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June 16, 2006 12:03 AM
Broken: Elevator panel
Marten Veldthuis submits a picture taken in France:
This elevator control panel is quite confusing.
1. There are only 4 floors in the building, so why have buttons for 5+ floors? Also, what does a '-' button do without a basement nearby?
2. What on earth does a '.' button do? Is that for people on the 2.3rd floor?
Yes! At first I thought it was a microwave or a TV remote coontrol. Looks like some industrial designers just got lazy and walked over to the home appliances division. Let's hope they don't do the same with their nuclear power plants... "Popcorn? I didn't know the core had a popcorn button...Let's make some."
This reminds me of when I was a little kid, and I went to Staples. Hanging behind a shelf, I saw what looked like a telephone (it had all the buttons, including the * and # keys) so I picket it up. I tried phoning home. The alarm went off.
It wasn't a phone at all, it was a security device for the demonstration product, and I had entered the wrong "deactivation code".
I see General Electric's Systems Controllers division managed to unload all those extra microwave control panels lying around the shop.
It would appear that the elevator manufacturer tried to standardize the control panel for all of its elevators. No matter how many floors the building may have, they could use the same panel. Unfortunately, the accepted convention for operating an elevator is to press one button corresponding to the desired floor. It is a good idea, just poorly executed.
It's clearly a Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Happy Vertical People Transporter, equipped with "defocused temporal perception, a curious system which enables the elevator to be on the right floor to pick you up even before you knew you wanted it, thus eliminating all the tedious chatting, relaxing, and making friends that people were previoiusly forced to do whilst waiting for elevators."
Douglas Adams, we miss you.
Maybe you use it to enter an access code if a floor is restricted.
Everyone knows passwords are more secure if you put in some punct.ua-tion...
Yes, this is the panel from Ronco's "Jiffy-Vator"--a much less expensive alternate to those fancy Otis luxury elevators. Other cost-savings items include: Twin-bungee cable system, De-luxe corrugated cardboard wall panels, super-efficient 1.5volt motor system (with AA battery backup!), and helpful emergency signage (including "use your cell phone in case of emergency").
The UL lists a nearly 85% survival rate with the Jiffy-Vator!
Share and Enjoy:
"Modern elevators are strange and complex entities. The ancient electric winch and "maximumcapacity-
eight-persons" jobs bear as much relation to a Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Happy Vertical
People Transporter as a packet of mixed nuts does to the entire west wing of the Sirian State Mental
Hospital."
> Re: Mahagesh "RTFM"
> Is there a "manual" in the elevator?
I would think that needing to "RTFM" for an Elevator is a rather clear definition of "Broken"!
I agree with Mona Dearly. It looks like a calculator pad. I just wasn't up early enough today to post an original thought on that one. Broken, yet workable(kind of).
I can't believe I am looking at the same blog as people who had Staples when they were a kid. When I was a kid we barely even had staples.
If this elevator is in France then floors are numbered: G, 1, 2, 3. How would you get to the ground floor?
I've been in hotels in the US where elevators are labeled L3 L2, L, G, M, C, 4, 5, 6. Try to figure that out. Is L the lobby or lower. Is M Main or mezzanine? Of course C is conference or confused. I guess you could start at 4 and figure go down 3 buttons for the first floor.
Maybe the minus button means to delete a digit if you make a mistake. Wait, no, elevators should not be that hard. I'm terrified of them enough as it is without having to deal with an entire control panel.
I think they tried to save money by taking the panel off a fancy phone, but it went horribly wrong as they added unnecissary buttons....
My pocket change...and a bit of lint,
Maxaxle
Manual? You want a Manual? Well here you go:
http://www.eltecelevator.com/tips.html
Would you believe these people have their own magazine?: http://www.elevator-world.com/
I read a little of the current issue. It had its ups and downs. (Well, somebody had to make that joke)
The part that gives away the reason for the complication is that it is 'from France'. It was obviously installed by Beldar and Primat. "We must create a control unit for the primitive lift device to enable the blunt-skulled humans to traverse the levels of the habitation module".
Now, let me tell you the *real* reason this is broken....
Every elevator I have seen recently (discounting really old installations) has had a braille label next to the one button that you push to go to any given floor, clearly identifying for the vision-impaired, where the button is and to what floor it goes, just as clearly as it does for the sighted.
No braille. Strike one.
Unintuitive interface requiring the use of a visual feedback from a 7-segment display. Strike two.
Membrane buttons. Strike three.
This elevator is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
BTW, no, I am not blind, but at least two of my friends are.
>If this elevator is in France then floors are
>numbered: G, 1, 2, 3. How would you get to the
>ground floor?
I would press 'G'. For 'Ground'. America is the only country in the world where the ground floor is also the first floor; everywhere else, the first floor is the floor above the ground floor. (Incidentally, France would be completely within their rights to name it 'RC' instead of 'G' (for 'rez-de-chaussée'), there's no reason why they should use the English abbreviation; but since they do, you should be applauding them for going out of their way to make it more understandable to the international community (who are more used to 'G') rather than criticising them for not pandering to American ideosyncracies in floor naming)).
