Elevator Controllers…., continued
With the introduction of microprocessors on circuit boards in the eighties software became a crucial element of elevator operation. Microprocessors made many more features available and to enable those features the software needed to be written. When you think of software for an elevator, think about a program like Microsoft’s Windows. It does everything and controls all functions and add ons. Whenever you purchase a new copy of Window’s it seems as if you always get a flurry of patches repairs etc. to avoid lock ups and crashes. Elevator software has no such leeway. Elevators are designed to serve the public and new controllers are under scrutiny from state and federal inspectors to assure public safety. That’s not to say that they don’t have software glitches. Usually the glitches are small and hidden from the public and quietly fixed by the manufacturers. The certifying organizations make sure there are no huge problems but small things do occasionally show up. These things create callbacks for the servicing companies and it usually takes some time for them to realize that it’s a software problem, then even more time to create a patch program that doesn’t affect another function.
As we continue on into the computer revolution elevator controllers are getting smaller and smaller. Currently some manufacturers are only using one circuit board about the size of a motherboard in a laptop. Most of the space in a controller cabinet is now utilized by starters and electrical components. It seems as if a future upgrade will be as simple as changing out one board or even plugging in a flash drive. With these upgrades manufacturers have also greatly increased the energy efficiency of the controllers. Warning lights are now LED’s. Fault code displays are 4 inch by 1 inch LCD’s that scroll the messages by.
Though they generate a lot less heat by themselves, today’s controllers are much more sensitive to heat than their predecessors. Anyone who has ever had a laptop overheat on them can verify that heat is an enemy of computer chips. Keeping the machine room cool AND clean is more important than ever.
While everyone touts the fact that their controllers are self diagnostic, don’t be fooled. There’s still a long, long way to go before they can truly pinpoint their own problems. Most fault codes generated only specify a general area in which the fault occurred. It still takes a good technician and sometimes plenty of time to locate a specific fault. Foe example: Your elevator suddenly stops after you step in and push the button to go down to the first floor for lunch. The fault code that is produced may refer to a door problem. It could be that a door isn’t closing properly possibly a spirator that isn’t applying enough pressure to make a solid connection of the safety circuit. It could be that the contacts on the safety circuit have corroded and intermittently stop the flow of electricity through the circuit. It could be a broken wire, or a myriad of other things that a technician has to check out and find. Many times the problem isn’t obvious but the repairman may find and solve a potential future problem only to have the equipment fail again until he locates and remedies the real problem. In this case we’re talking about mechanical situations. It takes many and many of these to cause the repair technician to delve into the software. Most are unqualified to do so and solutions need to come from the factory.
That’s about all that I have for controllers today. Please let me know what you would like to see in my next posting.
Thank you,
Ernie
Today’s quote is from Groucho (Julius) Marx:
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."
