Hello all,
I'm trying to locate the Eprom upgrade I've seen mentioned on this board.

I spoke with someone at Probotics and we said he had the EPROM but the cost was
around $150.

Is this the going rate? Seems kind of high.

I found a pair of the knobby wheels on Ebay.

Thanks
Steve

I have a fairly large plot in which my RL550 does fine, and my RL1000's
previously did fine too, until the end of last year. The RL1000's started
stopping in the middle of the plot with the orange light blinking, and the
message: "waiting for signal".

I've tried 'learn wire sensors' and 'edge calibration' to no effect.

I added a signal loop near the center of this plot years ago, and it was working
as is for a few years now. This problem is recent (and only with the RL1000's -
the old 550 is fine). Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dan

I was getting this signal this spring as well when I first set it up for the
season. It would work for a while and then stop with the "waiting for signal"
indicated on the RL1000. Check to make sure your power connections at the
docking station are secure. My problem was a loose power connection that looks
like a intermittent "cut wire" light at the dock.

--- In RoboMower@yahoogroups.com, "bhamail" <bha@...> wrote:
>
> I have a fairly large plot in which my RL550 does fine, and my RL1000's
previously did fine too, until the end of last year. The RL1000's started
stopping in the middle of the plot with the orange light blinking, and the
message: "waiting for signal".
>
> I've tried 'learn wire sensors' and 'edge calibration' to no effect.
>
> I added a signal loop near the center of this plot years ago, and it was
working as is for a few years now. This problem is recent (and only with the
RL1000's - the old 550 is fine). Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> Dan
>

My mower is working fine but I'm hearing a high pitch whine.  What could it?

Ken

It's usually the wife or one of my girls.



Dan



From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of KennethH
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 12:17 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RoboMower] Whiney noise





My mower is working fine but I'm hearing a high pitch whine.
What could it?

Ken





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I couldn't resist.



More seriously, if it is a hum from the mower body itself
check your blades for some obstruction (a twig under the
hub) or something else rubbing.  Remove each blade and see
if the shaft and hub are clear.   It could also be a motor
failing (a brush or something rubbing internally).  The
motor shafts turn pretty fast and could make a sound you'd
call a whine.



If it's coming from the handset speaker then I don't know
what it might be other than a component failure.  I assume
you have removed/replaced the battery to "reboot" the mower.



If you have more details (where it seems to come from for
example) it might help.



Dan



From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of KennethH
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 12:17 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RoboMower] Whiney noise





My mower is working fine but I'm hearing a high pitch whine.
What could it?

Ken





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The noise finally quit after about 1/2 hour. Did see any obstruction around the
blades.  For some strange reason the battery gave out about an hour too soon. 
Maybe something was dragging it down.  I'm doing the back yard tomorrow.  I
will see how it holds up then. 



________________________________
  From: Dan Barclay <Dan@...>
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 9:16 PM
Subject: RE: [RoboMower] Whiney noise



 

I couldn't resist.

More seriously, if it is a hum from the mower body itself
check your blades for some obstruction (a twig under the
hub) or something else rubbing.  Remove each blade and see
if the shaft and hub are clear.   It could also be a motor
failing (a brush or something rubbing internally).  The
motor shafts turn pretty fast and could make a sound you'd
call a whine.

If it's coming from the handset speaker then I don't know
what it might be other than a component failure.  I assume
you have removed/replaced the battery to "reboot" the mower.

If you have more details (where it seems to come from for
example) it might help.

Dan

From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of KennethH
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 12:17 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

My mower is working fine but I'm hearing a high pitch whine.
What could it?

Ken

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

OK.  Be nice now.
 
Ken


________________________________
  From: Dan Barclay <Dan@...>
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 7:39 PM
Subject: RE: [RoboMower] Whiney noise



 

It's usually the wife or one of my girls.

Dan

From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of KennethH
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 12:17 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

My mower is working fine but I'm hearing a high pitch whine.
What could it?

Ken

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

That sounds a lot like a blade obstruction.  Even though the noise quit I’d
pull the battery, turn it upside down, and pull each blade off to be sure
nothing is under there.



Dan



From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com [mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Ken H.
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 8:49 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [RoboMower] Whiney noise





The noise finally quit after about 1/2 hour. Did see any obstruction around the
blades.  For some strange reason the battery gave out about an hour too soon. 
Maybe something was dragging it down.  I'm doing the back yard tomorrow.  I will
see how it holds up then.