BE CAREFUL! If you press 624-.>
you do NOT want to be responsible for that!
of course it wouldn't be the company's fault...
Simon, that's an interesting snipet, though I haven't seen an elevator with a "1" on it in a very long time. All of them around here start with "L" for lobby, or "G" for ground (and ALL have a star next to them to designate that they are the ground floor), but then, of course, the next button is "2".
"Now, let me tell you the *real* reason this is broken....
Every elevator I have seen recently (discounting really old installations) has had a braille label next to the one button that you push to go to any given floor, clearly identifying for the vision-impaired, where the button is and to what floor it goes, just as clearly as it does for the sighted.
No braille. Strike one.
Unintuitive interface requiring the use of a visual feedback from a 7-segment display. Strike two.
Membrane buttons. Strike three.
This elevator is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
BTW, no, I am not blind, but at least two of my friends are.
"
You know since this is a french elevator I doubt the Americans with Disabilities act applies.. although france probly has something similiar
I just want to go to the 0 floor
Okay, elevator controls aren't custom designed for whichever building it's in -- the red display at the top is the current floor, the green one above the keypad is the floor you've entered.
The - is for clearing your entry, and the • is 'enter' or accept or confirm (whatever makes sense to you.) I think it's designed for larger buildings who have 20+ floors, it really simplifies the control panel instead of having a few dozen rows of numbers.
For a system like this, i'm not surprised if a voice announces what number you pressed or where you're at.
I'm sure it's programmed so it won't take you to the zeroth or fifth floor.
I live in Bulgaria(country in Europe),and here there is no ground floor.In almost every place I have been to here the elevator starts at floor 1. And thats it.Kinda weird.
I live in Spain, and I do live in a building equipped with this fancy-panelled type of elevator.Can tell you it looks very weird in a 3 floored building ... you never get used to that! I live in the 1st floor anf almost 90% of the time prefer get upstairs by foot... you never know what can really happen if you mess with the buttons :S
Now seriously,it's supposed to be a telephone panel
to call the 24h assistance phone displayed somewhere...in the elevator's ceiling!!Very hard to locate when really needed (In fact a 70 year old man got trapped and nothing indicated him he could call for help from there..started shouting for help).
Good if this service works, but may be better having a "Ring" button with a telephone picture on in?Add the telephon number somewhere nearby in case that button got broken and you got it.
Simon, did you look at the picture? there is no button marked "G".
In answer to Glen, I think either they didn't use french numbering convetions or it would be "0".
In Québec (Canada) I have seen just about every possible system: RC, M, 2, 3; G, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; RC, 2, 3; ect... There doesn't seem to be a universally accepted standard. The most common, however, is RC, M, 2, 3 or RC, 1, 2, 3.
I´m studying abroad in Spain and have seen this elevator. The ground floor is zero and what we consider the 2nd floor is 1. The (-) is for basement floors, -1 is the basement. I agree with the people suggesting it´s a standardizied display, interchangable parts and all. Still looks a little odd but maybe not broken, although I haven´t tried asking for a floor not in the building yet.
Maybe the . is to cancel the number you typed in case you don't want to go to a particular floor and you accidentaly pressed it. The other number are for if they add more floors to the building later, and the - is for going to basement and other floors below ground floor
Glenn: Fortunately for the elevator company and hotel, France doesn't have an Americans with Disabilities Act.
It could be an elevator password control panel. If a floor is restricted, you would enter the password, then the elevator would travel up or down. Of course for robbers, this won't deter them, they would climb right up the emergency hatch.
Glenn, i'm going to go out on a limb and guess that your an American. Now i'm not suggesting that your stupid, though you might imply that from my name. All i'm saying is that it helps to read the post before commenting and that if the French had to follow the American's with Disablilities Act, international law would be in a world of hurt. Not that i really assumed an American would consider the international implications of anything.
it's willy wonka's wonkavator. if you hit any number higher than 4 it goes through the roof
we are headed to floor 2x-3(3.4x-2/3x)=3x-6
hmmmm.... i wonder if it will crash if you ask it to take you to floor -46 or something to that effect....
I wonder if they did decided
to make this as a combination floor selector/security code panel in order to get access to a restricted floor/area that this elevator goes to. Still, this is a bad design, and the elevators I did see that have this feature have the security kepad seperate.
"Manual? You want a Manual? Well here you go:
http://www.eltecelevator.com/tips.html
Would you believe these people have their own magazine?: http://www.elevator-world.com/
I read a little of the current issue. It had its ups and downs. (Well, somebody had to make that joke)
The part that gives away the reason for the complication is that it is 'from France'. It was obviously installed by Beldar and Primat. "We must create a control unit for the primitive lift device to enable the blunt-skulled humans to traverse the levels of the habitation module"."
- I love the fact that on that site, it explains what an elevator is, but the best part is when they say "How to care about an elevator" kudos!
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Previous: McAfee personal firewall application message | Main | Next: Bathroom stall directions
Maybe its a combination elevator and microwave oven.
Posted by: artclam at June 16, 2006 12:09 AM