On May 15, 1:56*pm, wrote:
On Sat, 14 May 2011 20:52:37 -0700 (PDT), Evan



wrote:
On May 14, 1:58*pm, gcotterl wrote:
A doorbell push-button operates my garage-door opener to raise and
lower the overhead garage door.

I've replaced the old push button with a new doorbell-push button.

When I press the new push button, the garage door goes in one
direction then stops. *When I push the button again, nothing happens..
(I've wired the new push button the same way the old push button was
wired) * I've even tried THREE other new push buttons of different
brands but they also move the door in just one direction.

When I re-install the original push button and push the button, the
door moves in one direction and, when I push the button again, the
door reverses.

What am I doing wrong?

So umm, a question for you man -- why bother replacing the "original
button" at all if it still works ?

It sounds like you were looking for something stupid like a lighted
button so you could find it in the dark or something not realizing
that such a device is not compatible with your garage door opener
without installing a relay and your own low-voltage transformer to
power up the lighted button side of the circuit...

Good luck...

~~ Evan

Evan - in the VAST majority of lighted doorbell buttons there is NO
"lighted button side of the circuit" The light is across the switch
contacts and draws little enough current that the doorbell does not
know it is there. The "lamp current" flows through the coils of the
doorebell constantly *- and when the button is pushed the lamp goes
out and full current flows through the coil of the doorbell, making it
ring.

On the garage door the actuator draws a lot less current than the
doorbell, so the current flowing through the lamp on the button does
not allow the relay in the door controller to fully disengage, not
allowing the unit to return to the "neutral" position.

The "switch" only has 2 contacts.


And you are clearly not someone experienced in electrical circuitry...

When you absolutely *need* to use a lighted door bell button with
a garage door opener you certainly can, if you know enough about
electricity to know how to lay out circuits which would use relays
to close the circuit to operate the doors... The control side of the
relay is entirely electrically separate from the output side and
you could use whatever buttons or switches you wanted to as
long as you provide the correct power required for them independent
of the garage door opener...

So yes, what I said was absolutely accurate... In a relay circuit
there is a control side and an output side...

~~ Evan