________________________________
From: Dan Barclay <Dan@... <mailto:Dan%40BarclaySoftware.com> >
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 9:16 PM
Subject: RE: [RoboMower] Whiney noise




I couldn't resist.

More seriously, if it is a hum from the mower body itself
check your blades for some obstruction (a twig under the
hub) or something else rubbing. Remove each blade and see
if the shaft and hub are clear. It could also be a motor
failing (a brush or something rubbing internally). The
motor shafts turn pretty fast and could make a sound you'd
call a whine.

If it's coming from the handset speaker then I don't know
what it might be other than a component failure. I assume
you have removed/replaced the battery to "reboot" the mower.

If you have more details (where it seems to come from for
example) it might help.

Dan

From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com> ] On
Behalf Of KennethH
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 12:17 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

My mower is working fine but I'm hearing a high pitch whine.
What could it?

Ken

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I started doing the same thing today, but didn't last too long. 
 
My right arrow sensor has given me fits ever since I've had this mower.  I have
to push it several times to get the machine to turn right. I've taken the
controllor apart and tried cleaning it, but no long term cure.  Any ideas?


________________________________
  From: Dan Barclay <Dan@...>
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 10:10 PM
Subject: RE: [RoboMower] Whiney noise



 

That sounds a lot like a blade obstruction.  Even though the noise quit I’d
pull the battery, turn it upside down, and pull each blade off to be sure
nothing is under there.

Dan

From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com [mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Ken H.
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 8:49 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

The noise finally quit after about 1/2 hour. Did see any obstruction around the
blades.  For some strange reason the battery gave out about an hour too soon. 
Maybe something was dragging it down.  I'm doing the back yard tomorrow.  I will
see how it holds up then.

________________________________
From: Dan Barclay <Dan@... <mailto:Dan%40BarclaySoftware.com> >
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 9:16 PM
Subject: RE: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

I couldn't resist.

More seriously, if it is a hum from the mower body itself
check your blades for some obstruction (a twig under the
hub) or something else rubbing. Remove each blade and see
if the shaft and hub are clear. It could also be a motor
failing (a brush or something rubbing internally). The
motor shafts turn pretty fast and could make a sound you'd
call a whine.

If it's coming from the handset speaker then I don't know
what it might be other than a component failure. I assume
you have removed/replaced the battery to "reboot" the mower.

If you have more details (where it seems to come from for
example) it might help.

Dan

From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com> ] On
Behalf Of KennethH
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 12:17 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

My mower is working fine but I'm hearing a high pitch whine.
What could it?

Ken

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Replace the button. Radio shack sells them and it is a pretty simple solder.

C

Sent from my Droid thing

----- Reply message -----
From: "Ken H." <khawn@...>
Date: Sun, May 13, 2012 5:16 pm
Subject: [RoboMower] Whiney noise
To: "RoboMower@yahoogroups.com" <RoboMower@yahoogroups.com>

I started doing the same thing today, but didn't last too long. 
 
My right arrow sensor has given me fits ever since I've had this mower.  I have
to push it several times to get the machine to turn right. I've taken the
controllor apart and tried cleaning it, but no long term cure.  Any ideas?


________________________________
  From: Dan Barclay <Dan@...>
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 10:10 PM
Subject: RE: [RoboMower] Whiney noise



 

That sounds a lot like a blade obstruction.  Even though the noise quit I’d
pull the battery, turn it upside down, and pull each blade off to be sure
nothing is under there.

Dan

From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com [mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Ken H.
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 8:49 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

The noise finally quit after about 1/2 hour. Did see any obstruction around the
blades.  For some strange reason the battery gave out about an hour too soon. 
Maybe something was dragging it down.  I'm doing the back yard tomorrow.  I will
see how it holds up then.

________________________________
From: Dan Barclay <Dan@... <mailto:Dan%40BarclaySoftware.com> >
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 9:16 PM
Subject: RE: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

I couldn't resist.

More seriously, if it is a hum from the mower body itself
check your blades for some obstruction (a twig under the
hub) or something else rubbing. Remove each blade and see
if the shaft and hub are clear. It could also be a motor
failing (a brush or something rubbing internally). The
motor shafts turn pretty fast and could make a sound you'd
call a whine.

If it's coming from the handset speaker then I don't know
what it might be other than a component failure. I assume
you have removed/replaced the battery to "reboot" the mower.

