Replacement scooper motors and my results
dbe...@gmail.com
I've been using CatGenie's for almost 10 years. In that time, I've had several scooper motors die on me. Most of the time this was caused by CatGenie soap tubing leaks and sometimes the peristaltic pump. Since the scooper motor is directly below the soap tubing and it's pump, when there's a leak it usually does so on top of the scooper motor. The soap seeps into the windings and sometime after, the motor experiences partial or total failure. My friend tried to re-wind the motor with fresh wire but could not get enough torque out of the motor. Ultimately, new motors were required. Below you'll find links to new motors I've tried and my experiences.
*DISCLAIMER*
My testing and experiences were all done on a CatGenie 60, however the motor dimensions and electrical/mechanical specs match the CatGenie 120. These motors should be interchangeable.
I have a 110v US CatGenie. If you have a different model, e.g. UK 230v model, you'll need to purchase the equivalent ~230v motor instead of the 110v motors listed below.
Only work on your CatGenie with it unplugged. There are very dangerous voltages inside
*/DISCLAIMER*
With the help of a friend, we located two vendors with no minimum order requirements and motors which were almost an exact match for the failed scooper motor.
The first motor we found was at:
http://www.kysanelectronics.com/Products/Detail.php?recordID=643
Total cost was ~$25 US including shipping.
This motor was a perfect match except for two things.
- First, the motor shaft had a flat side instead of being completely round with no through it. The hole is required for the pin that holds the plastic gear onto the motor shaft.
- The second issue was that the motor wires are on the opposite side from the failed scooper motor. This can present a problem as there's very little clearance between the motor and the CatGenie wall that it sits against when mounted.
Once those changes were made, I tested the motor through several cleaning cycles and it worked fine. Since the motor shaft had a flat side, it introduced slightly more play/wiggle on the plastic gear than the factory motor did, but nowhere near enough to cause me any issues.
The second motor we found on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-110-130V-5-6RPM-50K-Robust-Synchronous-Motor-Geared-Motor-Control-6W-CE-Pass-/152198986097?hash=item236fc43971:g:e24AAOSwirZTtq3V
Total cost was ~$15 US including shipping. Very affordable.
This motor was a better match as the motor shaft was completely round and already had a hole through it (two actually). Luckily the upper hole on the shaft lines up perfectly with the plastic scooper motor gear we removed from the old scooper motor.
Unfortunately this motor had the same issue as the first motor in that the motor wires are on the wrong side of the motor. To resolve this, you can follow the steps I did above, or try the sanding method. We decided to pry this motor open and re-position the base as well like we did with the first motor.
This motor worked the same as the original motor with no additional play/wiggle in the plastic gear. I used this motor for two years until I got my first CatGenie 120. It is now in my box of spares should my CatGenie 120 motor fail.
Claude Johnson
Flyboy BC
Claude Johnson
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M Williams
Thank you, Mike
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Claude Johnson
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Robert Deliën
Electrical defects can be fixed: Check both coils for continuity, open up the motor and fix the broken coil: Most of the times, the the wire has broken off of the terminal.
Chemical defects, unfortunately, cannot be fixed. If the motor is corroded, the coils are probably too, and hence not usable anymore to convert a 220v motor.
I know from the manufacturer that the original motors are custom made products, specifically for this box. I bought a number of samples, but they were unwilling to sell more, under quantities of 1000 pcs. They cost somewhere between $1 an $3, depending on the type, but shipping costs were a real killer. From China to Europe, and later from Europe to the US.
The motors found on eBay are probably similar enough to do a good job, but I don't have any experience with those. It may indeed be worth trying.
Cathy Johannes
Mike,
Did you find out which color wires to use? I bought The second motor Claude found on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-110-130V-5-6RPM-50K-Robust-Synchronous-Motor-Geared-Motor-Control-6W-CE-Pass-/152198986097?hash=item236fc43971:g:e24AAOSwirZTtq3V
And don’t know which colors to put where. From looking at the back side of the mother board, it looks to me like the two yellows will replace the two red ones as the common wire. But I don’t know which wire on the original motor (black or blue) is Up or Down. Or which way would be considered clockwise (up or down). I think the Red wire on the new motor is clockwise?
Thanks,
Cathy 785-256-5989
From: catg...@googlegroups.com [mailto:catg...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of M Williams
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2017 10:19 AM
To: CatGenius <catg...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [catgenius] Re: Replacement scooper motors and my results
Claude, Followed your advice and purchased a motor via ebay. I'm ready to put the motor in though i have some questions regarding which wires to use. the colors are different and unsure which wires to hook up. I've also discovered the solution pump doser type mechanism has actualy worn. the unit was in storage for a while and the cartridge leaked....hence why the scooper arm motor was frozen up. that motor has 4 wires as well. do you have any info on finding replacements for the solution motor and doser part?
Thank you, Mike
On Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 3:04:52 PM UTC-5, Claude Johnson wrote:
Well, that's probably because thats the one I just bought.
