I have had a Liftmaster 1280R 1/2HP garage door opener installed and working since 1999 (Mfg date 07/99) and it seems to have suddenly given up the ghost. It operates my double-garage door. I bought the house in late 2011 from folks who had never lived in it. So from 1999 to 2011, the house saw very little use and the wear and tear on everything within the house was absolutely minimal to nil. The house was in brand new condition when I bought it.
At the time, when I pressed the button, the garage door opened, but when I pressed the button a few minutes later, to shut it, it did not react at all. When I press the wired button or the button on the remote, I can hear a clicking sound at the opener, as if a relay is being energized, but nothing happens. So I know the garage door opener is receiving the signal from both the remote and the wired button. However, I can't pinpoint the source of the clicking sound. I waited a while to see whether the overload protector had tripped, and then tried again, but that didn't help either. It still would not operate the next day. Here's the manual:
http://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/cgi/p...f?u=gsn58x
I cleaned the sensors with some 20-yr old Pappy (ha, just kidding - it was isopropyl alcohol) and made sure that all the wires to them were clean and without breaks. I also checked the spring tension and it is OK. I can disengage the opener and raise and lower the door manually with very little effort.
I took out the motor capacitor and checked it with my multi-meter and it is spot on - the reading (57.5 micro-Farads) is exactly half way between the range. The capacitor is in good shape and does not show any signs of bloating or leakage. So I know that ain't the problem. I've searched the web and all I could find was a guy on YouTube who said he had the same symptoms and changing the controller board (about $110 for parts) solved his problem. But there was no real info on diagnosing the problem. Some questions:
1. How can I test the motor to see whether it is working OK, so that I can eliminate it as being the cause ?
2. How does one check to determine the controller board is the culprit ? What if I spend all that money to replace the board and it still doesn't work ?
3. A new garage door opener costs about $200. Would I be well advised to put in a new opener instead of spending $110 on a controller board ? My only concern is whether I can use the same remote for both my garage door openers (the other one is the same as this one), instead of having two separate remotes (pain !).
Guidance on troubleshooting and fixing would be most appreciated !
At the time, when I pressed the button, the garage door opened, but when I pressed the button a few minutes later, to shut it, it did not react at all. When I press the wired button or the button on the remote, I can hear a clicking sound at the opener, as if a relay is being energized, but nothing happens. So I know the garage door opener is receiving the signal from both the remote and the wired button. However, I can't pinpoint the source of the clicking sound. I waited a while to see whether the overload protector had tripped, and then tried again, but that didn't help either. It still would not operate the next day. Here's the manual:
http://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/cgi/p...f?u=gsn58x
I cleaned the sensors with some 20-yr old Pappy (ha, just kidding - it was isopropyl alcohol) and made sure that all the wires to them were clean and without breaks. I also checked the spring tension and it is OK. I can disengage the opener and raise and lower the door manually with very little effort.
I took out the motor capacitor and checked it with my multi-meter and it is spot on - the reading (57.5 micro-Farads) is exactly half way between the range. The capacitor is in good shape and does not show any signs of bloating or leakage. So I know that ain't the problem. I've searched the web and all I could find was a guy on YouTube who said he had the same symptoms and changing the controller board (about $110 for parts) solved his problem. But there was no real info on diagnosing the problem. Some questions:
1. How can I test the motor to see whether it is working OK, so that I can eliminate it as being the cause ?
2. How does one check to determine the controller board is the culprit ? What if I spend all that money to replace the board and it still doesn't work ?
3. A new garage door opener costs about $200. Would I be well advised to put in a new opener instead of spending $110 on a controller board ? My only concern is whether I can use the same remote for both my garage door openers (the other one is the same as this one), instead of having two separate remotes (pain !).
Guidance on troubleshooting and fixing would be most appreciated !
