Why Buy and Specify CENTURION?

We have a beautiful little saying in Afrikaans that goes ‘goedkoop is duur koop’. It’s one of those delightful adages that’s endured through the ages and contains the sort of homonymic wisdom that is a trademark of all good sayings. 

Translated directly, it means ‘pay cheap prices and you’ll pay more in the long run’, and can also be understood to mean ‘the wise choice is to pay the higher price’ – which is really the same as the first denotation, but that’s where the homonym is effective.

Linguistics aside, it’s always important to know exactly what you’re paying for when it comes to access automation. 

Why should you go with CENTURION versus one of the many competitor manufacturers in the marketplace today? Well, we could take the easy way out and say ‘because we’re better’ (which is true, but still), but we elect to do the right thing and provide you with four very compelling reasons to buy and specify CENTURION.

The Support is World-Class

Purchasing any technical product can be a nerve-shattering experience if you’re unsure of the kind of after-sales support you’ll receive. What if something goes wrong? Who’ll be there to hold your hand and guide you towards resolution?

We will.

Our technical support call centre operates from 7am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am until 4:30pm on Saturdays and is able to provide you with support of the highest calibre in all eleven official languages, as well as French, Portuguese and Spanish. We also offer support through our social media channels, Facebook and Twitter.

Proven Reliability

With a track record traced through three decades, Centurion Systems is a South African gate automation pioneer. In addition, our gate motors and traffic barriers are designed and manufactured in South Africa for the harsh African conditions (and, let’s face it, this place isn’t for sissies. The sun in South Africa alone is enough to give an alligator a permanent tan) and some of our operators have been working in the field for close on 20 years without a hitch. 

We’re at the Cutting Edge of Technology

Innovative, high-security features such as Intruder-detection Alarm functionality, ChronoGuard timer technology and PIRAC Mode have gone a long way towards positioning Centurion Systems as the undisputed leaders in gate automation and access control.

These and other features have not only enabled users to get the most out of their access automation systems from a convenience point of view, but also allow home- and business owners to enjoy absolutely ironclad security and peace of mind.

Here is a slightly more detailed breakdown of the main technologies offered by our operators:
 

• ChronoGuard – a world-first timer technology that allows the user to set a myriad Auto-activation and Time-barring functions using the onboard Real Time Clock and Calendar, which tracks the date up to the year 2099
• Intruder-detection Alarms – The novel feature-set – consisting of the Beam Alarm and Ambush Alarm - ups the security ante even further by providing an audible output when the infrared gate safety beams are obstructed, or remain interrupted for a pre-defined period of time
• Code-hopping technology – CENTURION remote controls are equipped with code-hopping encoders which process the outgoing transmission through a sophisticated encryption engine, making copying and cloning impossible. No two transmitted codes will ever be alike
• Onboard diagnostics – Our D-Series range provides both audible and visual feedback of the gate status at any given time. In addition, a designated diagnostic screen makes fault-finding a breeze
• High-volume capability – CENTURION operators are designed to work hard, and work hard they do – with some operators such as the SECTOR II traffic barrier being capable of performing in excess of 3000 operations every single day

We Try Our Best to Make Your Life Easier

Whether it’s through wireless products like the SMARTGUARDair access control keypad and Photon infrared gate safety beams, intuitive, LCD-based setup procedures, removable terminal strips or advanced diagnostics, our talented engineers have developed a sort of intuition when it comes to the requirements of CENTURION clients. 

To throw another tried and true saying into the mix, time is money, and no one who respects the sanctity of time wants to sit on site for hours routing cable and receiving a merciless beating from the sun. For exactly this reason, we make sure that our products are quick and painless to install and maintain. 

Check the Motor!

His hair may have been a little darker and fuller, the smile lines at the corners of his mouth – like tattoos of happy memories – a little fainter, but there can be no doubt that the man in the photograph wearing the smart navy-blue shirt and piebald tie is CENTURION MD and founder Pat Dickens, a man who, as a fresh-faced young engineer from Kimberly, dared to dream at a time when dreaming was all but outlawed. 

Could the man in the photo, taken from a sizeable stack that marketing director and Pat’s brother-in-law Richard Rohman lovingly keeps in his desk drawer, have known that, some day, his gate motors would be used on virtually every electric gate in South Africa? And would he have believed it if someone had told him that, in the near future, his solutions would automate the entrances to apartment complexes, office parks, airports and palaces? There’s no way of knowing for certain, but the man in the picture has a fire in his belly, a fire that he would not allow financial hardships, economic recessions or the hordes of naysayers that told him it couldn’t be done, to extinguish.