If you have more details (where it seems to come from for
example) it might help.

Dan

From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com> ] On
Behalf Of KennethH
Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2012 12:17 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [RoboMower] Whiney noise

My mower is working fine but I'm hearing a high pitch whine.
What could it?

Ken

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well, the 24 volt pile of A20 cells is built, and I have enough space to
make it a 36 volt pile. Which is about as big as I want to build this;
anything more in a block gives me a case of nerves.

I'm finding a lot of little things as I go; for example I'm not drilling
1/4 inch holes for the spacers, I am drilling 5/16 holes to make things
slide a bit better, and I'm thinking of drilling 3/8 holes in the
battery tabs so I can better align them. Eventually I'll figure out how
to build jigs, but for now I will say the drill press is *incredible*
for drilling holes. I can't believe I used a hand drill for so long...

Anyway, assembling these cells takes care; forget a spacer and there
will be a loud *crack* to remind you as two cells short together. One
would think 6 volts isn't a lot; it is. Separation is pretty much
instant, then the afflicted batteries are marked to see if they have
problems later on.

Tomorrow I'll wire up the whole thing to the BMS and see how it works.
One interesting thing: The BMS resistors and transistors get *hot* when
regulating. As in 250 degrees on the wire wound resistors and about 100
degrees on the transistors as measured by my IR meter. This was shunting
600ma, and the nice part is they all shunted very nicely.

Then I need to figure out a box for them, then put them into the
Robomower battery box and see what happens...

Chris

Well I took the lithium pack out for a quick spin in my Robomowers
today. The fact that the grass is wet and it's been raining is a
problem, but I wanted to see if it worked.

Short version: Sort of. I spun up my old Robomower and everything ran
fine. It took off into the grass, drove for a minute, then shut down
with a "Obstruction present" error.

The blades would not spin up. I checked them, they're all clear, but it
just tries to spin for a second then fails. It does this on the normal
lead pack too, might be something wrong.

Anyway, I took the pack into the back yard and tried it on my RL500 B
model. Drove it around, mowed grass, it was happy. No sign of sag from
anywhere; the thing has a lot of power. And it was able to climb over
roots and stuff it might normally get stuck on, might be the lighter
battery.

I'll put this project away till the weekend,

Well, my amazing franken-stein pack is in a Robomower battery box. The
total weight of 8 20ah cells, BMS board, wire, and interconnects is just
a tad under 10 pounds.

A normal 17ah battery (one) is 14 pounds. So instead of 28 pounds for
17ah which is usually more like 12ah, this thing should put out 20ah at
1/3rd the weight.

Hm. Now I just need for it to stop raining. I'm going to also need to
figure out a small 12 volt battery supply to run the BMS monitor. For
discharge safety I will run it with full BMS low and high voltage
disconnects. Hopefully the 5a relay I have in there will be enough.

Oh, I should also probably mount the BMS with some standoffs and get a
bigger relay. Ok, fine. Will a 10a be enough?

As for power I guess I will just have to tap the pack...

Chris

Lithium pack works perfectly. Plenty of power, fast blades, runs forever.

One little issue. The Robomower can't get over a branch. Without the
weight in the rear, it has no traction, especially when going in reverse.

That's a problem. It needs weight on the wheels, at least in the front.
I'll give it a shot on the smooth-wheel one in the back yard next.

Chris

Chris,

    Thank you for being a pioneer on this project.  I have enjoyed reading about
what You, Lee, Dan, and all the others have been up to with solving our battery
problems.  It is all of your collective knowledge that keeps my Robomower a
viable tool.
     My yard has a continuous slope so even when I put new EB-20's in my mower I
never get more than two hours of cutting time.  Hence I would love to have a
mover with less weigh to prolong the run time.    Thanks for your time and
education and I can't wait to see your progress.

   Thanks,
      William

You might want to look at what else might  be causing the
lower mow times.  Physics says that if you mow a slope
you're going downhill as much as you're going uphill.  You
should come out (relatively) even.  The difference would be
only a difference in motor efficiency (not power usage) when
going uphill vs downhill.  You can also lose a little power
if the slope is significant enough that the mower needs to
put reverse torque on the uphill drive wheel when going
across the slope, but it is very unlikely that's the case.



Could the slope be causing a rub or something like that in
your mower?



