Maker Pro
Maker Pro

Rewiring Garage Door Opener

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
Sir ApexDestroyer . . . . .

Re:

GENIE Model IS550/A

OBSERVATIONS . . .

A "Smart House" would already have this feature being inherent. Sounds / seems like to me that you are randomly / piecemeal, cobbling together an ersatz "Smart House".

Looking at the info on the Genie beam rail of this unit, it would have been of circa 1990's construction.
It is NOT having that specified ACSR3 receiver in the unit, but in 2005 an upgrade of that receiver would have been supplied, and then in ~2013, yet another upgrade was being supplied.
Your photo of the unit shown, looks akin to that latest most sophisticated unit, as well as the control electronics, and that drive motor also looks quite snazzy, to be an older '90's unit..

The control electronics has its 20 VAC power transformer mounted near it. It supplies the electronics on that board and out feeds to your receiver board with its DC supply.
Now for your query relevant to the voltage and current required for a stand alone application of the receiver board only.

BUT FIRST . . . . . is this one of YOUR units that worked and you are familiar with . . .or is it an unknown a "curb find" that has you fully fantasamizing in your head, with accomplishing dreams of sugar plums and faeries ?

If being yours, is it working ? so that you can see if the receiver is responding to the transmitter.
Otherwise you will have to utilize a sizeable complex portion of the control board to reset and sync the codes, to get the receiver and transmitter handshaking again.

SINCE this unit does use a roaming cryptologic code, with its eleventeen heptajillion combinations to assure that any Joe Blow can't also access your unit.
EVEN if he's a high tech CROOK, using a code reader, since your unit would have already stepped up to the next random code, and he read the LAST sent code, which is now being useless.

PLUS . . . you . . . would have this same problem and same possibility, if / WHEN your xmitter and receiver got out of code sync in the future.

Now see the (Start 96 font typeset) COMPLEX OBSTACLES (End 96 font type) to overcome in such an attempted utilization ?


I see by your last posted photos that you are NOT now using that STOCK photo of the most sophisticated receiver board last mentioned, but instead, the intermediate one mentioned is being shown .

Finality . . . . better to use one of the WI- Fi encrypyted RF transmitter-receiver units from China.

73's de Edd
.....a GENIE owner . . . .
Thx ya .
 

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
@73's de Edd

poor-mans smart home - yes

fun project for my son and I - yes (he's 10)

my unit - yes (got it from the curb from a dude on Letgo = $0)

integrity of device - the contraption works and keypad functions as expected (tested before the harvest) (RX board works with 9V battery after amputation)

complexity of machine - possibly more than expected

stock photo vs. actual board - ok, I jumped-the-gun and uploaded a stock photo of the "replacement part". After careful review, the officials have determined that the boards are similar but not the same. I just half-assessed/assumed that the DC supply into the RX board would be the same.

wi-fi RF China device - I am already using a wi-fi module to connect all of my pre-wired security sensors to my network. I have an extra spot left to wire-in one more thing. I would like to avoid the China route because this is more funner.

question - Wouldn't the RX board receive and process the codes and "trip" the switch? The RX board has the learn button, the antenna, and the "trip" wire. If the main PCB controls the rolling code, I will end up scrapping the whole thing and spend the $30 on the rolling code RX from China.

I'll test the "trip" wire out once I get the RX board powered correctly. I will probably end up answering these questions on my own but it helps to type it out and get input.


Afterthought - Maybe I can repurpose the screw-drive motor to open my blinds in the morning! It shouldn't be too loud in my living room at 5am. Right?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
I emailed Genie to fish for info. I was sure their response would be something like "we don't have information ..."

Here is what they sent me:
I would be happy to help you with this. This unit is an AC unit so it does not convert AC to DC. The volts is 24v, the amps 1.

Any thoughts on this? There is AC going into this board?
24 watts? maybe for the antenna?
 

Arouse1973

Adam
Dec 18, 2013
5,178
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
5,178
I still think the board will run from DC. We need to try and measure it if possible. Do you have any components? Resistors, LEDs?
 

