Automatic Litterbox Central

So far loving the Litter Robot, but we've noticing a lot more issues of the litter robot getting stuck, dumping its litter, etc. My wife and I did a lot of cleaning and testing, and we've found that once it reaches the part where the door opens (and dump the waste) it seems to "lift" itself up followed by a loud thump (the door closing?) and then it seems to fall off track or get confused. Each time it rotates back to the home position (or close to it) and then we get the three lights blinking once per second.

I'm calling Litter Robot tomorrow, but thought I'd try to find out if there's an easy fix we can do tonight. Maybe someone else has had this issue. I hope someone can help.

Thanks

The circuit board gets a protective coating painted on it and sometimes this coating gets on the header pins which can cause and intermittent or open condition over time. Sometimes the problem you described can be easily fixed by simply removing the 7 pin connector (black in color) on the circuit board and then replacing it - be sure to note the orientation so you get it back on the same way. This mechanical action helps to re-establish a good connection. A little WD40 sprayed into the connector helps too. We have addressed this issue with an additional cleaning step, but there are some units out there that may exhibit this problem. Feel free to email me directly if you have further questions (bbaxter@litter-robot.com) Brad, Automated Pet Care Products, Inc.

I'm unsure if WD-40 would be a good fix for this problem. Personally, I would disconnect the connector from the board, being sure to note the orientation so you can plug it back in with the same orientation. Instead of WD-40, I would take a pencil eraser and rub it across the "finger" contacts on the circuit board. Don't abrade it away heavily, but enough to sloff off any tarnishing action that may be occurring.

In my opinion, WD-40 never "really" dries & is capable of attracting/holding dust. Over time, enough of a build up of dust, oxidation could prevent the connector and "fingers" from making good contact.

There are some "cleaner" sprays that are specifically made for metallic/electronic connector surfaces. You should look for a "contact cleaner" spray with zero residue & evaporates quickly.

I had the same problem with my Litter Robot lifting off of the tracks when it rotated and making a loud noise when this happened. I took out the circuit board and unplugged the cords from it and wiped it off a little and put it back together. I turned it back on and now it works fine! I was so glad it was an easy fix!