What is the difference between proprietary and non-proprietary controllers?

A proprietary controller's diagnostics, service tools, and parts move through the manufacturer's own channel; a non-proprietary controller publishes documentation and sells parts to any qualified contractor. The difference shows up at contract renewal: an open platform can be bid competitively, a closed one narrows who can hold the contract.

Do we have to go back to the original manufacturer to replace a controller?

No. Controller replacement is an alteration any licensed elevator contractor can perform, whoever built the original equipment. Prime replaces controls on legacy and current-brand equipment alike, installing non-proprietary controllers as the default.

How long do elevator controllers last?

Relay controllers often ran for decades because relays could be replaced one at a time. Electronic generations turn over faster — their end of life is set by parts and support availability, not wear. Obsolescence, not failure, usually triggers the project.

What does fault logging actually change for the building?

It replaces guesswork with a time-stamped record. On relay and early solid-state controls an intermittent shutdown leaves no trace, so tickets close as 'no fault found' and the problem returns. A modern controller records what tripped and when.

Will a new controller change our maintenance contract at renewal?

It can change who is able to bid on it. A non-proprietary controller can be diagnosed and supplied with parts by any qualified contractor, which keeps renewal competitive; a proprietary platform ties those functions to one channel. Prime states that consequence in the proposal.

Does a controller replacement require inspection in Texas?

Yes. The work is an alteration under the standards TDLR adopts per Health and Safety Code §754.014, it must not diminish the equipment's safety, and required safety tests precede return to service. The owner's annual inspection, 30-day filing, and certificate duties under §754.019 continue unchanged.

Elevator Controller Modernization in Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth

The controller makes every decision an elevator carries out — where the car goes, when the doors move, how calls are answered. It is also the first subsystem to go obsolete: relay and first-generation solid-state controls routinely outlive their parts supply while the machine, rails, and hoistway equipment stay sound.

Prime Elevator Corp performs controller-only modernization on hydraulic and traction equipment — full service across the Houston metro, scheduled project work in Dallas–Fort Worth through the Spring office. The default recommendation is a non-proprietary microprocessor controller.

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What is controller modernization?

Controller modernization is the replacement of an elevator's control system — relay logic or early solid-state electronics — with a modern microprocessor controller, while the machine, drive, doors, and hoistway equipment stay in service. It is the narrowest common modernization scope, used when the controls are the failing subsystem and the rest of the elevator still measures sound. A modern controller also adds fault logging and onboard diagnostics. The safety codes treat the work as an alteration.

Controller: The cabinet of logic that runs the elevator — registering calls, commanding the drive, sequencing the doors.
Relay logic: Control built from electromechanical relays in fixed circuits. Durable, but it keeps no record of its own faults.
Solid-state controls: The first electronic generation to replace relays, built on boards long out of production.
Microprocessor controller: Modern computer-based control with fault logging, diagnostics, and adjustable dispatching.
Non-proprietary controller: A controller whose diagnostics, documentation, and parts are open to any qualified contractor.
Fault log: The controller's time-stamped record of shutdowns — the evidence that makes an intermittent fault diagnosable.

When does a building need controller modernization?

A building needs controller modernization when the controls have become the least reliable part of an otherwise sound elevator — shutdowns trace to the cabinet while the machine, drive, and doors keep passing their checks.

Intermittent shutdowns that clear on a reset and return without a pattern.
Boards or relays sourced secondhand or on long lead times, so a minor fault parks the car for days.
Tickets closed as 'no fault found' because the controls keep no log to read.
Erratic operation: missed hall calls, doors reopening without cause, group cars answering out of sequence.
Repair proposals that hinge on manufacturer-only diagnostic tools the building cannot obtain.
A contract renewal where bidders decline or surcharge the equipment because the controls platform is closed or obsolete.

What does Prime actually do on a controller modernization?

Prime replaces the control system as an engineered project: survey, controller selection, installation in a planned outage, then code-required testing before return to service. The new controller must interface cleanly with everything the project retains.

Survey and history review. Measure the drive, machine or valve, and door equipment the new controller will command.
Controller selection. Non-proprietary controls are the default; a proprietary platform's serviceability trade-off is stated in writing.
Engineering. Wiring design, interfaces to the retained drive and door operator, and code review of the alteration scope.
Installation. The car comes out of service for a window agreed in advance — one car at a time in multi-car groups.
Adjustment and testing. Ride, leveling, and dispatching dialed in, then the required safety tests and TDLR inspection coordination.
Closeout. Wiring diagrams, fault-code documentation, and diagnostic access handed to the owner.

What equipment does controller modernization cover?

Controller modernization covers relay-logic, solid-state, and earlier microprocessor controls on hydraulic, geared and gearless traction, and machine-room-less equipment — current major brands and the legacy lines they absorbed.

