What is A Dip Switch on a Garage Door Opener?[Explined]

A garage door opener of a house is relatively easy to program. To begin with, you should understand the kind of system it works with.

In general, there are two popular garage door opener systems: the fixed code or dip switch and the rolling code.

In our discussion, we will explore what is a dip switch on a garage door opener. Find more information here for a clear understanding of what it is and how it works.

DIP Switch on A Garage Door Opener

A dip switch is short for a dual in-line package (DIP) switch. It consists of a number of switches in a single base.

The switches look like a row of 8 to 12 switches in a small unit. They are commonly mounted on a PCB or breadboard.

You may notice such kind of switch in your garage door opener if it contains a DIP switch system. Moreover, the DIP switches are also found in the corresponding remote.

In general, DIP switches are found inside garage doors that were manufactured before 1993

How do DIP Switches Work In a Garage Door Opener?

A user needs to manually move the switch to activate or deactivate the system.

By adjusting the switches up and down and matching sequences in the receiver and the remote, you can create a unique code for your garage door opening.

Position of DIP Switches On a Garage Door Opener & Remote

A garage door opener will have DIP switches inside the motor unit. Again, the second set of dip switches will be found on the remote.

The image below shows a set of DIP switches on the garage door opener and another on the remote controlling it.

DIP switches setup location
Image: Veterangaragedoor

Each module will have a number of positions based on the number of switches.

The most common configurations you will get in the market are,

  • 2 position dip switch
  • 3-position dip switch
  • 4-way dip switch
  • 8-pin dip switch
  • 8-way dip switch
  • 10-position dip switch
  • 10 dip switch
10-position DIP switch
10-position DIP switch

Here is an image of the clicker Universal 2-Button Garage Door Remote KLIK1U.

On the inside of the unit, you’ll find a DIP switch.

clicker Universal 2-Button Garage Door Remote
Image: Removeandreplace

Types of DIP Switches

There is no significant difference between the various DIP switch models.

However, the design and the operation are different for rotary, rocker, and slider styles of DIP switches.

ImageNameUsage
Rotary DIP switches

Rotary DIP switches

  • Precision measurement gauges, sound editing, test equipment, military voice, data communications, aerospace and radio transmitters, and receivers
Slide/rocker/piano DIP switches

Slide/rocker/piano DIP switches

  • Garage door openers, remote, PC expansion card, various control cabinets, motherboards, game arcade machine

Image Source: RS component Ltd

Pros of Using DIP Switches:

  • An inexpensive solution for circuit design
  • Ability to change switches positions quickly
  • Widely used in industrial equipment

How to Program a DIP Switch Garage Door Opener

By now, we learned where to look for DIP switches in the garage door openers.

Find a set of DIP switches inside the motor unit of the garage door opener and a matching set inside the remote.

If we change the position of the switches, it will change the code shared between the remotes and the garage door opener receiver.

Therefore, to program DIP switches on the garage door opener, the main goal is to match the pattern of switches between the remote and garage door opener receiver.

After we are done matching both DIP switches, we need to make sure the door has no obstacles.

Finally, by pressing the button on the remote, we can move the door accordingly.

Key Takeaway

DIP switches on a garage door opener are a row of switches set in a single panel. They are located in the receiver of the opener and the corresponding remote.

One can create a custom code for their garage door by matching the DIP switches on both the remote and the receiver.

However, in recent times, DIP switches have lost popularity due to the rise of easily customizable software configurations.

Citation:

Dip switches 101

Remote control dip switch

Liftmaster 387LM Universal Wireless Keypad

I am Ramiro Garcia, founder and author of Garage Ever with a love of all things space. I have created this blog to share resources everything related to auto care and garage. I have a garage and parter with my friend and we started this as a hobby and now it’s our full-time job. I love what I do and enjoy sharing that with you.

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