Genie opener power supply?

[y_p_w]

I'm fixing up an older Genie Model 420(?) opener for a rental unit I own. It was fitted with a Chamberlain receiver that refused to work (with a Clicker remote) after I changed the DIP switch settings. The opener has three screw terminals, marked 1/2/3 from left to right.

So I'm trying to figure out if I can use the opener's juice (I'm pretty sure it's terminal 3) to supply the "24V" supply of a Genie Intellicode conversion kit I got at Home Depot. The kit came with a nominal 24V AC transformer, although I measured the output at 27.5V AC with a multimeter. The closest outlet is on the garage ceiling, and I'm not looking forward to rigging wire all the way across the ceiling. I think I could plug in the transformer on the ceiling, but the weight seems a bit much, and I don't want it dropping on a car. The opener says 27V on the side although I'm not sure if it's AC or DC.

[Steve Barker]

Sounds like an awful lot of trouble for something that can be replace for a hundred dollars.

[mm]

I do the same thing, but the proper way to measure the voltage is when it is in use. It's probably a lot closer to 24 volts then.

And a couple volts one way or the other from 24 usually don't make much difference/

Put some sort of strap around it, or make a short extension cord so that the transformer can rest on the opener, and only a plug and some wire will be stuck in the outlet.

I hate when they do that. And various companies do it a lot. If it were DC, it should say which contact is negative, so that means it wants AC.... but again, sometimes they don't do even indicate polarity. I guess they are trying to teach people they have to use the transformer made by the company, but of course sometimes that is lost.

Have you checked with Genie? But since their kit puts out AC, it seems likely that the opener also wanted AC.

[y_p_w]

I just don't want to mess with the mechanicals just yet. Maybe the next time I rent it out I'll get the whole thing replaced.

[y_p_w]

I thought of that already. I was thinking of maybe wrapping a light duty extension cord around the door opener mount, and attaching the transformer to the top with mounting putty or adhesive backed foam. The instructions don't recommend placing the receiver on the opener, but I never had a problem with the Chamberlain receiver falling off. Securing it with adhesives should help.

I guess they included the transformer because not all openers have a suitable supply built in. I'll find out when I get there. The instructions actually have one of the AC transformer terminals wired to what looks to be ground. The same receiver terminal is wired to the switch connection and the transformer.

I've already played around with it at home and got the remotes to work. I didn't have it hooked up to an opener, but I heard a noticeable clicking of the relay. I also played around with all various settings, including clearing the receiver of all transmitter programming (should be useful for the next tenant). I got a three button keychain remote that operates up to three different openers. It seems that if I reprogram another button for the same opener, other buttons previously programmed to a receiver cease to work on that receiver.

[mm]

Probably all have to be done at the same time, whatever that means in practice.

[y_p_w]

I don't think so. It really seems like the transmitter (maybe receiver?) locks out the other buttons. It looks like the transmitters can only "learn" one button/transmitter at a time.

I'll just program it to the big button anyways. This keychain-sized transmitter only has one largish button that's easy to press. The other ones are about a 2 mm wide circle and a 2x4 mm wide oval. It's the "3 Button Mini Transmitter" - model GMI-3. The two small buttons seem way too tiny for normal sized hands to press reliably.

[y_p_w]

I'm pretty sure opener terminal 1 was ground. The terminal had a metal strip that was riveted to the metal base. I checked the AC voltage between terminal 3 and ground, and got 80+ V. I couldn't get it to measure a DC voltage. At that point I figured out I should avoid anything that might cause my heart to stop, unplugged the opener, and decided to just use the transformer. I don't know if my multimeter was accurate, because it seemed excessively high and it didn't kill the previous transmitter.

That's exactly what I did. I had an extension cord in my car, which I wrapped around the mount. After I had everything installed, I went out and got some foam mounting squares to keep the receiver and transformer fixed to the opener.