LIFT TECHNOLOGY from 1905!! +everything explained

Part 3 - Back are the mrmattandmrchay voice overs, where I explain how most of this vintage machinery works whilst prodding it with a washing up brush!!
None of this stuff has moved since 1988!
I love explaining stuff to you guys, but I will never show the actual handling of heavy duty switch gear. I always treat the equipment as live, as it trains your mind NOT to touch stuff like this. There can be no mistakes, you touch it and it's live with 415VAC then it's game over for you - YOU DIE!
I still plan to do some sketches and animations to explain some parts further, especially the Accelerator and the Floor Selector.
This technology is BRUTAL!! It's not complicated, but it's amazing what they had to do, what they had to build, to make the lift do basic functions that TODAY we wouldn't even think about.
There are metal contacts everywhere and you'd be killed working on this antique machinery unless it is switched off.
Since 1988, the shaft has been sealed and the motor room has been left alone.
Absolutely fascinating looking into how this machinery works and what everything does.
P1: Spooky Gas lamps, closers, toilets and VERY old lift technology
P2: With the combination of five separate visits, I show you in detail everything in this motor room.
P3: Let's move some stuff! - Prodding and touching stuff!
P4: How it works, using sketches and animations (especially the Accelerator and the Floor Selector)
APOLOGIES to make so many parts, but I don't like making really long videos for a couple of reasons 1) People don't like watching long videos, 2) These videos take ages to edit, and if I split the parts up you get to see them quicker!
Some people have accused me of dragging out the video for more revenue - This is the OPPOSITE of what I stand for. I'm NOT a money type person and I have a day job which pays me much more than youtube!
Hope you enjoy the video and thank you for watching :)
##########
Here are the links from the end of the movie:
LINK 1 - AC to DC GENERATOR:
• Motors and Generators
LINK 2 - DC GENSET IN A LIFT MOTOR ROOM:
• 1971 Otis elevators Pa...
LINK 3 - MERCURY ARK RECTIFIER(1):
• Mercury Arc Rectifier
LINK 4 - MERCURY ARK RECTIFIER(2):
• Mercury Arc Rectifier ...
LINK 5 - HOW A DC MOTOR WORKS:
• How DC motors and univ...
LINK 6 - HOW A LATCHING RELAY WORKS:
• The easiest LATCHING R...
and here is an extra BONUS video of a model lift in the making:
• Model elevator video

[@dykodesigns]

That inspection sheet at the end video with the maintaince log... it's a hall of fame! By the looks of it a lot of the work done on it was "lubrication" and I can see why.... all that heavy greasy metal. I guess that the last lift engineers working on it the 80's must have seen it as something special considering how mechanical and intimidating all those big exposed terminals are. Just the sheer size of those electromagnets, I bet it must have scared the hell out of some rooky lift engineers when they saw this thing for the first time on the job!

[@peterlomas984]

The great thing about the older bits of kit was that you could see what was going on, What you had to do was keep the controller spotless to prevent any (tracking) and check ALL the controller connections for integrity. They were very impressive to see in action but were really quite simple to fault find on compared to the stuff that came later. The main problem was having to check circuits LIVE with all those exposed High voltages knocking about.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

I love it when you respond to my comments Pete, it's a further learning experience for me as well as everyone else :)

[@Ragnar8504]

Those bearings needed to be lubricated quite regularly! The 1901 instructions I've read require daily lubrication of certain parts! The tracks were only done once a year but that was enough. Some of the engineers were so generous with the grease gun that the grease has completely soaked through the wooden cars, saturated 2 cm of timber!

[@carterucm]

A few (15+) years ago I was working in an old 1950s dairy (a huge one) that has been converted into industrial units. One of the units had been further subdivided and we were running a new 32mm2 SWA 3 phase sub-main into the unit. You could see that the main switchgear was from the 1970s and that's where we were running the cable, we were going to be connecting up the far end and moving the existing sockets and lights to the new fuseboard, but someone with a HV ticket was going to be doing the connection at the supply end. In the corner of the room there was an ancient distribution cubicle, looking unused with labels like '2hp Milk Pump' and with paper insulated cables and the like. The doors were hanging open and most ceramic fuses removed. The rest was bare metalwork. Yep - it was all still live at 415v and probably fed from a substation transformer actually in the same building, metres away. With the concrete floor and Ze probably close to zero, it would have killed someone instantly. We did report it, and closed and sealed the doors. So, just goes to show, it's good to be cautious.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

omg, sounds fascinating though! If that had happened in modern times then no doubt you'd have taken a photo, but 15 years ago I think digital cameras were in their infancy! Thanks for message!

