elevator simulation project

Thread Starter

Amy Parker 89

Joined Nov 13, 2010
12
Hello everyone, so sorry to bother you but I'm new here. Also I am new to the Electronics World so if may I ask, I would like to ask you for small help in my elevator simulation project. I am intend to build a 4 storey elevator simulation. The car elevator is suppose to run by using a dc motor with small weights. Also I am thinking to use proximity sensors for level indication and stepper motor for the door opens/closes. Also I am thinking to control it with the 8051C microcontroller. I have a big problem regarding the design of the hardware and I have merely no idea where to start from, can anybody help me please?

Many Thanks in Advice...........

Amy
 

Thread Starter

Amy Parker 89

Joined Nov 13, 2010
12
Im so sorry sir/madam but i did not hijacted that thread. There was a problem when I tried to leave a post on that thread you mentioned, as it is two years old, the system didn't let me post anything there. That's why I started a new thread.

Now would would you be so kind, or anybody else to give me a little help pls?

Thanks very much and sorry again
Amy
 

John P

Joined Oct 14, 2008
2,025
All of this design is "hardware" except programming the processor. If you're new to the Electronics World, I'd strongly suggest starting with a much smaller project. Multiple motors, sensors and controls isn't a job for a beginner. Typically a first microprocessor project involves getting a light to come on when you press a button, for instance.
 

retched

Joined Dec 5, 2009
5,207
I agree with John P.

Synchronising many events at once is QUITE difficult.

Unless you have been building circuits all year up to this point, it is hopeless with out some serious hand-holding.

You will need a power supply.

A transmission for the elevator unit.

A stepper driver that takes commands from a microcontroller to drive the stepper motor.

Door all the way opened and closed sensors.

Floor sensors.

Memory to REMEMBER which way the elevator was going. So if the guy on the first floor wants to go to the 4th floor, but a guy gets on at the 3rd floor and wants to go to the first floor, you have to drop the 1st guy off at the 4th BEFORE dropping the second guy at the 1st.

Ugg.

Daunting.

The first thing is to get a led to light with a push of a button.
 

Thread Starter

Amy Parker 89

Joined Nov 13, 2010
12
@ John P & retched - I'm so sorry, i think i did not explained my self well :) The programming, electronics and devices aren't my problem as i've been doing experiments with the 8051c (always in C using the uKeil4 software) all year long now. These small experiments include LIGHT PROJECTS including: LED's, 7 seg's and a 16x2 LCD, SOUND PROJECTS including: Buzzer, Speaker, Electronic Siren Interfacing, TEMPERATURE PROJECTS, SENSOR PROJECTS and also experiments with RS232 Serial Communication projects etc.....

In the electronics world i'm not an expert but i ain't no rookie also. My problem is how to design the mechanical section. I mean the shaft, the cabin, the base etc...... as I have no idea and where to start from :(

But thanks very much for your help and your concern :)

Amy
 

jthj

Joined Nov 13, 2010
3
About ten years ago we built a four foot elevator made of Plexiglas.

I think the car was 6" x 6" x 6" also made of Plexiglas and attached to a counterweight. We used a small geared motor for the overhead machine that we purchased at the local hobby shop. We two plastic sheaves with one on the motor to drive the elevator and one in the machine room to space the counterweights and car out in the hoistway. The ropes for the elevator consisted of wire with a clear plastic coating about a 1/8" in diameter. We put rollers on the car and counterweight to ride the rails. The rollers are from an outdoor screen door that we found at Home Depot. We used small micro switches placed at each floor to communicate the car location with the controller. The counterweight was an aluminum rectangle design that we placed small metal blocks in.

The car was placed at the first floor. When it was started a light in the cab came on for 15 seconds. The light turned off and the car moved to the second floor. The process was repeated until the fourth floor was reached. The elevator would then reset itself to the first floor.

Its been so long since I played with the elevator it is a little fuzzy. I will be happy to try and answer any questions you have.

JH
 

John P

Joined Oct 14, 2008
2,025
Oh--to electronics engineers, whatever isn't software is hardware. Just a question of terminology there.

But you're still leaving your question very vague. How big does your team expect this to be? And how realistic, as in modeling a miniature elevator, must it be? It makes a lot of difference in how this needs to be built.

