How To Wire Sensors To Stanley Automatic Sliding Doors - Everything You Need To Know

Stanley Automatic Access Technologies has been manufacturing automatic sliding doors for decades. Their most popular commercial automatic sliding door system, the Stanley Duraglide, has gone through many controller designs throughout this time. Probably the most notable and popular control box they used was the long rectangular Model J control box. The Model J control box utilized an additional interface board where the sensors connected. After the Model J control box, Stanley came out with MC521/MC521 Pro Controllers (part number 185101-1). The MC521 control family is smaller in size then the Model J and is shaped closer to a square. All sensor connections take place directly on the MC521 and it does not utilize an interface board. In this article we go over everything you need to know to be able to connect automatic door sensors to both controller types.

Before we explain exactly how to connect the automatic sliding door sensors to the Stanley controllers, it is best to understand the basic wiring of automatic sliding door sensors in general. Most automatic sliding door sensors have the ability to run on 12 or 24 VAC or VDC. On most automatic door controllers today they feature a 12 or 24 VDC power supply right on the controller. Typically the red wire will represent + power and the black would represent the - power. Most automatic door sensors typically feature 2 types of detection, microwave motion detection and presence detection. The microwave motion detection is typically represented as the green wire for activation, and the white wire for the common. The infrared presence detection is represented by blue safety wire and it's common is the brown wire. This is typically the color code for most popular automatic door sensors, however always check the manufacturer's instructions for the wire pin out to confirm. Many automatic door sensors come from overseas and may feature different wire colors.

Common Automatic Door Sensor Pinout

Power +, Red Wire
Power -, Black Wire
Motion Activation, Green Wire
Motion Common, White Wire
Presence Safety, Blue Wire
Presence Common, Brown Wire

Microwave Motion Vs Infrared Presence

Again most automatic sliding door sensors feature both technologies. With microwave motion, this portion of sensor will detect when a pedestrian is moving. If the pedestrian suddenly holds still and stops moving, the microwave motion portion of the sensor will not pick up the pedestrian. A long time ago when automatic sliding doors first appeared, they only featured microwave motion sensors, making them dangerous because if pedestrians decided to stop and stand still, then the sensors would no longer detect them. The infrared presence portion of the sensor, detects individuals if they stand in the detection zone. With this technology, even if a pedestrian is standing still, as long as he or she is in the detection zone of the presence sensor, he or she will be detected. Today with advancements in sensor technologies, most sensors feature both microwave motion and presence safety.

Stanley Model J Control Box With Sensors

Below in Figure 1, shows a typical automatic door setup with 2 motion/presence activation sensors and hold open safety beams connected to the Stanley Duraglide Model J Interface Board.

General Interior Automatic Door Sensor Connection To Model J Interface Board
Sensor Power +, Red Wire Connects To 24 Volt Transformer
Sensor Power -, Black Wire Connects To 24 Volt Transformer
Sensor Motion Activation, Green Wire Connects To Stanley TB2 Terminal 4
Sensor Motion Common, White Wire Connects To Stanley TB2 Terminal 3
Sensor Presence Safety, Blue Wire Connects To Stanley TB3 Terminal 8
Sensor Presence Common, Brown Wire Connects To Stanley TB3 Terminal 3

General Exterior Automatic Door Sensor Connection To Model J Interface Board
Sensor Power +, Red Wire Connects To 24 Volt Transformer
Sensor Power -, Black Wire Connects To 24 Volt Transformer
Sensor Motion Activation, Green Wire Connects To Stanley TB2 Terminal 8
Sensor Motion Common, White Wire Connects To Stanley TB2 Terminal 7
Sensor Presence Safety, Blue Wire Connects To Stanley TB3 Terminal 8
Sensor Presence Common, Brown Wire Connects To Stanley TB3 Terminal 3

Figure: Stanley Duraglide Model J Interface Board With Sensors

Stanley MC521 Control Box With Sensors

Below in Figure 2, shows a typical automatic door setup with 2 motion/presence activation sensors and hold open safety beams connected to the Stanley Duraglide MC521 185101-1 control box.

General Interior Automatic Door Sensor Connection To MC521 (185101-1) Control
Sensor Power +, Red Wire Connects To Stanley TB4 Terminal 1
Sensor Power -, Black Wire Connects To Stanley TB4 Terminal 2
Sensor Motion Activation, Green Wire Connects To Stanley TB4 Terminal 4
Sensor Motion Common, White Wire Connects To Stanley TB4 Terminal 3
Sensor Presence Safety, Blue Wire Connects To Stanley TB3 Terminal 8
Sensor Presence Common, Brown Wire Connects To Stanley TB3 Terminal 7

General Exterior Automatic Door Sensor Connection To MC521 (185101-1) Control
Sensor Power +, Red Wire Connects To Stanley TB4 Terminal 6
Sensor Power -, Black Wire Connects To Stanley TB4 Terminal 5
Sensor Motion Activation, Green Wire Connects To Stanley TB4 Terminal 8
Sensor Motion Common, White Wire Connects To Stanley TB4 Terminal 7
Sensor Presence Safety, Blue Wire Connects To Stanley TB3 Terminal 8
Sensor Presence Common, Brown Wire Connects To Stanley TB3 Terminal 7

Figure 2: Stanley Duraglide MC521 185101-1 With Sensors

Tips For Connecting Sensors To Stanley Automatic Door Controllers

Tip #1 Make Sure Sensor Wire Is Properly Secured In Terminal
Stanley control boxes feature very nice wire terminal buses. Each sensor wire can be inserted into the proper terminal and secured by tightening the fastener on the terminal bus. After you secure a sensor wire, gently pull on the wire to insure that it is indeed secure in the terminal bus. You would be surprised how many times sensor wires are not properly secured, and after a few door cycles, the wires fall out.

Tip #2 Make Sure The Right Sensor Is Installed In The Proper Terminal
This may seem like common sense, but it is actually very common that this occurs. Always make sure the outside sensor is wired into the control terminals related to outside activation and vice versa for the interior sensor. Wiring them backwards can cause problems especially if your door operates in special modes such as exit only or enter only, as the wrong sensor would be activating the door.

With these tips you will be able to wire in your automatic door sensors into a Stanley Duraglide Automatic Sliding Door. Remember to always refer to the sensor manufacturer's instructions as well as the Stanley Duraglide manufacturer instructions, as instructions are always updated. This article is a generalization of how sensors work and should not be used as instructions for installation. Always make sure sensors are connected by certified automatic door technicians. Of course if you have any questions you can always contact us at custsvc@autodoorandhardware.com . And if you need to purchase automatic door sensors and parts you can do so at the link below.

Buy Automatic Door Sensors Here