Automatic Electric Gate Lock

I have a dual actuator Ghost gate opener. I could not get the board included with the lock to work correctly. I think because the controller initially outputs a small but increasing voltage on the red (or black) wire to get a smooth start to the opener until it reaches full speed at 12V, the initial voltage applied didn't seem to be high enough for the ghost board to "think" that the lock was open. I have a replacement main control board that Ghost shipped me when mine failed and I think they changed the programming on the newer boards. With the old board, I could get the lock to work by just jumping the positive (+) terminal to the signal (S) terminal on the ghost board, but with the new one, it would not work that way. My theory is that the controller is looking for a miniscule delay from the time the lock is actuated until the signal returns and that is why the jumper didn't work anymore. I say this because with the board jumpered, the opener would not operate, but by manually shorting + to S right after pushing the button, the opener would operate. This short delay meant that a time delay relay (TDR) should be the fix. I initially tried a hardware driven TDR, but when the lock actuated, the relay would flutter on and off multiple times per second and I was afraid that it would wear out in a week, so what I wound up doing was installing an electronic timer that had a delay function. I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083HN673G?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details It has been rock solid so far and because it is completely electronic, it does not suffer from the flutter that the other relay had. It is possible that I got a bad relay, but it worked fine with other setups. Yes, it adds $35 to the cost of the setup, but it is still $100 cheaper than the ghost lock. I have attached an image showing how I wired the timer. I used function 1 and set the delay to 10/30ths (1/3) of a second Sorry for the long explanation, but I tried many different combinations (including the other ones listed on this page) and this was the only way I was finally able to get the lock to work reliably with my ghost control system

If, as I suspect, most locks, other than a, "Ghost Controls®" lock, work like the, "Mighty Mule®", lock, then this circuit card isn't needed. It may not even be needed with this lock and the, "Ghost Controls®, opener. I've discovered that the, "GTO by Mighty Mule®", lock is NOT polarity minded and can be hooked directly to the motor control terminals in a, Ghost Controls®, gate opener. Read on for how I came to this conclusion: Update: I've now tested this lock, and like the GTO by Mighty Mule, it's not polarity minded. I think one can safely assume that all of these gate locks are simply electromagnets, and reversing the polarity of an electromagnet only reverses that magnet's polarity. But, that's only a factor if the material you want the magnet to attract, or repel, is magnetized, itself. So, these locks will retract when 12 Volts of direct current is sent to them, no matter the polarity. So, wiring them to the actuator motor's control terminals on the main board, will retract (open) them in either direction. I bought this, because I have a new, “Ghost Controls®”, gate opener, and they don’t come with locks. Also, their lock, while it looks like all the others, is a 3 wire circuit, not 2 wires like others. They say it provides higher security. Personally, I believe it’s simply to force people to buy their over priced lock - $238.00, where most others are below $100.00! So, when I came across this lock on Amazon, and saw a review wherein someone had used it with a gate opener like mine, & with photos of how they had wired it, I bought it. But, as my gate already has a, “GTO by Mighty Mule®”, brand lock welded to it, I simply tried using the circuit board that this lock comes with and the wiring in the photos, to control the, “GTO®”, lock. Did it work? Well, sort of. It would cause the lock to draw back upon an ‘open’ command being sent to the controller, allowing the gate to open, but it wouldn’t retract the lock again when a ‘close’ command was given. It didn’t take me a second to understand why. This little circuit board has a 12 volt DC relay on it, and the way the guy had this wired, it was getting it’s signal to energize the relay from the actuator motor’s control terminals on the main board, the only place that an activation signal could be obtained. The reason the lock would not function upon a ‘close’ command, is because the actuator closes the gate by reversing its motor’s direction of rotation. This is done by reversing the polarity being sent to those motor control terminals on the main board, and the relay on the little circuit card that comes with this has a 12 volt DC relay, which is polarity minded and cannot be energized with reversed polarity. So, it seemed an obvious solution to simply put a bridge rectifier between the motor control terminals and the circuit card with the relay. That should cause proper polarity to be delivered to the relay’s coil, no matter what polarity was available at the motor control terminals. Only problem was, once that bridge rectifier was hooked up to those motor control terminals, and even with the rectifier's output not connected to anything, the controller would throw an error signal the minute an ‘open, or ‘close’, command was sent to the controller. Something in the Ghost Controls motor actuator circuit did not like having that bridge connected there, even with nothing else connected to the bridge! I was dismayed. But, I decided to try something (and Im glad I did!). As the lock solenoid is a 12 volt unit, I decided to eliminate the circuit card, and just connect the lock’s wires directly to the motor control terminals, instead of the lock terminals, where nothing will work without Ghost’s lock. When I’d first set it up with the circuit board, I could use the gate, as it would draw back the lock on the ‘open’ command, and when closing, even though the lock didn’t draw back, the gate would close with enough force to push the lock back when it struck the pin, forcing the gate to close and be locked. But, that was hard on the gate and getting rid of that, is why I was attempting all of this in the 1st place. So, now I had the 2 lock wires hooked directly to those motor control terminals. I gave the gate an ‘open’ command, and the lock drew back and the gate opened, the lock returning to ‘locked’ position upon the gate being fully open, all as I expected. But, to my pleasant surprise, when I gave it a ‘close’ command, the lock also drew back, remaining back until the gate was fully closed, and then popping back out, securing the gate upon full closure! So, it would seem that the, "GTO® lock isn’t polarity minded, and will retract with either polarity presented to it!! Problem solved, but only after waisting $70.00 on this lock! It’s a shame that these gate companies are so competitive that they won’t release this kind of information!

