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Search for Centurion remote instructions and you will find two sets of answers that have nothing to do with each other, because two different businesses use the name. This guide covers Centurion Systems motors and their NOVA remotes. Confirm that is what you own before anything else.
Two companies called Centurion
Centurion Systems is an automation maker founded in South Africa. It is mostly known for sliding and swing gate motors such as the D5-Evo and D10, and it also makes a sectional garage door operator, the SDO4. Its remotes carry the NOVA name. Centurion Garage Doors is a family-owned door manufacturer here in Western Australia. It makes sectional and roller doors and sells openers with them, such as the Euro 1250. The two companies are not related, and a remote from one will not program to the other just because the name matches.
Quick ways to tell which one you have
- The remote says NOVA on the case: that is Centurion Systems.
- The motor drives a sliding or swing gate and says Centurion on the cover: almost certainly Centurion Systems.
- The garage door came from Centurion Garage Doors: read the motor label anyway, because the opener may be theirs or another brand entirely.
- No name on the motor at all: photograph the label or sticker inside the light cover and match it before buying a remote.
If yours turns out to be a Centurion Garage Doors opener, follow the instructions that came with the door, or start with our all-makes remote programming guide. Our page on Centurion Garage Doors openers such as the Euro 1250 covers repairs and servicing for that range.
How NOVA remotes and receivers work
NOVA is Centurion Systems' code-hopping remote system. Every press sends a fresh code, and the receiver only acts on a remote it has been taught. On most current Centurion controllers the receiver is built into the control board, with the LEARN button and a status LED beside it. Older installations, and some where a Centurion receiver was added to another brand of motor, have a separate receiver box wired in near the motor. In both cases the receiver learns each remote button individually, and on many receivers each learned button can be pointed at a different job, such as opening the gate fully or opening it only wide enough to walk through. If your remote does not say NOVA, it may be an older or aftermarket type, so confirm it suits a NOVA receiver before you start.
Learning a remote at the controller
Mains power sits close to the LEARN button
Reaching the LEARN button can mean taking off a light cover or a motor cover while the power is on. Touch only that button. If getting to it exposes mains wiring or terminals, stop and have it done by someone who works on these motors. Keep the door or gate path clear before any test, because it will move as soon as a code is accepted.
- Press the new remote and check its own LED lights. If it does not, sort the battery first.
- Close the garage door or gate and clear its path.
- Find the LEARN button and status LED. On a garage operator it is usually reached by removing the light cover; on a gate motor it is on the controller under the motor's cover at ground level.
- Press LEARN. Some controllers want a short press and others a hold, so follow your manual. The status LED lights or changes pattern to show the receiver is in learn mode.
- Press and hold the remote button you want to use until the LED signals that the code has been stored, usually with a flash or by going out.
- If your receiver lets you choose what the button does, such as full open or pedestrian opening, select it the way the manual describes before or during this step.
- Refit the cover, stand well clear, and test the button. Repeat for every remote and every button you want to use.
Can you program a Centurion remote with another remote?
Sometimes. Some NOVA receivers can add a new remote using one that is already learned, which saves opening the motor. Whether yours can depends on the receiver and on how it was set up, and the button sequence is not the same across the range, so the manual for your controller or receiver is the only reliable source. Two things hold on every version. You still have to be within range of the receiver, because it is the receiver doing the learning. And no remote can copy a NOVA code over the air, so a handset sold as a copier will not work on a Centurion Systems motor.
One remote for the gate and the garage
Plenty of Perth homes have a sliding driveway gate and a garage door, and a four-button NOVA remote can run both when both have Centurion Systems receivers. Learn button one at the gate controller, then button two at the garage operator, as two separate jobs. If the garage opener is another brand, one remote will only cover both if it is a multi-brand remote that lists both systems. Otherwise it means two remotes, or a Centurion receiver fitted to the garage opener, which is work for someone who installs them.
Does unplugging the opener reset the remotes?
No. Learned remotes are held in memory that survives a power cut, so switching off at the wall does not erase anything on a Centurion Systems controller, and the same is true of nearly every modern opener. Many Centurion gate motors run from a battery that the mains keeps charged, so switching off at the wall may not even stop the motor. Erasing remotes is a deliberate act: usually a long hold on LEARN until the LED signals the memory has cleared, with the exact timing in your manual. Some receivers can also delete a single remote. Our guide to resetting an opener and its remotes explains when a wipe is the right call.
Why won't my Centurion remote work, even with new batteries?
A new battery can still be the wrong size, sit upside down, or press against a corroded contact, so check those first. Next, check whether the remote was ever learned to this receiver. Remotes are sometimes wiped when a receiver is replaced or when a previous owner clears the memory. A remote learned to the wrong function will run the gate in pedestrian mode, or run the gate instead of the garage. Some Centurion controllers also have a holiday lockout mode that ignores remotes until it is switched off, which the status LED or display will show. Finally, a receiver aerial that has been knocked loose or damaged cuts range to almost nothing. The general causes are on our remote not working troubleshooting page.
If you are in Perth and the remote still refuses, we repair and service Centurion Systems garage operators across across all of Perth, from Yanchep to Mandurah, check the receiver while we are there, and supply and learn new handsets through our remote replacement service. There is no call-out fee, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts. Most remote jobs are finished the same day.
Centurion Systems documents its NOVA remotes and controllers on its Australian site, and WA Consumer Protection covers faulty products bought in WA.