Genie Excelerator Garage Door Opener (2023 Update)

[Jim Thompson]

Anyone know how to slow down the *opening* speed of a Genie Excelerator Garage Door Opener?

It's way too fast for my old door, which I don't think will survive such repeated jerks.

...Jim Thompson

[Joseph Meehan]

I'd consider trading openers with you.

[GFRfan]

Why didi you think it was called "Excelerator Garage Door Opener"? You wanted fast, you got fast. The jerking is probably from not being aligned properly.

[do_not_spam_me]

Move to Japan, where the voltage 15% lower and should make the motor run slower. Equally impractical: Install variable frequency drive and a soft-start circuit to bring up the motor voltage frequency gradually over a 1-2 second period to eliminate the jerk. You should be able to get some of the parts to build one of these from old computer power power supply because they all contain 700-volt transistors (stack a bunch to increase the amp rating; MOSFETs or those cool IGBFETS found in some newer Dell power supplies are easier to stack).

Is there some kind of spring mechanism you can install on the arm that goes between the opener and the door, to absorb the shock of the initial jerk? My Stanley has a coil spring for this, and I believe it could be changed for a softer one by removing 2 metal rods. I realize that this isn't as simple as the VFD/soft start circuit mentioned above.

[Jim Thompson]

Surprise! Surprise! Genie actually responded with a drawing showing which resistor on the board sets the speed option. (No schematics, just the board location.)

...Jim Thompson

[Gene]

So, you said they told you where the resistor is but you didn't tell the rest of us. :-) Looking to do the same thing.

[Ray Pesek]

Haha, you responded to a thread that is a touch over 20 years and 11 months old. :)

But I just found it as well. I want to do the same and it appears this article has the directions:

It looks simple enough if you know what a resistor is, which I do: a little cylindrical thing with a lead coming out of each is the usual configuration.. I won't be able to try doing this to mine for a while, though. Mine works great in warm weather but when it gets below freezing as it just did the door will jam or something on the way up sometimes. But if I pull the plug to force the opener to run in the Slow speed it always works. The article text:

--------------------- When Genie invented the Excelerator garage door opener, the company advertised it as the fastest on the market. But that fast speed can be somewhat of a mixed blessing, since the high speed often causes premature wear and tear on the door. If you own an Excelerator garage door opener, you can avoid this problem by resetting the speed on the unit.

Step 1 - Unplug the Genie Excelerator garage door opener. Flip down the light cover and remove the bulbs.

Step 2 - Unscrew the four screws that secure the motor cover. These screws are located at the bottom of the garage door opener. Swing the motor cover down to access the electronics of the Excelerator garage door opener.

Step 3 - Look at the resistor board and find the resistor with the "Speed Option" label. Use a pair of diagonal cutters to cut the wire running to the resistor, then bend the resistor so that the ends do not touch one another. This disconnects the part of the circuit board that makes the Excelerator so fast and forces it to run at normal speed.

Step 4 - Lift the motor cover up over the two posts labeled P1 and P2. Be sure that the P1 and P2 posts go through the holes in the cover. Tuck the cut wires in so that they do not stick out past the cover, then insert the screws back into the cover, reinstall the bulbs and close the light cover.

[Ray Pesek]

I removed the light bulbs and the four recessed #2 Phillips head screws near the corners. That allows the motor cover to swing down at the front of the opener, nearest the drive rail. I located the Speed Option label and it's right next to the two force adjustment controls. There is a single non-surface mount resistor labeled R88 "right there". It is mounted vertically which would make it very easy to cut one lead.

Since it's winter here I decided to replace the cover and send Genie a support message for confirmation because I don't want a dead garage door opener if that's the wrong resistor. :) If you decide to cut the resistor lead I would suggest cutting the lead in the middle rather than at one end so you could reconnect the resistor easily by soldering the cut end of the leads together if you later change your mind.

The two "posts" the original directions mention are the two force control adjustments. The cover fits loosely so I had to push on the adjustments to get them back into their holes. The loose fit of the cover also made it a bit difficult to get the first cover screw started. But once it was started I was able to get the other three screws started easily.

Our opener was installed some time before 2010.

Hope this helps rather than confuses.