Automatic Litterbox Central

I posted a thread about some toad that is selling a power supply on ebay that gives your littermaid a little more power when raking thru some hard clumps. It works, but the guy is charging $40 for it.

After some experimenting, I found that you can go to radioshack and get the parts you need for $16.

PART #273-1690 (18/24VAC POWER ADAPTER) Use the 18V setting

PART #273-1714 (5.0mm/2.1mm AdaptaPlug)

This REALLY works well. The rake no longer gets stuck on those tough clumps. Give it a try!

I am sort of wondering what that voltage will do to the motor, eventually. However - knowing what I know about the Littermaid - the sensors will probably quit first.

Good question. All I can do is give you the technical specs and the benefit of my EE knowlege and the claims of the eBay seller.

The original adapter that comes with the LM is 12V/600ma. The adapter the guy sells on eBay is 24V/500ma. He claims it has worked on his LM for 1.5 years with "no adverse" effects. If it did work that long, I'd assume its safe enough for the motor. Now if you want to get this EXACT
adapter (Voltage, amps and plug size) you will be hard pressed because its a non standard adapter and was used only for a certain type of 3com network appliance. I called UL and the company that made it, and was told I would have to order 500 of them.

After a little experimenting with measuring the plug size, I went to RadioShack and got the forementioned parts. I figured since someone used the LM at 24V, I could do the same at a even LOWER voltage. Hence I used the 18V setting and it worked just fine. For kicks, I used the 24V setting and it DIDN'T work. The LM light didn't even turn on. I yanked it quickly and tried to figure out why it worked with the other guys 24V solution and not mine. I still haven't figured it out yet, but my only guess is that the other guys adapter isn't REALLY 24V, but a lower voltage (20?). Without the right equipment I can't tell, but if the claims on the adpater are correct, then running the LM at 18V is NO MORE DANGEROURS to the motor then running the motor at 24V.

In any case, I've been using it for about 3 months now (the 18V) and its worked GREAT! I've not had to get out of bed at 3am anymore because the LM has stuck itself on a particularly hard clump. It just powers thru the poo!

-M

Thanks. It may be that the motor runs for such a brief period of time (hopefully) that the increased voltage isn't really causing a problem....in any event, thanks for the data. Sounds like that adapter is a good solution.

I think the major issues that I had with the Littermaid were somewhat different - failed sensors, lid not closing on the container leading to smell, and the rake breaking large clumps into small ones which then never got scooped up. And, of course, the horrible customer service. I have 4 of these units (3 used, 1 brand new in the box) sitting in my garage right now.

I'm really happy (and so are my cats, luckily) with my 2 Litterfree units. No smell, no hassle, and no buying and lugging home cat litter.

One important electronic detail seems to be missing from this thread: The standard Littermaid power supply is 12VAC, whereas the "power booster" for sale on eBay, mentioned in this thread, is 24VDC (not AC). The Radio Shack power supply mentioned in this thread is 18/24VAC (not DC).

I did some testing recently, using one of those 24VDC eBay power boosters. At first it seemed great, but after about a week, I had a problem. The Littermaid reverse-feature stopped working. I'm talking about the feature where the rake will reverse direction if it meets with too much resistance during the forward sweep. With that feature no longer working properly, the gears would just keep turning, even though the rake was stuck in place -- click, click, click, click -- forever. Going back to the original power supply didn't fix the problem -- it seems like the reverse-feature is permanently damaged on that Littermaid (btw, it was a Littermaid Mega, about 2-3 years old).

Right now, I'm testing a 16VAC power supply on another Littermaid. So far, it seems to be working nicely. The rake moves just a little bit faster than it would with the normal power supply, and it seems to have just enough extra pushing-power to avoid jams -- but the reverse-feature still seems to work just fine.

I have been using the Radio Shack solution offered earlier for about 4 days now. It does work as far as the machine being faster, more powerful, and the motor operates at a higher pitched sound, but it can't resolve the design flaw issues that I suffer from. I still have to move the 'load' around in the box several times a day and sometimes empty part of the contents by hand.

If the only concern is that the 18v will damage the motor, that doesn't appear to be a problem although it is still a little early for me to make such a judgment. If your cat(s) use the box too frequently, pee in the 'wrong' place, produce too large a clump, or generally force you to repeatedly, if not constantly, reorganize their treasures, this new system will not help that much. I'm guesstimating a 10 percent improvement in performance and will still be trying the Litter Robot in January.

