Jump to content


Control Manufacturers


34 replies to this topic

#1 Lift Kid

    Minnesota Skier!

  • Industry I
  • 1,333 Posts:

Posted 20 November 2006 - 06:16 PM

The following post is aimed towards Mechanics and operators but feel free to input your thoughts; I may be known as the controls goo ru or something like that. But, I am wondering what manufacturer of controls do you use at the resort or area you work at? (Allen-Bradly, Cutler-Hamer, etc.) Also, could you post pictures? :biggrin: I would appreciate your input!

#2 liftmech

    lift mechanic

  • Administrator II
  • 5,916 Posts:
  • Interests:Many.

Posted 20 November 2006 - 06:26 PM

Mainly depends upon what the lift manufacturer specs. Poma likes A-B, although in the past they used Telemechanique. CTEC used a bunch of A-B stuff as well. When retrofitting or adding new it's up to the electrician who has to repair it later, or perhaps the guy who signs the cheque. I removed a bunch of Cutler-Hamer from Baker's lifts a few years back because they were clunky and hard to see inside the contact blocks. I prefer A-B for most things. Being a mechtrician and not a true sparky, I'm sure there will be some differing opinions out there.
Member, Department of Ancient Technology, Colorado chapter.

#3 Lift Kid

    Minnesota Skier!

  • Industry I
  • 1,333 Posts:

Posted 20 November 2006 - 07:32 PM

View Postliftmech, on Nov 20 2006, 06:26 PM, said:

Mainly depends upon what the lift manufacturer specs. Poma likes A-B, although in the past they used Telemechanique. CTEC used a bunch of A-B stuff as well. When retrofitting or adding new it's up to the electrician who has to repair it later, or perhaps the guy who signs the cheque. I removed a bunch of Cutler-Hamer from Baker's lifts a few years back because they were clunky and hard to see inside the contact blocks. I prefer A-B for most things. Being a mechtrician and not a true sparky, I'm sure there will be some differing opinions out there.

Do you know what Doppelmayr lifts use? I knew that CTEC had a lot of A-B stuff but I am not sure about POMA and Doppelmayr. What did Riblet use too? What about Garaventa? Any big ones I missed?

#4 lastchair_44

    Established User

  • Administrator II
  • 1,159 Posts:

Posted 21 November 2006 - 05:27 AM

It's A-B in the new Doppelmayr CTEC lifts I've worked on.
-Jimmi

#5 liftmech

    lift mechanic

  • Administrator II
  • 5,916 Posts:
  • Interests:Many.

Posted 21 November 2006 - 06:25 AM

Riblet lifts mainly depended upon who rebuilt the controls :devil: The last ones built used A-B as well.
Member, Department of Ancient Technology, Colorado chapter.

#6 Lift Kid

    Minnesota Skier!

  • Industry I
  • 1,333 Posts:

Posted 21 November 2006 - 03:28 PM

View Postliftmech, on Nov 21 2006, 06:25 AM, said:

Riblet lifts mainly depended upon who rebuilt the controls :devil: The last ones built used A-B as well.

View Postlastchair44, on Nov 21 2006, 05:27 AM, said:

It's A-B in the new Doppelmayr CTEC lifts I've worked on.


What is your point of view on favorite control manufacturers? Which are the most durable?

What other (if any) manufacturers are there?

This post has been edited by Lift Kid: 21 November 2006 - 03:31 PM


#7 ski89

    Weekend warriors.....

  • Industry II
  • 215 Posts:
  • Interests:Puttering around the Ski area.

Posted 10 December 2006 - 07:10 PM

W...CH...Eaton
A200M3CAC
I'm the anti guru whose trying to get a clue.

This post has been edited by ski89: 10 December 2006 - 07:14 PM

Up and running...

#8 kfellows

    New User

  • Industry II
  • 8 Posts:

Posted 10 December 2006 - 07:55 PM

View Postliftmech, on Nov 21 2006, 06:25 AM, said:

Riblet lifts mainly depended upon who rebuilt the controls :devil: The last ones built used A-B as well.


Cooper Spur Ski Area in Oregon has the very last Riblet ever built... It has an Automation Direct.com PLC and operator interfaces.

#9 liftmech

    lift mechanic

  • Administrator II
  • 5,916 Posts:
  • Interests:Many.

Posted 11 December 2006 - 04:42 AM

Cool- I don't know Riblet used PLCs. We built one in 2001 and it was all relay logic, with a Hydac controller on the tension system.
Member, Department of Ancient Technology, Colorado chapter.

