End of Life/Obsolete elevator equipment – US Elevator Ascension 1000/2000

This is the 3^rd in our series of end of life/obsolete elevator control systems.  We still have a few of these in the Chicago market.  The marketing of US Ascension elevator controllers and branding was pretty slick for an elevator controller.  Unfortunately the marketing of the product, does not make it a good product.  Many of these elevators are being replaced because of their reliability. They have some typical ghosts hiding in the closet, if you know where to look you can resolve them relatively quickly.  The question always is, how long and how often do you want to deal with the inherent headaches with this specific elevator system if you depend on your elevator?

What’s the story?  Thyssen Krupp bought US Elevator and then bought Dover Elevator.  Thyssen went on to use something closer to Dover’s control platform and the US platform was scrapped.  US Elevator’s Ascension series was never very popular with the field technician.  For years there have been some very talented Thyssen field techs that have kept these elevators running.  The very talented Thyssen techs that are familiar with this platform are retiring making them few and far between.  Domain knowledge is dwindling.

Who this impacts – If you have an Ascension branded US Elevator or any US Elevator for that matter you need to begin thinking about equipment replacement. Yes, Ascension brand elevator controllers are not that old and should last longer.  It is our recommendation you need to get this scheduled to be replaced.  This elevator controller is currently considered obsolete.

Are parts still available? – There are a few outlets that sell parts or repair the boards on the US Ascension line of elevators.  If you are having boards repaired you need to understand this is not a perfect science, it is more like going to the casino.  We have some great repair shops we can send parts to, but at times, results can vary.  We used to be able to lean on some of these repair shops for hints on field repairs, but that domain knowledge is also retiring.

Trip counter Ascension 2000 – On the Ascension 2000 controllers there may be a trip counter that requires a manual reset.  This is a built in feature to require a maintenance program and monthly visits.  There was a chip set you can buy for this to remove the counter, I don’t know if they are available anymore. 

Take away – If you have any the Ascension 1000/2000 or US Elevator you should have a plan with your elevator company to replace this.  If you cannot afford to replace the elevator controller you should have an understanding of what parts are available, what the building’s expectations should be and what level of talent on this specific control system your elevator maintenance contractor has. Everyone is not good at everything. 

Hey! Sign up for our mailing list!  Next newsletter will be out shortly and you will get one about once a month.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.