Automatic Litterbox Central

I have been hearing several wrong assertions about how the Litter Maid Unit works.

First, the Litter Maid Mega
Has a choice of either using 8 D Cell batteries or The AC adapter.

The fact that the unit gives you the option of using batteries tells me that the motor and the system itself uses DC power.

1 D cell = 1.5V =>1.5*8= 12V (This is consistent with what that ac-dc converter supplies to the system).

As far as the whole adapter question.

I haven't opened up the system yet, but I am guessing that the motor that is pushing the poop around is a
permanent magnet DC motor. Most likely rated for 12VDC.

Here is the thing, if the adapter can supply a greater current, ie 600ma is greater than 1000mA then the motor will like that.
The motor will require more current especially if it encounters some nugget of poop that is hard to move.
If the adapter can't supply a high enough current then it is like car with a emergency brake on.

As far as running the unit on 24VDC, it can be done I am just curious on how it would affect the logic circuits. I would have to see a circuit diagram to
make a final decision on to whether it is a wise choice. Traditionally 12VDC motors can be run with 24VDC as well. (You need to check the motor specs again to be sure).

Thanks for the info! I think I'll just keep mine plugged in.

Spolk please find a new motor for the litter maid and i will gladly install IT to make my litter maid useful rather than clogging daily. PLEASE HELP SPOLK!

I did this mod to my LME9000MB and it worked great. Much faster cycle time and more power to go through tough corner pee areas.
I don't know yet how long the motor will last at the 18v/ 1000ma setting, but I'll keep you posted.

Just go to radio shack and buy the adapter, It was 25 bucks.

I go away for a few days at a time for my work and I need the piece of mind knowing that the litterbox will be cleaned correctly for my cats,

I only wish that Litter maid would respond to my emails. I hope they read what I have told them to improve their product. Just a few more tweeks and this could be the best litterbox available.

wopr21

After years of using the older littermaids, I purchased one of the LM9000 Mega units. Even with the 1000 mA power supply it had problems just raking through the litter, much less taking out the clumps. I've been using the Everclean brand of litter for years without any issues with the older models and did not overfill it. In fact after I heard the motor straining I even removed more.

Well I decided to try the 18V solution and it stripped the gears in the reduction housing. I should be getting a replacement unit, but they won't have any in stock for at least a month.

For more information: The motor IS a 12V DC permanent magnet motor with a reduction housing attached. It is then connected to by Teflon gears to the driving gears. The reduction gear housing from the newer models is different from the older units and thus the motor assemblies are not interchangeable. Replacement motors should be relatively easy to find, but the reduction housings will probably be next to impossible. The newer units appear to use the same motor as the old.

I wish that they would build the old, old units again. They were much more robust and would beep at you if there was a clog. They had five IR senders or receivers and were by far the quietest units made.

I have a mega. Had the standard underpower problem. Simply replaced the batteries with a 12 volt amateur radio supply. The one I happen to use was out of the junk bin and is go for about 3 amps. But any 1 amp or greater supply should work fine. These power supplies actually run at a fixed 13.6 volts so there is a minor increase in speed but the real message is as much torque as the motor can put out.

You can buy such supplies at radio shack or a ham swap meet. Note that you replace the batteries and not the power supply which you simply leave unconnected.

I have been running this way for about 18 months with no problems. I still prefer the older model but this one works all right after the power change.

Going to go off and try the Sam's litter and see if that makes it any better.

While I might be 2 yrs behind this post, fact is that Littermaid DOES allow the use of battery or AC power. OBVIOUSLY the adapter is an AC to DC adpter! Plugging the unit in works all the time except during a power failure and that is when the battery kicks in. As for the power adapter, the Mega adapter supplies 1000MA which is HIGHER than 600MA, not the opposite as stated by mcfly.
I am not a Littermaid employee, and have owned Littermaids from the beginning. The best units were the early units whose main problem was if the rake got gunky, it was difficult to remove and clean, impossible without a screwdriver. That being said, the easily removable rake (comb) of the newer and Mega units, with its stainless steel teeth is definitely much easier to clean. Unfortunately, the design and quality of the newer Littermaid units leaves something to be desired. The rake path of the older units was much better in that it allowed for the loose litter to be "strained" through the teeth prior to dumping. The new rake path does not cause the rake to go horizontal so the loose litter can "strain" through its teeth and therefore many times causes the phenomenon I like to call "clump dozing" where large clumps will push loose litter ahead of them into the receptical where it is wasted.
I have investigated the alternatives to Littermaid and they all have their problems including what looks most promising, the Cat Genie...unfortunately it carries a very high cost and can sometimes "bake" small poop balls, filling the room or house up with a horrible smell during the blow drying cycle. IMHO, the best idea is to train your cat to go on your toilet and eliminate litter altogether. I know of people who have successfully done this and they are happier for it. If only there was a way to auto-flush the toilet, this would be wonderful. I am not sure ALL cats can be trained to accept this method of elimination despite the claims by "Citi-Cat" to the contrary. I am on the verge of trying it on my 3 to see if they will do it. If I have any luck, I will report back on Litterbox-central.com.