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College of Engineering and Computer Science
Department of Mechanical Engineering
ME 434
Professor Farooq Ahmad
Garage Door Opener
Joseph Sarhadian
Due: May 15, 2016
Submitted: May 15, 2016

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Introduction:
It is an electronic device or a motorized device that is used to open and close garage
doors. The first invention was an overhead door which could be lifted upwards folding parallel to
the garage ceiling. This invention was from C.G Johnson in 1921. Come 1926; he invented the
electric door opener which made it easy for those people who had trouble lifting the heavy
wooden door. This led to the formation of the overhead door cooperation which up to date is still
the leading manufacturer and service provider of the garage doors today.
The garage door opener gained its popularity after World War 2. This was when the Era
Motor Company offered a model commercial where the overhead garage door could be opened
through a keypad located on a post at the end of the drive way and a switch inside.
The electric garage doors were remote operated but not wireless. It had two wired
switches. One keypad was on a post outside while the other keypad was inside the garage door.
After some years had passed, the invention of the use of remotes came to be. There were two
remotes installed into the car. One was used as a forward thinking code pulse system while the
other remote was used to generate white noise on the right frequency to activate. Its disadvantage
was realized when while one was opening his or her garage door, the neighbor’s garage door
would also open since it would listen to the frequency and the frequencies were mostly the same.
This was fixed when the fixed code pulses were set on both the remote and the opener unit. This
made sure that the garage door only opened when the right code was heard even if the
frequencies were the same (“An Electric Door-opener”).
In 1954, Genie Corporation brought to the mass market the garage door opener and in
1956, the Chamberlain Cooperation introduced their lift master line to the mass market.

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Since garage door was made of wood, it had its disadvantages. When subjected to the
weather, it warped by the heat of the sun and was rotten by rain. This led to the introduction of
the galvanized steel garage doors. Since this was not a good insulator, they counteracted this by
putting two galvanized steel together with polystyrene insulations between them. This was called
a Styrofoam sandwich. It helped to keep the garages warm, and it also increased the length of a
garages door life by a few decades. Fiberglass was later introduced, followed by composites
which included the resin filled wood and lastly the vinyl covered aluminum which is used till
date.
Following the dangers of the automatic garage door openers which were reflected by
accidents that occurred between 1974 and 1995 where 85 US children were either dead or
suffered from permanent brain damage, the federal government mandated that all garage doors
should have safety sensors to keep the door from closing down on people. Photoelectric sensors
and pressure sensitive sensors came to being. The photoelectric sensors were the electric eyes
and were mounted 6 inches from the ground and the pressure sensitive sensors were installed on
the bottom of the door. This made the garage door reverse them and opened fully if any object
was detected under the garage door while it was closing. These sensors were improved through
the years.
The garage door opener holds the door closed in place of a lock. The electric opener
provides a small amount of force to control how far the door closes and opens. There are
counterbalance springs that are attached to the door. These springs are the ones that do the actual
lifting of the garage door. These springs are under tension to lift the garage door through the
counterbalance steel cables (“An Electric Door-opener”).

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The garage door openers are divided into three types on the basis of technology used for
opening and shutting the door. They are; chain drive opener, belt drive opener, and screw drive
opener. The chain driven opener is the cheapest and the oldest technology. It is also the most
common. The bicycle like the chain is used to pull a trolley that is connected to a metal bar
called a J- arm affixed to the garage door that moves your door up and down. It is affordable and
extremely reliable, but they are very noisy and only advantaged to those with detached garages.
In a screw driven opener, the screw rotates a steel threaded rod to move the trolley that opens
and closes the door. It has fewer components thus claimed to have less maintenance. It is
currently the speediest, but it is also very noisy thus more applicable to detached garages. The
belt drive opener uses a reinforced belt to open and close the door. The belt is made of fiberglass,
polyurethane or steel reinforced rubber. It is the quietest and noiseless hence it won’t disturb the
adjacent living areas. It is also very strong, and it is ideal for an attached garage. Even though, it
is slightly expensive, it is worth the expense (Joe Provey).
I chose to go with the belt drive opener since it is the best and most sorted to its
advantageous reason of being noiseless as compared to the rest.
Mechanical components of the garage opener:
The torsion spring- it does the heavy lifting.
• Belt- it will be made of steel reinforced rubber, and it rotates through the gear on the
operator top, and it pulls the trolley.
• Emergency release rope- it is used to operate the door manually in case of power
outage.

