[Noisebridge-discuss] Elevator repair

[Rachel McConnell]

My understanding is that if an elevator repair person were brought in to
fix the elevator, then it would lose whatever grandfathered status it
has and city code would require vastly more upgrades to it than the
landlords are interested in paying for.  Which is why we've been hacking
it in various ways since we moved in.  I don't remember where this
understanding came from though, so it could be wrong.

I'll return to thinking about other options.  It would be simple to run
another button that maybe just makes a Different buzz upstairs, and
turns on a light saying "Elevator Help Please" or some such.  I actually
like that better than the walky-talky idea anyway.

Rachel

Jake wrote:
>> Wait you debugged the elevator?  Let's fix it then!  Having it
>> actually work properly would be the best solution.  I'll be happy to
>> be the one to Do it if you can show me this microswitch of which you
>> speak.
> 
> i am just mentally picturing the problem.  The elevator comes to our
> floor, which is the top floor, and there's a button "A" on the rail to
> keep it from going too far.  There is another button "B" which tells the
> system that it's on the third floor, and is ready to be called to
> another floor because it's done moving around.  The button "A" is being
> triggered before button "B" and the elevator stops moving before it
> really "arrives" at the third floor.
> 
> When one goes in there and presses the 3 button again, the button
> bypasses the stop switch for long enough to run the motor enough to bump
> it up a quarter-inch until it presses button "B" telling the system it's
> arrived at the third floor and everything is okay.
> 
> It might not be as simple as adjustment however, because it could be
> that the capacitor or diode protecting the buttons' contacts from the
> inductive kick of the relay it triggers has failed to protect the button
> contacts, and the button needs to be replaced.  Only an
> elevator-repairfolk will have the exact correct replacement button, and
> really know how to adjust it.
> 
> As much as I would be okay with getting covered in grease and mouse-shit
> trying to find both buttons and adjusting them, and hoping that the
> problem is only adjustment (which is slightly unlikely) i think it's
> probably better to have the repair made by the professional.  However if
> the landlord/property owner flat-out says that they'd rather us try to
> fix it first, we should go for it.
> 
> But at this point, with the elevators' behavior properly sussed out (the
> note on the door is excellent) it should be easy for a repairperson to
> do the job without wasting too much time.
> 
> -jake
> 
>>> Another option for elevator love is to install a little dinger-chimer
>>> thing which "reminds" people that the red light is on upstairs, meaning
>>> the elevator needs to be "jiggled" so that it can be called downstairs.
>>>
>>> Another option would be to move the microswitch on the elevator rails a
>>> quarter or a half inch higher, because whats happening right now is that
>>> the elevator stops moving upward because of switch A but before pressing
>>> on switch B which is the one that allows the elevator to be called.
>>> But that's probably something we are not supposed to be messing with.