Cambridge Elevating Recalls
Recall Information
Home Owner Information
Mandatory Software Upgrade
Dear Homeowner:
In accordance with the requirements of Health Canada and the Consumer Product Safety Commission we are notifying you of a Mandatory Software Upgrade required to your Cambridge Elevating home elevator.
Cambridge Elevating Inc. recently became aware of the remote possibility that, upon the occurrence of a very unique and rare circumstances, an unsafe situation may occur with specific models of home elevators manufacturer between January 2, 2009 and October 2, 2013.
What is the problem?
In extremely rare circumstances, data stored on the Main Control Unit (MCU) chip can become corrupt due to the confluence of abnormally low voltage being supplied to the MCU at the same instant a command is sent to or from the chip. The corrupted data can confuse the elevator as to which floor it is at.
What is the solution?
The fix is very easy and quick. It requires the replacement of the MCU chip with one that has been programmed with safety redundancies to defend against data corruption over and above what comes standard on the current chip.
What should you do?
Contact Cambridge Elevating upon receiving this notice so we can record your contact information in our Registry. We will require your authorization to share your information with your local authorized service providers in order that they can contact you to schedule an appointment to conduct the Mandatory Software Upgrade. There is absolutely no cost to you for this upgrade.
Please contact us at 1-800-265-3579 and indicate that you are calling with regard to the Mandatory Software Upgrade so that we can direct your call to the appropriate customer service representative.
Your safety is paramount to our company’s employees and stakeholders. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you for your co-operation.
Sincerely,
Cambridge Elevating
Customer Relations
Dealer Information
Mandatory Software Upgrade
All Cambridge Elevating Dealers Active between Jan 2, 2009 & Oct 2, 2013
On February 4, 2019, Cambridge Elevating took steps to notify Health Canada & the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission about a mandatory software upgrade to a number of our home elevators. Impacted elevators:
| Electrical System | Elevator Model | Dates of Manufacture |
| BES 1 | Elmira, Heritage, Hybrid | January 2, 2009 – October 26, 2012 |
| BES 2 | Heritage, Hybrid | October 26, 2012 – October 2, 2013 |
Background:
On affected units defined in the above section, there is a remote possibility that data may become corrupted on our MCU chip on the car top board. Cambridge Elevating recently became aware that data corruption may take place upon the occurrence of very specific circumstances involving the confluence of abnormally low voltage supplied to the MCU chip, even if only briefly, and a read or write command to the chip at the exact millisecond the voltage to the chip is too low. If this occurs and the number of stops programmed into the chip becomes corrupted, there is a possibility that a landing door could unlock without the cab present. While we are only aware of this having occurred in isolated circumstances, we are taking proactive steps to eliminate any and all issues going forward. We are pleased to report that we have resolved a simple and cost-effective solution which completely eliminates this issue altogether.
Customer Notification:
Cambridge Elevating will, on your behalf, be notifying all Canadian and U.S. owners of the affected units by mail. We will also be sending you a list of Cambridge Elevating job numbers (serial numbers) that we have identified as requiring the aforementioned software upgrade. We will also share with you the notice letter your customers will receive.
Please understand that notice to the owners of the affected units by mail is mandated by both Health Canada and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In order for us to effect such notice on your behalf, we need you to provide us with a mailing address, together with the name(s) of the owners of the affected units (if known), for each of the serial numbers that we have identified as having been sold to your company.
We will notify you as we begin to send the mail notifications so you know what to expect and when.
Repair Procedure:
Cambridge Elevating will be sending replacement chips along with a chip extraction tool. Elevators with special chips will need to be replaced with non-standard chips – details of non-standard chips will follow with the next communication.
To replace the chip, a technician will need to shut down power to the elevator, gain access to the car top, and remove the car top box cover. Noting the orientation of the chip (there is a notch in it), the technician will need to extract the chip using the chip puller. This chip will need to be retained and returned to Cambridge Elevating to verify the upgrade has been done.
The technician will then take the new chip and verify that all pins are straight. Making sure the orientation is the same as the initial chip (the direction of the notch), position the chip in place. Once all pins are on top of the chip socket, push in place using even and firm pressure. Once this has been complete, the car top cover can be reinstalled, and the unit can be powered up once it is safe to do so.
Finally, the number of floors will need to be programmed as well as the floor levels (documented in service manual section G). A formal tech bulletin will be issued documenting the steps in greater detail.
Parts:
Standard chips will be sent to each dealer in instalments depending on deployment size. Special chips will be sent as jobs are identified as needing them.
Tools:
Standard tools to gain access to the car top and remove the car top lid are required. A number of chip puller tools will also be provided based on deployment size.
Please ensure the appropriate associates are advised of this mandatory safety upgrade program within your organization.
Sincerely,
Cambridge Elevating
Customer Relations
