Why use DC motor or battery operated motor on a gate opener?

• A DC motor has excellent starting torque (much greater than an AC motor). This high starting torque is ideal to overcome the initial friction of getting the gate moving and accelerating the gate up to speed.
• The speed of a DC motor is easily controlled and thus a gate can be softly ramped up to speed and slowed down as required (see the D5 motor).
• The DC motor is more efficient than comparable AC motors thus virtually eliminating shutdown due to over – temperature.
• With a battery the gate can be operated a limited number of times in total power failure conditions (actual number of operations depends on the capacity of the battery).
• In areas of no AC mains power a solar panel can be used to charge a battery. Typical applications are farming communities, or high security sites located on mountainous areas, etc.

How many times can I open my D5-Evo / D5 / D3 operated gate with mains power failure?

• This depends on the weight of the gate, the rolling friction (or pull force applied), the length of the gate and the size of the battery. As a rough guide a typical gate of approximately 4-5 metres, on round rail with good quality wheel bearings, using a 7A/H battery, will open and close approximately 15 times.

What is the biggest gate that can be operated with the D5-Evo / D5 / D3 / A5?

• The starting pull force must be less than 25kgF for the D3, 60kgF for the D5 and less that 22gkF for the A5.
• The mass of the gate must be less than 300kg for the D3 and less than 500kg for the D5 and A5 motors.

Why does the A5/D5 sometimes seem to lose its endpoint setting? (Refers only to version 1 type D5 or A5 motors)

• The most likely cause is loss of mesh between the rack and pinion. Because of the internal limit switch mechanism (DOSS) it is vital to maintain the mesh between the rack and the pinion.

When setting my gate limits, ‘open’ and ‘close’ work fine, but I can’t set my pedestrian opening point? (This applies only to the older version 1 D5 and A5 motors)

• Ensure that your DOSS has been set in the correct direction. Is the rack mounted UNDERNEATH the pinion? If so, DOSS direction is reversed, as well as motor wires.

I have set my gate limits successfully, but when I run the gate it slams into the end stops. (This applies only to the older version 1 D5 and A5 motors)

• Check your motor direction wires. The first action after setting the limits is to close. If the gate opens, the motor wires must be reversed. Is the rack mounted UNDERNEATH the pinion? If so, DOSS direction and motor wires are reversed.

My A5 motor stops intermittently for no apparent reason. Sometimes it stops during opening and sometimes during closing.

• The problem may be caused by a loose connection in the controller 12V DC power supply circuit. What happens is that the controller momentarily loses its 12V DC supply (it is often a drop in voltage that occurs so quickly that it is not possible to measure it with a standard volt meter) and the P/C microprocessor on the controller resets. It is very easy to see if this is the problem because the STATUS LED flashes 5 times as the motor stops, and all the monitoring LED’s (STATUS, L1 AND L2) will be switched off.

When the gate closes it seems to hit an obstruction and then re-open. This sometimes happens 3 times in a row.

• Something is either restricting the gate when it reaches the closed position activating the sensitivity mechanism to reopen the gate or the sensitivity is just set too high.
• Put the gate into manual mode and push the gate closed but push the gate very slowly. You want to try detecting any changes in the resistance to the movement of the gate when it reaches the closed position. If you notice that you must push harder at the end or something is catching the gate, try and identify what it is and resolve this.
• Check that when the gate closes, it moves smoothly into its closed catch bracket – make sure that even if the gate wobbles slightly from side to side it is not going to hit the catch. Once again if this is the case try and open up the catch.
• Lastly reduce the sensitivity of the operator. Visit our website – Centurion Systems. Read from page 27 of the manual. You must programme at MENU LEVEL 7 – 3 flashes of the STATUS LED. (this will give you LOW sensitivity)

What is PCM

• P.C.M. is an abbreviation for Positive Close Mode. It is a mode which can be selected to close a gate up against an end stop. In this mode the gate will slow down normally; then continue to run until it strikes a physical end stop. If there is no end stop the gate will continue to run for approximately 350mm and then stop. Its main use is to ensure that a gate is always closed to an exact position so that, say, a magnetic limit switch will make reliable contact.
• WARNING: Care must be exercised in this mode because the gate will not reverse from the instant that the gate starts its slow down ramp till it is fully closed. Thus any object in this region of the gate travel will be trapped. It is highly recommended that infra red beams are fitted if this mode is selected. The IR beams are effective up to the point that the gate stops.

