Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Garage door opener problem

From: Dave Cavanaugh <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 19:00:41 -0700

This thing is driving me crazy.

A couple of weeks ago after all the back-and-forth on the list, I had 
managed to convince myself that the circuit board was bad.  I ordered a 
new one from Amazon and put it in; it was a perfect fit, and the problem 
did NOT go away.  Ok, now I was finally convinced the sensors were at 
fault.

I put the old board back in place, and pulled the sensors off their 
brackets, and taped them to a stick so they were an inch or so apart, 
and the door worked fine.  So, it looked like the sensors had gone bad.  
I put the taped-together sensor assembly up on one of the wall studs and 
ordered a new pair of "universal" sensors from Amazon.  While I was 
waiting for the new sensors to arrive, even with the sensors taped 
lens-to-lens, it wouldn't go down without holding the button.  I figured 
the sensors were really, really dead.

The new sensors came about a week later, I installed them in all of 
about ten minutes, and the door worked fine.  Problem solved!  Since it 
was working so well, I got an RMA and returned the PCB.

About a week or so later, this afternoon, guess what?  Same problem 
again.  Door won't go down without holding the button.  Sensors are 
clean and well aligned, orange and green leds on the sensor are lit, and 
the green one goes out when I interrupt the beam, but the door won't go 
down without the button being held down.  I disengaged the door from the 
traveler, and it still won't go down....increased the setting on the 
"down" force pot, same problem.

I think I'm going to H.D. next week end and buy a whole new GDO and be 
done with it.  I'm sick of this.

On 9/15/2014 7:51 AM, Paul Parkanzky wrote:
> At our current house, the sensors would act up when the sun was shining on one
> of them at just the right angle.  I ended up having to make a shade out of a
> piece of disposable cutting board to make it reliable.
>
> -Paul
>
>> On Sep 15, 2014, at 4:31 PM, Jeff Scarbrough <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>
>> I second the beam issue.  I've had occasions before where the beam was
>> barely aligned, but the action of the door starting must have shook it
>> or flexed it off.  I'd watch the lights on the beam receiver as the
>> door is operated and see what happens, or I'd go ahead and clean and
>> re-align the beam, making sure it's centered.
>>
>> Jeff Scarbrough
>> Corrosion Acres, Ga.
>>
>>> On Mon, Sep 15, 2014 at 10:18 AM, Steven Trovato <[email-masked]>
> wrote:
>>> All the advice about lubricating rollers and checking for binding is all
>>> good and worthwhile to do.  However, with my Chamberlain openers, when the
>>> light blinks and it refuses to close, it means the safety beam system is
>>> detecting an obstruction.  It could be a beam alignment issue, it could be
>>> dirt or something on the lens.  It could be a fault in the circuit board.
>>> In my experience, though, it is never related to the door binding.  On my
>>> openers the door may reverse because of binding, but this does not  cause
>>> the light to blink.  The fact that the  problem went away for a week when
>>> the service guy came leads me to believe that it is not a fault in the
>>> board.  It is more likely to be a beam alignment or cleaning issue.
>>>
>>> -Steve Trovato
>>> [email-masked]
>>> _______________________________
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From: Steven Trovato <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:28:07 -0400

That's the way to go at this point.  The thing is 15 years old and 
you say you can replace it for $125.  Just based on that, I don't 
think I would put more than $50 or so into fixing it.  I hope you 
don't have any problem returning the board.  Sometimes electrical 
components that have been removed from their sealed bag and installed 
can be hard to return.  Of course if it wasn't in a sealed bag, then 
perhaps they won't know.  Anyway, I think you are on the right track 
now.  Get a new one and put the aggravation behind you.

-Steve

At 10:00 PM 10/4/2014, Dave Cavanaugh wrote:
>A couple of weeks ago after all the back-and-forth on the list, I 
>had managed to convince myself that the circuit board was bad.  I 
>ordered a new one from Amazon and put it in; it was a perfect fit, 
>and the problem did NOT go away.  Ok, now I was finally convinced 
>the sensors were at fault.
>
>brackets, and taped them to a stick so they were an inch or so 
>apart, and the door worked fine.  So, it looked like the sensors had 
>gone bad.
>I put the taped-together sensor assembly up on one of the wall studs 
>and ordered a new pair of "universal" sensors from Amazon.  While I 
>was waiting for the new sensors to arrive, even with the sensors 
>taped lens-to-lens, it wouldn't go down without holding the 
>button.  I figured the sensors were really, really dead.
>
>about ten minutes, and the door worked fine.  Problem solved!  Since 
>it was working so well, I got an RMA and returned the PCB.
>
>clean and well aligned, orange and green leds on the sensor are lit, 
>and the green one goes out when I interrupt the beam, but the door 
>won't go down without the button being held down.  I disengaged the 
>door from the traveler, and it still won't go down....increased the 
>setting on the "down" force pot, same problem.
>
>I think I'm going to H.D. next week end and buy a whole new GDO and 
>be done with it.  I'm sick of this.

[email-masked]