Controller replacement scope by existing controls
Existing controls	Typical replacement scope
Relay logic — legacy Dover, Montgomery, Haughton, U.S. Elevator, Delaware	Full replacement with new machine-room wiring; sound machines and door operators retained and interfaced
First-generation solid-state and early microprocessor controls	Controller replaced outright; boards are out of production, so replacement ends the parts-sourcing problem
Current brands — Otis, KONE, Schindler, TK Elevator, Mitsubishi, Fujitec	Earlier proprietary control generations swapped for non-proprietary controllers where the owner wants open serviceability
Hydraulic elevators	Controller and starter replacement; valve and pump-motor interfaces checked during survey
Traction and machine-room-less	Controller replacement coordinated with the existing drive; a drive at end of life is flagged before scope is set

What does controller modernization cost?

Controller modernization is priced from the survey, not a rate card, because cost is set by what the new controller must connect to and how much of the old installation comes out with it. Two buildings with the same car count can land far apart.

Existing controls generation — replacing relay logic means rewiring the machine room; swapping a newer cabinet carries less labor.
Group size — a dispatched group is controllers plus group logic, phased one car at a time.
Landing count — traveling cable, hall wiring, and fixture interfaces repeat at every opening.
Drive interface — retaining a sound drive keeps scope narrow; a drive at end of life belongs in the same outage.
Controls platform — proprietary and non-proprietary controllers price differently up front and over the service life.
Code-required work — the alteration standards can pull wiring or safety-circuit items into scope.

The alternative cost is the one already being paid: obsolete boards at scarcity prices, downtime while they ship, and renewal bids inflated by a closed platform.

How does compliance factor into controller modernization?

Controller replacement is regulated as an alteration in Texas: it must meet the standards TDLR adopts under Health and Safety Code §754.014 and may not leave the equipment less safe than the chapter requires at the time of the work. Afterward the owner's duties under §754.019 — annual inspection, the 30-day filing, a displayed certificate of compliance — continue unchanged.

Alteration standard: No diminished safetyTex. Health & Safety Code §754.014
Code basis: ASME A17.1 / A17.3Adopted by TDLR rule under §754.014
Inspection frequency: AnnualTDLR-registered inspector; report filed within 30 days — §754.019
Prime TDLR Elevator Contractor License: #20478Expires 01/16/2027

Source: Tex. Health & Safety Code §§754.014, 754.019 — Standards; Duties of Owners

Where does Prime provide controller modernization?

Prime provides controller modernization across the Houston metro and as scheduled project work in Dallas–Fort Worth, operating from Spring on the Houston metro's north side.

Houston metro buildings get the full service: survey, planned installation, and 24/7 emergency dispatch — including weekends and holidays, on site in under 60 minutes.

In Dallas–Fort Worth, the work runs as scheduled visits booked in advance through the Spring office, with the same survey discipline and closeout documentation.

Office: 20140 Holzwarth Rd, Ste 415, Spring, TX 77388
Phone: (832) 391-8514
Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Emergency dispatch: 24/7 — Houston metro onlyOn site in under 60 minutes

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between proprietary and non-proprietary controllers?: A proprietary controller's diagnostics, service tools, and parts move through the manufacturer's own channel; a non-proprietary controller publishes documentation and sells parts to any qualified contractor. The difference shows up at contract renewal: an open platform can be bid competitively, a closed one narrows who can hold the contract.
Do we have to go back to the original manufacturer to replace a controller?: No. Controller replacement is an alteration any licensed elevator contractor can perform, whoever built the original equipment. Prime replaces controls on legacy and current-brand equipment alike, installing non-proprietary controllers as the default.
How long do elevator controllers last?: Relay controllers often ran for decades because relays could be replaced one at a time. Electronic generations turn over faster — their end of life is set by parts and support availability, not wear. Obsolescence, not failure, usually triggers the project.
What does fault logging actually change for the building?: It replaces guesswork with a time-stamped record. On relay and early solid-state controls an intermittent shutdown leaves no trace, so tickets close as 'no fault found' and the problem returns. A modern controller records what tripped and when.
Will a new controller change our maintenance contract at renewal?: It can change who is able to bid on it. A non-proprietary controller can be diagnosed and supplied with parts by any qualified contractor, which keeps renewal competitive; a proprietary platform ties those functions to one channel. Prime states that consequence in the proposal.
Does a controller replacement require inspection in Texas?: Yes. The work is an alteration under the standards TDLR adopts per Health and Safety Code §754.014, it must not diminish the equipment's safety, and required safety tests precede return to service. The owner's annual inspection, 30-day filing, and certificate duties under §754.019 continue unchanged.

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Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Emergency service dispatched 24/7, including weekends and holidays.

(832) 391-8514