Stanley ST500 garage door opener no longer work


  #1  
Old 11-18-16, 02:38 PM
C
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Stanley ST500 garage door opener no longer work

I have an old Stanley ST500 garage door opener that no longer work. I can use the wall-mount remote to open but not close. The remote control cannot open or close. When I looked at the sensor on the two sides, I do not see any light. The working side of the garage shows a red light on the sensor when it's being blocked. When I put a non-contactor voltage tester to the back of the garage opener where the sensor cables is connected to and there is no sign of electricity at all. Does this mean the garage door opener has lived out its life and it's time to purchase a new one?

P.S.

If this is a re-post, I apologize. Somehow, I can't find my old post anymore.
 
  #2  
Old 11-18-16, 04:55 PM
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Will the door close if you press and hold the wall button?

A non-contact sensor probably can't sense the low voltage that is used for those sensors; although you could try it on the one that works, assuming it is the same model. The non contact sensors are not very reliable in any case.

Is the opener on the working door the same model? If so, you could try swapping the sensors. If the sensor is bad replacements are available. Also, examine the wire to the sensors to make sure it hasn't been damaged or come disconnected.
 
  #3  
Old 11-20-16, 06:45 AM
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Thanks for the response. The both openers are exactly the same brand and model. I tried the non-contactor tester on the working opener and I do get a voltage. I could try swapping the sensor but I was thinking that if there is no voltage coming out of where the sensor cable is connected to it would not make any difference. Another strange thing though is that I can press the wall-mount control to open but I can't close the door even if I press and hold. However, if I unplug the power and plug it back, I can close the door using the wall-mount control.
 
  #4  
Old 11-20-16, 09:26 AM
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It's very helpful to have two identical setups.

It's possible the sensor could fail in a way that shorts out the voltage coming from the opener, so it may be worth swapping them anyway. Or at least disconnect the sensor on the bad side and see if you get a reading on the cable without the sensor connected.

I guess if you are up to it, you could swap out the control boards as that is most likely problem if it's not the sensor itself (and you have verified the wiring is good).
 
  #5  
Old 11-21-16, 08:27 PM
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It is probably time to update your opener. While you are at it, ask Santa for an inexpensive analog volt/ohm meter. Your non contact tester is not good for real electrical testing and the cheap digital models often "see" phantom voltages.
 
 

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