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• Trolley. It is connected to an arm that attaches to the top of the garage door, and it
slides back and forth on the track as the garage door opens and closes.
• Rails. For the front, back and center sections.
• U bracket.
• Header bracket.
• Door bracket.
• Idler pulley.
• Curved door arm section.
• Straight door arm section.
• Chain and cable.
• Chain spreader with screws.
• Safety sensor bracket.
Assembly and installation hardware:
• Motor and the gear. The motor is a ½ hp, 6 amp machine hooked to a 120-volt outlet.
With this feature, it can overcome the inertia of a stopped door and it also slows down the
door in transit to prevent it from crashing to the garage floor.
• Drive guide. It is also known as the T-rail. It connects the operator to the trolley. The
trolley is then connected to the door. Its work is to guide and shield the belt as it moves the
door open and closed.
• Height adjustment. The distance of the door traveled is determined by the operator
settings. It can also adjust the force of the doors motion so as the door can stop moving if
grabbed.

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• Inverter and battery. DC is used in most garage- door operators so as to allow smaller,
more efficient motors. The inverter is used to charge the battery backup system which
kicks in when the power is out.
The electrical components and circuit of a garage door opener:
• Capacitor. It stores electrical energy and provide bursts of power that are stronger than
the power normally flowing through a circuit switch.
• Keyless entry pad.
• Remote control transmitter.
• Garage door monitor.
• Door control.
• Door control button
• Switch.
• Light bulbs.
Installation:
Safety should be maintained, and the recommended tools should be used. Before
beginning, make sure the garage door opens and closes smoothly. The ropes and cords attached
to the door should be removed. The garage door locks should also be removed as well. The door
should be closed. The rails should first be assembled. The trolley should be placed on the front
rail. The back rail is connected to u bracket. The motor unit is also connected to the back rail.
The rails are connected using the bolt (Lowe).

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As for the motor unit, you first remove the fasteners from the top of the motor unit. You
then attach the rail to the motor unit and afterward attach the chain spreader.run the cable
through the cut- out the window and then install the idler pulley. Connect the cable to the front of
the trolley. Route the cable around rail assembly and motor unit sprocket. Attach the chain to
trolley threaded shaft and then attach the nut and lock washer to trolley threaded shaft. You then
insert the trolley threaded shaft into round hole in the trolley. Tighten the chain to the desired
chain tension.
When it comes to the header bracket, you first locate and mark the center of the garage
door on door and wall and extended onto the ceiling. You then determine the highest point of
travel and draw a horizontal line for header bracket placement. When mounting it, you fist mark
the bracket holes, then drill the marked points and attach the bracket. You then attach the rail to
the header bracket (Albert Jackson, and David Day).
When positioning and hanging motor unit, you will first open the door to full open position
and rest the rail on a 2×4 to position opener at the proper angle for hanging from the ceiling.
Attach hanging brackets to the ceiling and fasten the motor unit to hanging brackets. When this
is done, you then remove the 2×4 and close the door.
In fastening the door bracket, you position the door bracket on the face of the door.The top
edge of the bracket should be directly below any structural support across the top of the door.
Drill the holes and then fasten the door bracket using self-threading screws (Hearst).
Attach the emergency release rope and handle and secure it with an overhand knot and heat
seal rope. After you have finished, you pull the emergency rope to disengage the trolley. Then

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slide the trolley back and connect straight door arm to the trolley. Connect the curved door arm
to the door bracket, ensures the door is fully closed and connect the door arms.
When installing the door control, you first strip the control wire then connect the wire to
the door control. Afterward, position the door control, route door control wire to motor unit and
secure with insulated staples. Then permanently mount two safety labels using staples. Be
careful not to staple the wires. Remove the door control cover, attach the door to the wall and
replace the cover when you are done. Finally, connect the door control wires to the motor unit
(Fixr).
Remove the lens from the tabs when installing light bulbs by flexing the sides of the light
lens. Rotate the light lens down and install standard light bulbs into the sockets. In addition, the
protector system, assemble safety reversing systems, mount the brackets on the garage door
track, run safety sensor wire to motor unit an secure them with insulated staples, strip all safety
sensor wires and separate them then twist like colored wires together. Connect the safety sensors
to the motor unit.
Besides the above, the power unit should be at least seven feet above the floor for the
safety of the tall people. The manual disconnect cord should be six feet tall. When installing
permanent wiring, the power to the garage should be shut until the wiring is complete. To avoid
shock, the openers power cord should be grounded (Fixr).
The push button control should be installed five feet above the ground for easy reach of
adults to open the door but not children.the idlers assembly is then connected to the power units
bracket. When it comes to mounting the power unit, you should first figure out how high the
power unit should be so that it can clear the door when it is opened. You should then open the

