Gate sensor malfunctioning

[boyfonz]

Hi,

I am totally new to the site and not very experienced with gate maintenance, so please bear with me! I will try to give as much detail as I can.

Gate Details

We have a five-bar wooden gate about 12 feet wide, with an automated hydraulic arm that opens and closes it.

Next to the arm is a case that houses the main control board for the gate and a plug socket. This is powered from the mains electricity supply.

There is a keypad control panel on the gate post that connects to the control board.

There is a sensor on the gate post at knee height that transmits, which is connected to the control board by four wires. It does NOT contain a battery.
Photo

On the opposite post is a matching reflector sensor that is powered by a AA battery.
Photo

This was all installed by the previous owner.

The problem:

The gate is currently stuck in the open position. It seems that the sensors are tripping every few seconds as though the beam is blocked. When this has happened in the past, I have changed the battery in the reflector and checked the alignment of the sensors, which has solved the problem. This time it hasn't.

I can see the transmitting sensor has power, because a red LED flashes on it regularly. However, another red LED flashes and there is a click every 10-15 seconds, which I believe is what happens when the sensor beam is broken. Even holding the reflector right in front of the transmitter does not stop the tripping every few seconds. I did manage to get the gate to start to close, but then the sensor tripped and the gate opened again and remained open. I think the gate is set to only close after 30 or 60 seconds of the sensor beam being unbroken.

I think it's likely that this sensor is malfunctioning, but I am not certain. Every other component looks normal.

Advice needed:

I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement pair of sensors - a transmitter that is battery powered and a reflector that is not.

Is this an unusual setup?

Does my diagnosis sound correct or could it be a different issue?


Any help appreciated.

[Tim]

Hi,

Thank you for your enquiry, yes your diagnosis does sound correct. A set of faulty photocells would defiantly give you the issues you are having and if you are to replace these then the problem should resolve itself. I will post a link below showing you a pair of photocells that will be compatible with your system as you have described a relay photocell battery operated.
http://www.easygates.co.uk/product_info....ductID=630
Hope this helps and if you have any other questions feel free to contact us.

Kind Regards
Tim