I've got an electronic pet feeder that I use if I have to go away for a couple of days to avoid having to keep asking the neighbours to come over and feed the cat. Problem is that for the last few weeks it's been failing with an error code each time it dispenses food, it grinds out food for about 15s (rather than dispensing a single portion) and then stops with an error display (just "E", there's no info). Hitting any key on the keypad resets it, so there's no actual error, it's a problem with the control electronics.

 

 

On the theory of many eyes possibly making bugs shallow, I thought I'd post some details here in case there's something I missed. Here's a shot of the internals:

 

 

 

 

The black round thing is the motor that drives the feed mechanism, which works fine. Below it an IR photoelectric sensor for, presumably, detecting blockages. I've removed the cover on that on the theory that it might be gummed up with something and mis-reporting a blockage, but it's all clear.

 

 

Expected behaviour: Release 1 portion of food.

 

 

Actual behaviour: Run for a full 15s (8 portions), then stop with an error code until you hit a key, at which point it returns to normal

 

 

Any ideas?

 

 

And as an extension, has anyone ever managed to build a basic electronic pet feeder that actually works? If you look at the reviews of the ones on Amazon, every single one has endless complaints about it jamming or not providing feed, making it pretty much useless for its intended purpose.