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
I still think the board will run from DC. We need to try and measure it if possible. Do you have any components? Resistors, LEDs?
I might have some resistors from my old security system and I'm sure I can find some LED's.
There is an LED connected to the board already and it lights up and functions when I push the "learn" button (powered on a 9v battery)
 

Arouse1973

Adam
Dec 18, 2013
5,178
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
5,178
What you could try is connecting a resistor an LED and diode in series. Then connect this across the power pins of the RX (Violet and Green) PCB. Then reverse the connection and try again. If the LED only light in one direction then the supply is DC. Try a 2200 Ohm resistor or thereabouts and a small signal diode like 1N914 or 1N14148. if you can find one. Connect the resistor to the LED either way like this.

LED.PNG
 

ChosunOne

Jun 20, 2010
480
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
480
I might have some resistors from my old security system and I'm sure I can find some LED's.
(powered on a 9v battery)

Just a thought: If you have a leftover working alarm control panel, you might think of saving it to use in future electronics projects, rather than using it for a parts scrap pile . Assuming it's a commercial-grade panel, it will probably have at least a 120VAC -to- 12VDC power supply capability, as well as other versatile detect-and-switch capabilities. Unless it's a really old panel, like from the 60's.
 

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
What you could try is connecting a resistor an LED and diode in series. Then connect this across the power pins of the RX (Violet and Green) PCB. Then reverse the connection and try again. If the LED only light in one direction then the supply is DC. Try a 2200 Ohm resistor or thereabouts and a small signal diode like 1N914 or 1N14148. if you can find one. Connect the resistor to the LED either way like this.

View attachment 39466

Tried this on a bread board and it worked like a charm!
Lights up in the 1st configuration but not in the second.
Confirmed DC 26V/1.3A

I guess Genie support was on it.

Thanks for all of your help!
Any recommendations on an AC adapter?
 

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
I just tried connecting a 12V/1A AC/DC adapter.
The board powered up and it receives the signal from the keypad when I enter the correct pin number.
I assume that since the receiver accepted the pin and the receiver light blinked as acknowledgement then the rolling code is processed within the RX board and not on the main control.
I'll try and connect the "trip" wire to something and see what happens.
I don't want to under power it because I would like the antenna to reach farther.

What V/A AC-DC power adapter should I hunt for to get optimal performance?

Update:
Confirmed that the RX board receives AND processes the rolling code.
I connected the trip wire to a resistor and led on breadboard connected to RX board.

Entered the correct pin, RX board processed the code, sent signal to trip wire, trip led lights up momentarily.
 
Last edited:

Arouse1973

Adam
Dec 18, 2013
5,178
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
5,178
Tried this on a bread board and it worked like a charm!
Lights up in the 1st configuration but not in the second.
Confirmed DC 26V/1.3A

I guess Genie support was on it.

Thanks for all of your help!
Any recommendations on an AC adapter?

If you are running the RX board on its own you will need a DC power supply won't you? :) Being an RX PCB I wouldn't have thought it required much current. The popular PSUs that are around this voltage are 24 Volts. A 500 mA one I am sure will be more than adequate. You will be able to find a much cheaper version online from another supplier, but this is the sort of thing I was thinking of.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/prod...cHDhMZnDnm4X4fOv-nRoCRgkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
 

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
While I wait for my adapter to arrive, I have another noon question.

The RX board sends a momentary 12V (could be 24V once I get the correct adapter) along the trip wire.
I have a 3V sensor that is normally closed on a separate circuit. (I can change to NO if needed)
I would like the 12V/24V trip wire to momentarily open the 3V circuit.

What do I put in between to connect these?
Relay? Transistor? Something else?

I just don't want any of the 12V/24V making it's way into the 3V circuit.
 

73's de Edd

Aug 21, 2015
3,613
Joined
Aug 21, 2015
Messages
3,613
Sir ApexDestroyer . . . . .

Your # 22 . . . . one noteworthy and thorough response ! Kudos . . .

First . . . the response of the phone answerer-er-er at either OHD / Genie . . .whoever THE actual Sugar Daddy is being NOW . . . in not using their usual stock answer for such queries, and in stepping out on their own and wanting to aid you a bit, if you had actually expressed your hopes and aspirations to them.

Second . . . . the absolutely minimalist technical answer given . . . just as you might find in one of their brochures.

