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jjbobay

Sears Craftsman GDO sensor not working when it's cold

jjbobay
17 years ago

(Originally posted at the end of another post)

I have a 12+ yr old Craftsman GDO, and the receiver sensor is now refusing to work when it's below freezing. The green light is off when it's cold (as others have posted here), the GDO light flases 10 times when trying to close, I've re-aimed it, checked the wires, etc. I tried warming the whole sensor on a 40w light bulb for a few minutes, and it worked temporarily, so I'm pretty sure it's the sensor. Has anyone tried to repair one? I've found the sensor pair for about $35 locally, but I can't believe the couple of transistors, capacitors, and the photosensor could wear out, could they? My best guess is maybe a bad solder joint? I disassembled the sensor and everything looks normal.

Here's a tip I tried for checking the beam sensors: Most cell phone cameras and some digital cameras can 'see' infrared (to some degree), so you can use them to find out which black box is the transmitter, and if it's working. In a fairly dark garage, I was able to see a pinpoint of light, coming from the transmitter, on my cell phone screen at about 10-12 feet, probably would have worked better if it had been completely dark. At 1 ft, it was clear it was transmitting. It probably does nothing for aiming the beam, but at least you can see if it's working or not.

Any ideas?

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