As CENTURION’s co-founder and someone who has been with the company virtually from the very beginning, Richard Rohman appears in many of the grainy old photographs, sometimes mustachioed and sometimes sans facial hair. Now in his fifties, Richard is as much an energetic firebrand as he was in those early days. He has since traded in his box-shaped Volkswagen Jetta for a vehicle that epitomises Richard's love for adventure and the outdoors, and nowadays one is more likely to find him poring over an Excel spreadsheet than fiddling with a multi-meter, but Richard was absolutely indispensable in securing CENTURION’s legacy as the undisputed leaders in gate automation and access control. 

Another picture shows the SupaSlida, the seminal sliding gate motor that laid the foundation for future successes such as the D5, of which there has been some 700, 000 sold to date. With the release of the D5-Evo – the evolution of the D5 footprint which added an intelligent LCD interface and sophisticated motor control, among other features – CENTURION achieved superstar status within the world of access automation. The original D5 slider built upon a bedrock of reliability, and the Evo’s addition of futuristic technology launched the brand into the stratosphere.

From the lush mountains and valleys of the Mpumalanga province to the vast open planes of the Free State, from Tswhane to Table Mountain, South Africans – and people the world over – simply love the green CENTURION motors. So the next time you’re out and about, be sure to #CheckTheMotor!

Fantastic Installations and Where to Find Them

Back in 2001, all of fandom rejoiced as bestselling fantasy novelist J.K. Rowling announced that she was penning a new novel in the Harry Potter canon – a prequel of sorts this time – called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and last year the book was adapted for the big screen and joined the pantheon of films that are the reason that Miss Rowling lives in a castle. But I digress. 

The story follows the fantastically-named Newt Scamander (which also happens to be the nom de plume that Rowling used when she wrote the novel), a writer and renowned purveyor of all things mythical, as he travels to 1920s New York in search of more fantastic beasts to document in his authoritative work. However, chaos ensues when several creatures escape from Newt’s magically-expanding suitcase and the protagonist must do everything in his power to stop the two worlds that exist side-by-side from colliding.

While we certainly don’t claim to be experts on finding fantastic beasts (the Kruger National Park is probably a good place to begin one’s search), we do know where to find a fantastic access automation installation, or three, as evidenced by these winning sites from around South Africa. 

Automated pool deck



What: A 5300mm x 3400mm wooden pool deck fully automated using a sliding gate motor

Where: Lichtenburg, Northwest Province, South Africa

The hardware: 1 x CENTURION D5-Evo 500kg sliding gate motor

Installer: JD Elektries, Lichtenburg jd@jdelektries.co.za 

Stargazing bed on rails

What: A fully-automated, retractable stargazing bed on which to whisper sweet nothings into your beloved’s ear under a bejeweled night sky with the gentle murmur of the Vaal as background music

Where: On the Vaal river near Parys, Free State, South Africa

The hardware: 1 x CENTURION D5-Evo 500kg sliding gate motor

Installer: Derk van den Brink dmvandenbrink@gmail.com

Moving targets

What: Exactly what the name says

Where: The Mpumalanga traffic department training college, Mpumalanga, South Africa

The hardware: 8 x D2 Turbo 250kg sliding gate motors

Installer: Pulse Electronics, Nelspruit pulse.electronics@vodamail.co.za

Soul of a New Machine: The Legend of the D5-Evo (Part 1)

The so-called Information Age has meant massive changes in virtually every aspect of our lives: from the way in which we communicate to the way in which we consume information. By the second half of the 20^th century, every interface was undergoing a dramatic facelift and becoming slimmer, lighter and, above all else, smarter, embracing the Brave New World that the techno-prophets and digital pioneers in Silicon Valley promised. CDs were being replaced with iPods, CRT with flat screen and dial-up with fibre, and all over the world the citizens of this planet were experiencing a connectedness that had never before been possible. Then came the mysterious and ethereal Cloud, and the digital game changed yet again. Suddenly, physical storage devices were going the way of the dinosaurs and information and media started to live in the ether, mere ghosts consisting of ones and zeros. Technology seems to be in a state of constant flux, as well it should be if it is to remain the faithful servant of Mankind’s diverse needs.

But, in 2009, the world of access automation was in need of a hero. Despite some groundbreaking innovations such as battery backup and rolling code technology, it had not yet fully caught up with the evolution that was sweeping through the technosphere. But the winds of change were about to reach the security sector, and their arrival signaled the birth of a true access automation legend.

The D5-Evo built upon the equally legendary foundation of its predecessor, the original D5 - an access automation staple if ever there was one – incorporating the same tried and tested mechanical design. CENTURION marketing and sales director Richard Rohman explains some of the thinking that went into the design of the original D5 sliding gate motor:

“When we were developing the D5, we looked at the beautifully-moulded and machined Italian operators that were, at the time, hammering some old tin box-looking operators at every turn. But we were worried about our ability to die-cast the gearbox as well as the out-of-mould machining still needed to be done. It was for this reason that the injection moulders across the road from us at the time suggested we try producing a gearbox using the latest in injection mouldable engineering polymers. It worked and worked well, to the extent that it became the norm for all locally-produced gate motors in South Africa”.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing back in those early days, as Richard is quick to point out.

