Scooba lights stuck flashing in sequence -

[cbalmain]

I've had a weird problem with my Scooba 5800. I charged it up, but whenever I turn it on it gives 5 tones going up, then 5 tones going down, and then all the lights flash in sequence, from left to right. It seems to be stuck in this mode. I've tried removing the battery, but as soon as I put it back in the same thing happens.

I contacted iRobot customer support and they suggested it was stuck in Diagnostic mode. They said there was nothing that could be done and I needed to replace it since it's out of warranty. I've only had it for about 17 months and have used it maybe 20 times. At what I paid for it, that comes to about $10 per use! If these things self-fry after only twenty uses, I don't think I'll be replacing it!

Any ideas for what additional troubleshooting I can perform?

[Fraggboy]

cbalmain,


My sister had a Scooba stuck in diagnostics mode. iRobot told her the same thing. Get it exchagned. I tried every possible way to get it out of diagnostic mode. Since yours is not under warranty, you can take the scooba apart and see if the clean button is stuck.

[cbalmain]

So it costs $300 to replace, and they can't do anything for me? Awesome.

[ProTech Robotics]

Cbalmain, you can do a search for scooba stuck in test mode and come up with several similar issues involving the Scooba control panel and the button contacts. The contacts or communication tether/cable are what fail, moisture can be a contributing factor.

A few options for you are to disassemble the scooba down to the control panel and either replace it or if you do not feel comfortable with doing the repairs you can ship it in to us to do the repair work for you. Either option will cost less than a replacement and if the repair costs through us exceed our recommended repair budget of $125 then you will have the option to trade it in.
http://www.roombaexchange.com/proddetai ... 492&cat=40

[Buzzboy767]

I've had a weird problem with my Scooba 5800. I charged it up, but whenever I turn it on it gives 5 tones going up, then 5 tones going down, and then all the lights flash in sequence, from left to right. It seems to be stuck in this mode. I've tried removing the battery, but as soon as I put it back in the same thing happens.

My Scooba, which is a replacement for a replacement, died the same way today, 7 months after I paid $200.00 to replace it out of warrantee. In the last five years, I?ve also been through 4 Roombas. Irobot should be ashamed of themselves, their products just aren?t up to the task.

[tum]

Cbalmain, you can do a search for scooba stuck in test mode and come up with several similar issues involving the Scooba control panel and the button contacts. The contacts or communication tether/cable are what fail, moisture can be a contributing factor.

A few options for you are to disassemble the scooba down to the control panel and either replace it or if you do not feel comfortable with doing the repairs you can ship it in to us to do the repair work for you. Either option will cost less than a replacement and if the repair costs through us exceed our recommended repair budget of $125 then you will have the option to trade it in.
http://www.roombaexchange.com/proddetai ... 492&cat=40

I'm having the same problem after only a month

Which tether cable are you refering to in your explanation? Do you mean the ribbon attaching the control panel to the motherboard or the one connecting the buttons to the conrol panel PCB?

Thanks.

[tum]

I fixed the problem. The clean button was stuck on because of water damage to the button contacts. I had to disassemble the control panel and carefully seperate the mylar sheets that make up the contact using a box cutter. After that I used isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts and then used a conductive pen to redraw the contacts that were damaged.

All fixed and working again

[RoombaHolic]

. . . I used isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts and then used a conductive pen to redraw the contacts that were damaged.

Great save . . . and just where does one get a "conductive pen"???

[tum]

. . . I used isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts and then used a conductive pen to redraw the contacts that were damaged.

Great save . . . and just where does one get a "conductive pen"???

You should be able to find one at any electronics components store. It was a farily cheap fix for me because I already had a pen from years back. The pens can be quite expensive (around $20-$30 NZD). It works really well though and creates quite a durable and reasonably fexible conductor. I've taken some pics of the fix and will post them soon.

[koszul]

Hullo all!

Firstly, thank you for this cornucopia of information posted here . I am pretty new to the irobot world, but wondering what kept me

I have something to share, however, being plagued with this issue of "stuck in diagnostic mode" on my 5900 Scooba. Checking all the posts, especially those that provided pictures of the console on the 5900, I decided on a (certainly not elegant, but) straightforward way to deal with the stuck "clean" button. Without actually opening up the 5900. Out of warranty, natch.

With a box-cutter, I cut the outline of the "clean" button, a bit more than half the full circle (in retrospect, a little pinch, and then sliding the blade horizontally inside, with a bit of care, will cut it perfectly circular), removed the steel dome (which is just below the plastic cover), and with ... my pointing digit, removed the water that accumulated there (why and how water there?). Slide the dome back, put a bit of scotch tape on top, and the 5900 is rolling back in business. My biggest worry was not to cut through more than just the plastic cover, and maybe ruin the circuitry - so I made sure I pressed down on the plastic very carefully, and started below the button, where I decided were no electric conductors.

