How to Identify a Broken Circuit Board & Find a Replacement

When it's thunderstorm season, your garage door opener’s circuit board is at risk of electric destruction! Sudden power surges can travel through electrical outlets and destroy unprotected garage door equipment like circuit boards. That’s why our experts have written up a handy guide so you can identify a broken circuit board and find a compatible replacement while also protecting yourself from future electrical surges!

What is a Circuit Board? 

Circuit boards go by many names, such as control panels, control boards, logic boards, PC boards, and mother boards to name a few. Whatever you call it, a garage door circuit board is a computer that controls several garage door mechanisms, such as the: 

• Open/close/stop function of garage door motors
• Safety eyes mounted at the bottom of a door 
• Light bulbs 
• Push buttons 
• Radio transmitters

Since a circuit board controls the operation of a garage door, when one breaks or is damaged by lightning, the garage opener cannot read a remote’s signal, leaving homeowners unable to operate their garage door. 

Identifying a Broken Circuit Board 

Powerful electrical surges can fry circuit boards—and the most common cause for a power surge is a nearby lightning strike. If your garage door opener stops working after a thunderstorm, an electrical surge is probably to blame.

Grab the instruction manual for your garage door opener, as it should contain the test procedures needed to see if the problem is the circuit board or another issue. If the board has failed, you'll need to buy a new one. 

Replacing a Circuit Board 

To replace a broken circuit board, make sure you know the exact model your opener needs. Check the instruction manual that came with your garage door opener to find the part number. If it's not listed, examine the board itself and there should be a label with the part number located behind the light cover. We stock a wide range of circuit boards that are ready to ship out fast, so type your circuit board part number into our search bar or visit our listing directly to find the board you need.

How to Protect a Circuit Board from Future Electrical Surges 

Once you've replaced your circuit board, the last thing you need is for it to be fried during the next thunderstorm. Luckily, a universal surge protector is an inexpensive safeguard that protects your garage opener and all of its components from up to 1080 joules caused by surges, spikes and sudden changes in electrical voltage. While this is great during storms, it also protects circuit boards from changes like home appliances being turned on/off. The surge protector even includes an audible alarm that notifies you when it needs replaced so you can rest easy during the next storm that rolls through your neighborhood. 

Need More Help with Your Circuit Board? Please ask! 

Our in-house experts will make sure you get the perfect replacement circuit board. 

• Call: 800-783-6112 
• Email: support@northshorecommercialdoor.com