LiftMaster SW425 SW425 Manual - Page 4

FEATURES SENSITIVITY The SW425 has a built-in safety feature. When adjusted properly it delivers only enough power to the motor to overcome the resistance of the gate. If the gate hits a vehicle or pedestrian, it will immediately stop or reverse. The dc motor technology incorporated into the SW425 sensitivity feature is more sensitive and is at least 50% more effective than traditional ac current sensors. SOFT START/SOFT STOP A unique feature of the SW425 is the Soft Start/Stop feature. Traditional gate openers begin opening the gate with full power causing a jerking effect, increasing wear on mechanical parts. The SW425 begins to open/close the gate slowly, then increases to full speed. This creates a gentler transition which considerably reduces wear on mechanical parts. BATTERY RUN/LOW VOLTAGE The SW425 is available in battery run & solar versions. The benefit of battery run or solar power is the ability to operate the gate without power. During a power outage the gate will operate normally. It can be opened up to 150x before power is restored. Another benefit of battery run is that it is does not require 115V at the operator. Running high voltage is typically expensive and strictly regulated. All that is needed to supply power to the SW425 battery run is some inexpensive low voltage burial cable. If the cable is 16 gauge it can be run as far as 300'. For solar versions of the SW425, no power needs to be run to the operator. The solar panel is normally attached to the gate opener, it should be placed where the panel receives maximum sunlight. VISUAL FEEDBACK The SW425 Full Systems Capability circuit board is equipped with visual feedback LEDs to simplify installation and trouble-shooting. Located directly beside each input terminal these LEDs indicate if any input devices are active. There are also two LEDs labeled O (opening) and C (closing) which indicate that the circuit board is delivering power to the motor to open or closed the gate. AUTO CLOSE TIMER The operator comes factory preset with the auto close timer function OFF. The auto close timer will close the gate automatically after a specific amount of time has elapsed. The amount of time can be easily adjusted between 0 and 45 seconds by turning a small "pot" located on the edge of the circuit board (page 15). The timer can be disabled or activated by flipping a single switch located on the top edge of the circuit board. If the timer will be used it is recommended that some type of supplementary safety device (loops, photo beam, etc.) be installed. GATE SENSITIVITY ADJUSTMENT The amount of force necessary to stop the gate can be adjusted to conform to the various sizes and weights of any particular gate. The full systems capability circuit board provides separate adjustments for both the opening and closing direction. When adjusting the sensitivity, the operator can be given only as much energy as is necessary to overcome the resistance of the gate. If the gate should strike an obstruction either direction, the gate will reverse. If the gate should again strike an obstruction before reaching a limit, the gate will stop and remain stopped (page 15). MASTER AND SECOND Some very large entrances may require the use of two gates. If this is the case, the two gates can be easily automated using the "master and second" configuration. This configuration uses two gates and two operators in ONE driveway. The Full Systems Controller models have terminals provided especially for master and second applications and will reliably operate simultaneously all of the time. PULSE OPEN INPUT The Pulse Open input feature is an open input on the circuit board which will increase the security of the SW425 gate operator system. When an open input device such as a key switch is connected to the Pulse Open input, and the device is activated, the gate operator will activate but will then ignore the input if the input is prolonged. What is significant about this feature is that there is the possibility of a device being stuck and if the device is connected to the standard open input the gate will be held open. If a device is connected to the Pulse Open input on terminals 6 and 7, the circuit board will ignore the stuck input and will allow the gate to close. For added security any open input device may be used with Pulse Open including push buttons, key switches, numerical key pads, etc. 4