Swapped my ropedrives for MRL gearless after 11 years, still adjusting my ear

Been doing traction elevators since 2009, all ropedrive with worm gears. I could tell a bad bearing by the hum, knew exactly when a motor was dragging before the oil temp even moved. Last March I took a job with a company that only installs MRL gearless units. Took me a solid three calls to stop waiting for that gear sound that never comes. The new drives are so quiet you basically work blind, you have to trust the controller readouts instead of your gut. Had a 10 story hotel unit running rough last week, I kept listening for the old grind pattern and kept missing it. Finally hooked up my analyzer and saw the rotor angle was off by 2 degrees. That was the fix. So now I carry my laptop on every stop instead of just my stethoscope. Anyone else switch over and lose their hearing-based troubleshooting mojo, or am I the only dinosaur left?

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perez.thea23d ago

I read somewhere that gearless motors are 30% more efficient, but man, that silence is unnerving.