Appreciation post: Found an old Otis machine room in Springfield

Was checking out a 1970s office building in Springfield and saw an original Otis relay logic panel still running. No PLCs, no computers, just pure mechanical timing. Anyone else ever run into those old relay systems still in service?

2 comments

2 Comments

sandra7157d ago

Relay logic is seriously impressive stuff. My building had one of those Otis systems from the 60s too, and it ran perfectly until the city upgraded the power grid a few years back. Had to replace some contacts and a few relays that got fried from a surge, but the basic setup is still humming along. It's wild how something that simple can be so reliable with just a little basic maintenance. Those old mechanical timers are absolute tanks compared to modern computer boards.

rowan6667d ago

Honestly, did you notice any particular quirks in how the mechanical timers handled the surge vs. the solid state stuff? I'm always curious if the old contacts just welded shut or if they actually dropped out clean and could be reused after cleaning.