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door completely ad see how much power needs to be adjusted. After this, you should attach the
power unit to the garage ceiling with the mounting straps if height adjustment is not needed. The
linkage assembly should then be adjusted.
Figure 1: The final look after everything is installed

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Figure 2: The garage door opener operator
Part Number Part Name
1 Motor and gear
2 Drive guide
3 Height adjustment
4 Invert and battery
It is operated by a counterbalance system which means that it employs force to offset the
door weight. In this design, we used the torsion spring which is usually mounted horizontally
above the door opening. As the door closes, cables attached to the doors bottom corners causes
the springs to wind up. The winding of the springs energizes the system. When the door is
opened, the springs unwind and the energy is transferred to the door and helps lift it. The electric
opener in turn only provides a small amount of force to control how far the door closes and
opens (Joe Provey).

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Optional Smart features:
Remote control: Garage electric door manufacturers has added a remote control as an
optional feature for their clients. These remote controls uses the wireless system to transmit
information to the receiver which is the garage opener. The remote uses a designated frequency
to open or close the door depending on the position of the door. The transmitter used in most of
these gadgets uses a frequency of 315MHz to avoid conflicting signals with other wireless
gadgets like the Land Mobile Radio System (The Home Depot).
Lights: electric garage door opener manufacturers sell their gadgets with a lighting system
that turns on wherever the door opens.
Carbon monoxide detector: this is an additional feature that opens the door wherever an
excessive amount of exhaust fumes is detected.
Other smart features present in the market include; fingerprint based wireless keypads,
remote lockout, solenoid-operated deadbolts, and key chain remotes (The Home Depot).
Cost of the project:
In cost analysis electric wiring, labor costs, and equipment costs were the main factor. For
laboring it was assumed that assembling of the unit, fabricate the support bracketing, attaching
and adjusting the drive mechanism, connecting the head unit to the existing power receptacle,
and installing the opener switch and program remote control was done. For material and supply it
was assumed to do flashing and exterior grade caulking, corrosion resistant fasteners, and use
weather stripping sealants.

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Item Quantity Cost per Item:
Low
Cost per
Item : High
Labour 2 hrs $62.15 $140.80
Equipment
Belt Drive door
opener
1 $ 196 $390
Door Costs 1 doors $157.49 $237.62
Material and Supply 1 doors $20.00 $25.00
Door equipment
allowance: 12"
miter saw,
pneumatic framing
nailer, and 3 1/4"
electric planer
$28.5 $48.00
Totals - Cost to
Install Automatic
Electric Garage
Door Opener
1 doors $464.14 $841.42
Average Cost Per
Door
1 $464.14 $841.42

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Comparison to other systems available:
Model.
Feature.
Choosen model Genie quiet lift
800.
Sommer ¾ hp
direct drive.
Door style Gatehuse sectional
double wide
Sectional single and
double wide
Gatehouse sectional
double wide
Maximum door
height (feet)
7 7 7
Maximum lifting
capacity (pounds)
550 350 550
Total horse power 3/4 ½ ¾
Lift system Belt. Belt. Chain.
Home automation
capability.
MyQ Homelink and car 2
u
Homelink.
Timer Yes. - -
Backup power
source
Yes - -
Remote controls 2 2 2
Remote control
style.
3 buttons 3buttons 3 buttons
Number of lights. 2 2 2
Light delay 4.5 minutes 3 minutes 3 minutes

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Maximum wattage 200 120 120
Keyless entry pad yes - -
Lock manual Yes Yes Yes
Rolling code Yes yes Yes
Automatic reverse Yes Yes Yes
Infrared beam Yes Yes Yes
Motion detector
lights
Yes Yes Yes
Manual release Yes - -
Motor warranty Lifetime 10 years. Lifetime.
Chain/ belt
warranty
Lifetime. 1 year. lifetime.
Parts warranty 5 years 1 year Lifetime.
(GarageAutomatics.com: Garaga).

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Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener
In this project the Wi-Fi garage door opener will be constructed. The Ardurino host a
little web page on local network which can be access from any devices connected to the network,
such as smartphone. This set the garage door opening machanism into motion. Stepper motor and
easy driver been used to show the rotation clockwise and counterclockwise when command was
given through smartphone. Easy driver also gives ability to turn the stepper motor for a certain
angle. Usb serial adapter been used to power the ardurino and transfer the data from computer to
ardurino.
Parts needed:
 Converter as shown in the figure 3 below. Its characteristics are: USB TO 5V Serial TX, RX,
Miniature-USB, ATMEGA8U2, 6POS Header
Figure 3 – Converter