Dan





From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of TinaP
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 8:57 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [RoboMower] Re: Well, that's a problem





Chris,

Thank you for being a pioneer on this project. I have
enjoyed reading about what You, Lee, Dan, and all the others
have been up to with solving our battery problems. It is all
of your collective knowledge that keeps my Robomower a
viable tool.
My yard has a continuous slope so even when I put new
EB-20's in my mower I never get more than two hours of
cutting time. Hence I would love to have a mover with less
weigh to prolong the run time. Thanks for your time and
education and I can't wait to see your progress.

Thanks,
William





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Yep. I noticed the same thing.

The problem could be stated a number of ways.  However, the way I look
at it, the force needed to lift over a branch or drive the mower around
is a function of the weight on the front wheel.

The thing I did to "fix" this was remove the steel donut weights in
front.  Contrary to popular belief, they have nothing to do with
receiving the wire signal (the back has the same sensors and the same
job, yet uses no such weights), they're just there to weigh the front
down.  But they're REALLY hard to remove.  I had to be very careful and
work it over for a long time to make sure I didn't rip off the plastic
stems they were on, which would let water and dust it and leave no place
to mount the 2 wire sensor boards.

You could of course add 18 lbs of lead plate in the back.  But I think
that'd be counterproductive, because being lighter substantially reduces
the energy used to drive around.  Losing pack weight AND front weights
will improve runtime.

The one possible liability of lightening up the front is that, in very
tall grass, there may be a greater tendency for the front to "float", to
be lifted off the ground by the grass.  That's not entirely a bad
situation though.  I think floating may make it less likely to lose
traction, and it seems to me like it'll cut off the tops of the grass
that get into the blade wells the same either way.  In fact, with
floating, it seems a bit less likely that grass will get bent over
completely and fail to enter the blade well.

Danny

On 5/15/2012 7:14 PM, The CZ Unit wrote:
> Lithium pack works perfectly. Plenty of power, fast blades, runs forever.
>
> One little issue. The Robomower can't get over a branch. Without the
> weight in the rear, it has no traction, especially when going in reverse.
>
> That's a problem. It needs weight on the wheels, at least in the front.
> I'll give it a shot on the smooth-wheel one in the back yard next.
>
> Chris
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Up hill is more current draw which thanks to the nature of lead
batteries rams into the perkeurt effect. Also I doubt the Robomower does
regen going down the hill.

The slope causes problems when going up backwards with a light
robomower. Putting in the lead pack allows it to climb.

Drat.

C


On 5/15/2012 10:07 PM, Dan Barclay wrote:
> You might want to look at what else might be causing the
> lower mow times. Physics says that if you mow a slope
> you're going downhill as much as you're going uphill. You
> should come out (relatively) even. The difference would be
> only a difference in motor efficiency (not power usage) when
> going uphill vs downhill. You can also lose a little power
> if the slope is significant enough that the mower needs to
> put reverse torque on the uphill drive wheel when going
> across the slope, but it is very unlikely that's the case.
>
> Could the slope be causing a rub or something like that in
> your mower?
>
> Dan
>
> From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
> [mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>]
> On Behalf Of TinaP
> Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 8:57 PM
> To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com <mailto:RoboMower%40yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [RoboMower] Re: Well, that's a problem
>
> Chris,
>
> Thank you for being a pioneer on this project. I have
> enjoyed reading about what You, Lee, Dan, and all the others
> have been up to with solving our battery problems. It is all
> of your collective knowledge that keeps my Robomower a
> viable tool.
> My yard has a continuous slope so even when I put new
> EB-20's in my mower I never get more than two hours of
> cutting time. Hence I would love to have a mover with less
> weigh to prolong the run time. Thanks for your time and
> education and I can't wait to see your progress.
>
> Thanks,
> William
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>

On 5/15/2012 10:08 PM, Danny Miller wrote:
> Yep. I noticed the same thing.
>
> The problem could be stated a number of ways. However, the way I look
> at it, the force needed to lift over a branch or drive the mower around
> is a function of the weight on the front wheel.

In watching it, the problem is going backwards up a hill. The wheels
spin and it digs a tiny trench.

I can drive it up forwards without issue, so I don't know if removing
the front weights will help.