The only way 24 VAC (actually only 20) is used on this system is being fed out from the power transformer . . .shown as being the white epoxy unit of photo #1.
With 120VAC input into WHITE / RED and 20VAC is outputting as GREY / ORANGE which feeds over and into the white molex connector of photo #2.
That then feeds into the YELLOW rectangular area to 4 diodes arranged as a fullwave bridge rectifier to give in excess of 24VDC, that is filtered and stored in the BLUE axial leaded electrolytic capacitor.
( Positive and negative connections are marked. )

Within this controller board, almost ALL of the specified 1 amp of this power supply is being consumed, with only about 10-15 Ma being consumed over at the receiver board . . .at its specified operating voltage.

That travels via the three leads to the receiver board as :
GREEN wire . . . . .common ground . . . serving both the power and trigger output.
PURPLE / VIOLET *** wire . . . . ....Positive DC power to the receiver board.
BLACK wire . . . . . trigger output from the receiver .

ASIDE . . . . .

*** Someone step in and triple confirm . . . .but early day art classes and the chromaticity color diagram taught me, that when you mix the two colors of BLUE and RED you get . . . . .
VIOLET . . . . . . if the RED starts showing the dominance in the mix
PURPLE . . . . . if the BLUE starts showing the dominancwe in the mix.
Therefore I' m seeing a Purple wire, vice the LED diagrams + wire colors specified Violet.
Further confirmation . . .ones familiarity with EIA color coding bands on components, truly confirms their VIOLET color validity, versus this one shown . . . . . . being a PURPLE color.
my continuance. . . .

Now if you ONLY have dear 'ole DADS 1980's Fluke, pull it out for a full recommissioning, with a fresh battery.
THAT meter is still being 10 times the typical users first dinky DMM.
(Ask me why I have 11 and a half of them in my Fluke collection. )

Then you measure across the BLUE electrolytic to see what is being the FULL DC voltage that we start with.
It will probably have regulation circuitry or a zener diode in the inside controller board near the long white molex, looking down from the pair of 22Ω metal film power resistors, as there are some large electrolytics hidden away, down at the very bottom.
Therefore there could be a reduction, of that voltage before it gets over to the receiver board as the PURPLE wire..
For sure, when it gets over to the receiver board, there WILL be regulation downwards on the receiver board, maybe once, and for sure, in going on down to the 5VDC used by the decoder chip and the one other ancillary chip beside it..

Also on this receiver board, I certainly believe that the board WILL work with EITHER AC or DC coming into the board.
Should you have given a good close up of the 3 bare molex pins on the receiver board . . . of both component and foil sides. It should confirm that the PURPLE connection should pass to the anode of a 1N4000 family of diode, for half wave rectification to DC and then the use of the nearby radial canned electrolytic for power filtering. With VERY little filtering being needed, due to the miniscule consumption of this boards circuitry.

THEN, if you are sending in DC voltage at the PURPLE pin, it just zips right on thru the diode, after it taking the less than a volt drop of the diode.

WHAT THIS BOARDS CIRCUITRY DOES . . . . AND HOW IT RELATES TO YOUR FINAL APPLICATION . . . .

When you activate this opener with your transmitter, the end result is a timed and logic high signal coming out from your BLACK "trigger" wire and feeding over to the controller board and being routed by circuitry and steering diodes to activate a pair of relays (YELLOW STARRED units.)
The bottom pair of relays will be associated with the activation of either a door up or door down action of the 120VAC feed to the drive screw motor.
The relays have adequately rated contacts for that level of power switching of the motor and their activation coils operate on 24VDC.
You will see the two respective RED star driver transistors that are beside each of them.
The specific transistor that is in line to operate . . . in accordance to the open / closed door situation
will be taking that feeble HIGH signal from your BLACK trigger line and start conducting from collector to emitter to activate that relay to close your HEFTY relay contacts to activate door movement.
Electro-Mechanical end of travel switches stop the action, either opening or closing the door.
( Unless there being a photo sensor interrupt or door pressure sensing of an obstruction or faaaat lady.)

NO EXTRA CHARGE . . . it appears that the sole YELLOW top relay . . . is not even getting a sweat raising job on its contacts . . . which would be for the switching on of the garage light.
It's appearing like it is using two RED STAR + Yellow dot transistors in a darlington configuration, so that they will then have a fierce input impedance so that an initial charge on the IC branded electrolytic capacitor and its companion high resistance bleeder resistor will time out and let the driven relay drop the light after minutes or so . . . .plunk.

S o o o o o . . . . . Sir ApexDestroyer . . . . .(Key up Mission ImPossible theme music )

Enter Peter Graves . . . . .

