Automatic Litterbox Central

Hello,

My LR is 2 years old and for the past two months or so it's started to do odd things!

First, sometimes it will rotate the globe entirely for 2-3 "trips around the world" before it settles back into the normal place and is "finished" with the cycle. It will do this for two or three days and then it will correct itself. Sometimes I will unplug it and plug it back it to "reset" it. Sometimes this works and sometimes when I plug it back in, it won't work at all! I then have to leave it unplugged for 12 hours or so and then plug it back in..at which point it is fine!

Second, sometimes after a cycle it settles on it's side instead of "bottom down". This is typically after one of the odd cycles where it has rotated several trips around, but not always and it doesn't happen every time there is an "extended cycle".

Any ideas! I'm thinking about buying the LR2, but we've got a new baby coming in Dec and as a full-time grad student, money is already tight. But, the money might be worth eliminating (no pun intended) the litter robot annoyance! But, I thought I would at least check around before spending the cash!

Kelly

It sounds like a position sensor problem. The globe has two magnets in its track. The base has a magnetic sensor. When the magnet trips the sensor, it knows where the globe is.

If the globe isn't rotating smoothly, the gear can lift the globe off of the base as it turns it and this can cause it to not detect the magnet as it passes over the sensor. That would make sense because it does sometimes detect it the second or third pass.

Hi,

Any idea what I need to do to correct the problem? Do I just need to make sure the magnet on the base is clean?

Thanks!
Kelly

That depends on what's causing the problem.

Is the globe turning smoothly? Is the gear lifting the globe out of the base as it turns?

The magnet is not on the base.

Most of the time it seems to rotate smoothly, but sometimes I do hear a sort-of "thump" sound. I imagine that sounds implies that the globe is lifting up a bit. All the teeth on the gear look fine. I took the globe off today and pushed cycle and watched to make sure none were broken.

Thanks,
Kelly

Yes, the thump is almost certainly the globe getting slightly stuck and being lifted off of the base by the gear. If the globe isn't sitting right on the base when the magnet passes over the detector, it won't detect it and will just keep on turning it.

You should probably make sure that the outside of the globe is clean and hasn't been roughed up by litter smear and that the four pads that the globe sit on are clean. If the globe is rough due to wear, you can get a new globe or if you're daring, you can sand it smooth like I did with one of my globes.

Hi,

Thanks for all your replies. I've checked the pads and the outside of the globe, but they're all clean. I've got a finicky cat, so I've got to keep it really clean or she won't use it.Today's problem is that the power isn't working. I went in this morning (after my Siamese cat peed in the tub) and the globe was crooked and the red light was on. I tried to get it to cycle, but none of the buttons would work. I unplugged the LR and when I plugged it back in none of the lights came on. It's been dead all day and if it follows the same pattern, I'll have to keep in unplugged overnight before it will work again.

It's awfully convienient when a product falls apart a few months after the warranty expires! Do you think this is worth messing with or should I just suck it up and buy a new one?

Thanks!
Kelly

That sounds like the circuit board has completely failed. Call them up and tell them what happened. You can probably just send them the base to get it repaired. If they don't find any obvious damage, they may cut you a deal.

If you're into DIY, you can replace the circuit board yourself. It's only a matter of unscrewing a few screws and unplugging some cables. In fact you may want to try plugging and unplugging the cables to see if they're loose.

Hi,

I'm pretty handy and wouldn't mind checking it out myself. Any tips?

If I decide to do it myself, do I just ask them to mail me a new circuit board? That seems a whole lot easier (and cheaper) than mailing in the base and paying for shipping both ways!

Thanks,
Kelly

Yes, just call or email them and they'll sell you a new circuit board for something like $70. I don't know if you have to rip off the button cover with the LR2 but if you do, ask them for a replacement cover (it just sticks on).

Try cleaning the Kat Switch FURRST... it's the one UNDER the front of the unit that senses the cat going into the box by opening a spring loaded contact. If that contact gets corroded or dirty or a bit of cat furrrr or poop in it...you will have a non-functional Litter-Robot.
Simply remove the ball and the drawer, turn the unit upside down and unscrew the screw in the bottom of the adjustable foot...the "switch" is on the other end and will now be loose and ready to be attacked by a pencil eraser. Clean all surfaces thoroughly on both the movable piece and the foot part with the eraser, reassemble the unit, fill with fresh litter and give it a power on reset...there you go! If that didn't fix it, ask them to send you a new circuit board, they are polite, fast and efficient. By the way, you should give the switch a spray with WD40 before you reassemble, it will help keep the surfaces clean of corrosion.

Wondering if you ever got this fixed? I'm having a similar issue- mine is rotating 1.5 times before reversing back. It did that for two weeks and now it doesn't even rotate. I've tried resetting it several times. I"m waiting for litter robot cust svc to respond to my e-mail. I just got my LR2 in March- so I've had it for a little over 6 months. I hope this is covered under a warranty or something.

Definately the CPU...mine went in for repair, came back and fried after a week - I'm not even getting lights now.

FWIW I bought a second base as a backup, and it is 10X quieter than the original LR-II I received in February, so once the original comes back I probably only use it as a last-ditch backup...unless they upgrade the motor to the new design.

I called Brad and told him how impressed I was with the new motor and he said they've switched suppliers, hopefully they'll get the CPU problemos worked out ASAP as well

Gary Ladd wrote:Definately the CPU...mine went in for repair, came back and fried after a week - I'm not even getting lights now.

One annoying thing about the LR1 (most likely the LR2 as well) is that there is a fuse soldered directly to the circuit board. If you get moisture in the motor or it overloads for some reason, it blows the fuse making the entire board useless. I've been tempted to just replace the fuse on the board if it ever blows again... but it hasn't.

I have the same problem, the globe goes past the open door and then returns half way back to the original position.
I've cleaned it, readjusted the sensor, and unplugged it for several hours. Still keeps going to far. Several times it went completely around and dumped litter everywhere. Any ideas?