Chris

I do not have any rubbing going up the slope.  I think it is purely a function
of how much draw gets put on the batteries when it is working to get up the
hill.  You can hear motors strain as it starts to creep up the hill.  Some
portions of my yard are well beyond a 30% grade and the front wheel will
sometimes lift off the ground while mowing.  I know this is not ideal but I
bought the yard before I bought the mowers.  So far my 500 and both of my 1000's
have been battling my yard for the past 6 or 7 years with very few complaints. 
The only common issue I have had with all three units is the wire that connects
to the left drive motor had burned up in each unit.  This is the motor without
the thermistor so I am assuming the motor is pulling too great of a load and
pulling more current than the wire can accommodate.  When I had that problem at
the beginning of the season with my newest 1000, not only had the wire burnt up
but the spade tip coming out of the motor was also burnt up and crumbled in my
hands.  I was just barely able to solder the wire directly to the motor but I am
not sure it will last much longer.  I also modified my landscape a bit after
this incident to try to reduce the load on my robot.

    Thanks,
      William

There is one problem.   If the mower is moving the torque on
the wheels will be the same whether they are slipping or
not.  The trouble with the slip is that the mower thinks it
is covering more ground (torque times rotational distance is
energy) so uses more energy.



Put a six pack of beer just ahead of the drive wheels.  Oh,
wait. the beer will get hot.  Try a brick.



Yes, there can be an efficiency difference due to current
draw but it would have to be pretty dramatic.  Your slope
would have to be pretty steep for that to occur, but maybe
it is that steep.



Dan







From: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:RoboMower@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of The CZ Unit
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 10:06 PM
To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
Cc: Danny Miller
Subject: Re: [RoboMower] Well, that's a problem





On 5/15/2012 10:08 PM, Danny Miller wrote:
> Yep. I noticed the same thing.
>
> The problem could be stated a number of ways. However, the
way I look
> at it, the force needed to lift over a branch or drive the
mower around
> is a function of the weight on the front wheel.

In watching it, the problem is going backwards up a hill.
The wheels
spin and it digs a tiny trench.

I can drive it up forwards without issue, so I don't know if
removing
the front weights will help.

Chris





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well, the basic friction rule is that the traction force before it skids
is equal to a coefficient of friction between the rubber and ground
(which doesn't change) and the normal force- the weight on the wheel.

The minimum traction needed to avoid skidding is a function of the TOTAL
mower weight.  When weight is reduced over the drive axle, the total
force needed is reduced some, but reduces the traction produced by a
greater amount.

The weight in front contributes to total weight needed to be lifted up
the incline, yet does not contribute to the traction force at all.  It
will have a greater maximum incline with the weights removed.  I only
wish it were an easier task.

Danny

On 5/15/2012 10:05 PM, The CZ Unit wrote:
> On 5/15/2012 10:08 PM, Danny Miller wrote:
>> Yep. I noticed the same thing.
>>
>> The problem could be stated a number of ways. However, the way I look
>> at it, the force needed to lift over a branch or drive the mower around
>> is a function of the weight on the front wheel.
> In watching it, the problem is going backwards up a hill. The wheels
> spin and it digs a tiny trench.
>
> I can drive it up forwards without issue, so I don't know if removing
> the front weights will help.
>
> Chris
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Might try what I did. I have the old style rear wheels. Instead of buying new
wheels, I drilled 1/8 inch holes in the tread section (about 25 per wheel) and
put pop rivets  in the wheels (spikes). I got long enough ones where they stick
out about 1/4 of an inch. Traction is now great.
Albert

Sent from my iPad

On May 15, 2012, at 7:14 PM, The CZ Unit <cz@...> wrote:

> Lithium pack works perfectly. Plenty of power, fast blades, runs forever.
>
> One little issue. The Robomower can't get over a branch. Without the
> weight in the rear, it has no traction, especially when going in reverse.
>
> That's a problem. It needs weight on the wheels, at least in the front.
> I'll give it a shot on the smooth-wheel one in the back yard next.
>
> Chris
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well, it seems the Robomower is working under lithium now. The secret
was to put one of the old dead 17ah batteries in the box since the A20
batteries take up only 1/2 the pack.

And it now has plenty of traction and is doing the back yard. The
problem is the BMS board is now on top of the batteries and thus sticks
up a bit high. The fact that I also have it taped on the top with
electrical tape is.... sad.

However it's been going for hours and shows no signs of slowing down. I
have to watch it; the board could fall off. If it did however, the
interlock would open and it would power down very quickly.

I'll think about it some more and see how I can build a more permanent
solution for this.

