How-To: DIY Elevator Controller

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By Matt Richardson
Posted 2012/04/08 @ 6:00 am
Category Home, Workshop

Kevin had the beginnings of a homebrew elevator in his house. The cab was lifted and lowered by a hydraulic forklift ram, but it didn’t have the right logic circuits to make it work like an elevator does. He approached Michael, who helped him plan and install the control system for it. After a few revisions, they got it just right. Be sure to read the full story of how they got it working and check out the video of the elevator in action:

[via Hack a Day]
More:
Home-Built Funicular (Motorized People-Mover) on Make: Projects

BY Matt Richardson

Matt Richardson is a Brooklyn-based creative technologist, contributing editor for MAKE magazine, and co-author of Getting Started with Raspberry Pi. He's also the owner of Awesome Button Studios, a technology consultancy. Highlights from his work include the Descriptive Camera (a camera which outputs a text description instead of a photo) and The Enough Already (a DIY celebrity-silencing device). Matt's work has been featured at The Nevada Museum of Art, The Rome International Photography Festival, Milan Design Week and has garnered attention from The New York Times, Wired, and New York Magazine.

mattrichardson.com

In the Maker Shed

3 Responses to How-To: DIY Elevator Controller

t-bird on April 8th, 2012 at 8:06 am said:

That is cool. Industrial-strength cool. Love that you did it without throwing a computer into the mix. That makes it a beautiful piece of work.

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elevatorradioshow on April 10th, 2012 at 8:36 am said:

This is about as scary of an article as I can remember reading. This is a dangerous set up and eventually will kill someone. You should remove this post/article from your website. There is an elevator code that specifically requires that equipment be built and designed to specific safety requirements which this home made system does not meet. Have fun getting sued!

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Eng. A.A. Momen on September 22nd, 2012 at 11:18 pm said:

Dear Kevin, Dear Michael,
Very interesting.
I am looking for a maul or a book to direct me how to assmble an elevator controllers of different types such as Geared , VVVF, Hydraulic or even geraless.
Teach me what is the parts needed for each type and how the wiring diagram for each of them.

Looking to hear from you,

Yours,
Eng. A.A. Momen

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