of the Bristol test tower once, in the 1980s. Put a healthy respect for escalators in me, tell you what. I was never one to mess around with those.
The sparks on the motor commutator is carbon build up from the brushes wearing away and packing be-twine the individually insulated segments of the commutator.
So when the elevator breaks they call the repairman. It takes him 5 minutes to replace a broken relay spring and he hands the building supervisor a bill for $1000. The building owner says "$1000 just for a spring??" The repairman says, "its $5 for the spring and $950 knowing which spring to replace."
In a way I get it! The people who know how to fix this stuff are starting to get old and pass on, so finding somebody to fix these kinds of systems are becoming harder and harder!
I can relate! I worked on similar telephone equipment. I would think the tech would walk into the room and just listen for a bit. When you are used to the sound patterns you can pick up problems by ear. Then with a test light and some relay adjusting tools most problems would be fixed.
1:08 - "What is that?" IDK what Otis' name for it was, but apparently they loved this "fork" for detecting how far away from a called floor the car was, and I gather it handles the speed control as the car gets closer. The same design shows up in surviving footage of the NY WTC building elevator room, which was a MUCH later and way larger installation, so this was clearly something that Otis stuck with for decades.
Back in the early 80s in NYC I worked in a 9 story commercial bulding on Broadway and lived in a loft there, I learned a lot about the elevator's workings just watching the repair guy working- I had to take him to the basement where the motor room was via manual freight elevator, so I hung around and watched. I had some knowlege from the 70s as a teen when I used to elevator "surf" in our 22 story apartment building, I would slide down the cables and get down in the basement which was locked. I quickly learned how the elevator door worked with a little tripper lever, and I rememebr riding on top and a guy wasnted to go to arund the 20th floor and as the elevator slowed near there I trippe the door lever and it would reset the floor selector and the car would go all the way back down to the lobby. He tried it a second time and took another trip to the lobby and gave up haha, I was pretty bad ;) But back to the 80s- one day a passenger elevator got stuck, too many women packed in, I don't remember the details, but the elevator stopped and the doors didnt open, so knowing a little from watching the repair guy, I went down to the motor room and tripped one of the relays and brought the car back to the floor and opened the door. That Otis elevator had a large DC generator like the one in this video, but it had two of them, one for each passenger elevator, and one day one of the generator motors burned up and Otis had to take it out and back to be rewound or whatever. It was one hell of a heavy load in the freight elevator! They brought it back some time later, installed it, but something was not right, so they had to take it back out a 2nd time back to the shop! The building's freight elevator was manually operated and it's contact board had a small fire but was repaired. The building, which originally powered the Broadway trolly car line with 4 Corless steam engines an 12 high pressure boilers also had a water operated freight elevator that went from the former engine room in the basement to the ground floor, it had a cable in the corner to pull up or down to move, a small pump and water tank in the basement rn it, VERY slow but very cool, it dated to 1892.
Reminds me of old pinball machine. Never got to see controls of pretty old Westinghouse elevators at work. They had a room for workers, and we also had escalators. Another company in Pittsburgh too..
Dec 31 - '24 - I just changed the worm drive on my Craftsman garage door opener - it's got nothing on these machines! lol Fantastic! I'm going to presume that Otis keeps a full line of replacement parts for these?
The building owner sure isn’t concerned about the dirty air his fans are bringing into the control room. Relays and other devices with contacts need a clean environment‼️
Those old relays will work in very poor conditions, between the generators and the motors the carbon dust gets on everything. When the contacts make up, they have a slight wipe that helps with keeping them clean.
Really amazing, indeed - thank you for sharing, this and all the previous elevators, keep up the great work of documenting all the cool elevators 😊 Happy new year 🎉 and greetings from Germany!
Added context would greatly improve this video. For example, the name, location and height of the building this equipment serves. It would also be helpful to see the exterior of the building as well as pictures showing the inside of the cars.
@@jamesmitchell1780 the name of the building is the City Club building in Cleveland. I have footage of riding the cars if you search up city club building Cleveland elevator on my channel
Looks like 11floors with a tall first floor judging by the registers on the stands. The mechanical control of how it switches as it comes into the floor fast and then eases till it locks in with those clicks and cams is so fun.
Looks like 11floors with a tall first floor judging by the registers on the stands. The mechanical control of how it switches as it comes into the floor fast and then eases till it locks in with those clicks and cams is so fun.