In general building something that slides along a straight path without jamming, using simple tools and materials, is quite challenging. One quick easy way to do it is to use a drawer slide. They have a travel of 18 inches or so, so the distance between floors could be as much as 6 inches (4 floors-->3 spaces between floors, so divide by 3 not 4).
 

Thread Starter

Amy Parker 89

Joined Nov 13, 2010
12
@ jthj & John P - Thanks very much for your help. Your ideas are well worth it to take in consideration. Thanks

@ jthj - I like your idea, that the elevator will reset and go to the first level after it is not in use. Thanks for again your help. I think in future I will ask more questions
 

williamj

Joined Sep 3, 2009
180
Amy Parker 89,

Just how close to the real thing do you have to model? Do you require working doors? If so, are the doors required on the elevator car, on each floor or both?

The actual physical size of the project seams to be determined by the size of the sensors used. The project wouldn't be scaled to the sensors but must contain them.

An elevator car/counter weight system is constructed utilizing; one elevator car, one counter weight, multiple idler pulley blocks and a motorized winch system all with various controls and safety devices.

In most cases the elevator car/counter weight arrangement is that the counter weight is in very close proximetry to the car, usually right next to the car and just opposite the car door.

There would be one block of idler sheaves on the elevator car and one block of idler sheaves on the counter weight and both blocks of idler sheaves would be connected by steel cable or wire rope (cable).

In between the elveator car and the counter weight the cable would also be conneted to, and moved by, the motoized winch system. In addition to the motorized winch there would be atleast one idler sheave transitioning between the two.

Operable doors is entirely another ball of wax.

Time permiting I will try and work up some simple drawings for you.

williamj
 

PRS

Joined Aug 24, 2008
989
This project could be as complicated as you want it. As for the mechanical structure, read William above this. A car suspended by a cable need guides, a counterweight system, and a brake to lock the car in place. Without the brake, the car might spin the motor if there is enough weight in it.

You could simplify the car and its driving mechanism by building a wooden box about 2 feet long and three enclosing sides. Make tracks in the box using drawer tracks or closet door tracks and mount the matching wheels on the car. If you keep everything straight the car will move freely along its tracks.

To eliminate the need for a brake and a pulley system run an all thread rod (available in any hardware store (it looks like a long screw sheared at top and bottom. Run this through your car by sinking a nut into the bottom of the car and allowing the other end to extend outside the top of the car. Anchor the shaft in the center of bottom end of the shaft using a cup-shaped piece of metal. Let the other end of the screw stick out the top and attach a pulley or gear to it with which to drive with your DC motor.

I've done this so I know it works. The archimedian screw has the quality that it's self-braking. If you set the box on its back so the elevator rides along the top, you have the base for a robotic arm.
 
Last edited:

jthj

Joined Nov 13, 2010
3
The elevator we constructed was utilized as a marketing tool for our company. There were two of us that designed and built it. The idea was to turn the elevator on which also turned the light on. You would then present phase one (first floor) of our services to the clients in fifteen seconds. If you look closely at the hoistway you can see the presentation. After fifteen seconds the light would go out. The elevator would move up a floor and the light would come back on. You would then give a fifteen second presentation on phase two of our services. This continued until it reached the top floor. It would then reset to floor one. It was an awesome exhibit. We had so many people at one trade show just standing there watching.

The rails for the car are contained in the hoistway close to the back of the elevator. The rails served two purposes. One was to let the car travel up and down. The second was to allow us to screw the back wall (white Plexiglas) to the hoistway. The counterweight rails were placed on the back wall. We used some kind of T bar or something. It has been too long.

The car had four rollers that were at the back. It had two on the top and two on the bottom. They were spring steel rollers from a screen door. The spring steel held the car in the rails by pressure.

We utilized two sheaves for the elevator. One was placed on the direct drive DC motor and the other one was used as a deflector sheave directly over the counterweights. The sheaves are actually wheels off a model car. The motor came from the hobby shop and I wished we had actually used a worm gear configuration instead of the direct drive. It would have looked more realistic in the MR since low rise traction elevators use a worm gear machine.

We used an Allen Bradley PLC to control the elevator. I’m not sure where we picked it up. I probably got it from a friend of a friend back in Huntsville.

The elevator has not been in service for six or seven years. It is packed away in the basement however just talking about it is making me want to get it out and crank it back in time for Christmas. If I do get it out I will take some pictures or make a video and post them.
 

