End of Life/Obsolete elevator equipment – Virginia Controls MH 2000

This is the 4^th in our series of end of life/obsolete elevator control systems.  We have a ton of these in the Chicago market.  The MH 2000 is not that old of an elevator system platform that was installed from the mid 1990’s to early 2000’s but as we progress with technology and code requirements we see the obsolescence time line shrink.  This controller is now considered obsolete.

What’s the story?  Virginia Controls is a great control company from Richmond, VA and has been producing elevator controllers since 1967.  The MH 2000 was a strong reliable control system but the manufacturer had some issues sourcing some of the components a few years ago and with the progression of their controller line, part sourcing issues and the evolution of code requirements Virginia decided to discontinue supporting this specific platform.  Their solution is a retrofit kit with the MH 3000

Who this impacts – If you have a MH 2000 control system you should begin putting money away for a control modernization.  There are still parts available, we have parts, but when they are gone, they are gone.

Are parts still available? – Yes and no.  We have had good luck with getting parts an stocking parts for the MH 2000.  The first time we had an issue with getting a board, we waited until Virginia restocked and bought a lot of parts. We bought a lot of spare parts because we have a lot of these in our portfolio.  As with everything, we had a rash of boards go out at the same time at different buildings, we over stocked replacement parts and we haven’t used many lately. But! When the parts are gone, they are gone and there is a significant lead time for a new controller retrofit from Virginia or a new controller from a different vendor.  Virginia offers expedited lead times but you pay a premium.

Trip counter – One specific elevator contractor in the Chicago area had a trip counter installed on these controllers that requires someone to manually reset the elevator controller every X number of days/trips.  Most of these trip counters have been removed with an upgrade but there are still some out there.   

Take away – If you have one of these controllers in your building get a plan together with your elevator contractor.  See if they have replacement parts and how many.  If your CPU goes out, do they have a replacement?  How many?  When it rains it pours, be aware that there are a lot of these out there and if a few have issues at the same time and require spare parts, you are pulling from the same spare part pool which is finite. 

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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.

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