Amazing. The Autotronic looks like all that was possible in the early 50s, and yes, some commentator said something about mechanical computer. But it is more of that, it is like a robotic for that time.
Watching a room full of moving, switching and humming stuff, you can get a feeling how they get the idea for the "Maschine" of Forbidden Planet.. imagine this room from the perspective of an ant...
Relay ladder logic really makes one appreciate the more recent electronic controls. I wound up overseeing a 2 story hydraulic elevator which used similar relay logic.
I can't believe this is running in 2024... absolutely poetry in motion! Granted, some serious TLC is needed that i have my doubts will happen based on the state of the penthouse... I hope I'm wrong.
Pretty sure that is a block & tackle system, which offers mechanical advantage according to the number of loops. Makes the cable easier to pull, but you have to pull more of it.
@@youtube_learner Im not sure how the cables work. I dont think its a B/T due to the fact that all 4 cables going down along with the 4 wrapped on the pulley are all moving at the same speed. Cable speed would double with each wrap around a B/T. That makes me think that there are 4 individual continuous looped cables that the cabin is tied to. There isnt any cable winding UP on a drum, its a pulley on the motor. It would be nice to know for sure how it works.
Very interesting machinery! It's a pity that all the machines don't seem to be in such good condition! It still works because everything was designed to be very durable, but for example the large sparks on the commutation of the engine do not seem to be normal... Hope someone will take care of the great old technology. Thanks for showing!
They should invest in air conditioning with filtered air to extend the life of that equipment. It would probably be cheaper than repairs or replacement cause by high temperature and dust.
Yeah, all those open bearings, relay contacts and cam followers like a clean environment. I wonder how many people know how to fault find a system like this now. We know how it's meant to work, but exactly what component does what is another matter.
I THINK, what you are looking at is an exact miniature scale model of the building. These small units are where the stop/start, de-cell/ex-cell points are adjustable to change precise mechanical movement to electrical contacts to drive the lift motors.
I think so too, they also contain the locking of the doors I suppose as well as the indicators inside and outside the elevator to show at which stock they are and which way they are travelling.
@@elevatorsoflakecountyTV That's very sad. Such big groups of elevators with all relay logic are the most awesome and interesting ones. I hope you will get them next time. I scan such documents every time i have an opportunity to do it.
Yeah, there's a lot of relays... But have you seen the Japanese relay computer? Hlysht. The clatter it produces when performing an operation makes the motors and equipment in that traction room sound quieter than custard rustling.
The the main drive motors are all DC. Powered from the 230V DC generator, rotary converter seen at 0:15. Back in the days, before solid state thyristor controllers, it was much easier to do precision speed control with DC motors than AC.
@@M10000 originally they were the Otis “pop-out” type buttons on the interior, and Otis touch-sensitive vacuum tube fixtures in the hall. The interior buttons were replaced in the 1980s with white Payne push buttons
I started my career working for Millar industries ( the original Millar) before Schindler bought it . All the shops in Los Angeles are being bought by investors with last names that end in gold, silver, stein, and varshwamy. Just a fact . First thing they do ? Put gps in the truck. It sure was nice while it lasted.
@@elevatorsoflakecountyTV look up mrl’s elevators. 5 year built in obsolescence. Schindler, kone, Otis all have them. I avoid riding in them and I’m a elevator mechanic.
@@M10000 yes, one of the variations is! There is another variation that’s just like that but circular, and another variation that is arrow-shaped, that was used for call buttons.
@elevatorsoflakecountyTV I used to think they were ultra-modern. I couldn't figure out what triggered them. Maybe it was the heat in my finger. I got up close and breathed on one, but it didn't trigger. One day, I realized it had been a long time since I had seen any, and maybe they were old-fashioned. I'm 68 and used to the idea that everything new is not as nice as what came before.
@ it’s actually your finger completing the circuit! I’ve found that if you touch anything conducive to them they will activate as well. And haha, they’re not new anymore but they were absolutely ahead of their time!
That's... the worst I've seen anything like this run in quite a while - the leveling speeds are incredibly inconsistent, and at about 1:14 it looks like one of them made an emergency stop for some reason and then started again (clipped a door lock?). At 1:19 the same car stalls in leveling for a bit, then starts moving again... these things must feel awful to ride.