[@carterucm]

At the time I was the proud owner of a T68i, one of the first colour screen phones but no camera :)

[@silverado5469]

Thank you for the most interesting videos. You rock. John

[@Lighting_Desk]

Haunting, fascinating and beautiful.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

me... or the lift? LOL

[@Lighting_Desk]

mrmattandmrchay little bit of both. Mostly lift...

[@mrmattandmrchay]

HAHA XD

[@RichardNickels-ot6iq]

The Motor Is In Good Shape For Over 100 Years Old

[@ElevatorsfromItaly]

Epic video! What a sophisticated technology in 1905. I am so impressed for that. Hell of a job Matt!

[@mrmattandmrchay]

COOL thanks for that Kevin! One more part to come! Might take a bit of time to edit as I've got lots of stuff to explain!

[@ElevatorsfromItaly]

I'm Looking forward!

[@Ragnar8504]

Absolutely amazing, yes! Do you know more about the history of lift controls in Italy? According to a somewhat sketchy online source, an Italian company, possibly Stiegler of Milano, invented the push-pin control that quickly became extremely common in the Austro-Hungarian empire and Italy. These lifts would only go up to any floor and then back down to the ground floor. The motor controls only knew two states, up and down, operated by switches on the car. The "Up" switch was inside, linked to pins sticking through the side of the car and pushed back in by ramps in the shaft. The pins were in a horizontal row and the ramps staggered sideways so each ramp would push the corresponding pin. The top floor had a wide ramp that operated all pins at once. The "down" switch was usually on the outside wall of the car near the door and linked to another pin, corresponding to a ramp on the ground floor. Later modifications did away with the "send" or "down" pin and replaced it with a timer relay coupled to the door contacts. Closing both doors would send the lift back down after a little delay. The main advantage of this system was that it worked with no more than two contactors or an accelerator. The main downside was obviously that the lift would only go up but any instructions from that era I've seen specified that lifts must only carry passengers going up, regardless of the type of controls used! Even the instructions for the late-1920s Schlieren lift stressed that!

[@jackhewitt7902]

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the “accelerator” is just by product of solving the in rush problem of the dc motor the reason why I think this is because dc motors draw a lot of current when starting and in large motor this current can be so great it can burn it out so they use a resistor bank to slowly bring the motor up to full power and slow the in rush current and the speed control is just a byproduct of that I’m not being all smart ass I’m just saying why I think it’s their

[@Ragnar8504]

Yup, and back in the day power networks were incredibly weak! I think I read somewhere that you weren't allowed to start motors exceeding 1 kW without limiting inrush current! For the same reason AC drives used slip-ring motors and accelerators for a long time. Only after WWII engineers thought of using asynchronous motors started straight up using contactors for lifts. There are still limits though, above which you've got to use Wye/Delta starters or electronic soft starters.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

I've watched videos of the mercury rectifier and it still creeps me out. That was a fine video here. Shame the equipment doesn't run. Thanks, Much!

[@mrmattandmrchay]

yeah... Imagine climbing up the ladder and everything is silent, then someone presses a call button and BUUZzzzzZZZZzzzzZZZZ, click-click-bang, suck (that's the accelerator LOL), etc! Probably give people a heart attack if they didn't know what was up there.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Wouldn't mane any difference after one look at a mercury rectifier. OOSH, what a thing.

