Home Forums General Discussion Technical Questions equipt/manufactuer do you feel most comfortable on

What kind of equipt/manufactuer do you feel most comfortable working on?

What is your favorite equipment/manufactuer ?

What kind of equipment do you struggle on?

Not a tech. question but im being noisy.

As far as controllers, I am most familiar with MCE, EC, old relay logic Otis, then Otis 401s, Kone KCM831, kinda in that order. Had a smattering of experience with others. I guess I like what I am most familiar with, but I'll try anything.

Ok
1. Boral elevators(aussie brand, previously johns and waygood),
then otis (they bought us out)

2.Any equipment that lets you put car call on in the m/room without using shorts(yes you otis)

3.Really dont know much about schindler.

I forgot to anwser my own question.

I feel most confident on Swift, Any of the card rack Thyssen/Dover product. TAC-50, TIV, TIII. MCE performa, Otis 411, relay logic a b a/b otis, and dover composite And any escalator.

2. Favorite controller would be the swift futura with the 412 DSD drive. I like GAL MOVFR door operators. Westinghouse gearless machines and Velino Thyssen escalators.

3. Ive struggled on Westhouse ERL, T squared L, and Otis 401s(Never had access to a OMT). The large Fuji controllers with massive amount of Ice cube relays and the prints in japanese have ate my lunch, my adjusters lunch we went hungry for a while.

Best gift- relay tester from Otis. It was from the 70's in a blue box. Needed fixed but has made me look good many times over.

Anything PLC based, old relay based. But those hybrids in between? whew, talk about a learning curve.

Mce, Elevator Controls, Swift, Smartrise, Dmc, tac. I hate Dover composite, and old US traction, I figure them out when i have too. I like all cars when they run! I learn something new everyday. if your not learning your not trying.

If it runs I like it!!! I was brought up on the relay stuff. Otis,Westinhouse,Haughton, US. Did some adjusting on the first versions on micro processor US 1220, 1230. Swift and motion. I stll think the DMC is the best controller ever but would change a few hardware problems. But it looks like the 211 stuff may be as good or better. I need a few more years to see how it holds up.I have been in the office long enough to say drives are not my strong suiet. Adjusted a couple before I went in but not enough to really know them. But I guess what I miss the most would be hunting down shorts or grounds or opens that blow a fuse as soon as the mainline goes in. NOW thats trouble shooting!!!

I'm pretty comfortable with all the controllers listed above. Although, Danzeitz I have to disagree about the DMC. I haven't had much luck over the years with these units. In my experience the boards fail too often and they can be an SOB when you have an intermittent issue. I would take a Delta Hydro over these micro-processor any day. I do like the 211 though. So far, seems to be a pretty solid controller.
I got to work on an Old Armor car today that has been down for months. It's always fun to trouble shoot the old relay stuff after chasing intermittent micro-processor problems for weeks.

Love the DMC, TIV and the TAC20's got pretty reliable near the end of the run. I feel comfortable on the Dover/TK stuff. TAC32 will be fine with enough software updates. Otis 211 and 311 controllers are great.

Favorite equipment is the GALaxy, this traction controller is bullit proof! Can't wait to try a hydro. Hats off to GAL.

Struggled with TII, glad the big O moded them.

Never used the Galaxy product or even worked on one. How's the technical support through GAL? Do you have to wait on the phone for 1/2 hour like Motion or are they more responsive?
I'm going to check out the EC PIXEL product in a couple weeks. Has anyone put one of these in yet?

First, mce hydro, easiest to troubleshoot, Otis 211 units are the best in the business!! Otis guys tell me that many years ago, Otis had no money to produce a new controller, so they just kept improving the 211.....I agree they did the right thing. Elevator controls serial link stuff is a joke!! Nothing but problems and repeat calls, makes us look bad. Tech support stinks!! As far as I am concerned, Schindler stuff is the bottom of the barrell. Lots of sharp edges, none of the sheet metal deburred. Way too many door operator faults, causing call backs. Customers that we take on Schindler units complain about schindlers service. They don't show up, don't support warranty units. I went to a call back with entrapment, customer called from elev. phone and Schindler office said thay might get someone there in a few hours! I got the man out, 6 weeks later, they called us to fix the unit...Schindler never showed up...oh we'll, it makes money for us....Schindler installs the cheapest JUNK....in the U.S. ..

I spent 90% of my career working on the Otis Equipment..we started with the B-base and worked up to everything in between up to the Gen2...Haugton,Westinghouse,Payne,Thames Valley.had tours of each.
Recently added alot of DMC,Tac20,sand Swift Futuras as well..the Dover equipment from the I2,I3 valves to the limit tree switch problems..as well as the Viscoscity problems..keep you busy..would greatly trade add on 10 211,s for 1 dmc or Tac20 anyday..the211 is very well engineered, prefer the old Gen2 to the New Gen2..the 335 was a very sound and reliable unit..don,t know why they stopped production...thats my opinion..

Tech support is about the same as MCE or EC but then again I have only called twice in two years on 10 units downtown, once to warranty a XFMR and the second on a position count problem. Getting another 10 starting this year.

We install alot of Motion and Gal stuff our guys really like both. But I would say GAL is a little faster on the help line.

I agree that GAL is faster on the help line. Although, I did have to call MCE last week to get a controller passcode and I was on hold for less than 20 minutes, which I thought was a vast improvement from years past. But I also think their controls have gotten better too.

I love all the older hydros. Some of my favorites to troubleshoot are Esco, Rotary, South eastern, Dover solid state, DMC, MCE, Westinghouse. I enjoy LRVS but usually have to fight my frustration.

Absolutely hate Kone, not as a company but from an electrical print standpoint. I have a serious lack of understanding how to troubleshoot the 831 and the other models that use a million input output boards. Haha

I've been making most of my progress on the schindler 330A's they can be fun to troubleshoot at times.

I just love post intel processor Dover/Thyssen units, T4 with scr drives by far my favorite, Dmc easy, kcm831, love them except in parking garage where moisture is an issue, otis (sorry green guys) are boring, old relay logic walk in park. Schindler least favorite... I have anything from circle bar w. To 32 bit Thyssen units., Circa 1900s to current, on my route. Fun fun....