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 Arduino Ethernet, model: R3 A000068
Figure 4 - Arduino Ethernet, model: R3 A000068
 Stepper Motor. Its characteristics are: Model Nema 17 - 48mm Body, Bipolar 2A
59Ncm(84oz.in), and a 4-lead W/ 1m Cable to be connected to a 3D Printer or a CNC
Figure 5 - Stepper Motor

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The main disadvantage of the use of a stepper motor is that it is not effective when the
application requires movement over long distances, such as the requirements for this project.
However, it was selected due to its simplicity. It also has other advantages such as:
a) Accurate open loop control without the need for a feedback mechanism,
b) Wide rotational speed range since the motor’s speed is proportional to the controller’s
input pulses’ frequency.
c) No contact brushes hence reliable.
d) Possibility of low speed rotation in case the load is directly coupled to the stepper
motor’s shaft.
e) The motor is efficient at stopping, starting, and even reversing its direction.
f) Maintenance of full torque when it is at the standstill position.
g) Provision of movement repeatability and precise positioning.
 Jumpers (male to male)
Figure 7 – Male to Female Jumper Wire

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 A 9V DC Wall Adapter Power Supply with 650mA
Figure 8 – Wall Adapter Power Supply
 Step Motor Easy Driver for Arduino
A. The easy driver has three GND (ground) pins. They are all connected together
through the board.
B. M+ is the power supply to the easy driver. The user needs to make sure that the power
supply should be between 6V to 30V with 2A current.
C. There are 2 pins for each of A and B coils which are the stepper motor connections.
D. STEP is a Logic Input. Any transition on this pin from low to high will trigger the
motor one step forward. Based on logic selection the voltage can vary from 0 to 5V.
E. DIR is a logic input. This pin controls the stepper motor rotation when the state
changes from high to low or low to high. Based on logic selection the voltage can
vary from 0 to 5V.

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F. MS1 and MS2: They are the logic inputs which control the microstepping mode.
They can operate (
1
8
) (
1
4
) (
1
2
) and full step (2 phase). If we don’t pulling either
MS1or MS2 low, normally by default the easy driver hold MS1 and MS2 high, and
that results of a (
1
8
) microstep mode. Table 1 demonstrates the truth table.
Figure 6 - Generic Easy Driver Step Motor Driver V44 A3967 for Arduino

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MS2 MS1 Resolution
Low Low Full Step (2 Phase )
High Low Half Step
Low High Quarter Step
High High Eight Step
Table 1- Truth Table
Soldering:
The easy driver and stepper motor required soldering before connected to the breadboard.
The easy driver came with twenty pin header, and since twelve of the pin header was needed for
soldering the easy driver, the extra pin header was used for stepper motor soldering. The Figure 7
showing the stepper motor and easy driver after soldering.

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Figure 7- Easy driver and Stepper motor after soldering
Wiring Up
First connect the easy driver on breadboard. Then Arduino and stepper motor connected
to easy driver on breadboard by male to male jumping wire. Figure 8 below shows the 2D setup
of this connection.

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Figure 8 - 2D setup of this connection
Figure 9 shows the actual connection of the components.
Figure 9 - Actual connection of the component

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Code for stepper motor:
The code presented below shows the input and output used on easy driver and Arduino.
Figure 7 – Stepper motor code
Code for Wi-Fi:
First of all, the IP address of the local network was obtained. As shown in figure 10, the
IP address can be obtained by typing in “ipconfig” in command prompt windows and hitting
enter. The “IPv4 address” is a core protocol that provides the local IP address.

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Figure 10 – Obtaining IP address
After obtaining the IP address, the user is able to connect to the server, but first, the directory
should be opened to view the stored files. By typing in “cd C:usersjosepsketch_may09b” and
hitting enter; the directory is accessed as Figure 11 demonstrates. Lastly we type in “node
server.js” to start the server.

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Figure 11 – Accessing the files
When the user connects to the IP address of the server he or she can access the webpage
with a button to either open or close the garage door. Ideally, when the user clicks on the button,

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a command is sent to the webserver, which is then sent to the Arduino. Figure 12 demonstrates
the webpage.
Figure 12: Webpage with a button
The server runs Node.js and Socket.IO to handle communication between the user and
the Arduino. The language used for the server is JavaScript. The webpage that the user sees is
written in HTML and CSS. There is a python script that was written to act as a client for the
Arduino. Moreover, the python script is what receives the commands from the server and prints
it through python serial to the Arduino. When the Arduino receives the command, it calls a

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function to either open or close the garage door. Figure 13 demonstrates the final code used to
connect to Ethernet.
Figure 12: Connecting to the Ethernet