@@jeffdafoeAI wasn’t even dreamed of when these systems were built. I agree the ride is awful, but that’s just bad adjustment. Even old systems like these are capable of much better.
Custom build electric motor company I work for makes adapter kits to convert old elevator systems to use new modern motors. They also make electric brake assemblies, but they don’t make anything like these old switching mechanisms.
@@davef.2329 somehow this building is still in active use, in downtown Cleveland. And they probably haven’t started the exhaust fan due to some maintenance issue, which is sadly a common theme at this building. It’s the kind of place where management clearly doesn’t like to spend a lot of money on upkeep
Elevator #5 is a GAL controller and that elevator is probably not part of the Otis group control. None of them look like they are running to contract speed and the slowdown and leveling speeds are awful.
@@elevatorsoflakecountyTV The generator runs at a constant speed. The armature is permanently connected to the armature of the driving motor of the lift machine. This “loop circuit” carries a very heavy current. This is produced by the generator when it’s field coils are energised and is the main way the speed of the lift is controlled.
@@maxpayne2574 normally that’s what I do! I usually have a friend go and run the elevators when I’m in the motor room but sadly this time around I was solo so I had to make due with whatever the elevators were doing otherwise
Las máquinas de esa época duraban mínimo 50 años ... eran de calidad superior ... ya en los años 80s y 90s surgió la obsolescencia programada y ahora un aparato dura máximo 5 años
That thing is basically an electro mechanical computer.
What a fascinating machine!
More like a mechanical telephone exchange.
My Dad was an "Otis Man", I used to go on calls with him when I was a kid to fix machines just like this one. The man was and is an absolute mechanical genius who was known for his ability to keep elevators running with a flathead screwdriver and a pair of channellocks.
The genius arethe engineers, tech... who designed these machines !
Otis Elevator Serial #1 is 𝒊𝒏-𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒚 at Casa-Loma in Toronto, Ontario.
@@jpcaretta8847everybody involved in these things was pretty knowledgeable in my opinion
Mercury vapor rectifiers, dude, you hit the jackpot on those
Saw those little glowing bastards…
Really quite incredible how elaborate, intricate and massive those machines are all in one place. There IS a lot going on there and countless numbers of fail points that, because of the intricacy, would take a savant to troubleshoot. This was fun! thanks for sharing!
My Mom helped my grandfather Harry Ford who serviced Otis elevators in Vancouver many years ago pre 1940. She and my Dad went on to build PBY's at Sea Island Vancouver during the War. She more than held her way amongst men. :) That paltry unfiltered air ventilation could be a fire hazard with dust on the switches..Fabulous tour! cheers!
I was an elevator mechanic retired after 33 years of service worked for Otis,KONE,Thyssen Krupp,and Schindler
This is very cool - thanks for sharing.
If I am not mistaken, the relay boards/panels are the early equivalent of PLCs or Programmable Logic Controllers (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Fanuc, GE, etc). I saw something similar in an automotive chassis/suspension parts casting (aluminum alloy) company in south MI, around 1999-2000 (I did some validation work for the (ready for it?) "Y2K issue". The check of the PLCs where to ensure the PLC clocks didn't "crash" the mold presses during the Y2K time change (through 23:59:59 December 31, 1999 to 00:00:00/01 January 1, 2000) .... Happy New Year!!
This mechanism should be on The Registry of Historic Devices.....if such a registry exists.
The marvels of modern technology is hidden at the micro/nano level whereas this old tech is “in your face”. Love it!! ❤️
Plus it never requires a 5G update.
As you see it's not historical enough to get replaced
@@rayclark7963 I'd never step in an elevator with 5G
Very cool seeing old technology still in use. Thanks for sharing.
It's so hot because the main cooling fan appears to be switched off and/or dead. Instead of fixing it they hung a cheezy walmart fan on the other side lol.
What building is this in and where. Im amazed something that old is still in service
The important thing is that it's not decreasing the land lord's bottom line.
The machining of pieces pieces let alone installing them, is amazing! Another is thinking of the parts necessary and then drawing them so they can be made.
Whole room belongs in a museum!
Im not an elevator repairman, however, every machine room that Ive been in looks like the equipment is in a stage of "halfway" repair. All cabinets open, oil cans laying around, papers on the floor, tools here and there. Its like you can almost see somebody saying " Well lets jumper this out, it will make it work for now, cant make the problem happen now so we'll keep it all open and when it breaks again try something else."