Replying to hhg2:

I have 7 cats and 3 Littermaids in use and have been using Littermaids very successfully for over 3 years. Based on much experience, I strongly suspect that the problems you have described (needing to move the load around and empty by hand, etc.) have more to do with your brand of litter than anything else.

I have tried many different types of litter over the years, and finding the right litter makes all the difference in the world. My current best-choice is Litter Clean from Sams Club, sold in a 40 pound bucket for about $8.

I could talk more about other steps I've taken to improve the Littermaid-setup in my house, but I suppose we should start another thread for that -- if there's interest.

Just a FYI, just purchased a new Mega, says 'New and Improved' on the top left front of the box. Now has 12V 1000ma. So far, no bogging down issues.

I've been using the 18v system for about one month now and am happy to report that it is working quite welll. The motor doesn't seem to be adversely affected and the extra power is helping the machine do what needs doing. I'd say that 90 percent of my complaints have been addressed. I'm actually considering getting a second unit and holding off on purchasing the Robot!

I'm not EE, but I sure could benefit from their knowledge. Okay. Based on this thread, we have this information:

original LM power supply: 12VAC/600ma
power booster via ebay: 24VDC/500ma
radio shack booster: 18/24VAC
New LM power supply: 12V/1000ma

I was under the impression that all these plug-in adapters generally convert AC to DC, so what is the difference between VAC and VDC?
Also, would the difference between the old and new LM power supplies give us a better idea of what type of power supply to better improve the performance of the LM? Would different RS part numbers be in order?

Thank you for any light you can shed on this.

"VDC" = Volts Direct Current, "VAC" = Volts Alternating Current. It seems like the Littermaid motor is designed to run on AC currrent, and apparently running it on DC, according to a previous poster (Dermanj on 12-24-03) eventually damages it.

It looks like the Littermaid company has simply boosted the amperage from 600 to 1000 milliamps in the new units, but continues to use AC rather than DC current. Based on what Dermanj said, and what Littermaid has done, it might be best to only use adapters that output AC current, and to limit the power to 12 Watts.

Voltage and current vary inversely, and power = volts * amps, so that 24VAC/500ma has the same power as 12VAC/1000ma, e.g.,

24 * 500 = 12000 milliwatts = 12 Watts

12 * 1000 = 12000 milliwatts = 12 Watts

I'm really not sure what the motors are actually rated for, but going above 12 watts and/or using DC current may not be a good idea as it may damage the motor.

If anyone is interested, a discussion of basic electrical concepts with examples can be found here:

http://www.elec-saver.com/e-primer.htm#Ohms'%20Law

That actually makes sense. Thank you for the information. Looks Like I have some radio shack research to do.

I purchased a new adapter to hopefully give my year and a half old littermaid some extra ooomph, but instead two days later one of the plastic pieces that held the rake on snapped into pieces. I was never too fond of my littermaid because it seemed like I was in there too many times to clean out the rake, or it was stuck and it needed help. I am considering purchasing another automatic litterbox, and I have looked at the Litter Robot, but I don't know what I am going to yet. I am leaving on vacation tomorrow, great timing I know!!!!

I have a few things to add because some of these posts don't make much since.
How could an adapter rated for 12V @ 1000mA increase the power?
The current (1000mA) is what the adapter is capable of handling. If the new and improved littermaid uses this adapter it probably means they are using a different, stronger motor. It has nothing to do with the current rating. The adapter only supplies voltage, the motor or load determines the amount of current needed. A stronger motor needs more current to operate therefore you need an adapter that is capable of handling this load.

For all of you using 18 and 24 volt adapters, you are just shortening the life of the motor. Yes these higher voltages will increase the power, but the motor is not designed for it. If you want a long-term solution for more power, you need a new motor and a power supply capable of handling it. If there is enough interest, I will find a stronger motor and adapter that will work in the LM.

Dermanj has a good point as well. Good litter plays a big part. I was using arm and hammer and I had jams almost every day. I switched to Tidy Cats Scoop for multiple cats about a month ago. I have not had one jam. I am using the original equipment supplied with my LM. It is about 4 years old now. Before I spent the time and money on new electronics, I would experiment with different brands of litter.

I am trying to figure out if the power supply should be set to negative or positive.

My cats chewed through the original power supply wire and I am trying to replace it with an adustable one that has several different sized plugs to it, but I need to know if this should be set to negative or positive and I can't find that anywhere on the litter box itself or in the instructions for it. It was probably on the original power supply, but that seems to be long gone from the house.

Thanks!