[@hassanburrows8535]

A long time ago when I worked at the Science Museum, London, we had a working mercury arc rectifier on display as an exhibit. But it also had another practical purpose, and that was to supply Direct Current for two large air compressors, and to supply current for the main passenger lift. One of my duties was to start one of these compressors when it was in service. This required gradually increasing the motor speed using a resistance bank, and watching the ammeter to avoid overcurrent draw. When the machine was up to speed and all resistance cut out, the spring-loaded lever was held on the last stud by an electromagnet. If the supply failed for any reason, the arm automatically was drawn back to the start position. As for the passenger lift, it had to be attended at all times to facilitate movement of staff and visitors. Approach speeds to a floor were controlled by a foot switch operated by the lift attendant. It has gone now. Not sure about the mercury arc rectifier.

[@uzaiyaro]

As for high voltage stuff, I would highly suggest carrying a Fluke VoltAlert or other voltage detection stick, and also a multimeter so you can confirm there is indeed no voltage there.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

The only thing I had at the time was a washing up brush! I served me well lol!

[@DandyDon1]

For a many decades, pipe organ blowers were also DC. A mechanical speed control in which it's progress up the resistors to increase the speed of the motor slowly was held back by a pneumatic plunger. If the blower was hit with full DC you would probably not only rip the turbine from it's shaft lightning like sparks will emanate from the motor commutator.

[@DandyDon1]

Here is another type of DC mechanical/pneumatic motor control like that used in organ blower applications. Discus organ blower starter kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJiufHaAhpdsgbs

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Just seen this, and the colour changing light system - amazing!!

[@aaronbrandenburg2441]

I can confirm this at one time yes motor for organ bar was DC current.

[@historiclift27]

Hello mrmattandmrchay I wanted to ask for your help? Today 12/17 in the US I was given permission to enter my second motor room. This motor room is a 1950 Rotary Hydraulic. In the US these were the first modern hydraulic elevators (or lifts) created. The company later became Dover then recently ThyssenKrupp. The reason I am writing you is the buildings maintenance man asked me to reach out to the community in an effort to repair a malfunction. This car is still completely original. I uploaded a video already of the motor bringing the car down. The relays are in the video as well but it is rather dark. The gentlemen who is the guardian of this elevator does have experience in electrical engineering and can largely repair the lift on his own. However he asked me to seek help on his behalf with understanding the mechanical relays of this car. I told him I subscribed to someone in the UK who has good knowledge and that I would reach out. The goal here is to save and keep this lift original as very few remain in existence. could you take a look at my 45 second video and see what you can make of it. The relays can be seen towards the end just above and to the left of the motor. The current malfunction is with a door operator but the hydraulics and pump are fully operational and passed their latest inspection. If you would like to see the car in operation that was filmed in the early 2000's and is in my Heights Church of Christ Elevator video If you would like me to film anything else in relation to saving this elevator please feel free to message me. The maintenence man would help me get such information. Thank you Historiclift27

[@mrmattandmrchay]

cool, I'll take a look over the next couple of days :)

[@PAelevators]

Intro Hasn't even ended yet and i'm already liking and commenting bc i already know its gonna be bomb 🔥

[@mrmattandmrchay]

cool thanks

[@FireController1847]

YES!! Awesome!!!

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Thanks glad you liked it :)

[@henryzt]

Amazing

[@liftrailphotographyinnz3992]

Cool!

[@katiemay8x]

Wow ☺ that's amazing but I'm terrified of lifts?!😂

[@skylined5534]

Same! Matt must have balls of steel and a strong resolve because as fascinating as that lift machinery is there's no way I'd have the bottle to be up close and personal like that with it, especially not with minimal lighting! Nooooo!

[@trissimusslos4722]

This lift in action would be such nice. Its very bad, that it is derelict.

[@Colaholiker]

The original Mrmatt washing up brush. Certified for use up to 1kV. :o) If I weren't sure whether any electrical system is live, i'd rather a) measure or b) use something like an isulated screw driver that is certified to withstand a voltage higher than the one that I expect to be there. Practically, the plastic brush would most likely work as well even if that circuitry was live, but when it comes to electrical power, I prefer certified tools.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

yup, I know what you mean, but under the time restriction that I had, it had to be something I could lay my hands on then and there. Also, at least I ended up further away from the equipment with the brush. I knew all that kit was depowered, there wasn't even a fuse board or breaker nearby. But as I said in my video, it would be very irresponsible of me to show handing this stuff for someone to try and copy me. I'm not the most responsible channel out there (or may I am? not sure) but I do try to be responsible to the people that watch my videos.