Your mission, should you accept it. . . .

Is to have the WHOLE GDO system being powered up, so that you can meter the actual DC voltage that is being present at the receivers PURPLE power input, referenced to GREEN ground of the triple connector..

Getting a power adapter of that DC voltage and if at that 1 amp spec it would forever be one very COOOOOOL running wall wart.

Your interfacing will be the use of a miniature SPDT relay with its coil voltage rating being of the same voltage as your wall wart supply and an NPN small signal transistor, or one of the relay driver transistors from this unit.
The transistor gets wired to the relay and the coil of the relay has an 1N4007 diode across the relay coil with its bar end going to the wall wart + input.

The relay contacts that are closed, get inserted into your now totally electrically isolated +3VDC circuitry, so that there is normally closed loop continuity. You key the transmitter and the +3VDC circuit loop is opened, just as you wanted.
Thaaaaaaassssit .. . . . . .
If you have further ? s . . . . . . just call BR-549 and Junior will fetch me to our party line phone . . .iffen he can get old lady Crabtree, across the holler . . .offen the line.

PICTORIAL REFERENCING . . . .

GDO_Boards_Interconnects.png

73's de Edd
.....
 

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
This one is not a sensor.
I need an electronic component to act as an open/close sensor. I have the 3V being watched by software for a momentary break in the connection (or I can reverse it and have it watch for a momentary connection)

Right now it is just a wire running from a 3V pin to a ground pin on a NodeMcu board.

When I use the garage RX it sends a 12V or 24V signal through the trip wire. I need to have that signal make/break the connection of the 3V loop.
 

ApexDestroyer

Feb 13, 2018
24
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
24
Sir ApexDestroyer . . . . .

Your # 22 . . . . one noteworthy and thorough response ! Kudos . . .

First . . . the response of the phone answerer-er-er at either OHD / Genie . . .whoever THE actual Sugar Daddy is being NOW . . . in not using their usual stock answer for such queries, and in stepping out on their own and wanting to aid you a bit, if you had actually expressed your hopes and aspirations to them.

Second . . . . the absolutely minimalist technical answer given . . . just as you might find in one of their brochures.

The only way 24 VAC (actually only 20) is used on this system is being fed out from the power transformer . . .shown as being the white epoxy unit of photo #1.
With 120VAC input into WHITE / RED and 20VAC is outputting as GREY / ORANGE which feeds over and into the white molex connector of photo #2.
That then feeds into the YELLOW rectangular area to 4 diodes arranged as a fullwave bridge rectifier to give in excess of 24VDC, that is filtered and stored in the BLUE axial leaded electrolytic capacitor.
( Positive and negative connections are marked. )

Within this controller board, almost ALL of the specified 1 amp of this power supply is being consumed, with only about 10-15 Ma being consumed over at the receiver board . . .at its specified operating voltage.

That travels via the three leads to the receiver board as :
GREEN wire . . . . .common ground . . . serving both the power and trigger output.
PURPLE / VIOLET *** wire . . . . ....Positive DC power to the receiver board.
BLACK wire . . . . . trigger output from the receiver .

ASIDE . . . . .

*** Someone step in and triple confirm . . . .but early day art classes and the chromaticity color diagram taught me, that when you mix the two colors of BLUE and RED you get . . . . .
VIOLET . . . . . . if the RED starts showing the dominance in the mix
PURPLE . . . . . if the BLUE starts showing the dominancwe in the mix.
Therefore I' m seeing a Purple wire, vice the LED diagrams + wire colors specified Violet.
Further confirmation . . .ones familiarity with EIA color coding bands on components, truly confirms their VIOLET color validity, versus this one shown . . . . . . being a PURPLE color.
my continuance. . . .

Now if you ONLY have dear 'ole DADS 1980's Fluke, pull it out for a full recommissioning, with a fresh battery.
THAT meter is still being 10 times the typical users first dinky DMM.
(Ask me why I have 11 and a half of them in my Fluke collection. )

Then you measure across the BLUE electrolytic to see what is being the FULL DC voltage that we start with.
It will probably have regulation circuitry or a zener diode in the inside controller board near the long white molex, looking down from the pair of 22Ω metal film power resistors, as there are some large electrolytics hidden away, down at the very bottom.
Therefore there could be a reduction, of that voltage before it gets over to the receiver board as the PURPLE wire..
For sure, when it gets over to the receiver board, there WILL be regulation downwards on the receiver board, maybe once, and for sure, in going on down to the 5VDC used by the decoder chip and the one other ancillary chip beside it..

