One of the most frequently asked question we get is following: "Will your device work with my shades?". Generally, answer is yes for all the shades/blinds that operate with beaded chain. However, those chains can be quite different in their size, lenght, and other parameters. To make it work with all of them, we install special adapters that can work with the very type of chain you need - but to choose the best fitting one, we need to know some things about your chain.
Two important measurements are needed to select the correct gearwheel. Ball diameter and spacing. You can easily measure the ball diameter with calipers if you have them. If you don’t just use a ruler or tape measure and try to guess the best you can. Luckily this measurement doesn’t need to be super accurate. You also need to measure the ball spacing. That is a bit more difficult to directly measure. So the easiest way is to just count the number of balls on 10 cm or 4 inches of chain. With these two numbers it should be possible to select a compatible gearwheel from our selection.
We have found that cassette blinds usually come with the smaller bead chain size. The large bead versions are almost non-existent in Europe and mostly only show up in the US and Canada. Another thing to look out for if you have something different from the regular #8 or #10 chain is the chain stopper/connector. Make sure that there is enough travel in the chain to move the blinds without the connector getting in the way. The best way to make sure of that is to move the blinds all the way up and make sure the connector is pretty much touching the mechanism of the blinds (it usually does this by design). Now start lowering your blinds using the chain and see how far down it goes before the connector reaches the lowest point in the loop. Since the Smart Shades motor will attach to the lowest point in the loop this is as far as it will be able to move your blinds. If this is not enough travel you should contact us with some photos of your situation and we will try to help you if possible.
|
SOMA Version |
Ball/Bead Size |
Beads per 10 cm |
|
Small Bead |
3.5 mm (#6) |
23 - 30 |
|
Standard Bead |
4 - 4.75 mm (#8 or #10) |
17 - 20 (may also have double spacing - meaning half the number of balls) |
|
Large Bead |
6.3 mm (#13) |
11 - 13 |
If you have just a plain cord with no balls on it then you will need our special plain cord wheel for that.
In all cases the cord should form a closed loop - two separate cords will not work for this. And ideally the cord should not have any stoppers or attachments that can get caught in the mechanism. If you do have a connector on the chain you can contact us for further instructions and help.