That tube based dispatcher is an amazing timepiece of 1950's computational technology. The Westinghouse equivalent using their 'Reliatron' tubes is equally as fascinating, but always thought Otis's way of doing it was better with their Autotronic system.
Also that one motor needs some serious brush replacement and lapping of the commutator! It's practically arcing over when running, could be causing some of the strange behavior. All I know is I wouldn't want to be riding in that car!
@@musiclabmnThat's actually fairly normal, I've seen sites that arced way worse way way longer!
I got to play with a slightly older version of one of these systems inside of Nix hospital in downtown San Antonio, it's a late 20's installation, I THINK 1928 if I remember right. Very very similar system but it had the steam engine style flying steel ball governor and a mechanical selector, no tubes just lots more relays. Clickety clack doesn't even begin to describe the noise! It was a joy to see every time I visited the site to gain roof access for our antenna arrays.
Edit: I meant mechanical dispatcher, not selector (she had no tubes whatsoever )
Really really appreciate you sharing that is such cool old gear.
Amazing what they were able to do with relay logic back then!
@2:15 I'm surprised they are still running on those mercury vapor rectifier tubes. The far left tube is dying. They are almost impossible to find anymore and are outrageously expensive because the high end tube audiophiles buy them all up for their $20,000+ amplifiers. These tubes can be replaced with modern silicon diodes about the size of a rice grain. And by modern I mean since the late 1960s!
It's sad they don't fix that big fan and are cooking this historic equipment to death. But then again this stuff can take it. A modern microprocessor controller wouldn't survive 5 minutes in that heat.
@@andydelle4509 seriously, I felt like I was about to melt in there! And those mercury tubes were crazy, they had such a neat color to them and the camera didn’t capture it just right
Truly a work of electro-machanical art built to last 500 years.
My very good friend, in 1972 he was 15yrs old and I was not with him at the time. He wanted to see just how an elevator worked, Climbed thru the top hatch on to the top of the car when a counter wight hit him killing him instantly. I really miss him, be good to the ones you care about.
That's what I did at that age too, but I knew what not to do when on the car roof.
Had a handyman in our 22 story apartment building in NYC who used to let me "hijack" the freight elevator, a manually operated Otis that was FAST, I'd hit the UP lever and go up most of the way and then flip it right away to DOWN and you'd almost feel your feet leave the floor, it was very responsive! I probably put ten years of wear and tear on it every time I went up and down switching direction so fast.
Looks like that was developed before safety was invented.
My dad probably worked on elevators like these. He started at Otis on the West Coast in 1954 and retired in Connecticut in 1996, having moved to CT in 1969. Took me up to the top of the Bristol test tower once, in the 1980s.
Put a healthy respect for escalators in me, tell you what. I was never one to mess around with those.
The sparks on the motor commutator is carbon build up from the brushes wearing away and packing be-twine the individually insulated segments of the commutator.
Thank you so much for showing this, fascinating to see it so original and all working. Happy New Year!
Very cool video thxs for sharing. Fix the big exhaust fan.
Wow! Never knew an elevator ran on vacuum tubes as well. Cool Stuff!!!😊
So when the elevator breaks they call the repairman. It takes him 5 minutes to replace a broken relay spring and he hands the building supervisor a bill for $1000. The building owner says "$1000 just for a spring??" The repairman says, "its $5 for the spring and $950 knowing which spring to replace."
In a way I get it! The people who know how to fix this stuff are starting to get old and pass on, so finding somebody to fix these kinds of systems are becoming harder and harder!
I can relate! I worked on similar telephone equipment. I would think the tech would walk into the room and just listen for a bit. When you are used to the sound patterns you can pick up problems by ear. Then with a test light and some relay adjusting tools most problems would be fixed.
Amazing technology that's still in use. Love it, thanks!
Elector-mechanical wonder! It's amazing what they did with what they had to work with.
1:08 - "What is that?"
IDK what Otis' name for it was, but apparently they loved this "fork" for detecting how far away from a called floor the car was, and I gather it handles the speed control as the car gets closer. The same design shows up in surviving footage of the NY WTC building elevator room, which was a MUCH later and way larger installation, so this was clearly something that Otis stuck with for decades.