Actually, right after that, it started also shutting off - my guess was that the same bit of water was now under the "power" button, and closing the contact there. Back to the box-cutter, put a generous helping of scotch tape over both buttons, and send the 5900 to cleaning the kitchen, which it did with no more hiccups.

Hope the above helps someone

K.

[frankloh]

How do you normally store your Scooba? Do you flip it over when in storage?

[mfortuna]

That's an interesting thought Frankie. An upside down scooba could allow water to drip down towards the switches. I keep mine tires down with no battery. Doesn't seem to flatspot the tires.

[vic7767]

Store e'm on a stick, like this:

[mfortuna]

vic7677, when they become self-aware you could be in a whole lot of trouble!

[Gordon]

koszul's finding (water between the switch contacts) is intriguing, and may very well turn out to be the major cause of permanently closed Scooba command-switches!

Further, koszul's finding reveals to me that iRobot's mfg arm is not building hardware to engineering drawings (that part is assumed, since I have not seen those drawings!). However, I have seen the completed User-Interface control-panel assembly, and have been able to assess some of its weak points.

After initial detailed inspection, done about a year ago, I was convinced those command switches were well sealed and would never see any moisture between their contacts! Hence, I did not even talk about that as a failure mode, and it is now surprising to read about intrusive water becoming a short-circuit link!

I am therefore led to believe that people in the Scooba manufacturing department are failing to seal the switch-pair in accordance with engineering instructions.

There are only two (as I see it) avenues by which water can travel into the dome-switch cavity. One path is via the cable-gland through which the printed-circuit flat cable passes (PWB on one end, and switch-contacts on the upper end), and the second is via capillary attraction (wicking) between the top-side laminations.

I favor the latter as being most likely, since water passing through the (sealed) cable-gland would imply a totally wet UIP-circuit board assembly (and that might cause other sorts of faults).

OTOH, if the adhesives which have been applied to one or more sides of the plastic films which sandwich together [to form: 1) the top layer we all see and poke our fingers onto, 2) the underlying (water-clear) film which supports the flat-cable's fan-out region (where it becomes the stationary switch-contact pads), and which provides (adhesive-free) window areas that pass light from various LEDs to the user] fail to securely bond all the way around each switch position, there will be some incentive for externally applied water, at the edges of that film-stack, to migrate into the switch cavities.

If you examine the UIP's top-assembly construction, you can see at the trailing edge of the top-laminate there is a narrow groove between the laminate-edge and the aluminum colored ridge that is part of the UIP's base casting. If droplets of water become deposited along that groove, in the vicinity of the two switches--say while handling Scooba at the sink--those droplets could become the source of short-circuit water, IF the top and bottom laminations are not well enough stuck together in that general area. Once the intrusion is in progress, casually applied finger presses (while operating the Scooba) may even pump water towards the switch cavities!

Giving the leak-path a little more thought, the "highway" for water intrusion may follow the flat-cable (between the two switches), since the stack-bonding is somewhat disrupted by the cable emerging from its via, doing a 90-degree bend, etc.

[007bond-jb]

You were rite I cut the clean switch plastic & must have cut to deep. its no longer in diag & says check tank or brush with them removed. but it will not start cleaning when I push clean. Looks like I'm gonna have to buy a new control pannel

Why does the curcuit have a black coating or outline?

[koszul]

You were rite I cut the clean switch plastic & must have cut to deep. its no longer in diag & says check tank or brush with them removed. but it will not start cleaning when I push clean. Looks like I'm gonna have to buy a new control pannel

Why does the curcuit have a black coating or outline?

Even if you cut too deep, judging by the pics of the inside of the control panel and my experience, you might still be able to salvage that control panel. If you can look closely where the circuit got cut off (and I think reasonably it's only one place really where it should be, namely towards the front - if it's not there, then it must be a really deep cut!) you could connect the under-the button area to the rest of the circuit with some conductive pen, or a bit of wire ...

On the other hand, check if you installed the steel dome back in its original place, if it is not, then it is not connecting the center dot to the rest when you press it.

The black outline or coating ... might be oxidation? You can try to clean that too with a bit of alcohol ...

Good luck!
k.

[Gordon]

...Why does the curcuit have a black coating or outline?

I talk a bit about those black conductor-strips on this page, about half way down.

[koszul]

Oh, the dangers of relying only on memory ...

What I should have said was: the cut must be towards the center, between the two buttons (see the picture from Gordon's page, I paste the url of the pic below:

userpix/299_closeup_SWfoilcable_1.jpg

and use it as reference as to where the possible circuit interruptions can be).

Yet I still think that the panel could be salvageable, even with less professional solutions (which, sadly, applies to me definitely ...)

Thank you Gordon for the link!

k.

[007bond-jb]

Thanks Guys, I did a close inspection of the cut area which was half a circle towards the rear of the scooba.
I can see where I cut one of the foil or plastic circit. I may try to relace the switches with some computer case type power switches. I'll take photos too...


Thanks again for yalls help.

JB