Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Big change.

Nice paint job tho!

With my eyes, I needed it!

Speaking of antique controls, here's something you don't see every day.





That's a rotary drum sequencer. Kinda like one of those old player pianos that plays the same song over and over, or if you ever had one of those crank type Jack In The Box... you get the idea.

This is on a Zinc plating line that's been running automotive parts forever.

Well, after 44 years of production, the big sequencer took a dump, and well, they don't make them any more.

If the budget get's approved, I'll be replacing that and all the relays with a PLC and HMI (Graphics Touch Screen).

Basically, this is set up to run the same sequence over and over, but with the touch of a button on the HMI, they can setup infinite sequences.

This has 10 stations on the line, so think of it as a 10 story horizontal elevator that has a sequence going up (left) and down (right).

For a panel built in 1972 and couple that with this is in a plating factory, it's pretty darn clean!!! (on the inside )

Pretty cool! I'm learning new respect for those folks who figured out how to do all this stuff in the era before solid state controls....bright minds!

Yeah, the old relay logic is pretty neat, then Modicon had to ruin it by inventing the PLC.

Here you go, JKB. Finally got a shot of a newer controller. There's a few new installations going in right now, so I'll see what the current state of the art is, soon.

Went to MCE's website and downloaded/browsed thru the iControl manual... Sweet!!!

Latest update was July 2015 from the last in August 2008, so that would be their latest offering.

Late model GAL controller.
Not as mechanically sexy as all those old style, clattering relays.

Tony,

If the wife ever remembers to forward the link to me, she has a video of an old elevator in some old hotel in Germany that is a tourist attraction. It's unusual in that it never stops and keeps going up and down. You get on when the elevator lines up with your floor! Sounds dangerous!

Have you heard of it?

Quite interesting browsing thru the control manuals.

This one has an example of using 6 switches in binary code to determine which floor it is at for a 60 floor elevator. 2^6=64

Got the nod to upgrade the Zinc line. They use 6 limit switches in a similar fashion to determine which tank the hoist is over.

You gonna get into the control manuals at some time?

BTW, this has a sex appeal all it's own

Cecil,

Do you mean like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro3Fc_yG3p0

Well, that's terrifying. No idea if it's hydraulic, traction, winding drum or what, but whichever it looks like a great way to reduce a human body to something akin to drywall compound.

I don't know what the safeguards are but litigation is different in Germany. Typically you have to take responsibility for your actions there, and if you take a risk knowing the danger the property owner is not liable.

My German relatives can't believe that a burglar can sue here for injury, or some of the frivolous law suits we have here. It just doesn't fly with practical Germans.

I can't tell Bill. My computers are so antiquated that Utube no longer works on them!

Edit: I sent the wife the link and she says it is the same one. She also says there is one in Frankfort (not former East Germany) and one in the UK. She says if you're half coordinated it's no big deal.

Five people have died since 1970. If only we could say the same about auotmobiles.

Something working in a similar manner but in much faster, smaller, more dangerous form were the man lifts used in grain elevators in the early 20th century. They consisted of a belt running around large pulleys much like what were used for bucket elevators to move the grain. But instead of buckets for handling grain there were a double sided step. One side of the belt was going up and the other down and at a speed considerably faster than is on the u-tube video. There was a hole in the floors big enough for a mans shoulders. Step on the up going side to go up a floor or three or four, Step on the down side to go down. Just the step and a hand hold.

Very much on the same principal as the paternoster in the video. Watched elevator operators step on and off that belt many times. Back when the Darwinian theory of evolution was still in practice for humans.