I require your help regarding a problem I’m encountering.
Description: I have a Litter-Robot 3 which was upgraded in October 2020 to the Connect version with the Connect kit (new single DFI hardware and a new circuit board). It always worked fine until yesterday, when the anti-pinch warning (the fast blinking yellow light) was activated after the globe had revealed a strange behaviour: after it had made its first turn, it did not return to the initial position, but actually continued rotating, which caused the spring on the back of the globe to fall out of position. I then removed the bonnet, reinstalled the spring (it is correctly reinstalled) and put the globe into its base position.
It worked fine for about an hour, and then a blinking blue light appeared. The control panel is now unresponsive. I turned the unit off and on, and from then on it shows a solid yellow light, the control panel is still unresponsive and the app indicates the unit is off even when it is on.
Hardware concerned:
Anti-pinch detectors, DFI lenses, circuit board.
Software concerned:
N/A
Troubleshooting steps already taken: I have tried cleaning the DFI lens and the anti-pinch sensors (which were a bit corroded and rusty; I used a dremel to remove the rust and sandpaper to remove the corrosion, and they seem to be OK, although not perfect); I checked the connections on the circuit board to see if any had been disconnected; I checked the back spring to see if it was still in place, and it was.
I have seen in the forum that, depending on the situation, the culprit may be the anti-pinch detectors, the DFI lenses or the circuit board. Am I missing some troubleshooting? Which parts should I replace?
Some of these parts are not listed on the website yet so if you wish to order these parts, you can confirm with us and we will help you place your order.
The hall-effect sensor may be the problem, of course. Hadn’t thought of that. I definitely want to order a replacement. The same goes for the anti-pinch pins.
The base contact pins and the bonnet contact pins look fine, with no corrosion or rust. Will it really be necessary to replace these? Also: before this happened, the DFI sensor did not show any signs of problem. Why do you think I need to replace it?
Finally: do you think the circuit board is not affected? I read that some clients of yours had a similar problem (the fixed yellow light) and did solve it by replacing the circuit board.
Usually, for old units that’s out of warranty we would suggest replacing the 3 sets of pins since they are very cheap compared to the shipping fees that you would pay if you order them separately so even if they don’t cause any issues at the moment, you would have a replacement ready once they do.
The fixed yellow light is mainly caused by the defective DFI sensor but it could also be coming from a broken motor or a defective circuit board but as we said, usually it’s the DFI sensor so that’s what we could recommend to start with.
