Only an Autisitc Engineer

I work in an elegant 5 story condo building and our elevator is always messing up and doing its own thing. It often stops on the wrong floor or often stops briefly and goes on to another floor : it doesn't stop long enough to get the doors open at times. Some days it is fine, some days it is a wonder if you get the right floor.  Well with the benefit of autistic keen hearing the stuff like a decibel meter measures I am able to hear the trouble. It s the BIG super relays sticking. You can hear these relays CLANK all over the building when the elevator is started.

I was standing the elevator room the other day watching the monitors and listening to the relay stick  and heard why and seen why it never stops at the floor you desire at times and goes right on to another floor. The relay is not releasing. Relays simply take small amounts of current to control large amounts of current.  The plungers inside the relays slide (or they should) but ours stick at times. When that happens the computer 'thinks' it has completed the stop on the first floor and it hasn't and then  it takes you back up to another floor. When the relay doesn't release the elevator pump motor keeps right on running. There is nothing wrong with the computer it is doing its job but it is getting the wrong signals or the things that need to work to make those signals worthwhile are not right.

All good mechanics these days weather they are working on automobiles, air conditioners or elevators automatically check he trouble codes stored in the computer and then just start replacing parts ignorant of the real facts. The trouble codes can be wild and are rarely correct. Many codes were simple one time issues that set a code.  Just as the computer and the mechanic are ignorant of the Model T  type of knowledge the real deep understanding of the motor that Ford himself was ignorant of, the elevator mechanics are probably ignorant of the simple mechanical things that mess up their system. There again  they never had the autism training and experience my keen hearing afforded me. I bet many mechanics once they heard the relay sticking would instantly know that is the issue.  To the normal ear the relays sound just fine. I 'm not sure even if a decibel meter was  used to "listen for them" it would register ,even then.  

The relays have been replaced before and they are mighty expensive, that time the whole system failed. Our pampered residents found them selves climbing a lot of steps. I fear until these relays fail altogether we will have more months of wild elevator rides.  Hopefully no one gets stuck. 

If I were to build the relays I would include external grease able slides, and fan powered cooling fins. This  is  probably something like General Electric would have built in the 1950's . It would probably last 50 years or longer and be trouble free.  Perhaps this is the Tesla  autism side of me taking. Years ago I worked with similar relays at the Bath house. This time they controlled the steam generator that pumped steam into the steam room. The best guy in the business was baffled on the system and I finally convinced the manger to go to W.W. Granger ( wholesale industrial goods)  and get replacement relays and low and behold it worked fine. Like these on the elevator they to were sticking. Again only the with the gift of keen autistic hearing was I able to figure that out. 

I learned over  the years working at the Cadillac dealer ship I discovered I  might have had the answer but, it will not pass muster with my co workers. Not only do they not have the autistic hearing and the Einstein mind set- the point of view I'm pushing is totally foreign to them. Normal humans are not kind when your answer and conversation is out of their ballpark. 

One of my inventions is a decibel meter based car engine trouble shooter that includes a video monitor "weather radar" type of picture .The mechanic would simply point the camera at the motor and its trouble would be obvious. Alas, it will never work as it doesn't involve the computer and precious few mechanics under stand the real nitty gritty of the model T type of car motor we still use today.  I  am sure Einstein ,Tesla, Turing ,Di Vinci and other are not at all shocked our invention and innovation still pass over the head of the average Joe.    

Meanwhile until the elevator totally dies were in for a few more stops than we wanted.  When it finally dies the relay will have fused tight like it did before.           

Rich Shull, on the blog Pre Rain Man Autism