[@Colaholiker]

I know that you are totally aware of what you are doing, and the brush did a perfect job of showing that you always use a non-conductive item in these cases. And even though 415V (in fact if you only touch one phase and ground it's 230 (or 240 in UK?) volts) are dangerous to the touch, it is more manageable than voltages > 1kV where you can get fried if you only come near. I don't know how things are in England, but in Germany using the "official" right equipment and something that does the job but is not certified can make the difference if there is an accident, even if it is unrelated to what you are actually doing. Some years ago, my job took me inside a rolling mill, where they emphasized, how important it is to wear a helmet and safety shoes. Out of curiosity I asked them how much the steel coils that were transported inside the area by crane are - and they told me between 20 and 35 metric tons. So if one of them breaks loose, bounces off the floor, sets other coils that are sitting there in motion and one of them crushes you, the helmet won't help at all, but if they find the plastic chips of what used to be the helmet within the bloody mess that used to be you, at least the insurance will pay for your funeral and you get a bigger tombstone. ;-) I really appreaciate all your work and give a big thumbs up to your safety procedures. Thank you!

[@julianpiper240]

Yet another amazing production by mrmatt! And Matt I’ve also got a video uploading of my project, my model elevator. I used a couple bits of music from your videos, if that’s okay c:

[@mrmattandmrchay]

hiya! Yeah that's ok just for you, as I know you for a while now. For everyone else though, pls check with me first :) :) Ahha, so you're passing the word on the mrmattandmrchay channel :) I left you a comment. I'll put a link to your video in the description to try and get you some more views

[@julianpiper240]

mrmattandmrchay thankyou so so much.. my day has become insanely better because of your interaction with not only me but the other commenters in this section. I feel so listened to and respected, something most big channels miss out on. Keep up the amazing work!!

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Love comments like these. To me... you guys watch my videos and give me all the views, so it's just respectful to reply. Thing is, I'm getting so many comments that "at the moment" it's just about manageable, I do get to reply to most people. Unlike other channels, I care about what people think about my content and it drives me on to make more.

[@passacaglia28]

Great video as always! I too enjoy Photonicinduction's channel. :)

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Love that guy (well, not literally, but you know what I mean lol!!)

[@passacaglia28]

Andy Moyer is hilarious, and informative at the same time.

[@dominikgeorge9248]

That washing up brush :D… I somehow like it so much. Can you make mrmattandmrchay merchandise washing up brushes? I am being serious…

[@mrmattandmrchay]

uhmmmmmmmm, well..... not sure about that one lol!! I did use a cigarette butt as an "insulated item" once also here kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKakk2WoidJ9pacm5s LOL. I remember editing that video all the way home on the plane with a big smile on my face!!

[@idl3k_elev]

LOL that mighty Arabian cigarette...which is why it makes it one of my favorite videos from your channel! XD

[@gman83090]

415 V is what we have in Australia it’s our 3 phase electricity

[@christopher-2000]

awesome video mrmatt I put my john and waygood video up

[@mrmattandmrchay]

My goodness, took me a bit of time to find it as you've uploaded loads of stuff. kzbin.info/www/bejne/amnKapirn7SLftk I left a comment.

[@christopher-2000]

i have over 400 videos on my channel hope you liked it mr matt

[@kermitinmountain6371]

I thought you were going to clean dirt/grease off the mechanism switches using the cleaning brush.

[@jsl151850b]

We of the 21st Century are amazed our ancestors got anything done without microchips.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Amazing bit of kit for its time, how they did things like this. Fascinating stuff!

[@jsl151850b]

Our descendants will wonder how we got anything done without robots.

[@38911bytefree]

BRILLIANT ....

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Thanks :)

[@mramicus6917]

wow i can not believe that they made this in 1905 !!!!!

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Yes, the building is also this old. Really fantastic find this one! When I saw the stairwell I immediately planned a visit to the top of the stairs then "LIFT MOTOR ROOM". I was in heaven!!

