Gemini gate motor problems: status light, beeps and fixes

All of these are done from outside the motor:

1. Is there power? Check the isolator switch beside the motor and the breaker that feeds it. With the mains off, a Gemini keeps running on its battery until the battery runs down.
2. Is the release lever home? The red lever must be closed and locked. If it isn't, the motor gives four flashes or beeps when you press the remote.
3. Does the gate move freely? Release the motor and push the gate the whole way by hand; it should roll easily. Re-engage it at about halfway, pushing slowly until the gearbox clicks in.
4. Are the beams clear? Anything in front of the beams stops the gate, including a plant that has grown into them.
5. Does another remote work, or the push button? If only one remote fails, change its battery: Gemini's manuals put poor range down to a flat remote battery or something blocking the receiver.

The full release steps are on the Gemini manual page. If the gate still won't run, the light below says where to look next.

The status light is on the control card. The buzzer is optional and, when fitted, beeps the same pattern:

Gemini adds that the buzzer can be silenced by removing its jumper from the control card, without affecting the motor.

From Gemini's manuals:

• Nothing happens at all. No mains and a flat battery, or a blown fuse. The fuses are inside the motor beside the mains supply, so we check them with the power off.
• The push button works but the remotes don't. The remotes aren't learnt, their batteries are flat, or the remote is faulty. A receiver whose memory is full flashes five times when you try to add one.
• The remotes work but the push button doesn't. The button or its wiring. Gemini's test bridges the COM and TRIG terminals at the connector block: if the motor runs, the fault is in the wiring or the button.
• It opens a short way, then stops or comes back. The obstruction sensing at work: something on the track, a gate too heavy for the motor, or the sensitivity set too high. After three obstructions in a row while closing, the gate moves about 200 mm back and waits.
• It stops while opening and waits. It sensed an obstruction, such as a tight spot on the track, or something broke the beam with the beam follower on.
• It won't close by itself. Auto-close is off: the DIP switches are at 0000, or the auto-close loop has been taken off the connector block. Blocked beams also hold a gate open.
• It opens and closes by itself. Gemini lists faulty push-button wiring, a faulty receiver, or somebody else's remote learnt onto your receiver; the cure for the last is to clear the memory and learn your own remotes again.
• It doesn't stop at the end. A Gemini DC slider stops against its end stoppers, so a gate that runs on means a stopper has moved or come off. Gemini's first warning is that the gate must never overrun its track: put it on manual, close it by hand, and call us.
• It runs the wrong way. The motor direction DIP switch is set for the other side of the gate.

A Gemini slider runs on its battery all the time, and a trickle charger fed from the mains keeps it full. So two signals matter: two flashes mean the charger has no mains, and three flashes mean the battery is low.

If the mains is on and the gate still shows two flashes, the fault is in the supply to the motor or the motor's power supply. A battery that stays low with the mains on needs testing; for a busy gate, or longer backup through power cuts, the manuals recommend 12 Ah over 7 Ah.

We test and replace Gemini batteries and power supplies; see gate motor batteries. A fault in the mains supply itself is a job for a registered electrician.

Gemini's manuals have no factory reset: its settings are DIP switches and a dial, which stay where they're set. What the manuals do describe:

• Learning the limits again, after a stopper has moved: disconnect one battery terminal and the mains, then repeat the setup, in which the gate closes to one stopper and opens to the other.
• Clearing every remote: hold the LEARN button until the receiver light goes off, then learn again the remotes you're keeping.
• Switching off after a surge: for a motor that clicks but won't run after a power surge, Gemini's AC slider manual says to switch the mains off, wait 10 seconds and switch it on again.

Each is done at the control card, under the cover beside the battery and power connections, so we do them on site. The setup is on the Gemini manual page.

Call us for four flashes that won't clear, a gate that runs past its stoppers, a battery that won't charge with the mains on, or anything that means opening the motor. We replace pulse sensors and control cards, and repair gearboxes, receivers and power supplies. All our spare parts are genuine, and every repair carries our six-month guarantee on our repairs. Your exact price is set in a free quote before any work starts. No call-out fee when we do the work. If no work is done, a R650 call-out fee applies.

Gemini's own manuals: Gemini 12V DC sliding gate motor, installer manual and Gemini 24V DC slider manual.