If you ever come across a “beeping” gate motor, don’t be offended. It isn’t hurling a series of censored expletives at you, and we promise you that you aren’t being sworn at. You aren’t being subjected to the radio edit of a rap song.
In fact, “beeping” is just the machine’s way of telling you that it’s run into a spot of trouble and is in need of attention, and it’s very important to pay attention to the exact sequence of beeps emanating from the controller. This is what they mean:
Three beeps: the battery is running low
This error is especially common following heavy thunderstorms, like the ones that swept through much of Johannesburg and Pretoria this past weekend. What tends to happen, is that the power supply is struck by lightning (or, in less severe cases, the circuit merely “trips”) and the battery is no longer being charged. The motor may continue to run, but will warn you of a potential battery-low shutdown by emitting three short beeps every couple of seconds. You can safeguard your gate motor electronics by outfitting it with one of our new plug ‘n play surge protectors.
Two beeps: mains failure
The majority of our gate motors are battery-driven, meaning that the primary source is either a single 12V battery, or two batteries connected in series, depending on the particular model. In theory, this means that they can operate sans mains power. However, a mains supply is needed in order to keep the battery in a charged state. In the event of a power failure, for example due to load-shedding or the power supply (charger) being damaged by, say, lightning, your CENTURION gate motor will periodically emit two short beeps until power is restored.
Four beeps: multiple collisions
A “collision” in the context of gate automation can take many different forms. It could mean that the gate has picked up an actual obstruction, for example, a rock or piece of wood on the track, or it could point to some problem with the internal drive circuitry. Whatever the cause, four beeps generally mean that something has prevented the gate from completing a full opening or closing cycle, and you should refer to the LCD screen for additional information.
Our free troubleshooting guide, Diagnostics Made Easy, provides diagnostic information on all our main access automation solutions, including the popular D5-Evo. Download it here.
