Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Three-Floor Model ElevatorUsing Arduino Mega: Floor-Request Logic and Safety Interlocks

Abstract

Reliable elevator operation depends on coordinated request handling, position sensing, motion control, door sequencing, and safety interlocks. This study presents the design, implementation, and experimental evaluation of a three-floor educational elevator prototype built around an Arduino Mega controller. The system integrates floor-request push buttons, mechanical floorposition switches, a DC motor and driver, a servo-operated door, an HX711-based load-cell arrangement for overload monitoring, visual and audible indicators, and a DFPlayer Mini for floor announcements. Control is organized as a state-based process with a request queue and directional servicing of pending calls. The prototype was evaluated at subsystem and integrated-system levels. Floor detection achieved 100% accuracy over 40 transitions, button registration reached 100% over 100 recorded presses, overload detection reached 98% over 50 tests, and voice announcements were correct in 39 of 40 arrivals (97.5%). Stopping remained within ±2 mm of the target floor against a ±5 mm design tolerance. Across 50 consecutive random floor-request cycles, 48 were completed successfully, giving an overall success rate of 96%; the two unsuccessful cycles were associated with temporary DFPlayer communication faults rather than failures of motion, position sensing, or door control. The results show that a low-cost microcontroller platform can integrate structured request processing with physical safety interlocks and user feedback in a coherent model-scale system. The prototype is intended for mechatronics and embedded-control education rather than passenger service, and it provides a practical basis for future work on encoder-based closed-loop motion control, noncontact sensing, stronger fault recovery, and remote monitoring.