How an elevator FLOOR SELECTOR works

When you travel in an old elevator - the FLOOR SELECTOR is the device that "keeps track of where the elevator car is", before microprocessors were around.
It's normally mechanical and interesting to watch - watch the movie to see some!
There are some weird and wonderful devices here, but the one that I'm going to explain in detail is the OTIS design.
..........
HERE ARE SOME MORE INTERESTING LINKS:
LIFT FROM 1905 MACHINERY:
• ELEVATOR FROM 1905 - E...
SCHINDLER WHEEL SELECTOR:
• Saudi Arabia Hotel exp...
OTIS SELECTOR (WITH DISCS):
• 1971 Otis elevators Pa...
OTIS SELECTOR (BIG CARRIAGE):
• OLD 1970s OTIS elevato...
EXPRESS ROTARY CAM SELECTOR:
• (3/4) PROBABLY THE BES...
..........
WITH PERMISSION, video contained footage from:
"G A L elevator controller with vertical selector" by Prijesi
• G A L elevator control...
"Tour of lifts at Romeo-Building in Stuttgart" by Liftboy92:
• Tour of lifts at Romeo...
Video is "Westinghouse Elevator, Monkey on a Stick, gearless" by mnobody
• Westinghouse Elevator,...
Elevator Bob's Elevator Pics
www.elevatorbobs-elevator-pics.com/images2/machines/gearless/ma24HR.jpg
..........
/ mrmattandmrchay-110000...
Please give us a 'like', thank you! :)
..........
MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE! Please support our channel by getting Siren and Lift merch from: www.mrmattandmrchay.com
..........
TO SEE OTIS MACHINERY IN ACTION, this video has it all: (and took 2 MONTHS to edit!!)
• Very detailed OTIS LIF...
ALSO SEE MY 'ONLY THE BEST' playlist for other quality videos:
• MY BEST VIDEOS (only t...
..........
IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT SAFETY AND KZbin:
This is a RESPONSIBLE and RESPECTABLE channel.
My channel does not promote or glamourise dangerous activities like lift surfing.
A warning in a video DOES NOT exonerate you if harm should come to a kid that was copying something that YOU have portrayed as a fun activity.
For further info, please see these links:
elevatorcommunity.fandom.com/...
/ 831498013530296
..........
THE MRMATTANDMRCHAY CHANNEL, established 2008:
I'm passionate about uploading quality and interesting videos for YOU, my audience.
What is my channel about? "Old lift machinery made interesting", old air-raid sirens, prehistoric alarm equipment. If "I" don't find it interesting ...then IT DOESN'T GET UPLOADED!
I always spend a lot of time editing my videos with animations, video in-sync with music and voice overs to make them this way.
My moto - "Quality NOT Quantity" - spending a month editing a video is not a rarity!
But without you, I'm nothing here. Thank you so much for watching.
...mrmattandmrchay is me (Matt) and my son Chay.
THANK YOU very much for watching :)

[@anthonyboarman3833]

It amazes me someone could design something like this. Very interesting

[@GaryReggae]

Wow, that's really interesting, particularly those OTIS rotating disc selectors...there were several of these in the building I used to work,in but sadly has been demolished now. I don't imagine there are many of these left now, almost an endangered species sadly.

[@PrometheusLoire]

Thanks for this. It's tough to find actually useful vids on YT anymore. :D

[@ELEVATORMUSEUM]

Mr. Matt, I really like the style and content of your videos - they are definitely standing out of average! Your great effort is noticeable.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Many thanks for your kind comment :) Just wait for the next one - it's been now 5 months in the making, but obviously not 'continuously' ;) when I get time. I don't have a lot of time to do them, but once started I enjoy trying to explain everything so that even a beginner can understand and find it interesting - the penalty is they take AGES to complete! Still have another 11 videos to complete, I'm a bit swamped at the moment!

[@fredashay]

What happens if the floor selector gets out of sync with where the car is?

[@shawncampbell1792]

The Otis design is probably the coolest looking version with the rotatable discs. Nowadays, we have rotory encoders and direct loop feedback to either an AC variable frequency drive or a DC SCR drive. Much easier to make adjustments now, its done directly through programming in the motion controller. The encoder is connected to the motor shaft and reads its rotational frequency. By understanding the rotation of the shaft, the car's position can be known. The encoder connects to the DC or AC drive which then sends data to the motion controller board. The motion control board makes a decision based on the distance between the registered calls and assigns a set speed profile for acceleration to the drive. The drive continuously checks the actual speed of the shaft and compares it with the desired speed and makes adjustments on the fly. This is referred to as closed loop control. Once the drive reaches the end of the speed input curve, it slows down and the motion control board confirms that the car is at level and the doors can be opened (after all the safetys are clear).