As indicated in my detailed instructions, the process to program this piece of junk can be done, however, the time expended to do so is a waste of time because the lock will become defective after it is used for a month or so. In my case, the lock worked flawlessly for about two months, teeth would quickly disengage when activated, then the teeth would not disengage even though it was receiving power. then worked intermittently for a month. Worked again. Then, a month or so later would work only when it wanted to. It is time to trash it. I tried to contact the seller, but that was impossible. Hopefully, Amazon will step in and get me a refund. If not, I will never buy anything on Amazon again because a few other items I purchased recently are also junk. From this experience it is clear that you get what you pay for, buy cheaply made junk, then that is what you get. As indicated in my detailed instructions, the process to program this piece of junk The instructions provided by the seller were useless, (so was the information provided by the buyers who posted installation data) so that should have been a warning to return the lock, but I decided to spend several hours trying to figure out how to install it so it would work. I almost gave up, but perseverance paid off. (The only problem I encountered five months after purchase was the lock would malfunction (not open) when the outside temp hit above 105% which occasionally occurs here in the desert. Other than that, the lock works fine so. I purchased this item on Amazon, the seller was/is EZY Control, aka X-X House. On or about September 1, 2022, less than three months after installation, the gate lock became defective, that is the teeth would not engage/release when activated, thus preventing the gate from opening. I was hoping there was a way to contact the seller for assistance, however, there is no way to do that, si I to contact Amazon and was told they would issue a refund. In retrospect I should not have been so penurious and just purchased a Ghost Controls Zombie lock, but I was trying to save a buck. As I justified the purchase to my wife, this lock was 1/2 the price of a Zombie lock. Now the wife is laughing at me as I spend the time removing it. END OF COMPLAINT. For those of you who disregard my experience, I am leaving my instructions how to quickly install the gate lock. Raad it, look at the photos as it will save you a lot of time. For the reading challenged, I posted clear and concise photos showing how to make the requisite connections to enable this lock to work on your GS gate opener lickity split, so, just skip the narrative and look at the photos. I tried to post the photos in order of use, however, Amazon changed the sequence order so I numbered them 1-7 left to right. Moreover, if you want to use the lock as designed, to securely open and close the gate while inside your car, without having to exit to manually lock the gate, I am providing information and guidance to help in that regard. Photos are also posted. To begin, to ensure the Ghost Controls control box reflected in the photos I posted is the same model as yours (most GC control boxes are the same or very similar), you may find it wise to take a couple minutes to read the following, then compare the photos to your specific model. I took the time to post these instructions & photos because as another purchaser pointed out, whoever posted the 3 photos of the installation process for the GC (which I relied on to my detriment) must have done so with the goal of showing how not to attach the wires because the diagram is WRONG!! (Those photos may be for a GC Zombie lock which will NOT work for this lock) The Zombie Lock, which may be easier to connect because it is a GC, however, it costs twice as much Following the information set forth herein will make the task almost as easy as connecting a GC Zombie lock. Threre is another post, long and rambling provided by another purchaser which was accurate, I found it confusing, having to read it several times. Finally, after I installed the lock I discovered if I want to securely close and open the gate from my car I would have to replace the clevis pin that came with the lock with one designed for a lock. I explained in detail below how to accomplish that task. Hopefully the following information will be helpful. To avoid confusion, I will begin by identifying the model I installed for my daughter: HDP1, Manor Series, single column. (Costco HDSK) HERE ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Don't waste time contacting the seller unless you speak Chinese. 2. Parts needed: 1) 12 inches of red 16/8 AWG wire; 2) 12" of black 18/18 AWG wire; 3) 12" of blue, or any color 16/18 AWG wire; 4) three (3) electrical connectors; 5) locking clevis pin. 3. Open the GC control box and look (bottom center) for one black and one red wire coming from the battery box to the control box. Those two wires are connected to two wires in the control box. (right hand side) They are push and pull, so easy to disengage. (see 6-7) 4. Disconnect both the red and black wires that are connected to the two blue push and pull connectors. Use two (2 red connectors) of the electrical wire connectors to connect the wires, then snap the battery/control box wires together. You now have four (4) dangling wires, one red and one black. (See photos 6-7) 5. Fetch the small control board DS33A that came with the lock and connect the red wire to the NO (4) terminal. (The terminals are numbered 1-5)(See photos 3, 5) 6. Connect the black wire to GND terminal number 2. (See photos 3, 5) 7. I am next presuming you have run the lock wires, one red, one blue, up through the GC control box. If not, do that next. Easy peasy. 8. Connect either wire to the CM (5) terminal on the small Control Board DS33A. (see photos 3, 5) 9. Connect the other wire to GND terminal number 3. (see photos 3, 5) 10. Fetch about 12" of 16/18 gauge wire, blue, green, purple, any color except red or black and connect it to the number 1 (VCC) terminal on the DS331 lock control board. (see photos 3, 5) 11. To check to insure you made the correct connections, take the wire described in No 10 above and run it up to the battery box and quickly touch the positive terminal. If you hear a click, then go to the next final step. If no click, follow the instructions again. 12. Just about done. Look for the 1st Operator connection in the GC control box. (near bottom on the far right hand side) Depending upon whether you have a push or pull opener will determine where you attach the No. 1 wire VCC. (see above No 10)(see photo 2) 13. If you have a push operator, fetch the electrical wire connector and splice it to the VCC wire to the black terminal. If you have a pull operator, tie into the red terminal. (See photo 2) if you followed the instructions, you are done. SECURING THE LOCK: As others have pointed out, when the gate is closed, if not locked with a key, (which would be a pain in the ...) every time you opened and closed the gate you would have to fetch a key and lock it to prevent intruders. What I initially did was purchase a stainless steel clevis pin ($9.00) at Ace Hardware, bored out one of the holes to make it larger to accommodate the combo lock, (Brinks model 171-30051) then slid the lock inside. I did not like the way the lock sat in the slot so I bought a GC locking clevis pin on Amazon. (See photos reflecting different clevis pins)(see photo 1) The GC pin was wider than the top and bottom clevis pion slots in the lock mounting bracket so I grabbed my Harbor Freight rotary tool and bore out the slots in the bracket by about 1/32 of an inch. (see photo 4) DONE

