Mule 350 Gate Opener

[cmstech]

I have a mule 350 gate opener that was hit by lightening. Still was receiving power. Upon jumping the Common and cycle it gave the 3 beeps followed by a two sec. pause then repeat until I turned off the power. That error is a short in the board.

I have inspected the main board and found a blown surface mount ceramic cap. Can not read any numbers on it. I removed it from the board to check if it had any numbers on the bottom but no luck.

I called the company and of course they want me to purchase a refurb for $159! I have mainly only worked with Film caps, Solid State, and Can caps. Is there any way to know what to replace it with? Buying a refurb board at that price is insane especially when the unit is $299 new!

Thanks for any input. Will be posting a few pics soon.

[goontron]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

pics?

[clearchris]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

SMT ceramic caps generally dont have markings.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

^^ And they are generally replaceable by another one of the same size and shape without issues.

[stj]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

not really, but if we see the board we may be able to work out what value it was.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

Sorry, i was too generic, i meant same size and shape from a similar circuit. I apologize if this is confusing for a less technical person.

[cmstech]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

Ok heres a couple of pics I can try to get a few better pics if needed.








The location of the cap was located at R12. It was almost burned in half and completely broke upon removal.

[cmstech]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

Original refurbished board showing cap thats blown in yellow box. Only if that pic was hi definition. Others have had the same CAP blow only to have to purchase another board then another in 6 months. Not a path I wanna take at $159 each. Thanks for the replies everyone!

[cmstech]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

I have a mule 350 gate opener that was hit by lightening. Still was receiving power. Upon jumping the Common and cycle it gave the 3 beeps followed by a two sec. pause then repeat until I turned off the power. That error is a short in the board.

I have inspected the main board and found a blown surface mount ceramic cap. Can not read any numbers on it. I removed it from the board to check if it had any numbers on the bottom but no luck.

I called the company and of course they want me to purchase a refurb for $159! I have mainly only worked with Film caps, Solid State, and Can caps. Is there any way to know what to replace it with? Buying a refurb board at that price is insane especially when the unit is $299 new!

Thanks for any input. Will be posting a few pics soon.

SMT ceramic caps generally dont have markings.

I'm almost sure this one had no markings, just was not sure due to how burned it was, I almost took one off another board last night just to try but didn't want to risk an easy fix with an expensive replacement.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

A picture is worth a million words. The piece you circled is marked R12 - it is a Resistor, not a capacitor, and by the looks of it it also had a value printed. The value is important in this case.

Judging by its size, it is a shunt resistor for measuring the current that goes through it. You are likely to have other components shorted downstream if that blew. Check for a short with your multimeter from either of that resistor's pads to ground.

[ReverendJones]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

Here is a pic of an undamaged board. The markings on R12 are R010

[cmstech]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

Ok one pad reads 1.700 and the other 0.00 - You check that in ohms? Thats the way I checked. If you look on ReverendJones photo (thanks by the way for the upload!) The pad on the left is reading 0.00.

[goontron]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

Are you sure its a cap? R stands for resistor. If it is a cap I would try a higher rated in V, as close as you can in capacitance, ceramic disk capacitor instead of an SMD unit.

[ReverendJones]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

There are a couple of varistors on the board for over-voltage protection. It is possible one or both are shorted.

[ReverendJones]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

Btw, R12 is a current sense resister. Value is 0.01 ohms. I can't tell the physical size from the pic but this one may be close: http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...FCT-ND/1775054

[cmstech]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

[QUOTE=ReverendJones;600444]There are a couple of varistors on the board for over-voltage protection. It is possible one or both are shorted.

How would I test. Also with one pad reading 1.700 ohms and the other 0.00 would that indicate something else being shorted. I'll test the varistors in the morning.I really appreciate all the help. I can order the resistor from digikey, but if I need something else id like to order all at once.

[stj]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

first - disconnect the motor.

to test varistors aka MOV's - just meter them for resistance.
they should be open circuit.
when they fail they explode btw - so it's probably o.k. if it looks o.k.
check to be sure anyway.

[stj]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

btw, if you had a lightning strike near it then you had massive energy in the area.(obviously)

any coil could have acted as an antenna and picked some of it up.
so i would be looking at the motor and relay coils and anything directly connected to them.

[ReverendJones]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

VAR2, next to the relay, is across the red & black wires going to the motor. With the red & black wires unplugged, just measure across the varistor with an ohm meter. If you measure a short, remove the varistor and check again.

VAR3 appears to be across the solar panel. You can look at the circuit traces to confirm. Disconnect the solar panel and measure the varistor with an ohm meter. Again, if you measure a short, remove the varistor and recheck.

R12 appears to be used to check the current of the motor. If so, a shorted VAR2 would burn it up.

[ljintexas]

Re: Mule 350 Gate Opener

Throw it in the trash and buy an Apollo gate opener. I have worked on apollos that are ten years old and worth fixing.

You can find them on the net for around $950..Best opener on the market.