Cable driven stair lifts use an aircraft-strength steel cable that winds over a drum to lift you up and down the stairs. Cable stair lifts include AC, DC, and heavy-duty stair lifts from Ameriglide and Summit. There are many advantages of cable driven stair lifts with the major one being there is no circuit board in the unit and no scheduled maintenance of the drive components.  The result is a more reliable unit that requires less maintenance.