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How to set tubular motor limits

Updated: October 2026

You already have the motor in the barrel, and the curtain stops short of the sill or climbs into the box. Setting tubular motor limits means moving two mechanical stops so the travel ends where the opening ends. It does not mean copying another brand's screw chart, and it does not mean ordering a replacement because the motor went quiet mid-setup. The listings in our [tubular motor comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/tubular-motor) do not share one screw map. Peter F. used those listings and public instruction sheets, and did not set a motor on a bench. Isolate the supply before you touch the head. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have the motor in the barrel, and the curtain stops short of the sill or climbs into the box. Setting tubular motor limits means moving two mechanical stops so the travel ends where the opening ends.

Our top picks

Neco Neco ED2/180-M 180 Nm

Best overall

Neco Neco ED2/180-M 180 Nm
5.3/10about £88.99
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Generic Generic 100 Nm with 97 mm adaptor

Alternative

Generic Generic 100 Nm with 97 mm adaptor
4.4/10about £83.00
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superrollo superrollo RM10MM 10 Nm

Preis-Tipp

superrollo superrollo RM10MM 10 Nm
3.9/10about £46.34
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On this page
  1. 1.Two screws, and why the arrows matter
  2. 2.Set the stops without pulling the curtain out of the guides
  3. 3.When the motor stops and will not restart
  4. 4.What this set does not do for you

Two screws, and why the arrows matter

On a mechanical-limit motor, each screw belongs to one direction of travel. Plus lengthens travel in that direction and minus shortens it. Which screw is up follows the arrows on the motor you are holding, and it can change with a left-hand or right-hand install. The 3T sheet warns that plus and minus can flip with the cable position. That pattern is not a map for a superrollo or a Neco. None of the ten listings here claims obstacle detection. If the arrows and your sheet disagree, stop. Whether the listing prints a limit type is on the tubular motor buying guide.

Set the stops without pulling the curtain out of the guides

Find a stop that is still inside the opening, then add travel in small moves. UK Roller Shutters tells you to bring both stops inside the opening before you add plus, and not to let the door buzz against the floor. The 3T sheet, for those motors only, leaves the upper stop about 3 cm before the box. That 3 cm is not a rule for the superrollo RM10MM. You do not finish the stops on an empty tube, because you cannot see where the hem will sit. Override for a door sits on the roller shutter tubular motor page.
Neco Neco ED2/180-M 180 Nm

Testsieger

Neco Neco ED2/180-M 180 Nm
5.3/10about £88.99
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When the motor stops and will not restart

A motor that runs for a few cycles and then refuses to move is often in thermal cut-out. A 4-minute duty is printed on the Neco 180 Nm and the generic 100 Nm. Gliderol's 2025 sheet says wait a couple of hours. The 3T sheet says wait at least ten minutes. Neither time is the Neco time or the superrollo time. Leave the motor so it cannot start while you are still in the guides, and come back when it has had the pause your own sheet names. If it still will not run after that pause, you are past a cut-out and into a fault.

What this set does not do for you

These ten listings do not claim electronic limits or obstacle detection. If the curtain meets an obstruction, these motors as described keep trying until the mechanical stop or the thermal cut-out. UK Roller Shutters assigns the final wiring to a qualified electrician with the equipment shut down. If the cable is damaged, if you are adding a circuit, or if the only manual is not in English, stop turning screws. Which motor is a sensible purchase before you own the screws is on the best tubular motor page.

Common questions

Where are the limit screws on a mechanical tubular motor?
On the motors here that describe them, they are on the head. The superrollo RM10MM and RM30MM include an adjustment tool. The Neco ED2/180-M states mechanical limits. The generic 100 Nm includes a tool and does not name the type beyond that. The Neco 60 Nm, both Ellards, the Ttgo, and the Rollerhouse do not print a procedure in this scrape. Use the head you have, not a photo of another brand.
Does plus always mean up?
Plus lengthens travel in the direction that screw controls, and minus shortens it. Which screw is upward follows the arrows and the hand of the install. The 3T sheet says the sense can flip with the cable position on those motors. A coloured screw from another drawing is not a universal code. If your arrows and your sheet disagree, stop turning.
Can you use another brand's screw directions on a superrollo or a Neco?
No. Gliderol's 2025 sequence, the UK Roller Shutters arrows, and the 3T notes are each that maker's sheet. superrollo includes a tool and does not publish a turn count here. The Neco 180 Nm states mechanical limits and does not give the directions. Copying a turn count from Gliderol onto either motor is how the curtain hits the box.
Why does the motor stop while you are still setting the limits?
It has often reached thermal cut-out after repeated cycles. A 4-minute duty is printed only on the Neco 180 Nm and the generic 100 Nm. Gliderol's 2025 sheet says wait a couple of hours on that door motor. The 3T sheet says at least ten minutes on those motors. Neither time belongs to a listing that does not state it. Wait out the pause on your own sheet before you call the motor dead.
Should you set the limits before the curtain is attached?
You can find the screws first, and you cannot finish the stops until you see where the hem sits. UK Roller Shutters wants both stops inside the opening before you add travel. A full travel set on an empty tube has to be redone after the curtain is hung, and those extra cycles are what overheat the motor.
Do these listings include obstacle detection?
They do not claim it. The scrape describes mechanical stops where it describes limits at all, and none of the ten listings describes a sensing edge. Gliderol's red-handset step is that door's instruction. A thermal cut-out after the motor has stalled is not obstacle detection.
When do you stop and call someone?
Stop if the arrows and the sheet do not match, if the cable is damaged, if you are adding a circuit, or if the only manual is not in English. Isolate first. UK Roller Shutters assigns the final wiring to a qualified electrician with the equipment shut down. A motor that stays silent after the cooling pause on its own sheet is a fault, not another turn of plus.

Related pages

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Tubular motor

Best tubular motor for a light SW60 shutter or blind

Tubular motor buying guide for tube, torque and supply

Roller shutter tubular motor for a window or a garage

Sources

Public UK sources on electrical notification, product safety and shutter drives. Listings checked 15 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.

  1. Approved Document P (2013) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Building Regulations amendment 2012, regulation 12(6A) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. BS EN IEC 60335-2-97:2023+A11:2023 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Trade Roller Shutters, tubular motors (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Eurodrive catalogue via Fox Doors (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. SIMU motor charts for roller shutters (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. HSE, PUWER (retrieved 16 October 2026)