I’m looking for some help, please.
What’s RIGHT:
- Garadget app installed on my iPhone with no issues.
- I’m able to log in to my account without any errors.
- I successfully added the Garadget device using the app.
- Wiring is correct, it is connected to the same two terminals that the pushbutton switch is connected to. Shorting the two terminals with a screwdriver works just fine.
- The laser is bulls-eye centered on the reflective surface, and the app is reading it correctly 100% of the time.
What’s NOT right:
The app hardly EVER works with one tap on the icon. I can SOMETIMES get it to work using multiple taps. There does not seem to be a pattern to it. Again, touching the terminals with a screwdriver works just fine. The wall-mounted, hardwired button works just fine, connected to the same terminals.
I’ve experimented with about every combination of “Relay On Time” and “Relay Off Time” possible (exaggerating, I haven’t tried all 39 permutations). The combination that seems to work more often than others is .3/.3.
Beyond that, I’m at a loss. Google didn’t help, either.
It’s this ancient dinosaur of an opener (I’m assuming a pic will show here):
Thanks for the detailed writeup. The first thing that comes to mind is that your opener may be trying to run excessive current (1A or more) through Garadget’s relay which triggers it’s protection circuit (PTC Thermistor Current Protector Resettable Fuse). Excessive current is not unusual in very old openers because they used to power high draw circuits in wall consoles.
If you have a meter, you can set it to DC amps and short the terminals through it to see how much current is running through the button.
Since it works sometimes, the current must be close to the maximum current that fuse can handle. If that’s the case, you can bypass the PTC (surface mounted component located next to the relay on the PCB) by shorting it out.
If the current is too high it can potentially fuse the relay’s contacts. Before upgraded relay and protection were added, this happened with some real old openers and the workaround required a beefed up external relay.
Denis, thanks for the response and suggestions. However, based on the information provided, I bought this expecting it to work out-of-the-box. Since it didn’t, and I got no response (until now), I already initiated a return via the Amazon.
Jack
That’s alright. Thanks for the update.
And I regret this didn’t work out. I like the way it’s designed, and how customizable it is. But if I’m spending more money, I’m going to just replace the opener itself with a low-end MyQ model. That’s not the route I had hoped to go, but making this old one work seems to be a money pit, and it could then fail at any time, given its age.
Jack
Thank you for your feedback.
As an option I could send you a modified version if ordered directly from garadget.com.
Though a bigger project, the new opener is probably a sound call for the long term.
Denis,
That’s very tempting. But with the issues I had yesterday – unpredictable, intermittent operation – I should probably start over with a clean slate.
Thanks.
Jack