What is PIRAC mode?

• PIRAC is an abbreviation for Passive Infra Red Auto Close. It is a mode of operation which will cause the gate to close immediately the infra red beam is cleared after an object has entered the beam. Any trigger to the control card will cause a closed or closing gate to open. If already opening, the trigger signal is ignored. If the gate is opened, but the beam is not broken, then the gate will immediately start closing when it reaches its programmed, fully open end point. It is thus a high security mode.

What is CONDOMINIUM mode?

• This is a mode of operation which is used typically in townhouse complexes or business sites where there could be many people all trying to control the operation of a gate at the same time. With Condominium mode selected all trigger inputs will have the effect of opening a closed, or closing gate, but will be ignored if the gate which is already opening. This implies that it is not possible to give a trigger to close a gate which is open. The controller automatically installs “auto close” and it is the auto close timer which causes the gate to close. The auto close time can be adjusted from 1 to 255 seconds. (In this mode it is not possible to make use of the auto close override feature of the Centurion controllers). Any trigger signals given during the period when the gate is in fully open position have the effect of restarting the auto close countdown.

Can a battery larger than 7A/H be used on Centurion battery operated gate systems?

• Yes. The larger the battery the more times the gate can be operated when a power failure occurs. For high volume applications it may be necessary to change the battery charger to ensure that the total energy into the battery exceeds the total energy drawn out of the battery over a long period of time.

When I go into set-up mode, L1 starts flashing once, then twice, then three times etc.

• Is the TRG LED illuminated? If so, find and remove the short circuit.

My gate opens, but then won’t close.

• Check that the green IRB LED is on. If not, find out why.

My gate won’t operate.

• Are the green IRB and LCK LED’s lit? If not, determine why. When the gate is triggered, does the red TRG led light? If not, determine why. Are any of the red diagnostic LED’s permanently on? If so, determine why.

How do I secure the mounting bracket for steel rack installations?

• It is advisable to use four separate weld points when mounting the bracket to the rack.

What gap is necessary between the origin marker face, and the cover of the unit?

• 5-10 mm is normally acceptable, but in the case of the following installations 2- 4mm is recommended:-
• Installations fitted with steel anti theft cages.
• Installations with steel posts on the LHS of the unit.
• All A5 installations.

How can I tell if the origin subsystem is working properly?

• In set-up mode:
• The “status” led should be on if the origin marker is right of the unit.
• The “status” led should be off if the origin marker is left of the unit.
• In operational mode:
• LED L1 should be off if the origin marker is on the “closed” side of the sensor.
• LED L1 should be on if the origin marker is on the “open” side of the sensor.

Origin system troubleshooting

Problem #1 – Unit fails to complete set-up cycle.Check that the origin subsystem is working (refer Q3 set-up mode).

• If not:-
• Check the origin marker is mounted the correct way around, (refer to page 13 of the installation manual).
• Check the origin marker is mounted the correct distance (>500mm) along the rack from the sensor, (refer to page 13 of the installation manual).
• Reduce gap (refer Q2).
• Check that the steel magnetic shields are fitted D3/A5 only (D5 does not utilise).
• Check the harness connections, the middle white plug should be connected to the DOSS.
• Check battery voltage (D3/D5 models only).

Problem #2 – Unit rams an end stop.

• Check all points as per “problem 1” above.
• Check that the steel magnetic shields are fitted D3/A5 only. (D5 does not utilise)
• Remove anti theft cage (if fitted) and repeat set-up procedure.l
• Check that the origin marker is secure.
• Check that the gearbox mounting is secure.