What is a lockout and why is it happening? When a command is sent to open or close the door, the Tailwind controller will make up to 2 attempts automatically. If the controller detects that the door did not open / close as expected, it will lock out for safety in accordance with the UL 325 safety standard for garage door openers because something is wrong.
This lockout state can easily be cleared by following any of the 3 methods below:
1) Cycle the door (open / close) using any other method such as the wall control, a remote, etc.
Please note: If the door sensor or door sensor wiring is the problem causing the lockout, cycling the door will probably not clear the lockout and you'll need to follow method 2 or 3 below to clear it.
2) Send a restart command by tapping the gear icon to the right of your device on the "My Devices" screen in the app - then tap "Restart".
3) Unplug the Tailwind controller, wait at least 5 seconds, and plug it back in.
You might need to go to a different screen in the app such as "My Devices" and then return to the door control screen. The lockout should be cleared. It may not clear immediately if you stay on the door control screen in the app while you clear the lockout in your device.
Once you have cleared the lockout, you can start the troubleshooting process below to determine the cause and fix it.
Please follow CASE 1 or CASE 2 below based on your situation. If you are not sure which applies, clear the lockout (see above) and then try to control your garage door with the Tailwind app and observe the door.
If your door does not move at all or responds intermittently (sometimes it will work, sometimes it won't, and there doesn't seem to be any pattern to it), jump down to CASE 2 below.
CASE 1
The door is moving but does something unexpected like stops part way or operates a second time.
Please cycle the door up / down using your wall control or remote control while keeping the Tailwind app open on the door control screen. DO NOT control the door from the app - just observe the door icon in the app and then proceed with the steps below.
DOOR IS NOT SHOWING OPEN IN THE APP AFTER I OPEN IT WITH THE WALL CONTROL
If the door icon in the app DOES NOT show the door open within 3 seconds of the door STARTING to open jump to (CASE 1A) below to troubleshoot this.
DOOR IS SHOWING OPEN IN THE APP AFTER I OPEN IT WITH THE WALL CONTROL
If the door icon in the app DOES show the door open within 3 seconds of STARTING to open, jump down to DOOR PULSE SETTINGS.
DOOR IS NOT SHOWING CLOSED IN THE APP AFTER I CLOSE IT WITH THE WALL CONTROL
If the door icon in the app DOES NOT show the door closed within 3 seconds of the door FINISHING to close, jump to CASE 1B.
DOOR IS SHOWING CLOSED IN THE APP AFTER I CLOSE IT WITH THE WALL CONTROL
If the door icon in the app DOES show the door closed within 3 seconds of the door FINISHING to close, jump down to DOOR PULSE SETTINGS.
CASE 1A
Unplug the wiring harness from your Tailwind controller port. Check the app again. If the app now shows the door open your controller is working properly but there is something wrong with either the wiring or the door sensor operation. If it still shows closed, jump to the next paragraph. Plug the wiring harness back into the Tailwind controller (door will probably show closed again). Check the door sensor wiring for damage such as a staple or nail through the wire. Try moving the door sensor. Depending on the type of door sensor you have and where it is mounted, the magnet may have magnetized something steel near the sensor (drywall screw, nail, screw, section of J-track, etc). This residual magnetism can act like a nearby magnet even when the door opens and the door mounted magnet moves away - causing the sensor to think the door is still closed even when it is open. By temporarily removing the sensor from its current mounting location, you can move it at least 6 inches away from anything steel or magnetic and can check the app again to see if the door shows open. If the door now shows open, please try mounting the door sensor and magnet in a slightly different location. Be careful where / how you mount the door magnet. You don't want it extremely close to something steel that is also near the sensor. This is why the Tailwind Pro sensors and magnets are in aluminum housings, not steel housings. Aluminum is not magnetic like steel.
If the app still shows the door closed even with the door sensor moved a few inches away from anything steel, try disconnecting one of the 2 door sensor wires from the door sensor. If it now shows open in the app, your door sensor is most likely defective and needs to be replaced.
If it still shows closed, disconnect the wiring harness from the Tailwind controller (but leave the controller powered on). If your door still shows closed in the Tailwind app even with the wiring harness unplugged from the port on the controller, please contact support@gotailwind.com and advise our team that your door is still showing closed in the app even with the wiring unplugged from the port. Your controller is most likely damaged - usually caused by electrical surges from storms.