[@Techno-Universal]

Still looks like that lift could possibly operate again if it was fixed and serviced! :)

[@mrmattandmrchay]

With some TLC I'm sure anything is possible. Not sure the site where it is installed would be that bothered about it though!

[@Techno-Universal]

mrmattandmrchay Well it’s still also possible that they might not have the money to maintain the lift so it’s possibly also why the lift ended up abandoned! I’ve also seen a lot of lifts get turned off for not being maintained when the building owners go into bankruptcy or are not making enough to maintain the lift! :)

[@Ragnar8504]

@@Techno-Universal Usually regs change and in the case of lifts they usually require retrofitting of existing units, i.e. often rather heavy modernisations. I'm amazed that this setup managed to survive in service for that long! Round here (Austria) the only original controls I see are the ones that have been abandoned around or before WWII. The first major change seems to have been in the early 1930s, the second round with the German occupation in 1938. Then there was the AC conversion in the 50s and 60s, another round of new regs in the 1970s and the final nail in the coffin in 2013, which essentially required all lifts built before the 1970s (I think) to be brought up to current specs, which meant that most of them were simply replaced. Some newer ones were affected as well because the 2013 regs required car doors and new lifts without them were installed until 1993. So while it might be technically possible (or even easy) to make such a lift work again, legally it would be impossible without entirely destroying its character.

[@jshawbitter]

Full of pre war hexagon nuts and bolts

[@skylined5534]

Likely all Whitworth as well!

[@Goasler]

Can you tell me please the name of the Music you used at 0:13 :-) its nice to listening, thanks

[@CrazyPlayer-pf2hv]

Kevin Macleod - Dark Fog

[@evnchn6733]

Amazing! But please raise video resolution to let us see the mechanism more clearly

[@mrmattandmrchay]

ah sorry, but if you were with me you'd know why! I didn't have a lot of time and my only light was from my torch (or "flashlight" if you're in the US!). I did take loads of photos, but decided not to use them. My camera is ok, but not perfect.

[@tenrabbits3069]

marmite pooped on the bed

[@KarolWolosiewicz]

Hello Such as amusing video :) I'm waiting for a next part. But as I thing, the described method of controlling a dc motor speed is known as Ward Leonard system? Am I right?

[@peterlomas984]

In this case no, this is a DC Rheostatic control system. The WARD LEONARD SYSTEM came along later and is much more sophisticated, using a DC generator driven by an AC motor to control a DC motor with a fixed field by varying the Generator shunt field .

[@peterlomas984]

I gave you some wrong information on my earlier reply. The Ward Leonard system was introduced in 1891, but this is not an example of it. I must be more careful in my research.

[@MrOpenGL]

It is a rheostatic starter, a smaller version of the one used in DC locomotives (like the Italian E444/E656/646/424...) and in older tube trains and EMUs :-)

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Love it when people answer my comments with more information - it's like food for my brain! But now I'm gonna have to look all this up ;)

[@Colaholiker]

Also used in trams until late 1970s/early 1980s. They used the same resistors for braking. ;-) I wonder where that lift got its DC from. Was there an arc rectifer that has been removed? Or a generator?

[@lambaji11]

R.i.p lift

[@MichaelAStanhope]

Curious as to why it was taken out of service in the first place. Looks so simple it should still be running, and it still appears to be roped.

[@mrmattandmrchay]

In a way, I'm glad it was taken out of service. If it HAD been running, then it would have probably been on it's 4th or 5th modernisation by now! I mean, this kit would have probably broken down and required parts. The expertise, availability of talent and interest from companies to fix it probably died in the 70s and 80s. Glad it's completely original. It's also missing the ancient AC-DC mercury arc rectifier which is vital for it's running.

[@tenrabbits3069]

Capacitor bomb (stink bomb)

[@tenrabbits3069]

mrmattandmrchay Ed dS dcdxffrd5crx you are the one that has been in the country

[@srfurley]

mrmattandmrchay If it’s from 1905 then it would not originally have had a mercury arc rectifier, this would have been added later.

[@HardDriveGuruOfficial]

What would happen if the up and down relays did come on at the same time?

[@aaronbrandenburg2441]

Something very very bad.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@aaronbrandenburg2441 A serious short circuit I'd say.

