Split second call on a stuck door - leveling off vs forcing it open?

I was working a Miconic 10 controller in a 12 floor office tower in Denver last Thursday. Door got stuck halfway on floor 7 and I had maybe 30 seconds to decide: do I try to level off and risk the rollers binding worse, or hit the door limit bypass and force it? I went with the bypass and got a nasty arc from the drive relay before it freed up. Has anyone else had a call like that where the wrong move could have fried the controller?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennybailey15d ago

Guess I should have brought a fire extinguisher along with my meter next time. At least the Miconic 10 provided some free fireworks before lunch.

brian_hart15d ago

You said "nasty arc from the drive relay before it freed up" and I gotta say, that arc tells me you got lucky. Leveling off was the smarter play here. If the door's already stuck halfway, hitting the bypass just dumps full power into a motor that can't move, which is exactly what causes those arcs. You risk frying the drive board or worse, a fire. Leveling off lets the controller cancel the call, drops the car maybe an inch, and the door can slide back down on its own. Yeah, the rollers might bind a bit, but at least you're not feeding current into a stalled motor. I've seen guys try the bypass on a Miconic 10 and blow the main fuse panel. Leveling off is the slow and safe way, which is usually the right way in these old controllers.

mason.drew15d ago

Well, aren't you gonna make me feel like a real clown for pushing that bypass button? I guess I was one more stuck door away from a fireworks show.