Liftmaster 3800 - Garage Lighting

Spudland_Dave · Oct 22, 2012

So I've got 3 of the LM3800's headed my way. What I was thinking of last night was instead of using the Remote Lights they include...is there/would there be a way to utilize the reciever unit in that light or anything else for that matter to actually turn on the normal garage lights instead?

Reading the manual for the LM3800, easiest thing I can think of would be to mount the entire remote light up in the attic side and hard wire a 4' light section to it (unit supports 200w)...but then I get a couple of light fixtures which are only for the GDO...doubt I could make it a 3 way switch for lack of better terms.

I guess what I would need would be a "3 way switch relay" for 110v...

RCman · Oct 22, 2012

Yet to install mine, but I've got all the pieces and parts.
In my new garage I'm using a GE lighting contactor and I'll gut the remote light and have it signal the contactor. It was the only way for my to do it since I've got more than 200W of light I want to control.

Edit: I can post back when I finish up with it, but it is still a few more weeks till I have garage doors.

Spudland_Dave · Oct 22, 2012

RCman said:
Yet to install mine, but I've got all the pieces and parts.
In my new garage I'm using a GE lighting contactor and I'll gut the remote light and have it signal the contactor. It was the only way for my to do it since I've got more than 200W of light I want to control.

Edit: I can post back when I finish up with it, but it is still a few more weeks till I have garage doors.

I would love that... I'm just thinkin big picture right now. Right now I'm still running on what I consider Temporary lighting...just the cheapest edison bases I could find at HD on cheapie boxes... In the end I'll have more then 200W of lighting to control as well.

While I'm at it....thinkin ahead to this...how does this change the wiring on the garage side...in other words like I said, the same lights would be controled by an "old fashioned" wall switch and the light controller via the remote light.

lakee911 · Oct 24, 2012

I don't have a LM3800 (stupid Wayne Dalton door

), but if it takes a standard bulb, you can buy a light bulb plug adapter and then plug in your other lighting. No unit modifications would be needed.

You won't have a ground here though, so you'll need to pick that up elsewhere. The proper way to do this would be to use a small NEMA 5-15 or 5-20 power inlet and a short cord. These are commonly sold for home theatre installs (to allow plugging in building wire into a surge supressor or UPS).

If you need to exceed the 200W rating, you'll need to use a contactor and you can control the contacter with the LM3800 light unit (whatever it's called).

As for controlling the lights, get a SPDT switch. You can find these in a standard light switch unit. It has three positions, one will be off (center) and one will be always on, the other will be wired through your LM3800 light unit. Alternatively, you can use a regular three way switch. You'll have always on and the other wired through your LM3800 light unit. There will not be a true off, but you could get that by wiring your whole setup through another standard switch.

That help?

maxspeed96ct · Oct 24, 2012

Spudland_Dave said:
So I've got 3 of the LM3800's headed my way. What I was thinking of last night was instead of using the Remote Lights they include...is there/would there be a way to utilize the reciever unit in that light or anything else for that matter to actually turn on the normal garage lights instead?

Reading the manual for the LM3800, easiest thing I can think of would be to mount the entire remote light up in the attic side and hard wire a 4' light section to it (unit supports 200w)...but then I get a couple of light fixtures which are only for the GDO...doubt I could make it a 3 way switch for lack of better terms.

I guess what I would need would be a "3 way switch relay" for 110v...

Hey have you figured out anything ? I have recessed lights around my garage now , and my 2 3800 openers are sitting in boxes waiting to be installed , it would be nice if I can gutt the receiver and make it run some recessed lights instead.

Keep us updated on what you find , I might open up my reciever this weekend if I have time . I imagine It should be easy to hard wire in , if prefer not to use the light bulb socket converter .

Spudland_Dave · Oct 24, 2012

maxspeed96ct said:
Hey have you figured out anything ? I have recessed lights around my garage now , and my 2 3800 openers are sitting in boxes waiting to be installed , it would be nice if I can gutt the receiver and make it run some recessed lights instead.

Keep us updated on what you find , I might open up my reciever this weekend if I have time . I imagine It should be easy to hard wire in , if prefer not to use the light bulb socket converter .

Not yet...UPS Dropped off the 3 LM3800's last night...so other then quickly admiring my purchase, I havent dug into them yet. Plan is to get the openers installed and running, then I'll mess with the lighting.

looking at illustrations in the manual, what I'd probably do is cut off the existing light sockets and extend those leads, OR trace em back and replace completely with a romex run into a light fixture... At this time, I'm thinking a 2 bulb T8 fixture in the middle of the bay, right where a normal GDO would be...with the remote light fixture up in the attic side of the cieling. To my wife and visitors, it would be Magic!
I also read that you can program Multiple remote lights on each opener...on my garage end, I'd install both remote lights that way so either one of the doors opens, 2 T8's flip on...heck I may even go with T5's... More light then a normal GDO, no question.

