That time I bypassed a door lock relay on a 1993 Otis and it actually worked

Had a call last Tuesday at a 12 story office building in Cincinnati where the car was stuck between floors. Spent 2 hours tracing the door lock circuit in the machine room before I remembered an old trick from a guy who retired back in 2018. Jumped the relay with a paper clip just to test my theory and the doors cycled right open. Anyone else have a hack like that which feels sketchy but never fails?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_murphy8d agoOG Member

Paper clips and bent coat hangers are basically the universal tool for elevator guys at this point. I've got a handful of them tucked in my tool pouch right now for exactly that kind of old school troubleshooting. If it works and doesn't cause a safety issue, there's no shame in using a trick that some retired guy passed down. Honestly, some of the stuff those old timers figured out before all the computer boards took over is pure gold. Just don't let your boss see you doing it or they'll think you're hacking the whole system.

the_sage8d ago

Wait, are you telling me I'm not the only one who keeps a bent paper clip tucked behind my license in my wallet for exactly this? I swear by the old "paper clip in the fire alarm override" trick from a guy named Frank who retired back in '08. He showed me how to bypass a stuck key switch on a 1980s Otis controller using nothing but a paper clip and a ballpoint pen spring. I've used it three times now and it's saved me from having to order a whole new switch panel. Boss would lose his mind if he knew, but Frank knew those old Otis boards better than any manual ever did.

jana5098d ago

Used to roll my eyes at guys pulling out paper clips like it was some kind of magic trick. But after watching an old timer fix a stuck door in under two minutes with a bent hanger while I was still reading the manual, I changed my tune completely. @mila_murphy nails it when she says those retired guys had gold. Half the time those tricks work because they're based on the actual mechanics of these old machines, not guesses. Sure, it looks janky, but if it's safe and gets the job done, who cares? I keep a stash of paper clips in my bag now too, just in case.