Craftsman 1/2 HP Opener

20 years ago

I suspect a recent electrical storm is the culprit but I'll try this anyway. Model no. is 139.53525SRT installed in 1994.

Opener raises door about one foot, reverses and closes. I disconnected the chain from the sprocket so it eliminated any chance that it's attributable to the load on the opener.

It behaves the same way whether you use the wall mounted control or the remote. I checked the limit switches and adjusted the open limit setting and it had no affect. Unplugged the unit overnite and tried the next day...no affect. All gears are in good shape and unit runs normally except for the travel distance problem.

I'm perplexed because I thought the travel distance was controlled only by the limit switches and closing/opening force settings as opposed to the logic board!?!?

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Comments (5)

Don_
20 years ago
It is not a common complaint for the door to raise a couple feet and then reverse and close. It is common for this to happen when closing. The door usually just stops when opening. Now with all that said, the old logic board controls everything. Nothing happens that doesn't go through her. If the problem you are having is in fact when the door is closing there are a couple things that can cause this. One (and the most common) is the sensors in the doorway. If they are misaligned it will cause this. Another is a small circuit board near the front of the motor called an IR sensor. It's job is to sense when the door has run into something on the way down and it will reverse it to the open position. Hope some of this helps you.
batman71
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks for your reply, Don.
The problem is occurring when opening, not closing. I checked the sensors anyway and eliminated that as the problem. Would a problem with the IR sensor you referred to (I assume you mean the RPM sensor) cause it to behave this way in the opening cycle as well?
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Don_
20 years ago
You assume right I meant the RPM sensor. The RPM sensor like the sensors in the doorway are only in the circuit when the door is closing. They do nothing at all when the door is opening so it cannot cause your problem. We seem to be down to the logic board. Take the part number off the end of the opener with the controls. It starts with 41A then 5 numbers a dash and a number letter. 41AXXXXX-6X something like that. Call around to your local door opener repair shops and see if they have a used one. The dash numbers don't have to match but you should try to get one with the same number or larger.
batman71
Original Author
20 years ago
Don, I hate to contradict you but....
I replaced the RPM sensor this morning and the opener works fine now, Apparently, it does interrupt the "open" cycle?!?!
Anyway, problem solved and thanks for your input! I wouldn't have even considered the RPM sensor had you not mentioned it as a possibility.
Don_
20 years ago
You are absolutely right. When the door is on the way down the RPM sensor will cause it to reverse to the open position. When the door is opening the RPM sensor will cause the door to stop. Sorry I mislead you.