Everything You Need to Know About Signal Fixtures

If you have ever been in an elevator before, you have seen signal fixtures, but you may not have known that’s what they are called. These are necessary to operate the basic functions of any elevator. They include the up and down buttons, as well as the floors, door open, and door close buttons. These buttons have to be working properly at all times in order to ensure a safe, operational elevator that is easy to use by passengers.

Elevator Signal Fixtures

Here we will go over the many types of signal fixtures, their varied uses, and how Mowrey products are designed to help you.

Types

Here are the 19 most common signal fixtures:

  1. Door control buttons
  2. Floor buttons (which floor the passenger wishes to visit)
  3. Door open
  4. Door close
  5. Call cancel button
  6. Inch up and inch down buttons
  7. Key switches
  8. Alarm, intercom, phone buttons
  9. Deadman controls or car switches
  10. “Firefighters’ Operation” Cabinet
  11. Destination indicators
  12. Door hold/door delay button
  13. Arrival lanterns or chimes
  14. Operating status indicators
  15. Car operating panels (wheelchair use)
  16. Directional indicators
  17. Floor announcement
  18. Attendant-control switches
  19. Destination dispatch keypad

Purpose

There are so many signal fixtures that are included in the typical elevator, and they each serve a different function. Some chime to indicate a floor has been reached, and most of the time, those audible cues are accompanied by visual indications as well. Some signal which direction a car is going or where a car is at the moment in the hoist way. The largest collection of signal fixtures in one place is the number tree just inside the elevator where all the floors are listed. Some have just two, while others have 100. Signal fixtures are found most commonly in the lobby of a building, next to the elevator itself, at each landing, and inside the elevator car.

They are available in both standard and custom designs, all of which must meet strict safety and ADA compliant regulations. Did you know that visible and audible signals must be positioned at all hoistway entrances, illuminating which car is on the way to answer your call? Audible signals must ring once for “up” and twice for “down”… either that, or that have to have verbal annunciators that indicate in a voice saying “up” or “down.”

How Do Mowrey Products Help?

Here at Mowrey Elevator, we make sure our products are of the highest quality for the most effective operation. Here’s a look at what we offer with our products.

  • Hall Digital Position Indicators or Hall Lanterns: These features alert waiting passengers to the next car, located in the hall or lobby.
  • Hall Fixtures: Vandal-resistant, these fixtures are available in muntz or stainless-steel finishes.
  • Vandal-Resistant Buttons: Best for high-traffic applications, these durable buttons have a LED jewel center that illuminates when you call a car.  
  • Expandable features: These include key switches, pads, and emergency phones.
  • In-car position indicator (digital): These indicate which floor the car is on at any given time.
  • Code-Compliant Operating Panels.

Contact Mowrey Elevator

Mowrey Elevator does all it can to ensure our signal fixtures are made according to the highest standards, assembled with precision in our Florida headquarters. We rigorously test and re-test all our signal fixtures before they leave our plant. If you would like to learn more about the signal fixtures we offer, don’t hesitate to contact us today.