Can I get a bigger reflector? On a few occasions now I’ve gotten a false reading due to the fact that for whatever reason my laser has gotten slightly off track and is no longer hitting within the bounds of the (somewhat small) reflector target area. I’m not sure why this happens, because I have it mounted as tightly and securely as possible. I think it just gets slightly off over time, with the daily movement of the door, vibration, maybe even temperature changes, etc.
So I’d like that reflector area to be about twice as large. It would still serve the same purpose but with less false readings, correct? Is this something I can order? Or is that same reflective material (or something similar that would work) commonly available in stores? (Home Depot, Lowes, etc?)
Hi, @chadinark,
You have a spare one in the kit and you can put it overlapping on the side where the beam is going off the first one.
If you’re going to make a new one, the regular retro-reflective tape or retro-reflective tags will do.
You can find some in your local hardware store or online, like this one.
I just got the device and I agree a larger reflective tape makes sense. I tried to setup my device and first, it’s not easy to pinpoint to small area. Finally, I was able to but after one day, the laser seems to move so I had tried to adjust again. After another day, the laser moved again so now, I used up the adhesive pads and the reflective no longer attached so I have to staple it on instead. I hope it doesn’t move anymore or I’m out of luck and need to order the adhesive and the reflective tape. This problem can be solved very easy if the reflective tape is a little larger. Thanks.
I had similar issues at first which were resolved by doing a couple of things:
“hand tightening” up the adjustment screw on the Garadget unit so it was very tight.
I also mounted Garadget on a separate board which I mounted next to a the opener motor. I didn’t mount the Garadget until on the bottom of the motor.
Finally, I opened and closed the door a couple of times before installing the reflective strip. I then used the laser light and placed the provided strip perfectly in the center.
Not all reflective tape is alike. ASTM has standards for reflectivity. Less reflective, generally is the cheaper. I found some tape that is the highest reflective standard and is identical to the material the disc is made from. I found it at Amazon. XFasten Reflective Tape, White and Silver, 2 Inches by 5 Yards.
This is ASTM Level IV reflectivity. This is very good. I first bought the $4.28 tape that came from China after 2 weeks or so. It looked good but was engineering grade (Level I) and not reflective enough for my purpose (reflective material on garage door so Garadget laser could detect when the door is closed). This is the exact same material as used by Garadget.