CASE 1B
There is most likely a problem with the door sensor or door sensor wiring.
Check the door sensor wiring for any loose connections or breaks / damage. Sometimes simply unplugging the wiring harness from the controller and plugging it back in can fix the issue if the connector was not quite inserted / locked into place or there was contamination on the terminal contacts of the connector.
If you have one of the new pro style sensors check the grey wire nut connections to make sure the wires are not broken off inside them.
Check the magnet and sensor alignment. The older "legacy" door sensors (shown below) need to be much more closely aligned than the newer Pro commercial grade sensors that work with gaps up to 2 inches.
See the picture below for proper installation of the older legacy track mount sensor. Newer Pro sensors can have much larger gaps.
If adjusting the door sensor / magnet position does not show the door closed in the app, and the wiring is not damaged anywhere, try disconnecting the 2 door sensor wires from the door sensor and touch them together (the 2 wiring harness wires). If the app now shows the door closed, the door sensor is either not detecting the magnet or the sensor is defective and needs to be replaced.
If the door icon in the app DOES show the door closed within 3 seconds of FINISHING to close, jump down to DOOR PULSE SETTINGS.
If you live in Canada or the USA and you are using an adaptor for Chamberlain / Liftmaster / Craftsman openers with round yellow learn buttons and the door is
DOOR PULSE SETTINGS
Open the Tailwind app to the "Door Control" screen.
Tap the gear icon to the right of the door giving you trouble.
Set the number of pulses for open and close to 1 pulse, and try time settings in the 200mS to 600mS range. DO NOT change the number of pulses to 2 unless specifically instructed to do so by a Tailwind Tech Support representative.
NOTE: If you are using an adaptor with your Tailwind system (it looks like a key fob remote connected to your Tailwind control wires) you should leave the open and close door pulse settings at factory defaults of 1 pulse and 1500mS for both.
Try controlling the door again.
If it's still not working, please contact us at support@gotailwind.com
CASE 2
The door does nothing at all or responds intermittently
For some reason your garage door opener is not responding when your Tailwind controller tries to open or close your door (you hear beeping and see a flashing white light when trying to CLOSE the door for example). If this is the case, please check to make sure the control wiring from the Tailwind iQ3 to your opener is making good contact with the correct terminals on your garage door opener. Often they may look like they're connected, but closer inspection reveals one of them is loose / not properly connected. If it never responds at all you may have connected to the wrong terminals or you may have a garage door opener that requires an adaptor for Tailwind to work with it. Please check our online compatibility checker for details about compatibility if you have not already done so. We can make Tailwind work with most garage door openers, but some require special wiring or adaptors.
IF YOU HAVE AN ADAPTOR FOR CHAMBERLAIN / LIFTMASTER / CRAFTSMAN OPENERS PLEASE READ EVERYTHING IN BOLD BELOW:
If this is a new installation and you are using an adaptor, please carefully follow the adaptor installation instructions. No Tailwind or adaptor wires should be physically connected to your garage door opener when using an adaptor, and it is only required if your opener has a yellow learn button and you live in Canada or the USA.
If you've had your Tailwind system installed for a while and it has stopped working, it could simply be that the battery in the adaptor is dead. If you press any of the buttons on the adaptor and the red LED doesn't light up, replace the CR2032 battery inside the adaptor. This can be done by removing the 3 screws, opening the housing, lifting the circuit board, and sliding the battery out. Be careful to insert the new battery in the same way.
When using an adaptor, please do not change the factory default pulse settings for open / close. They should be set to 1 pulse, 1500mS for both open and close. See door pulse settings above to verify your pulse settings are still at factory default.
If you are using an adaptor and the door opens fine but it won't close reliably, please try removing any LED bulbs installed in your garage door opener. If you have a lockout, clear it by cycling the door up / down using the wall control and try again. Many LED bulbs create radio frequency interference, and since they generally only come on when the door is open, they generally only interfere with closing the door, not opening the door.
If you are experiencing intermittent, seemingly random times when your opener is not responding when using an adaptor, please check the connections to the adaptor wires. Look for good contact with the Tailwind wiring harness and check for any residual adhesive that may be left on them after removing the protective tape that was on them during shipping.