@@joelfenner thanks for the information!
That’s an early type of “advancer panel”
Thanks for filming this, important and interesting part of our industrial history.
Back in the early 80s in NYC I worked in a 9 story commercial bulding on Broadway and lived in a loft there, I learned a lot about the elevator's workings just watching the repair guy working- I had to take him to the basement where the motor room was via manual freight elevator, so I hung around and watched.
I had some knowlege from the 70s as a teen when I used to elevator "surf" in our 22 story apartment building, I would slide down the cables and get down in the basement which was locked.
I quickly learned how the elevator door worked with a little tripper lever, and I rememebr riding on top and a guy wasnted to go to arund the 20th floor and as the elevator slowed near there I trippe the door lever and it would reset the floor selector and the car would go all the way back down to the lobby. He tried it a second time and took another trip to the lobby and gave up haha, I was pretty bad ;)
But back to the 80s- one day a passenger elevator got stuck, too many women packed in, I don't remember the details, but the elevator stopped and the doors didnt open, so knowing a little from watching the repair guy, I went down to the motor room and tripped one of the relays and brought the car back to the floor and opened the door.
That Otis elevator had a large DC generator like the one in this video, but it had two of them, one for each passenger elevator, and one day one of the generator motors burned up and Otis had to take it out and back to be rewound or whatever. It was one hell of a heavy load in the freight elevator!
They brought it back some time later, installed it, but something was not right, so they had to take it back out a 2nd time back to the shop!
The building's freight elevator was manually operated and it's contact board had a small fire but was repaired.
The building, which originally powered the Broadway trolly car line with 4 Corless steam engines an 12 high pressure boilers also had a water operated freight elevator that went from the former engine room in the basement to the ground floor, it had a cable in the corner to pull up or down to move, a small pump and water tank in the basement rn it, VERY slow but very cool, it dated to 1892.
I remember seeing these types of elevators in a hospital I work at in Melbourne FL. Very cool to watch them function. So many moving parts.
Reminds me of old pinball machine. Never got to see controls of pretty old Westinghouse elevators at work. They had a room for workers, and we also had escalators. Another company in Pittsburgh too..
Dec 31 - '24 - I just changed the worm drive on my Craftsman garage door opener - it's got nothing on these machines! lol Fantastic! I'm going to presume that Otis keeps a full line of replacement parts for these?
The building owner sure isn’t concerned about the dirty air his fans are bringing into the control room. Relays and other devices with contacts need a clean environment‼️
Those old relays will work in very poor conditions, between the generators and the motors the carbon dust gets on everything. When the contacts make up, they have a slight wipe that helps with keeping them clean.
Pure Human Ingenuity… Amazing
Really amazing, indeed - thank you for sharing, this and all the previous elevators, keep up the great work of documenting all the cool elevators 😊 Happy new year 🎉 and greetings from Germany!
@@jk86tech thank you, happy new year to you too!
Added context would greatly improve this video. For example, the name, location and height of the building this equipment serves. It would also be helpful to see the exterior of the building as well as pictures showing the inside of the cars.
Was thinking the same...
@@jamesmitchell1780 the name of the building is the City Club building in Cleveland. I have footage of riding the cars if you search up city club building Cleveland elevator on my channel
Looks like 11floors with a tall first floor judging by the registers on the stands. The mechanical control of how it switches as it comes into the floor fast and then eases till it locks in with those clicks and cams is so fun.
Looks like 11floors with a tall first floor judging by the registers on the stands. The mechanical control of how it switches as it comes into the floor fast and then eases till it locks in with those clicks and cams is so fun.
This old equipment still operating, shame they don't make anything to last these days!
Amazing. The Autotronic looks like all that was possible in the early 50s, and yes, some commentator said something about mechanical computer. But it is more of that, it is like a robotic for that time.
Watching a room full of moving, switching and humming stuff, you can get a feeling how they get the idea for the "Maschine" of Forbidden Planet.. imagine this room from the perspective of an ant...
Relay ladder logic really makes one appreciate the more recent electronic controls. I wound up overseeing a 2 story hydraulic elevator which used similar relay logic.
I can't believe this is running in 2024... absolutely poetry in motion! Granted, some serious TLC is needed that i have my doubts will happen based on the state of the penthouse... I hope I'm wrong.
@@Dana_Danarosana only time will tell; still a hell of a treat to get to see this at all!