I've used a couple of these locks both as a new install and replacements for the GTO brand. So far I like the product. It seems to hold the gate very securely and I am most impressed with how easily it latches compared to the other brand. The installation is fairly simple and it will work on a round or square frame assuming you have basic wiring and installation skills. I would not recommend using this on an automated driveway gate unless it is a single leaf latching to a fixed post. If I have a complaint it would be the strike itself looking and feeling a little cheaply made. It will accept 12 or 24 vdc. Minimal current draw. I have purchased three in the last year and all of them are still in operation.

This item works perfectly with my mighty mule 371W. I had a little trouble figuring out the correct wiring, so I contacted the seller and within 24 hours they sent me a color coded wiring diagram. Side note, the electric lock comes locked with the key so don't forget to unlock it the first time you use it.

Not sure what happened but got the genuine lock in my package.

It worked for about 2-1/2 years. It just died. The original one from Mighty Mule lasted quite a long time, but the OEM costs twice as much.

Works great, and doesn't bind on the latch, also stays energized long enough for the latch to release in strong wind, fully adjustable on the included terminal board, for Ghost openers it will not work on the lock terminals on the opener board, you must connect VCC1 to the + battery connector, and the - to the negative going to the opener arm so its energized when the arm is in the open scenario, you must ignore the lock terminals on the board completely, I almost returned it until I used a tester to pin out the connectors, and used common sense. its a shame that instructions are not clearer, and support is useless.