50 Ft. Driveway Vehicle Sensor (FM138) for Mighty Mule Automatic Gate Opener , Black
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My question is the same as yours. Why are these gate opener sensors in the $150 range when I have a wireless driveway alarm that works great and costs around $50? I'm curious if a driveway alarm could be used in this situation.
Hello, an installation manual is included in the box with this product. If you require a copy prior to the event, please visit MightyMule. com and select "Support" from the drop-down menu. 543 1236
This is a common issue with this device, and I've had my fair share of problems with it. I made a decision many years ago. Instead of putting money aside for my children's education, I would send regular checks to Mighty Mule for replacement parts such as motherboards, rev counters, and driveway sensors. You should look for any metal in the vicinity of your sensor. If you must, invest in a good metal detector; this will not be a cheap or quick installation. A backhoe will also come in handy. br>It appears that the sensitivity adjuster only works on the High and Off settings. According to the instructions, you should bury it no more than 12 inches deep. You have a problem if you live in an area of the country where temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees. Despite the fact that the function range was something along the lines of... For the sensor, it should be between 0 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit. These options aren't always effective. I have two gates, and when the temperature rose above 100 degrees, both sensors failed within days of each other. I received two replacement sensors from them. It was too hot, according to tech support. So I dug one up and fitted it with a thermal thermometer. The temperature of 96°F was perfectly acceptable. I dumped a tub of ice on the sensor, which was now lying in an open ditch. Voila! It worked for the rest of the day, or until the ice melted, at any rate. br>How to Fix It: A 4" sewer pipe and two slip end caps were purchased. I cut plywood into 4" circles that would fit in the 4" pipe, then drilled holes in the center of the plywood circles the size of the sensor wand. I then slid the two plywood doughnuts over the wand and inserted the assembly into the 2' long 4" sewer pipe. Once satisfied that no part of the wand was touching the sewer pipe housing, I glued and slid the back end cap on the 4" pipe. The center of the other end cap was drilled out to accommodate a 1/2" male electrical conduit adapter. A seal-tight lock nut was used to secure it. I used silicone grease around the end cap and slid it on the housing after sleeving the sensor's cord through it. In the event that I needed to access the area again, this ensured a good seal without the use of glue. After that, I glued all of the fittings and pulled the cable through the conduit. I backfilled after the testing. This setup irritated me for ten years before failing once more. It's time to open your wallet and buy two new sensors. Sorry for the inconvenience, kids. It is a rip-off to attend college. Consider how having Gates That Open has made your life more fulfilling and enriching!
As long as it's powered by a constant 120v, it'll work flawlessly. To elaborate on my response, I would say that solar would work fine as long as you have enough power set aside for evening and night! The amperage is low, but the 120v is critical for monitoring the passage of metal masses (cars and bicycles).
Selected User Reviews For 50 Ft. Driveway Vehicle Sensor (FM138) for Mighty Mule Automatic Gate Opener , Black
br>br>When it happened the first time, I assumed it was just a coincidence. I didn't want to buy a new item when only a small portion of it was broken, so I tried calling the company, but their phone number has a message that says, "we are experiencing a higher than normal call volume. " I then called them every day for a week at various times and was rewarded with a 15-minute hold time and no human interaction. One of three things could be going on, based on this. 1. br>br> Because their products are so bad, they are constantly inundated with phone calls and are unable to respond to all of them. 2. br>br>1. br>br>br>br>br>br Because of their poor management, they have placed a greater emphasis on advertising than on customer service, resulting in severely underfunded call centers. 3. br>br>4. br>br>5. br>br>6. The call center support is just a ruse to give the impression of helping but with no genuine desire to help. br>br>I'm hoping it's the second option because the other two seem nefarious, whereas the second option just leans toward management ineptitude (which is common in all fields).
I just ordered a whole new sensor system and still have 90 of the purchase in the original box, stored away. br>br>It happened again about a week ago; a similar issue I dialed the mighty mule number, but was greeted by an old friend who still answers the phone on the same line; am I surprised that I called during their busiest period? No. As a result, I'm completely stumped. br>br>I just want to know how I can order the transmitter alone, the cheap plastic part that is the weakest link in the chain. As a last resort, I'm hoping that this review reaches one of the mighty mule support team's ten members, who will contact me, apologize for the inconvenience, and allow me to purchase the required part. br>br>Come on, mighty mule, do the right thing.
That's not going to work. After jumping through a few hoops with tech support, it was determined that I most likely had a faulty sensor. A new sensor arrived a week later, and it did the same thing as the old one. When the mood struck, I opened the door. Mighty Mule tech support (who were BTY extremely professional) was skeptical, as was I, that I had received another faulty gate opener sensor. I got a sensitivity adjustment (potentiometer) to put in the circuit after another week. That didn't turn out to be a good idea. By this time, the Mighty Mule support group was at a loss for what to do, and I was beginning to believe I was the issue. It was sent and received a week later, with a dire warning that if the third wand failed to work, I'd be on my own. The third time around proved to be the charm. It's all good. br> My problem was solved after a month and several hours of basking in the over 100 degree heat on a cell phone at my gate, waiting in line for tech assistance, and trying this and that. With the exception of the support tecs, who were excellent, I would give only one star; quality control needs to improve and save everyone time, effort, and frustration!.
It appears to have gone bad due to the presence of water. I noticed a small board between the yellow and black wires on the old one. One was missing from the new one. So I hooked it up according to the diagram, and it worked fine until I noticed it was opening without a car there later in the day, and it was opening all the time. Reading the reviews, I noticed that one customer had the mule company send him a small board that went between the yellow and black wires. I reconnected my old one, and the gate operates normally with no false openings when a car is present. It's a 500Kohm variable resistor, according to my measurements. My resistance was set to 250K ohms in the middle. So anyone with a falsing problem could get a 500K pot and fill it halfway with their own needs. Another issue is that these units do not appear to be 100%waterproof. I want the $120 item to last a long time, so I recommend using silicone RTV caulking to seal the wire's small hole. Even better, as shown in the photos, is to encase the entire unit in a piece of PVC pipe.
We purchased a number of parts for our Mighty Mule gate. The exit sensor is one of our favorites. We don't need to keep a remote in each vehicle, and our friends and family can leave without having to wait for us to drive down the driveway. I recommend purchasing at least the 50-foot sensor and installing it all. We purchased a 50-foot extension cord but only used 30 feet. We're right up against the gate and wish we'd taken advantage of the entire 50 feet. If we ever have to replace it (which I hope we won't), we'll definitely use the entire 50 feet. I recommend running the wire through conduit if you have moles or gophers. There's a lower chance they'll chew it up.
The device works exactly as it should. Both the quality and the installation both had significant flaws. Because there was no angle cut PVC pipe, it was clear that one of the pipes would need to be notched to prevent the pipe from slicing through the cable. On the other hand, the cable came with a molded USB A connector on the end that could be plugged into the transmitter. The USB connector came off three times while fitting the transmitter to the end of the pipe, and there is no play inside the pipe for any kind of service loop. The cable jacket appears to be standard PVC, we've installed the unit, and we've set a six-month inspection period to ensure the cable isn't deteriorating due to being buried. The overall length of the cable and probe assembly is about 2 meters, which is extremely short, and there are numerous minor flaws that make it difficult to recommend this product.
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