Chris

As others have said, I think restoring the weight balance is key to proper
performance. I'm sure FR did a lot of testing to place the CG in the optimal
spot. With a lighter battery, you should remove, from the front, exactly the
mass you need to restore the original balance.

-Bob

On May 16, 2012, at 8:13 PM, The CZ Unit <cz@...> wrote:

> Well, it seems the Robomower is working under lithium now. The secret
> was to put one of the old dead 17ah batteries in the box since the A20
> batteries take up only 1/2 the pack.
>
> And it now has plenty of traction and is doing the back yard. The
> problem is the BMS board is now on top of the batteries and thus sticks
> up a bit high. The fact that I also have it taped on the top with
> electrical tape is.... sad.
>
> However it's been going for hours and shows no signs of slowing down. I
> have to watch it; the board could fall off. If it did however, the
> interlock would open and it would power down very quickly.
>
> I'll think about it some more and see how I can build a more permanent
> solution for this.
>
> Chris
>
>
>
> TODAY(Beta) • Powered by Yahoo!
> 'Haunted' hospital to be transformed
> Privacy Policy
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On 5/16/2012 8:28 PM, Robert Silva wrote:
> As others have said, I think restoring the weight balance is key to
> proper performance. I'm sure FR did a lot of testing to place the CG in
> the optimal spot. With a lighter battery, you should remove, from the
> front, exactly the mass you need to restore the original balance.

I don't think there is that much lead in the front. I can give it a go
the next time I remove the lid though.

Speaking of which both my Robomowers are *FILTHY*. How does one
deep-clean the shell?

C

I recall reading someone suggesting oven cleaner to clean the shell. Never tried
it myself.
Tim

> To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
> CC: rsilva275@...
> From: cz@...
> Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 21:24:35 -0400
> Subject: Re: [RoboMower] Lithium? Just add lead...
>
> On 5/16/2012 8:28 PM, Robert Silva wrote:
> > As others have said, I think restoring the weight balance is key to
> > proper performance. I'm sure FR did a lot of testing to place the CG in
> > the optimal spot. With a lighter battery, you should remove, from the
> > front, exactly the mass you need to restore the original balance.
>
> I don't think there is that much lead in the front. I can give it a go
> the next time I remove the lid though.
>
> Speaking of which both my Robomowers are *FILTHY*. How does one
> deep-clean the shell?
>
> C
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Good god, no!  Oven cleaner is a wide range of chemicals, including sodium
hydroxide, a strong base which is ok for steel but corrodes a lot of other
stuff, including aluminum.  And skin.  It has little purpose in cleaning grass
that I can see, sodium hydroxide is good for destroying grease but not
cellulose.

If you use white lithium spray grease on the bladewells while clean, grass won't
cake as easily and when it does you can use a wood or plastic scraper to peel
the whole thing right off.

I've power-washed it before, with the hand controller removed.  There's a lot of
reason NOT to do that, I was being as careful as I could be.

Danny

---- Tim Wolff <twolff69@...> wrote:
>
> I recall reading someone suggesting oven cleaner to clean the shell. Never
tried it myself.
> Tim
>
> > To: RoboMower@yahoogroups.com
> > CC: rsilva275@...
> > From: cz@...
> > Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 21:24:35 -0400
> > Subject: Re: [RoboMower] Lithium? Just add lead...
> >
> > On 5/16/2012 8:28 PM, Robert Silva wrote:
> > > As others have said, I think restoring the weight balance is key to
> > > proper performance. I'm sure FR did a lot of testing to place the CG in
> > > the optimal spot. With a lighter battery, you should remove, from the
> > > front, exactly the mass you need to restore the original balance.
> >
> > I don't think there is that much lead in the front. I can give it a go
> > the next time I remove the lid though.
> >
> > Speaking of which both my Robomowers are *FILTHY*. How does one
> > deep-clean the shell?
> >
> > C
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

On 5/17/2012 1:24 AM, dannym@... wrote:
> Good god, no! Oven cleaner is a wide range of chemicals, including
> sodium hydroxide, a strong base which is ok for steel but corrodes a lot
> of other stuff, including aluminum. And skin. It has little purpose in
> cleaning grass that I can see, sodium hydroxide is good for destroying
> grease but not cellulose.

My problem is the top, it's all black and dirty from being out and in
the dirt and whatnot. The bottom is fine.

C