“Then came the quest to get rid of the horrible limit switches. Pat [Dickens, CENTURION MD] and I walked a long, hard road with this one, moving from traditional limit switches to optical limits and then back to really robust limit switches to finally our only locally-made limit switches, all of which were far too costly and cumbersome to install. Hence, the development of the DOSS (Digital Origin Seeking System), which is a story on its own”.

As the country’s security situation continued to deteriorate and it became increasingly necessary for homeowners to get into their properties as expeditiously as possible, speed became another critical consideration. The engineer overseeing the development of the original D5 was tasked with ensuring that the machine went no slower than a robust 16 metres per minute.

“[We] had to get clever with speed control on the D5,” Richard remembers, “because it was always a complaint with installers of competitor products that their faster machines weren’t very accurate when it came to stopping; when the motor reached its end-limit.”

This shortcoming prompted CENTURION’s design team, under the supervision of Ian “Roz” Rozowsky (who would later become the Research and Development director), to design the D5’s electronic controller – the now-famous CP80 – in such a way that smooth acceleration and deceleration could be achieved, a feature that was perfected with the D5-Evo.

The landscape at the time (around 1996) was somewhat desolate in terms of functionality, with the vast majority of gate motors on the market offering little more than simple opening and closing of their loads. However, the growing concerns around crime and home security led to a demand being created for more versatile, feature-rich gate operators, and this became a bit of an obsession for the CENTURION team.

According to Richard, they were always keen on giving the client more than they could wish for in terms of features.

“At the time, our competitors provided row upon row of dipswitches to allow the different features to be set, but these cost money and weren’t all that intuitive. So Roz developed the fancy menu system using a couple of LEDs and a pushbutton. It was very cost-effective and, once you had been shown what to do, fairly straightforward to use.”

Some 13 years later, the aptly-named D5-Evo (short for “evolution”) took the world of access automation by storm, packaging a plethora of incredible features – a number of them world firsts – into one compact, easy-to-use and remarkably intelligent LCD controller. The new machine finally ushered gate automation into the 21^st century, marking a new era in domestic security. Not only did the D5-Evo address homeowners’ growing security concerns with innovative features such as the built-in Intruder-detection Alarm feature-set, but it also spoke to the needs of installers. The LCD interface made for supremely easy commissioning, while removable terminal strips and advanced diagnostics made maintenance a dream.

Today, some seven years after it first came onto the scene, the D5-Evo is showing no sign of slowing down, and seems to be holding on to its unofficial title of “South Africa’s favourite gate motor”.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our series on the birth of the D5-Evo, in which R & D director Robert Dickens – who was intimately involved in its design - provides a personal account of those exciting early days and traces the D5’s evolution in an exclusive interview. You don’t want to miss it!

Are You a Sitting Duck?

The SAPS has issued a warning regarding a new modus operandi employed by a car hijacking syndicate operating in the Muldersdrift area, close to the Beyers Naude offramp.

It starts off innocently enough. Operating under the guise of being a Good Samaritan and feigning concern, a passing car points to your own vehicle, ostensibly alerting you to the fact that something is amiss, perhaps a flat tyre or a water leak. Shortly after, a second car points out the same area of affliction threatening to fell your automobile. What choice does one have but to trust these kindly strangers, who displayed such chivalry in notifying you of the impending mechanical calamity? You stop your car next to the road to inspect, and that is when a third car pulls up next to you. The driver and several cohorts get out of the vehicle, the weapons in their gloved hands making their intentions excruciatingly clear…

Car hijackings are on the rise, adding to the already palpable miasma of fear that South Africans are faced with on a daily basis. And while it is true that many hijackings occur on our roads, it has been found that most hijackings take place in residential driveways as motorists are about to enter the property. The exact percentage of driveway hijackings varies, but it has been estimated that between 50% and 80% of hijackings are perpetrated in this manner.

Only last year, beloved radio personality David O'Sullivan's wife and young son were left traumatised when armed robbers followed them into their property and liberated Mrs. O'Sullivan of jewelry and other valuables.

Motorists often have to wait outside their property for the entrance gate to open. This creates a “boxed in” effect and criminals use this period of immobility to their advantage.

It is important that the time that your vehicle remains stationary is kept to an absolute minimum. If you know that your gate generally takes a long time to fully open, rather ask someone to be ready to open for you when you arrive home.

Alternatively, have a very fast gate motor installed; preferably a model that can be interfaced with infrared beams and set to close behind you the moment that you are safely inside your property.