@@elevatorsoflakecountyTV Oh absolutely! Thank you for this!
Isn't that amazing there has always been smart people . The people to design this stuff. !!!
Love the old technology
The lift cable should be one continuous cable. The multiple wraps around the pulley provide enough friction to insure a NO-SLIP connection.
Pretty sure that is a block & tackle system, which offers mechanical advantage according to the number of loops. Makes the cable easier to pull, but you have to pull more of it.
@@youtube_learner Im not sure how the cables work. I dont think its a B/T due to the fact that all 4 cables going down along with the 4 wrapped on the pulley are all moving at the same speed. Cable speed would double with each wrap around a B/T. That makes me think that there are 4 individual continuous looped cables that the cabin is tied to. There isnt any cable winding UP on a drum, its a pulley on the motor. It would be nice to know for sure how it works.
We are watching a living museum.
I LOVE electro mechanical, so I loved this video.😊😊😊😊😊
It also is amazing to me how new units have such NOISY brake solenoids. There were 140Ms at John Hancock
Very interesting machinery! It's a pity that all the machines don't seem to be in such good condition! It still works because everything was designed to be very durable, but for example the large sparks on the commutation of the engine do not seem to be normal... Hope someone will take care of the great old technology. Thanks for showing!
They should invest in air conditioning with filtered air to extend the life of that equipment. It would probably be cheaper than repairs or replacement cause by high temperature and dust.
Yeah, all those open bearings, relay contacts and cam followers like a clean environment.
I wonder how many people know how to fault find a system like this now. We know how it's meant to work, but exactly what component does what is another matter.
That was fascinating! Love to get my hands on one of those 20KW DC generators (0:15)!
Very nice old school mechanical.
I could spend days in this place 🤩
I wonder what the standard maintenance on all those relay contacts is!
So awsome......love the old stuff
I THINK, what you are looking at is an exact miniature scale model of the building. These small units are where the stop/start, de-cell/ex-cell points are adjustable to change precise mechanical movement to electrical contacts to drive the lift motors.
That's exactly what it is.
Commonly known as the selector.
I think so too, they also contain the locking of the doors I suppose as well as the indicators inside and outside the elevator to show at which stock they are and which way they are travelling.
Guy with a laptop ain't going to fix that....
Yeah, I don’t think this takes a blue tool either 😂
Got some dandy relays, motors and gadgets!
Thank you. That is FRIKN Awesome
I've been in many such rooms over my 38+ years in the building controls industry
12:55, do you have readable photos or scans of the papers?
@@Przekaznikownia unfortunately no, I didn’t think to get photos of the old prints :(
@@elevatorsoflakecountyTV That's very sad. Such big groups of elevators with all relay logic are the most awesome and interesting ones. I hope you will get them next time. I scan such documents every time i have an opportunity to do it.
Kinda reminds me of the 60's phone central offices with all the relays and steppers.
Would have liked to see the outside of the elevators on one of the floors also. Where is the building?
@@michaelwilson6911 Cleveland!
Back when we used to engineer things instead of copy and paste.
Where on earth do they find replacement relays & vacuum tubes??.
I thought old palletizer controls were intimidating, but yhis is insane
I think Heath Robinson had a hand in designing that! Jeez!
Yeah, there's a lot of relays...
But have you seen the Japanese relay computer? Hlysht.
The clatter it produces when performing an operation makes the motors and equipment in that traction room sound quieter than custard rustling.
What's the big motor voltage and are they 3 phase and what Amp breaker would they be on
The the main drive motors are all DC. Powered from the 230V DC generator, rotary converter seen at 0:15. Back in the days, before solid state thyristor controllers, it was much easier to do precision speed control with DC motors than AC.
Love those vacuum tubes! Do you have a video riding the elevators?
@@Paramount531 yup!
Only a few autotronics on my channel so you can figure it out ;)
Fascinating indeed.
What do the push buttons for those elevators look like?
@@M10000 originally they were the Otis “pop-out” type buttons on the interior, and Otis touch-sensitive vacuum tube fixtures in the hall. The interior buttons were replaced in the 1980s with white Payne push buttons
I started my career working for Millar industries ( the original Millar) before Schindler bought it . All the shops in Los Angeles are being bought by investors with last names that end in gold, silver, stein, and varshwamy. Just a fact . First thing they do ? Put gps in the truck. It sure was nice while it lasted.