Disconnect the adaptor and take it to a location away from your garage door opener (far enough so the signal does not reach your opener). Press and hold whatever button you programmed to your opener for approximately 1-2 seconds and release it. Confirm the red light above buttons 1 and 2 remains on the entire time you hold down the button. Repeat this process 10 or 20 times to make sure the light remains on every time you press and hold the button. If the light occasionally does not stay on the entire time (does a quick flash and then goes out) the adaptor needs to be replaced.
Further Troubleshooting Steps
Please try the following steps so you can finally put this behind you and start enjoying the system! Please do not skip any steps or do them out of sequence. These steps assume you have already confirmed that your garage door opener is directly compatible, or if it needs an adaptor one has been installed and configured according to the instructions that came with the adaptor.
1) Find a short piece of wire (stripped at each end) or a metal paperclip
2) Unplug the wiring harness from port 1 on the Tailwind controller (assuming you have a single door)
3) Before proceeding further, note that your garage door may open / close - so BE CAREFUL. You don't want it to hit you or anything else!
4) Use the short piece of wire or metal paperclip to TOUCH the 2 terminals shown below at the same time, effectively shorting / connecting them together. DO NOT INSERT the wire or paperclip into the holes in the connector pins as this can damage them. This should cause your garage door to open or close each time you touch them together momentarily.
If step 4 DOES NOT cause your garage door to open or close do not follow step 5 onward because it means that the control wires are not connected to your garage door opener correctly. If you are using an adaptor it has either not been installed / configured correctly, the battery is dead, or you are attempting to use it with an incompatible garage door opener.
If step 4 DOES cause your garage door to open or close, it means you've connected the wiring correctly and we need to check the controller side of things with the steps below:
5) Inspect the terminal pins in the wiring harness connector to see if either of the 2 control wire terminals appear to be recessed or "pushed back in" further than others. If you see a particular pin that seems "recessed" into the connector, take note of which one it is. Pllug the wiring harness connector back into port 1 (or whatever port you're using for this particular door) on the Tailwind controller, making sure it locks into place. If you noticed one of the pins seemed "pushed in" during your inspection of the connector, try pushing on that wire now that the connector is re-inserted into the controller.
6) Unplug the power supply, wait at least 5 seconds, and plug it back in.
7) Confirm the status light on the Tailwind controller turns green (usually takes about 10 seconds or so).
8) Open the Tailwind app and confirm the device is online in the "My Devices" screen - you'll see a green bar on the right side.
9) Tap on your device to go to the door control screen.
10) Use a remote control or your wall control to open and close your garage door - NOT the Tailwind app. Confirm that the appropriate door icon in the door control screen in the app is updating its status to correctly reflect the door state (shows open when the door opens and shows closed within seconds of the door closing). This verifies that the door sensor is working correctly. Note that if you only have 1 door, you must use port 1 on the controller.
11) Open your garage door with the remote or wall control and leave it open.
12) Read this full instruction carefully before proceeding as it may close your garage door and also contains a specific instruction near the end. The door icon should be showing the door open in the app. Tap on it. You should hear beeping and see a white flashing light. Please listen for a "click" sound immediately following the beeping sound. You may need to be within 10 feet of the controller to hear the click sound. It should also close the garage door.
If you get all the way to step 12 and your garage door still doesn't operate, it could mean that you need to adjust the pulse settings. Tailwind works by completing the circuit between 2 terminals on your garage door opener - very much like when you press the button on your wall control. A small number of garage door openers are sensitive to how long you hold down the button. Fortunately, this timing can be adjusted easily in Tailwind.
You will probably be locked out if you reach this point in troubleshooting, so please clear that lockout (see steps above) before proceeding.
NOTE: If you are using any adaptors, you should leave your open / close pulse setting at 1 pulse, 1500mS.
To adjust your pulse settings, please watch the video below OR view the instructions above for "Setting Pulse Settings". We suggest trying pulse times around 200mS to 600mS and 1 pulse. The default pulse setting is 1 pulse 1500mS and may be too long for your opener.
If it still doesn't work, please contact us at support@gotailwind.com so we can get you fixed up. Just let us know you tried these steps already, which CASE you followed (1 or 2), and specifically which step in this troubleshooting process went off the rails for you so we don't ask you to try the same steps again :)
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