Picking the right items...

[eszee]

Greetings!

I'm in the hunt for some motors to automate the lifting of 4 existing (manual) roller shades in one room. I'm interested in self-contained battery powered units since I don't want to run wires. Per your instructions, I have worked out the approximate weight of my shades as 0.5kg, 1.36kg, 0.5kg, and 1.5kg. Some questions:

- Would your TMDG-12-16-03-50-RB motor be appropriate for all four of the shades? Will I need to measure the ID and OD of my existing roller shade tubes?

- I also want to order a wall mounted timer based remote control for these shades. Since all 4 shades will always be going up and down together, can I purchase your 1 Channel G Series timer controller MCGT-1W-RF, and have all 4 motors on the same channel?

- Do your motors come with the charging adapter or do I need to order that separately?

- How often will I be charging the motors based on opening and closing the shades 2x per day?

- How long does it take to fully charge each unit?

- How will I know that the motors are running low on battery? Is there a visual indicator of some kind?

Many thanks for your help with this project!

[admin]

Hello, thanks for your interest; here are the answers (bold) to your questions about our built-in battery motors (with RF control):

- Would your TMDG-12-16-03-50-RB motor be appropriate for all four of the shades?

yes, they will work fine for those sizes ...

- Will I need to measure the ID and OD of my existing roller shade tubes?

yes, our standard size motors are made to fit industry standard Rollease style 1.5" tubing, but they can be adapted to 1.25" or 2.5" tubing ...

- I also want to order a wall mounted timer based remote control for these shades. Since all 4 shades will always be going up and down together, can I purchase your 1 Channel G Series timer controller MCGT-1W-RF, and have all 4 motors on the same channel?

sure, you can assign as many motors as you like to the timer ...

- Do your motors come with the charging adapter or do I need to order that separately?

separately, there is no need to have more than one or two chargers ...

- How often will I be charging the motors based on opening and closing the shades 2x per day?

3 to 6 months ...

- How long does it take to fully charge each unit?

a few hours, you can leave them overnight and unplug them in the morning ...

- How will I know that the motors are running low on battery? Is the a visual indicator of some kind?

they stop and beep 7 times ...

Many thanks for your help with this project!

You are welcome, thanks again for your interest ...

If I can be of further assistance, please contact me anytime.

Regards, Adrian

Adrian Biffen
Customer Service
RollerTrol Automation Systems
http://RollerTrol.com

[eszee]

Hi Adrian,

The tubing we have on all 4 shades appears to be 2" O.D., and the roller mechanism does say "Rollease" on it. I have attached a couple of photos...

Many thanks for your help!

[admin]

Hi @eszee, yep, looks like 2 inch tubing; of course it would be the one we don't use!

I'll see if we can get 2" adapters for you; will advise.

If I can be of further assistance, please contact me anytime.

Regards, Adrian

Adrian Biffen
Customer Service
RollerTrol Automation Systems
http://RollerTrol.com

[eszee]

Bummer!

I notice that the Rollease roller mechanism we have has plastic sleeve adapters that are adapting it up to fit the inside diameter of our tubing which is 1 7/8". These sleeves are removable (they easily slide off the roller mechanism). Can we possibly use these same adapters to fit your motors?

thanks!
s.

[admin]

Hi @eszee, in that case you already have the adapters, and if they are a bit large, often we use duct tape to build up the diameter, or we make up some shims from plastic pipe.

Regards, Adrian

[eszee]

Hi Adrian,

Do your motors require 2 adapters (one at each end)? Or will 1 adapter at the open end suffice?

I just took the drive side of one of our shades apart and there are actually 3 nested adapters in there see photo. From left to right the outside diameter of the drive itself is 0.75", the next adapter adapts up to 1.12" O.D., the next one 1.5" O.D. and the final one 1.875" O.D.

thanks!
s.

[admin]

Hi, you actually need 3 ... one at each end (idler end and motor end where the crown roller is) and one on the drive adapter that is inside the tube.

Regards, Adrian

[eszee]

I see.

It sounds like it won't work then...

Thanks for your help Adrian!
s.

[admin]

Hi, I checked with our tech and he thinks he may have some that will work. I'll take a look tomorrow and let you know.

Regards, Adrian

[eszee]

Thank you!

[admin]

Hi, good news, we have the 2" adapter sets.

Regards, Adrian

[eszee]

Excellent! Do I need to order those separately, or will they ship with the motor?

thanks!
s.

[admin]

Hi, we provide the adapter kits as a courtesy when you purchase a motor.

Please contact me directly by email through the contact form so I have a record of the discussion, and I will make sure you get the proper kit(s):

http://RollerTrol.com/contact-us

Regards, Adrian

Adrian Biffen
Customer Service
RollerTrol Automation Systems
http://RollerTrol.com

[eszee]

Hi Adrian,

Back from the holidays. I'll contact you shortly regarding my order...

thanks!
s.