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Final Design of the Electric Garage Door Opener:
The Figure 14 below displays the final setup of the electric garage door opener.
Figure 12: the final setup of the electric garage door opener
Conclusion:
This project aims to ensure that an individual has the capability of controling and
monitoring his/her garage door froma remote location through the use of a smartphone or an
internt enbled device. The opener is expected to directly connect with the WiFi netwrk at the
owner’s home. According to the assessment above, different models comes with different
features and flexibilities interms of warranty, price, additional features, efficiency and power. I
believe that the model discussed meets all the requirement and is the best model as compared to

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the others in the market. Further comparison with the two popular models shows that, the
choosen model comes with an automatic timer, backup power source, a keyless entry pad and a
manual release while the other models do not have. Even though the Sommer ¾ hp direct drive
comes with the best warrant deal, its also bears a great disadvantage: It uses a chain lift system
which is noisy and only preferred to detached garages which are becoming extinct. Although the
aspect of noise might be considered as a disadvantage, another perspective of the same might
make it turn out to be advantageous. The racket caused by the metallic noises and slight
vibrations might be a form of warning in case an unauthorized person enters the garage.Though
the choosen model is slightly expensive, it is worth the expense due to its quality features. While
sourcing for the best electric garage door opener, it is important to factor in security as an
important component since one of the main functions of a door is to provide security against
intruders. In addion, it is important to consider whether you will want a chain, belt or since from
their difference, comes efficiecy, durability, and cost. Finally, another significant design
consideration was safety. The weight of garage doors make them have the capability of causing
serious injuries or even death to people. Therefore, it is vital that the garage door opener be
designed in such a way that automatically reverses the door in case there is an object that is
blocking the door. In addition, this calls for motion sensors to detect the movement of animals or
children that occur while the door of the garage is closing.

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Works Cited
1. Albert Jackson and David Day. Popular Mechanics Complete Home How-To. Sterling,
2009. Print.
2. The Home Depot. "Garage Door Opener." Products and Services. 3 May 2006. Web. 25
Apr. 2016.
3. Hearst. "How It Works: Garage Door Opener." How It Works: Garage Door Opener.
Hearst Communications, Inc., 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/outdoor-projects/how-to/a6041/garage-door-
opener-how-it-works/>.
4. GarageAutomatics.com. "Sommer 1042V002." Garage Automatics. 2016. Web. 25 Apr.
2016. <http://www.garageautomatics.com/sommer-1042v002/>.
5. Fixr. "How Much Does It Cost to Install a Garage Door Opener?" Fixr. 2016. Web. 25
Apr. 2016. <http://www.fixr.com/costs/garage-door-opener-installation>.
6. Lowe. "Get It Installed in Three Simple Steps." Garage Door Opener Install. 2016. Web.
25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.lowes.com/cd_Garage Door Opener Install_584085927_>.
7. Garaga. "3 Types of Residential Garage Door Openers." Comparing 3 Types of Garage
Door Openers. Garaga, 25 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.garaga.com/blog/en/comparing-3-types-of-garage-door-openers/>.
8. Purch. "Garage Door Openers Reviews." Top Ten Reviews. Purch, 2016. Web. 25 Apr.
2016. <http://garage-door-openers-review.toptenreviews.com/>.
9. Joe Provey. "Garage Door Openers 101." Bobvila, 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.bobvila.com/articles/garage-door-openers-101/#.Vx04Hfl9600>.
10. “An Electric Door-opener”. “An Electric Door-opener”. Science 13.324 (1889): 294–294.
Web.
11. “Garage Door Child Safety” Falling Garage Doors -- A Crushing Concern. 2009. Web.
10 May 2016. <http://www.garagedoorchildsafety.com/solutions_falling.html>
12. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Non-Reversing Automatic Garage Door
Openers are a Hazard. N.d. web. 10 May 2016.
<http://www.cpsc.gov//PageFiles/121504/523.pdf>

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13. Genie Pro. Automatic Chain Drive/Belt Drive Garage Door Operator System. N.d. web.
10 May 2016.
<http://www.geniecompany.com/data/products/dealer/ProMax.Stealth_3507535556.pdf>
14. “Garage Door Repair.” Garage Door Opener – Screw vs. Belt vs. Chain. 03 Sep 2014.
Web. 10 May 2016. <http://www.garagedoorrepair.com/2014/09/garage-door-openers-
screw-drive-vs-belt-drive-vs-chain-drive/>
15. Chamberlain. Openers with MyQ Included. 2016. Web. 10 May 2016.
<http://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/smartphone-garage-door-
openers>