At this time, pending a complete investigation, thats what I'm thinkin... :beer:

maxspeed96ct · Oct 25, 2012

Heres mine opened up, should be a easy job if I mount this in my attic and attach a box to it and run some romex . Then run that to my lights.

Its a small board so you can remove it from the box if you'd like

:beer:

larry4406 · Oct 26, 2012

Related thread here http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39221&highlight=larry4406+liftmaster

platinum overcast · Oct 29, 2012

maxspeed96ct said:
Heres mine opened up, should be a easy job if I mount this in my attic and attach a box to it and run some romex . Then run that to my lights.

Its a small board so you can remove it from the box if you'd like

This is exactly what I did. Pulled the board from the housing and left enough wire to make up the connections in a box immediately next to the one I mounted the board in. I split the two bulbs about 10 feet apart. I'll try to remember to grab some pics tomorrow.

wssix99 · Oct 30, 2012

Great thread. I have this same dilemma coming up in the Spring. I also will need to run a HRV (Heat Recovery Ventillator) off of the opener for a time after opening the doors. (I'll have a heated garage and this is what I need to do in order to get the City to waive their requirement for passive vents in the garage.

larry4406 said:
Related thread here http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39221&highlight=larry4406+liftmaster

I like the solution in the thread above by using a relay to tap in to 3-way travelers or the switch wire. I might also use a double pole relay so I can energize a red lamp or other indicator so I can tell when the relay is energized.

BTW - One worry I'd have on wiring lights directly to the Liftmaster board is that its probably only rated for the wattage of the fixture. (I'll be looking to drive many more lamps off of the circuit.)

Spudland_Dave · Oct 30, 2012

wssix99 said:
BTW - One worry I'd have on wiring lights directly to the Liftmaster board is that its probably only rated for the wattage of the fixture. (I'll be looking to drive many more lamps off of the circuit.)

Agreed...they are only rated to 100w each (200w total)...so as of right now, I'm just thinking of placing a 4' T5 fixture where a normal GDO would be on each door..one dedicated to each of the remote light doohickey's. It wouldnt be as slick as the whole garage lighting that I wanted, but having 2 T5's kick on with the doors would be an improvement in light output and still be less then 100w.
They can be turned on via the remotes as well, so if I needed the light, its not like I couldnt turn em on when needed.

ket-tek · Oct 30, 2012

My friend just did exactly this a month or two ago in his new house and ran the wires to feed 4 led can lights off the lm3800 before he sheetrocked the garage. He is a member here but don't think he posts..

I think I have a cell phone pic saved I can upload.

He just gutted the light unit and put the circuit board and wiring inside a j-box beside the opener and then wired the led can lights from there. They were all low voltage 12v lights off a small powersupply, way less wattage than the standard light bulb normally powered off the lm3800 board, so no relays or trickery needed.

platinum overcast · Oct 30, 2012

platinum overcast said:
This is exactly what I did. Pulled the board from the housing and left enough wire to make up the connections in a box immediately next to the one I mounted the board in. I split the two bulbs about 10 feet apart. I'll try to remember to grab some pics tomorrow.

Pix:
Board sits in the near box with the antenna wire hanging out. Connections are made up in the box just behind it. The dual T5s are on a separate switch, just passing through the box.

The fixtures it's connected to are the vapor tight ones to the right and left. Basically I'm just spreading the two bulbs in the original enclosure a little farther apart...

maxspeed96ct · Oct 30, 2012

Ill be gutting my 3800 light box and doing the same as ^

Question: ( I havent had time to read the manual, been busy with other house work.)

I have 2 doors, and I want both lights to come on when either door is open.

Will I be able to program both openers to activate one 3800 light transmitter box ?
and then Id just run a light to each bay.

Spudland_Dave · Oct 31, 2012

maxspeed96ct said:
Ill be gutting my 3800 light box and doing the same as ^

Question: ( I havent had time to read the manual, been busy with other house work.)

I have 2 doors, and I want both lights to come on when either door is open.

Will I be able to program both openers to activate one 3800 light transmitter box ?
and then Id just run a light to each bay.

Same here...gonna get a square box and do the same thing. Nice work!

Yes, I havent done it yet, but from what I understand I believe you can program both openers to turn on both lights, so both will come on whenever you use either door. OR, as you mentioned, 2 openers to 1 light unit.

wssix99 · Oct 31, 2012

A thought....

Does anyone know if the timer for the light is in the light module or in the motor unit? If the motor commands the light on, I'm wondering if we could tap in to the motor unit directly and forget the light modules all together?

RCman · Dec 3, 2012

Back to the top with my results.
I too dismantled the light and mounted just the board in it's own new plastic 6x6 box.
Wired the light output to drive the coil on a GE lighting contactor I linked above. The contactor then just jumps out the switch so no matter what the switch position is the lights comes on (or stays on). This way the little light module is driving nothing but the little coil and I don't have to worry about overloading it. Works great!

