Your Free Site Check List

The world of site visits can be a vast and uncharted no-man’s-land, laden with peril and uncertainty, and performing diagnostics when you really have no idea what you’re looking for can be a bit like entering a dark room of innumerable size with the world’s smallest flashlight. You are forced to feel your way around blindly, hoping against hope that the answer will present itself to you with an accompaniment of splendid light and sweetest angel-song.

Fortunately, CENTURION gives this sort of counter-intuitive behaviour no quarter. From the very early days of our now world-renowned access automation enterprise, we have outfitted our operators with some sort of diagnostic notification system – usually a flashing LED – and the operators have now evolved to the point where they feature fully comprehensive LCD displays which visually indicate diagnostic conditions.

But there is list of preliminary checks that you can perform when arriving onsite that will help you save time and get to the root of the problem as quickly and painlessly as possible. These constitute the very foundations of a well-functioning site, and by simply going through this list, ticking off items as you go along, you’re almost guaranteed a client that is impressed by your diagnostic prowess.

1.       Mains isolator – is the switch in the ON position?

2.       Origin magnet – is the distance between the magnet and the sensor between 13mm and 20mm and is the orientation correct?

3.       Guide-rollers – check the condition of the guide-rollers and ensure that they rotate freely.

4.       Wheels – check the condition of the wheels and ensure that they rotate freely, are not rusted, seized, etc.

5.       Endstops – check that endstops are secure and do not move when subjected to force.

6.       Anti-lift brackets – is the gap between the anti-lift bracket and the gate less than 5mm?

7.       Rack – is the rack in an acceptable condition; i.e. no missing teeth or gaps in the rack?  Also ensure correct meshing between the rack and the pinion, there must be a 2mm to 3mm gap between the teeth of the pinion and the rack.

8.       Charging voltage – the charging voltage should be approximately 14V DC for 12V DC operators and 26V DC for 24V DC operators.

9.       Battery voltage – For 12V DC operators, the battery voltage should NEVER fall below 11V DC when subjected to load.  For 24V DC voltages, the combined battery voltage shouldn’t be less than 21V DC under load.

10.   Oil – ensure that there is no oil leaking into the DOSS chamber.  Unscrew the thumbwheel and check for evidence of oil contamination on the screw.

11.   Connections – check for loose connections on DOSS/sensor harness, battery terminals, etc.

12.   Fuses – are all fuses making proper contact with their holders?  Also check for continuity.

13.   Origin sensor – does the sensor switch when the magnet passes?  Listen for an audible “click”.

14.   Cabling – is the appropriate cable used for all electrical connections?

15.   Foundation – is the foundation stable?

16.   Pinion – is the pinion still in a good condition, i.e. not worn?

       And don't forget that our handy diagnostic booklet, Diagnostics Made Easy, is available as a free download from our website!