Also on this receiver board, I certainly believe that the board WILL work with EITHER AC or DC coming into the board.
Should you have given a good close up of the 3 bare molex pins on the receiver board . . . of both component and foil sides. It should confirm that the PURPLE connection should pass to the anode of a 1N4000 family of diode, for half wave rectification to DC and then the use of the nearby radial canned electrolytic for power filtering. With VERY little filtering being needed, due to the miniscule consumption of this boards circuitry.

THEN, if you are sending in DC voltage at the PURPLE pin, it just zips right on thru the diode, after it taking the less than a volt drop of the diode.

WHAT THIS BOARDS CIRCUITRY DOES . . . . AND HOW IT RELATES TO YOUR FINAL APPLICATION . . . .

When you activate this opener with your transmitter, the end result is a timed and logic high signal coming out from your BLACK "trigger" wire and feeding over to the controller board and being routed by circuitry and steering diodes to activate a pair of relays (YELLOW STARRED units.)
The bottom pair of relays will be associated with the activation of either a door up or door down action of the 120VAC feed to the drive screw motor.
The relays have adequately rated contacts for that level of power switching of the motor and their activation coils operate on 24VDC.
You will see the two respective RED star driver transistors that are beside each of them.
The specific transistor that is in line to operate . . . in accordance to the open / closed door situation
will be taking that feeble HIGH signal from your BLACK trigger line and start conducting from collector to emitter to activate that relay to close your HEFTY relay contacts to activate door movement.
Electro-Mechanical end of travel switches stop the action, either opening or closing the door.
( Unless there being a photo sensor interrupt or door pressure sensing of an obstruction or faaaat lady.)

NO EXTRA CHARGE . . . it appears that the sole YELLOW top relay . . . is not even getting a sweat raising job on its contacts . . . which would be for the switching on of the garage light.
It's appearing like it is using two RED STAR + Yellow dot transistors in a darlington configuration, so that they will then have a fierce input impedance so that an initial charge on the IC branded electrolytic capacitor and its companion high resistance bleeder resistor will time out and let the driven relay drop the light after minutes or so . . . .plunk.

S o o o o o . . . . . Sir ApexDestroyer . . . . .(Key up Mission ImPossible theme music )

Enter Peter Graves . . . . .

Your mission, should you accept it. . . .

Is to have the WHOLE GDO system being powered up, so that you can meter the actual DC voltage that is being present at the receivers PURPLE power input, referenced to GREEN ground of the triple connector..

Getting a power adapter of that DC voltage and if at that 1 amp spec it would forever be one very COOOOOOL running wall wart.

Your interfacing will be the use of a miniature SPDT relay with its coil voltage rating being of the same voltage as your wall wart supply and an NPN small signal transistor, or one of the relay driver transistors from this unit.
The transistor gets wired to the relay and the coil of the relay has an 1N4007 diode across the relay coil with its bar end going to the wall wart + input.

The relay contacts that are closed, get inserted into your now totally electrically isolated +3VDC circuitry, so that there is normally closed loop continuity. You key the transmitter and the +3VDC circuit loop is opened, just as you wanted.
Thaaaaaaassssit .. . . . . .
If you have further ? s . . . . . . just call BR-549 and Junior will fetch me to our party line phone . . .iffen he can get old lady Crabtree, across the holler . . .offen the line.

PICTORIAL REFERENCING . . . .

GDO_Boards_Interconnects.png

73's de Edd
.....
Thank you for the detailed response. I am a little disappointed though. I was expecting you to pick up on the problem on the RX board @ resistor 17. I also enjoyed the frame around the referenced picture. It was a nice touch.

That old Fluke that my grandfather left for me has been really reliable and the only EMM I have used until yesterday. (My new auto-ranging EMM disappointed me) I was born in 1983 so that old thing is the same age as me but it is in better shape. Grandpa retired from that olde bell company and passed away when I was a misspent youth. I'm sure he could have taught me a thing or 2.

I would telephone you to have a chat but I am in the northeasterly part of Georgia and I don't have a line for miles. You can ring BR-1Z1Z and leave a message with Minnie. (No collect calls please)
 
Top