[@mrmattandmrchay]

+Shawn Campbell prefer watching the old stuff better than the new. I like the otis design also but never seen the version with the advancer though. Thanks for the comment.

[@peterlomas984]

Not half as much fun as the 6850 rotary selector.

[@RODALCO2007]

Great video. Amazing switch and motor designs.

[@KutWrite]

Nicely done!

[@macbookpro57]

It's amazing to think that human beings came up with this stuff

[@ALKAHESTBOY]

Great job!

[@neaelevator]

Keep up the great videos.

[@elevatormechanic]

Great video

[@Organgrinder1010]

Fascinating!

[@kc0eks]

Llve your videos. Lots of effort and i learn a lot. Alsolookimg forward to the porch or walkway lights. Thanks

[@ukraineball953]

Fun fact: A variant of the DMR logic is used on the Sears Tower, a 102 floor building.

[@BMSworldNZ]

Your best video IMO :)

[@alancamilleri]

I did and still do relay operated lift controllers using SIL selectors

[@mrmattandmrchay]

thanks :)

[@kc0eks]

You do greart work

[@joaolopes353]

excellent video congratulations selector that is more like what most fault :)

[@elevatorsasansorler]

good

[@ultraschlachtschiff]

well explained. the old technology was not bad!

[@I_like_some_BG]

THIS is 2021 now is 2022

[@planeflight1202]

( i think) the most commonly used by me lift has your favorite generater. why? 1) the lift is an otis. 2) i usually feel the lift slow down before it stops 3) those are the reasons.

[@TheJunior1964]

When i used the elevator i only pressing the button one time and waiting the elevator to come, and the other people pushing the button repeatedly is the button light is on

[@cctvuser]

interesting mr matt, but can you please finish your outdoor sensors and lights on your bloody fence lol - few of us waiting for that too

[@upanddownadventures]

I have heard that it is called a selector in the United States. I think floor selector is the correct term in the UK.

[@paulgain5663]

would like to know how the sil sabiem selector works

[@marklatimer7333]

When did the motor/generator sets replace Mercury Arc Rectifiers?

[@I_like_some_BG]

I like this old intro 🙂😏

[@mrmattandmrchay]

hmmmm, a little outdated I think

[@Nevexo287]

Hey your vids are awsome what editing software do u use?

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Thanks for your comment :) It depends what I'm editing and how 'in depth' I want to go. Normally I use Pinnacle Studio 16 - quick and easy, good for animating pictures (add photo, add something like a switch into it, copy it...on next photo remove switch, copy it, and so on). If the video is complicated or I want to spend time doing something special then I use Adobe Premiere CS4 (CS5 and higher requires high spec PC). My intro was done with this. Creating multi-screens and layers is far quicker in Premiere. It's a much more professional product but requires a lot of practice to get to grips about how it works. You have far more control and can do LOADS more stuff, but if you have a movie that you want to upload asap then Pinnacle is quicker.

[@JohnPlant90]

I suppose a little bit of slack or wear in the selector drive mechanism can have a larger effect on the positionings

[@mrmattandmrchay]

yes, so I suppose these had to be maintained more often.

[@FM60260]

What did Evans commonly use in the 60's?

[@mohammeddavis]

0:38 The Federation. It looks like a city! No guessing here..

[@DoubleM55]

Umm, so hard to comprehend the level of issues this had. Now you can do that with 1 arduino uno + some power relays or powerful semiconductors. It can all fit in a size of one desktop PC case. Crazy. (Not including motors and other mechanical parts of course).

[@wamboi4538]

Were those floor selectors for faster elevator? Cause I dont get why there were so many complicated designs, almost all old elevators I know have their copies in the shaft and only a few have them in the machineroom like the Schindler ones at 1:20. I would guess that those were still pretty old copies from before the 60s. Also I wonder why some companies had a whole switch cabinet full of contactors for one elevator, when the elevators my grandpa build used a circuit board and 4 contactors to do the same stuff

[@KutWrite]

What do they use now instead of a motor-generator set to provide DC to the traction motor?

[@morthren]

Variable-frequency drives are used now instead of DC motors

[@pgk1940]

SCRs (silicon controlled rectifier) convert AC to DC.