And I'm an idiot with too many tabs open
I bought the 220v version
I have a small step-down transformer from my UK lava lamp collections so if i have room, I will add it
I did ask the seller about listing the 120 volt version
I'll let you know if it comes available
I also see a 220V model as well as a 14 watt version
It appears to be the same size but without two holes in the shaft
On Wed, Dec 21, 2016 at 1:42 PM, Flyboy BC <gary...@gmail.com> wrote:
Um..no..shows as out of stock just like always,.
On Tuesday, December 20, 2016 at 1:16:15 PM UTC-8, Claude Johnson wrote:
Motor has been relisted http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-110-130V-5-6RPM-50K-Robust-Synchronous-Motor-Geared-Motor-Control-6W-CE-Pass-/152198986097?hash=item236fc43971%3Ag%3Ae24AAOSwirZTtq3V&nma=true&si=fnQXtlEZ7tiQG2U2cz6NYahq2RA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
On Friday, October 21, 2016 at 10:39:14 PM UTC-5, dbe...@gmail.com wrote:
Boring backstory:
I've been using CatGenie's for almost 10 years. In that time, I've had several scooper motors die on me. Most of the time this was caused by CatGenie soap tubing leaks and sometimes the peristaltic pump. Since the scooper motor is directly below the soap tubing and it's pump, when there's a leak it usually does so on top of the scooper motor. The soap seeps into the windings and sometime after, the motor experiences partial or total failure. My friend tried to re-wind the motor with fresh wire but could not get enough torque out of the motor. Ultimately, new motors were required. Below you'll find links to new motors I've tried and my experiences.
*DISCLAIMER*
My testing and experiences were all done on a CatGenie 60, however the motor dimensions and electrical/mechanical specs match the CatGenie 120. These motors should be interchangeable.
I have a 110v US CatGenie. If you have a different model, e.g. UK 230v model, you'll need to purchase the equivalent ~230v motor instead of the 110v motors listed below.
Only work on your CatGenie with it unplugged. There are very dangerous voltages inside
*/DISCLAIMER*
With the help of a friend, we located two vendors with no minimum order requirements and motors which were almost an exact match for the failed scooper motor.
The first motor we found was at:
http://www.kysanelectronics.com/Products/Detail.php?recordID=643
Total cost was ~$25 US including shipping.
This motor was a perfect match except for two things.
- First, the motor shaft had a flat side instead of being completely round with no through it. The hole is required for the pin that holds the plastic gear onto the motor shaft.
- The second issue was that the motor wires are on the opposite side from the failed scooper motor. This can present a problem as there's very little clearance between the motor and the CatGenie wall that it sits against when mounted.
We ended up drilling a hole through the flat side of the motor shaft using a drill press and a 3mm drill bit. To determine where to put the hole, we placed the plastic gear on the new motor's shaft, held it so there was ~1.5mm of clearance between the bottom of the gear and the bearing the motor shaft goes through; this was done to avoid rubbing of the gear on the motor and seemed to match factory gear measurements. I tried installing the new motor in the CatGenie but I was unhappy with how much the motor wires were being pinched between the motor and the side of the CatGenie it sits against. You could probably very carefully use sandpaper or a Dremel rotary tool to make the motor wire gasket more flush with the side of the motor. My friend and I went the hard route instead and carefully pried open the motor (use needle-nose pliers to carefully bend back the 6 metal tabs around the top of the motor) and rotated the base so the wires were no longer on the side of the motor that presses against the case.
Once those changes were made, I tested the motor through several cleaning cycles and it worked fine. Since the motor shaft had a flat side, it introduced slightly more play/wiggle on the plastic gear than the factory motor did, but nowhere near enough to cause me any issues.
The second motor we found on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-110-130V-5-6RPM-50K-Robust-Synchronous-Motor-Geared-Motor-Control-6W-CE-Pass-/152198986097?hash=item236fc43971:g:e24AAOSwirZTtq3V
Total cost was ~$15 US including shipping. Very affordable.
This motor was a better match as the motor shaft was completely round and already had a hole through it (two actually). Luckily the upper hole on the shaft lines up perfectly with the plastic scooper motor gear we removed from the old scooper motor.
Unfortunately this motor had the same issue as the first motor in that the motor wires are on the wrong side of the motor. To resolve this, you can follow the steps I did above, or try the sanding method. We decided to pry this motor open and re-position the base as well like we did with the first motor.
This motor worked the same as the original motor with no additional play/wiggle in the plastic gear. I used this motor for two years until I got my first CatGenie 120. It is now in my box of spares should my CatGenie 120 motor fail.
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- Project Financing
Claude Johnson
Office: 815-776-0268
Cell: 815-590-6411
Under Bill(s) 1618 TITLE III by the 105 US Congress, per Section 301, Paragraph(a)(2)of S. 1618, a letter cannot be considered spurious if the sender includes contact information and a method of "removal". This email message is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521 and is legally privileged. Unauthorized forwarding, review, use, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender at (815-776-0268), or by reply email, and destroy all copies of the original message. This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this email in error and any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying is strictly \prohibited. If you receive this email in error please notify the sender immediately.
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