PRS

Joined Aug 24, 2008
989
jthj, your elevator is a work of art. It has eye appeal. I can see how people would be mesmerized by it. I've gotten into microcontrollers as a hobby, and I've been looking for projects. I had the idea of making an elevator, but without any artistic merit such as your elevator. Now I'm sold on art. Such an elevator would look great and attract attention of every unoccupied person in the house just like a beautiful tank of fish.

Another idea I've had is to get hold of an old traffic light and make my own controller, then hang it from the ceiling from a chain. But now I think the light should be a work of art. It, too, would be an attention-getter as it went through its cycle.

At any rate, I for one, am very interested in pictures of your elevator; especially, pictures of it in actual operation. A good place to post such is U Tube and then set up a link.

Thanks for the pictures and the idea of including art in my projects. Paul. ;)
 

John P

Joined Oct 14, 2008
2,025
My questions about Jthj's elevator are similar to what I'd ask about the proposed project. How realistic was it? Did it have the ability to go from one random floor to another, or did it always go top to bottom and stop at every floor as it moved? Did doors open and close? If it didn't do those things, it wasn't a very good model of a real elevator, even if it was an attention grabber, and even if the mechanical system was ingenious. More info needed.
 

Thread Starter

Amy Parker 89

Joined Nov 13, 2010
12
Amy Parker 89,

Just how close to the real thing do you have to model? Do you require working doors? If so, are the doors required on the elevator car, on each floor or both?

The actual physical size of the project seams to be determined by the size of the sensors used. The project wouldn't be scaled to the sensors but must contain them.

An elevator car/counter weight system is constructed utilizing; one elevator car, one counter weight, multiple idler pulley blocks and a motorized winch system all with various controls and safety devices.

In most cases the elevator car/counter weight arrangement is that the counter weight is in very close proximetry to the car, usually right next to the car and just opposite the car door.

There would be one block of idler sheaves on the elevator car and one block of idler sheaves on the counter weight and both blocks of idler sheaves would be connected by steel cable or wire rope (cable).

In between the elveator car and the counter weight the cable would also be conneted to, and moved by, the motoized winch system. In addition to the motorized winch there would be atleast one idler sheave transitioning between the two.

Operable doors is entirely another ball of wax.

Time permiting I will try and work up some simple drawings for you.

williamj
Hi Williamj – First of all thanks very much for the interest showing and for helping me out. Like everyone else here I am really considering your ideas for this mini project.
Yes I need working doors. I was thinking to do two doors inside the car and also a door on each floor. I was thinking to operate them by 5V dc motors but I am not 100% about that.
Also sensors are my problem as I have no idea which I am going to use. I was thinking use sensors for level indication to let the micro controller where the cabin is and also as safety in the doors. I was thinking to use 12V proximity sensors but still haven’t decided yet.
As I am going to make two doors in the car, one opposite each other, the counter weight was to be on a side in the shaft.
Thanks very much for helping me out and also any simple drawings will be more than appreciated
Best Regards

Amy
 

Thread Starter

Amy Parker 89

Joined Nov 13, 2010
12
This project could be as complicated as you want it. As for the mechanical structure, read William above this. A car suspended by a cable need guides, a counterweight system, and a brake to lock the car in place. Without the brake, the car might spin the motor if there is enough weight in it.

You could simplify the car and its driving mechanism by building a wooden box about 2 feet long and three enclosing sides. Make tracks in the box using drawer tracks or closet door tracks and mount the matching wheels on the car. If you keep everything straight the car will move freely along its tracks.

To eliminate the need for a brake and a pulley system run an all thread rod (available in any hardware store (it looks like a long screw sheared at top and bottom. Run this through your car by sinking a nut into the bottom of the car and allowing the other end to extend outside the top of the car. Anchor the shaft in the center of bottom end of the shaft using a cup-shaped piece of metal. Let the other end of the screw stick out the top and attach a pulley or gear to it with which to drive with your DC motor.

I've done this so I know it works. The archimedian screw has the quality that it's self-braking. If you set the box on its back so the elevator rides along the top, you have the base for a robotic arm.
Hi Paul – First of all thanks very much for helping me out.
The brake system is very interesting and I am considering in project but I sorry as I think I didn’t understood you well. If you give more detail it will be more than appreciated
Thanks
Amy
 
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