48x39x14 shop build

[ovrszd]

I've got both fluorescent and LED lights, they both mess with AM & FM radio reception. I've never put 2 and 2 together about my chitty performance on my 8500? liftmaster remotes although 99% of the time the doors are used during daylight hours so the lights are out.

edit, In fact I was just talking to my electrician cousin this past weekend, he was telling me about all the rf interference that they have to deal with now, don't remember if wifi is another source.

I haven't given up yet but I'm running out of ideas.

I think I'll take down a couple lights and haul them to my current shop and turn them on. Then see if they kill that opener. It currently has a range of 200ft with/without lights on.

 

[ovrszd]

Do you have a power strip with line conditioner or isolation transformer to try? My tool battery charger causes FM radio to loose signal, plugged charger into power strip and issue went away with the radio while charging batteries. Are lights, wall outlet and openers on same 110 leg?

Dave

Dave, I turned off all the breakers in the shop. Hot wired a line to the hot side of the main disconnect. Powered a single light thru that and killed my openers.

I am reluctant to buy a set of different lights and end up with the same problem.

My openers are on a circuit by themselves. They are on the opposite leg as the lights. I even tried swapping legs

 

[geblackwell]

Maybe something like a smart phone remote like MYQ-G0301. They are available at HomeDepot

 

[hawkeye08]

I wonder if the opener could be shielded from the lights somehow, I'm thinking some 12" wide metal flashing in "U shape" around back of opener (enough to give you some range)? or is there a wire for antenna on opener that could be extended to outside the shop? That is assuming that the interference is RF and not noise on electrical line. You could eliminate the electric line noise if you ran light on separate power (for example generator) just to confirm it is RF and not noise on the electric line. I suspect it is RF, but just throwing out the electrical noise problem as a grasping at straws..

 

[BrinkME]

perhaps you can try a ferrite ring (core, magnet) on the power wires of a fixture. Even though the lights are on a separate circuit/leg than the openers, the "noise" created by the fixture could still overpower the signal no matter what you try. Since you've run tests with just one fixture and get the same results, perhaps try it using a ferrite ring since they're fairly cheap. If it works, you can add one to each fixture ... not sure if you'd get the same results by adding it to the opener's power wires.

worth a shot?

forgot to add a link to what I was talking about .... McMaster-Carr

 

[cycle_gator]

See if you can find a radio frequency interference filter and add it to where the lift gets power for the reciever.. It seems the more efficient the fluorescent the more RF it produces. I have not tried to find one for you, but the filters are fairly inexpensive.

 

[ovrszd]

Maybe something like a smart phone remote like MYQ-G0301. They are available at HomeDepot

My electrical guy suggested that. Liftmaster offers a device that allows your phone to control the doors. Might end up there.

 

[ovrszd]

I wonder if the opener could be shielded from the lights somehow, I'm thinking some 12" wide metal flashing in "U shape" around back of opener (enough to give you some range)? or is there a wire for antenna on opener that could be extended to outside the shop? That is assuming that the interference is RF and not noise on electrical line. You could eliminate the electric line noise if you ran light on separate power (for example generator) just to confirm it is RF and not noise on the electric line. I suspect it is RF, but just throwing out the electrical noise problem as a grasping at straws..

I tried Liftmaster antenna extenders which runs the antenna outside, no help.

Tomorrow I'll wrap my opener will aluminum foil and see what happens.

 

[ovrszd]

perhaps you can try a ferrite ring (core, magnet) on the power wires of a fixture. Even though the lights are on a separate circuit/leg than the openers, the "noise" created by the fixture could still overpower the signal no matter what you try. Since you've run tests with just one fixture and get the same results, perhaps try it using a ferrite ring since they're fairly cheap. If it works, you can add one to each fixture ... not sure if you'd get the same results by adding it to the opener's power wires.

worth a shot?

forgot to add a link to what I was talking about .... McMaster-Carr

Never heard of them. Worth a try at that cost. Thanks!!!

 

[ovrszd]

See if you can find a radio frequency interference filter and add it to where the lift gets power for the reciever.. It seems the more efficient the fluorescent the more RF it produces. I have not tried to find one for you, but the filters are fairly inexpensive.

I'll investigate that as well. Thanks for the suggestion.

These ideas are what I'm looking for. No clue what you guys are talking about. I'll try anything.

I also expect the fix to be something simple.