#10 kfellows

    New User

  • Industry II
  • 8 Posts:

Posted 11 December 2006 - 11:30 AM

View Postliftmech, on Dec 11 2006, 04:42 AM, said:

Cool- I don't know Riblet used PLCs. We built one in 2001 and it was all relay logic, with a Hydac controller on the tension system.


I'm not sure how many they built in this way, but I do know their logic is a bit choppy, and they certainly didn't use the PLC to its fullest potential. If we ever get the time, there's a lot we could do to improve the program using the hardware they put in. We've become big fans of Automation Direct.com; their stuff works well and it's very inexpensive compared to A-B. We've used it in our new snowmaking systems and some wells.

#11 liftmech

    lift mechanic

  • Administrator II
  • 5,916 Posts:
  • Interests:Many.

Posted 12 December 2006 - 04:54 AM

PLCs are certainly nice when they are used, as you say, to their fullest potential. Just the amount of space they save versus a relay bank is impressive.
Member, Department of Ancient Technology, Colorado chapter.

#12 Kicking Horse

    Established User

  • Industry I
  • 3,071 Posts:
  • Interests:Chairlifts

Posted 11 January 2007 - 07:48 PM

:rolleyes:

Spoiler

Attached File(s)


Jeff

#13 mikest2

    Mountain Operations

  • Administrator I
  • 1,204 Posts:

Posted 11 January 2007 - 08:43 PM

I am sure that underneath the stickers on the grounding box, it says: ein, aus and erdung !
...Mike

#14 Kicking Horse

    Established User

  • Industry I
  • 3,071 Posts:
  • Interests:Chairlifts

Posted 11 January 2007 - 09:06 PM

View PostEmax, on Jan 11 2007, 09:03 PM, said:

Ah - those were the days...



Want to go into details about those days?
Jeff

#15 Allan

    Maintenance Manager

  • Administrator I
  • 2,745 Posts:

Posted 12 January 2007 - 05:14 PM

View Postmikest2, on Jan 11 2007, 08:43 PM, said:

I am sure that underneath the stickers on the grounding box, it says: ein, aus and erdung !


I've got the same ground switch, I think it came from the T-Bar... now I'm going to have to go pick the stickers off!!
- Allan

#16 Kicking Horse

    Established User

  • Industry I
  • 3,071 Posts:
  • Interests:Chairlifts

Posted 13 January 2007 - 08:54 PM

What is the old story emax?
Jeff

#17 FSJ

    Established User

  • Industry II
  • 70 Posts:

Posted 18 January 2007 - 05:16 PM

Cooper Spur was the last Riblet, but Crotched Mtn. Park lift got the last Riblet control system a year later! 10 Riblet lifts were installed with PLC controls.

Riblet used 22mm IDEC control switches. The problem with PLC's is knowing when to stop programming :)

#18 aug

    Lift Maint. Manager

  • Industry II
  • 745 Posts:
  • Interests:Flatlander heckling

Posted 18 January 2007 - 05:38 PM

cutler hammer seems to be the most durable in my opinion
"Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish—a product of the demented imagination of a lazy drunken hillbilly with a heart full of hate who has found a way to live out where the real winds blow—to sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whisky, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested . . . Res ipsa loquitur (it speaks for it self). Let the good times roll." HT

#19 Aussierob

    Lift Sparky

  • Industry II
  • 1,036 Posts:
  • Interests:Search and Rescue
    Hockey
    Ski Touring
    Geocaching

Posted 19 January 2007 - 10:48 AM

Doppelmayr's from Europe have Benedict & Jager buttons and switches, PLC's from Pilz and relays from Elesta. We tend to use telemecanique buttons and automation Direct PLC's for our own projects. All of that stuff is pretty good. Our new Doppelmayr/CTEC has AB everything.
Rob
Ray's Rule for Precision - Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe.

#20 liftmech

    lift mechanic

  • Administrator II
  • 5,916 Posts:
  • Interests:Many.

Posted 23 January 2007 - 07:53 AM

View PostFSJ, on Jan 18 2007, 06:16 PM, said:

Riblet used 22mm IDEC control switches. The problem with PLC's is knowing when to stop programming :)


I'd forgotten about those- at Baker we bought a lot of A-B because Zop liked their product, and perhaps the newer Riblets had already been renovated by the time I got there. I do remember lots of yellow IDEC relays though.
Member, Department of Ancient Technology, Colorado chapter.





1 User(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users