[@nmgt1048]

after the motor generator, rectifiers got used, then the variable frequency motors came later

[@TarzanAndConz]

I really want to know why the one at 0:40 is so complicated. Servicing this thing must be a nightmare!

[@ZLDSmogless]

Which video is the Otis (with discs)?

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Here you go... kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2LZk2Cpop13mck

[@JohnPlant90]

What was the problem with switches in the shaft? It must be more accurate to have switches directly activated by the lift.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Good question, and the answer comes from being able to maintain and fault find the lift. Russian elevators have the switches down the shaft, but this is not a popular solution. Most lifts I know (Otis, Schindler, Express, Bennie) had the floor selector in the motor room for the following reasons: 1) Adjustments can be made in the motor room, 2) Any fault finding is done in one place, 3) Servicing most of the parts is done in motor room without having to jump on top of the lift. Imagine trying to fault find lots of switches in a long lift shaft on your own :)

[@JohnPlant90]

I would think that if a lift was not levelling correcly by say one inch then the adjustment at the Floor Selector would be minscule - and you would need to keep leaving the motor room to go and check.

[@megalifts]

@@mrmattandmrchay Not all Russian lift have these switches. only soviet 0.71 m/s models had. Faster lifts like 1,1.4,2 or even 4m/s had just sensors on the cab and magnets in at shaft.

[@alloria]

Have you ever been stuck in a lift?

[@alancamilleri]

Sicem lifts I meant

[@chhayakinkar7148]

🙏🙏

[@Richard-od7yd]

Its called a 6850 OTIS SELECTOR

[@alancamilleri]

Sideman lifts where the first to use a selector directly connected to the sheave shaft. Great idea . MRL lifts worst idea . Crap ! But SIL selector the best and trouble free

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Cool, thanks for the message. I was hoping to get some more feedback on this selector - it looks fascinating! Would love to have seen that working. It's a monster of a device! I'm going to google SIL selectors.

[@mvtver]

IMHO selectors are too complicated units. In my country and all former SU there were no "selectors" or "copiers". On first elevators (some run until today) the were simple bi-stable "floor switches" in the shaft, switched by moving cabin. If the cabin is higher the switch is in left position, if it is lower - in the right position. And only when cabin is on the floor it holds the switch in middle position, both contacts opened. Another elevators use "selection sensors", inductive or with magnetic contact, one per each floor in the shaft, and stop sensor on cabin, also inductive or magnetic. Each sensor has it's own "selection relay". No selectors. Maybe more wires in the shaft.

[@caroleast9636]

Floor switches in the shaft are all very well for a slow lift with only a few floors. Trouble is, the stop is just “switch off the power & bang on the brake”. You really don’t want to be doing that at higher speeds. Also the floor levelling is very difficult to keep to any kind of accuracy or consistency. A smooth stop is usually erratic in level requiring a slide on the braking. A more consistent accurate stop requires harsher braking. That’s hard on the equipment and unpopular with the passengers! A lift with many floors needs lots of switches and lots of wiring.

[@mvtver]

@@caroleast9636 of cause mechanical switches were used for speeds not exceed 1 m/s. Fast elevators used selection sensors per each floor with magnetic bound to the cabin, and of cause they were not used to stop. They activated low speed, and then a cabin sensor made accurate stop.

Didn't they make a movie about lifts called "Schindler's lift "

[@SummerADDE_Elevators]

Found an intresting Picture at bob´s website: elevatorbobs-elevator-pics.com/images2/Buttons/Car/bc31HR.jpg Now I know Swedish DEVE exported lift to Iceland!

[@unnmaed]

Waaaaaw

[@AndersonElevatorDrilling]

There's an old adage about cleaning contacts, if it's runnin don't f*** with it. Not to proud to admit I've crashed a pie plate selector in my time. As an elevator mechanic, you only do that one time. O.J.T. We all have our ups and downs.

[@captainobvious3174]

What ever happens to just using redstone and pistons like in Minecraft? xD

[@mrmattandmrchay]

lol, yeah I remember doing that with Chay, back when he liked Minecraft. What were those strange creatures with the purple eyes that teleported in front of you when you made eye contact?!

[@oliverjohndanielroberts7905]

both systems copied from mitsubishi ??????????

[@mrmattandmrchay]

I'm not sure, are you saying that it is?

[@christianfamily3203]

Jesus love you ❤️✝️.