Oh, and just an FYI for those that didn't know the "smart control" for the door opener has a motion sensor. I had no idea and it took me a minute to figure out why my lights kept tripping on. Doh! I disabled it.

For those wondering, yes you can program the light unit to be controlled from more than one opener. It works for both my 3800s.

Two boxes, plastic 6x6 for the light module, metal 11x11 for the contactor:

The lights:

wssix99 · Dec 4, 2012

RCman said:
Yet to install mine, but I've got all the pieces and parts.
In my new garage I'm using a GE lighting contactor and I'll gut the remote light and have it signal the contactor. It was the only way for my to do it since I've got more than 200W of light I want to control.

Edit: I can post back when I finish up with it, but it is still a few more weeks till I have garage doors.

I'm not familiar with these. Is it essentially a relay especially for use with blasted fixtures?

RCman · Dec 4, 2012

wssix99 said:
I'm not familiar with these. Is it essentially a relay especially for use with blasted fixtures?

Basically yes, but it will work for many different applications. I have mine driving 8 6" incandescent recessed cans and a 6" recessed LED.
Really if all you are looking to do is what I did there are surely similar, less fancy, cheaper options that would do the same thing. That is just what I had on hand.
The big issue with relays is that most of them have coils driven from 12V or 24V DC. I wanted something with a 120V AC coil to keep the wiring simple. Thus the lighting contactor comes into play. They work the same way.

Westbank · Jan 14, 2013

RCman said:
Basically yes, but it will work for many different applications. I have mine driving 8 6" incandescent recessed cans and a 6" recessed LED.
Really if all you are looking to do is what I did there are surely similar, less fancy, cheaper options that would do the same thing. That is just what I had on hand.
The big issue with relays is that most of them have coils driven from 12V or 24V DC. I wanted something with a 120V AC coil to keep the wiring simple. Thus the lighting contactor comes into play. They work the same way.

Hello RCMan,

Would it be possible to share the wiring diagram and parts necessary for your install ? I would like to do something similar and thought your idea is really clever.

I have two 96" T8 fixtures (256 watts total) that I would like wire with the Liftmaster 3800 remote light board. Since it's above the 200 watts supported by the LM 3800, I would need to use a contactor. But the two fixtures are wired in a 3-Way setup.

With your setup, if the lights have been turned on by the remote light board, can you still turn them off using the light switch ?

Thanks

RCman · Jan 14, 2013

There really isn't much to a wiring diagram. I can explain it but VHF posted a good diagram in another thread here. I am just stating what I did, this in no way is a "how to" and you should consult your local codes and an electrician first.

For parts all I used was a couple of work boxes (find a size that works, the board will fit in a 4x4x4, but I used a 6x6x6 to get my hands in there for wiring). I used the GE contactor linked in my post above. I can get the part numbers for what I used if you'd like but it is is way overkill and is WAY costly for what is needed here. Hit a local supply house and they should have something in the $30-100 range, just be sure to get one that has a 110V coil and is NO.

Basically I just cut all the plugs and blub sockets off the light circuit board (maxspeed96ct has a good picture in Post #7 above) then hardwired it. I ran the hot that went to the original bulb to the coil side of the contactor (think 110V relay). So now when the light trips all it does it activate the coil which in turn activates the lights. The power feed for both the contactor and the light unit was stolen from the lights I wanted to drive (this is important so you don't have two different feed sources for the same lights that is dangerous).

The load side of the contactor was wired so it jumps out either of the existing 3 way switches. So no matter what position or mode the lights are on they will come on then then go back to their previous state (either on or off) when the timer kicks off. If the lights are turned on with the opener they are on until they time out.

Westbank · Jan 14, 2013

Thanks RCMan ! Much appreciated !

Just looked at VHF wiring diagram and it was helpful. I will give it a try. Might simply go with a relay instead of a contactor. Do you have photo of the contactor and the LM3800 board in their respective box ? Just curious to see how you mounted them.

Thanks again !

RCman · Jan 14, 2013

I carefully cut the bottom of the light away so that just the area the board mounts to was left. This let me keep the standoffs and something to mount the circuit board with. Then I glued the cut piece to the inside of the box with the lights and the button facing forward.
I'll take the cover off and snap a picture tomorrow.

stilinsm · Jan 16, 2013

didn't bother with the remote light. Instead I have a motion detection switch on my mains. Garage door goes up, all lights come on. Go off a few minutes after no motion detected. Got fed up with the kids leaving lights on. also installed in the kids bathroom and walk in closets.

redpines · Jan 17, 2013

stilinsm said:
didn't bother with the remote light. Instead I have a motion detection switch on my mains. Garage door goes up, all lights come on. Go off a few minutes after no motion detected. Got fed up with the kids leaving lights on. also installed in the kids bathroom and walk in closets.

What motion detector are you using? Is it reliably instantaneous for any movement, or just the garage door?

I started a thread for this question: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=183434

Liftmaster 3800 - Garage Lighting

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