[@aaronbrandenburg2441]

@@Ragnar8504 that's exactly what I mean by something very bad!

[@seanjuth]

Great video. I do want to add that the volts arnt really what will hurt you. Amperes are what actually hurt you.

[@e50]

That‘s not entirely true. It also matters if it’s AC or DC. For example, 1A on AC power hurts less then on DC. Also, it mostly depends on the combination of Voltage and Intensity (Amps).

[@seanjuth]

@@e50 for some reason I can't feel a shock from a dc current. It's sounds weird but idk why I can't feel it

[@e50]

Sorry, I messed up my Answer. Actually, AC hurts more because of the Frequency (on/off cycles) and that messes with muscles more.

[@skylined5534]

They're both dangerous (volts and amps).

[@TheTreegodfather]

Curious if the accelerator is connected to the armature or the field?

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Good question and unfortunately one I cannot answer :(

[@TheTreegodfather]

mrmattandmrchay My guess would be connected to the field, where increasing the resistance would increase the motor speed through field weakening; seems like too big a motor to drop the armature. Love your videos, mate.

[@peterlomas984]

Connected to series field.

[@ArgaTheRexouium]

This lift probably uses less electricity then what my room uses

[@mrmattandmrchay]

I doubt it lol. Imagine the amount of power those msssive electromagnets use and the bridge arc rectifier?

[@seanjuth]

I don't think that's a DC motor. It looks like their are 3 contacts (based on how out of phase each of those visible contacts are). Due to the age of the lift, i won't rule out the possibility of DC, but that's more likely a three phase AC motor

[@Ragnar8504]

I'm fairly sure it's DC, it looks exactly like the 1920s DC tram traction motors (600 V) I've worked on. An AC motor wouldn't have a commutator with individual segments but three individual slip rings with brushes next to each other. There could be a second set of brushes hidden underneath, that's what the DC traction motors have.

[@caroleast9636]

It’s definitely a DC motor. These used to be called “the old flat top motors”.

[@user-kr9ns1ro4d]

I think the (dc)motor can be a universal motor.But dont sure. :/

[@jackhewitt7902]

Such a shame the Don't make lifts like this today i bet a lift that simple allmost never went wrong ehheh except uh for the amout of careless engineers that probably died working on them back in the day

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Yes - no guarded machinery here! Proper Health and Safety wasn't around until the late 90s. I remember working on building sites in the early 90s in trainers, using a 240v drill on a generator, with some crappy step ladders that I found in my garage!

[@Ragnar8504]

@@mrmattandmrchay Every European country except the UK and Ireland use 230 and even 400 V tools on construction sites. The 110 V isolation transformer is a British invention. Considering the accident statistics in central Europe I'd say they aren't really necessary. By far the most common type of accident is falls followed by cuts. Electrical accidents are far off and most of them involve electricians. Trainers are still better than the famous Asian safety flip flops :-D

[@skylined5534]

@@Ragnar8504 Safety flip-flops? Forget them! What you need is the patented Furze Safety Tie!

[@jackal58590]

Contactors rather than “relays”

[@skylined5534]

I mean they're essentially the same thing (well, nearly). There are other differences but the most notable being contactors are usually used for three phase and relays for single phase.

[@mandeepkalsi952]

FulvargiFulFulvargi!

[@koenoldenbeuving7109]

Hi

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Hi Koen :)

[@johnsidlauskas3838]

If it was abandoned in 88, why was it inspected in 96?

[@skylined5534]

Looking at the log power was cut in January 1990. Then decommissioned fully by July 1990 (as in likely fuses, junction box connections etc removed and broken and also main breaker points either removed and terminated or permanently locked off). Further inspections in 1996 and 1997 were likely just to do with structural integrity or maybe someone was looking at bringing the lift back into service for whatever reason (maybe as a back up or for a dedicated lift for transporting equipment and supplies maybe?)

[@lingelaine9657]

瞍

[@blaze_shepsky]

First

[@mrmattandmrchay]

Never sure about these comments lol. But then I thought, well, maybe I'm popular and it should be something to be proud of when people leave comments about being the first to comment. I'm humbled now ;)