Don’t become a sitting duck for opportunistic criminals.

Your Sliding Gate: What You'll Need

Unless you possess the power of teleportation (in which case we’d like offer our thanks for reading our modest newsletter, oh visitor from another world), chances are that you gain access to your property by means of a point of entry enclosed by walls, or “gate” as we sometimes like to call it (as an interesting aside, the word “gate” derives from the old Norse word gata, meaning road or path). But, perhaps you only recently had the fence or wall erected and it as yet sans gate, or you have simply decided to automate an existing one. Then, dear reader, it is important to know what kind of hardware you’ll need and what function it performs, lest you end up with a gate that is either recalcitrant  or, even worse, unsafe. Fortunately, we’ve been in the gate automation business for going on 30 years and we’re channelling that experience towards guiding you in any-gate related endeavours that you may wish to undertake.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Guide-rollers

Guide-rollers do exactly what their name suggests, they guide the gate. In other words, the guide-rollers – which are normally just two nylon rollers that rotate on shafts – hold the gate vertically and prevent it from falling over which is, you know, something you’d want to avoid if possible. For improved safety, we recommend fitting additional support posts to prevent the gate from falling over should the guide-rollers fail.

Anti-lift Brackets

Again, the job description is more or less in the name here. Anti-lift brackets help prevent unauthorised access to your property by ensuring that the gate can’t simply be lifted off its track by some devious criminal/strongman combo (of course, most gates are light enough not to require a strongman to lift it, hence the need for anti-lift brackets).

Endstops

Endstops are very important from a safety point of view and prevent your gate from abandoning its track. Remember that there is always the chance, however remote, that the gate will overrun its limits (and we’d like to point out here that with our new generation of gate motors, the chance is even more remote since the operator will always look for the origin magnet and will run the gate slowly if it is not detected), and you don’t want the gate behaving like a runaway train with nothing to stop it. CENTURION recommends installing mechanical endstops that are sturdy (preferably welded onto the track) and do not move even when subjected to considerable force.

Wheels

The movement of your gate depends largely on the presence of a collection of spherical objects that rotate about a shaft, or “wheels”. Keep in mind that the entire weight of your gate will rest upon the wheels, so it’s important to keep them in a good condition and rotating freely. They will also need to be compatible with the profile of the rail. CENTURION stocks both U- and V-profile gate wheel kits, as well as the novel GateShox system which dramatically reduces noise in sliding gates. Over time, the rails of sliding gates can become corrugated and uneven from use, and GateShox help absorb the load through a spring system, resulting in a smoother ride and quieter operation.

Rack

If you’re planning on automating your gate (and, let’s be honest, it’s the logical thing to do), you’ll need a toothed rack fitted along the length of the gate to mesh with the pinion of your gate motor. The setup works in an almost identical fashion to the rack-and-pinion configuration found in the steering wheel mechanisms of most cars and, depending on which operator you’re planning on having installed, you’ll need either Raz, nylon angle or steel rack. Not sure which one? Give us a call on +27 11 699 2481 for some friendly advice.

A Reliable Gate Motor

We previously likened buying a new gate operator to selecting a new car. Considerations such as the weight of the gate, maximum number of daily operations, push force and duty cycle all need to be taken into account when choosing an automation system. But, most of all, it’s important to ensure that you choose a gate motor that will never leave you out in the cold, so to speak. CENTURION manufactures a wide range of reliable swing and sliding gate motors for domestic, light industrial and full industrial applications. Our operators are constructed from only the most robust materials in accordance with the ISO9001 quality assurance system, and carry a 24 month warranty.

New Head Office Demo Area

Oh! We have such sights to show you! Such marvels, such wondrous innovations!

And they are all on display in our brand new demo area at CENTURION’s Head Office in Kya Sands, Johannesburg.

As many of you who have visited these premises will know, we boast quite an impressive sales area featuring a wide variety of our access automation products, many of them working models. After all, who buys a car without first test driving it?

But it wasn’t enough, and an innovation from our service department came to expand the demo area into the repairs section where customers waiting to have their gate motors tested can occupy themselves getting to know the devices better, especially the mechanical features.

For example you may have heard us referring to the revolutionary planetary design of the VECTOR2 gearbox, or the novel centrifugal brake found in the same operator, but how many of you have actually seen it?

Well, now you can! The new demo area features a static “cutaway” model of the VECTOR2 linear swing gate operator, affording you a rare glimpse into the groundbreaking mechanical design of this product.

Also on display is a working XTrac garage door operator paired with a fully functional SMARTGUARDair wireless keypad, and static models of the D5-Evo, D2 Turbo and D10 sliding gate operators.

But, as the popular saying goes, a picture does paint a thousand words and with that in mind I leave you to feast your eyes upon the following snapshots of the new demo area at head office.