Automate Motor Not Working? Here’s What To Check First

Why Your Automate Motor Is Not Working

If your Automate rechargeable blind motor suddenly stops responding, it’s easy to assume the motor has failed.

If your Automate motor is not working, the problem may not actually be a failed motor. In many cases, Automate rechargeable motors simply become heavily discharged and stop responding normally until they have been properly charged again.

We had an Automate motor today that completely threw us off at first.

When we plugged the charger in, the motor only blinked green once.

Then when we unplugged it, it blinked red.

At the time, we didn’t realise the charging LED itself can actually be turned OFF — so initially, it genuinely looked like the motor may have failed.

But we kept charging it anyway.

After more time on charge, the motor eventually came back to life normally.

What was really happening was:

• the battery was heavily discharged

• the charging LED had likely been disabled

• and the motor simply needed more recovery time before responding properly again.

This is important because heavily discharged Automate motors can sometimes appear completely dead when they’re actually just extremely flat.

How To Charge Your Automate Li-ion Motor

Charging an Automate rechargeable motor is simple:

1. Rotate the cover cap to expose the motor head

2. Plug the Automate motor charger into a power source

3. Plug the micro USB charger into the motor

4. Observe the charging light

5. Refit the cover cap once charging is complete

The official Automate charging guide states charging may take up to 8 hours depending on how flat the battery is.

So if your motor has been flat for a long time:

• don’t panic

• don’t unplug it after a few minutes

• and don’t immediately assume the motor is faulty.

What The Charging Lights Actually Mean

According to the Automate programming guide:

Solid Green

The motor is fully charged.

Blinking Green

The motor is charging and battery level is above 50%.

Blinking Green & Red

The motor is charging but battery level is still below 50%.

This is where many people unplug the charger too early.

If your motor is flashing green and red, leave it charging longer.

In our case, the motor only blinked green once when plugged in and red when unplugged, which initially made it appear faulty even though it eventually recovered after extended charging.

The Charging LED Can Be Disabled

This is the part many people don’t know.

The charging LED itself can actually be turned OFF.

So if you plug the charger in and see little or no charging indication, the LED may simply be disabled rather than the motor being faulty.

To toggle the charging LED ON or OFF:

• the motor must be at the LOWER LIMIT

• hold the DOWN button for approximately 5 seconds

Once your motor is working normally again:

✅ Re-enable the charging LED.

This makes future charging and troubleshooting much easier, especially if the battery ever becomes heavily discharged again.

How To Check How Much Battery Charge Your Motor Has

Most people don’t realise Automate motors can actually estimate remaining battery charge visually.

To use the battery check function:

1. Move the blind to the UPPER LIMIT (fully open position)

2. Hold the UP button for approximately 5 seconds

3. The blind will move to indicate remaining battery percentage

The upper limit represents:

• fully charged

The lower limit represents:

• depleted battery

So the position the blind moves to gives you a rough indication of remaining battery charge.

This is a really useful way to confirm whether:

• the motor is actually low on battery

• charging properly

• or potentially suffering from another issue.

Important:

This battery check feature works on Automate rechargeable Li-ion motors using an internal battery pack.

Don’t Ignore 10 Beeps

If your Automate motor gives:

10 beeps

the battery voltage is low and the motor needs charging.

A lot of “dead motor” service calls are actually just low battery warnings being ignored for too long.

Before Replacing The Motor

Before replacing an Automate rechargeable motor, check:

• Is the battery heavily discharged?

• Has it been charging long enough?

• Is the charging LED disabled?

• Are you getting low battery warning beeps?

• Is the charger working properly?

Sometimes the motor isn’t dead at all.

It simply needs enough charge to wake back up properly.

Final Thoughts

Rechargeable blind motors are incredibly reliable, but once the battery gets very low, the symptoms can be misleading.

A heavily discharged motor can:

• appear dead

• stop responding normally

• or barely show charging activity at all.

Understanding the charging lights, warning beeps, and battery check functions can save a lot of unnecessary service calls and motor replacements.

And if your Automate motor still isn’t responding after proper charging, feel free to contact us before replacing parts unnecessarily.

Still Having Problems With Your Automate Motor?

If your Automate motor is still not working after charging properly, there may be:

• a charger issue

• pairing problem

• battery failure

• or motor fault.

We supply genuine Automate motors, chargers, remotes and replacement parts across Australia, and we’re happy to help point you in the right direction before you replace parts unnecessarily.

You can also contact us if you need help identifying:

• compatible replacement motors

• charging accessories

• remote controls

• or retrofit options for existing roller blinds.