@@jerryakbar6147 and of course nowadays everything’s just made of cheap materials and plastic too :(
@@elevatorsoflakecountyTV look up mrl’s elevators. 5 year built in obsolescence. Schindler, kone, Otis all have them. I avoid riding in them and I’m a elevator mechanic.
Amazing ⚠️ Thanks for posting.
Maintenance done as a nightshift I presume?
Anyone on here who worked on these ?
❄❄❄Amazing controls ☃️☃️☃️
Are Otis touch-sensitive vacuum tube buttons square and lighted on their perimeter?
@@M10000 yes, one of the variations is! There is another variation that’s just like that but circular, and another variation that is arrow-shaped, that was used for call buttons.
@elevatorsoflakecountyTV I used to think they were ultra-modern. I couldn't figure out what triggered them. Maybe it was the heat in my finger. I got up close and breathed on one, but it didn't trigger. One day, I realized it had been a long time since I had seen any, and maybe they were old-fashioned. I'm 68 and used to the idea that everything new is not as nice as what came before.
@ it’s actually your finger completing the circuit! I’ve found that if you touch anything conducive to them they will activate as well. And haha, they’re not new anymore but they were absolutely ahead of their time!
So amazing
モーターが停止する時の回転制御が滑らかだ。
不具合が起きた時は接触不良の場所を探すのが大変だ。
That's... the worst I've seen anything like this run in quite a while - the leveling speeds are incredibly inconsistent, and at about 1:14 it looks like one of them made an emergency stop for some reason and then started again (clipped a door lock?). At 1:19 the same car stalls in leveling for a bit, then starts moving again... these things must feel awful to ride.
It's probably AI-generated slop
@@jeffdafoe I haven't seen any attempt to use AI to (mis)adjust elevators. Yet.
@@jeffdafoeAI wasn’t even dreamed of when these systems were built. I agree the ride is awful, but that’s just bad adjustment. Even old systems like these are capable of much better.
Custom build electric motor company I work for makes adapter kits to convert old elevator systems to use new modern motors.
They also make electric brake assemblies, but they don’t make anything like these old switching mechanisms.
Happy New Year
How did you get in here?
@charelevation I went in through the door. Climbing in through the window is too much work
That’s awesome and rare
If it's so damned hot, why haven't they started the large exhaust fan on the opposite wall? This is still in active use? Where?
@@davef.2329 somehow this building is still in active use, in downtown Cleveland. And they probably haven’t started the exhaust fan due to some maintenance issue, which is sadly a common theme at this building. It’s the kind of place where management clearly doesn’t like to spend a lot of money on upkeep
Elevator #5 is a GAL controller and that elevator is probably not part of the Otis group control. None of them look like they are running to contract speed and the slowdown and leveling speeds are awful.
How does it all work at all?🤯
@@Kartrampage stuff back in that day was built to last!
"Trust me it will be simple , a motor some cable and bam you got an elevator so we don't have to walk up these stares" ...
$185,000 dollars later LOL
please upload all the documentation, this looks like a relee computer
What kind of brain is capable of designing such a complex system?!?!
Where is this?
@@tonyp7779 Cleveland
Biggest pinball machine logic I've ever seen.
They were built to last forever
Beautifull
It’s a living breathing machine…vs the new controllers for elevators…
Did the motors run continuously, or just when they are called?
@@hugh007 the motors only run when the elevators are moving. The generators, shown at the beginning, run continuously to provide power for the system.
@@elevatorsoflakecountyTV Thanks
@@elevatorsoflakecountyTV The generator runs at a constant speed. The armature is permanently connected to the armature of the driving motor of the lift machine. This “loop circuit” carries a very heavy current. This is produced by the generator when it’s field coils are energised and is the main way the speed of the lift is controlled.
You could bring some one that would go up and down in a certain order.
@@maxpayne2574 normally that’s what I do! I usually have a friend go and run the elevators when I’m in the motor room but sadly this time around I was solo so I had to make due with whatever the elevators were doing otherwise
Las máquinas de esa época duraban mínimo 50 años ... eran de calidad superior ... ya en los años 80s y 90s surgió la obsolescencia programada y ahora un aparato dura máximo 5 años
That is way kool
😍😍😍😍😍😍