Discovery-series Diagnostic Procedure

[Gordon]

To All:

The subject procedure has been greatly revised. Version 0.4 {updated on 070128 to v.0.5} has many new tests in it, thanks to member Howard Busch -- who did most of the 'leg-work' in defining them!. Numerous corrections were done, many small additions were inserted, and the old test-numbering system replaced by serial test-numbers, 0 through 21 -- which should bring the tests into conformance with those seen in SCI outputs.
Past users of this procedure might be benefited by re-reading all sections very carefully! You can reach the procedure here:

Roomba Discovery Diagnostics & Disassembly.

{edit-insert 070124}This is in regard to loss of warranty by executing Roomba-Discovery's built-in-tests, BiT, (diagnostics). Today, I posted a query to the Customer Support Department Manager (who moderates the Roomba,Scooba-users site) about such action. In his reply, Tony Nutile made it clear that it is company policy, not the whim of individual CS-Reps, for the warranty to be rescinded if an owner runs the tests when the robot is not malfunctioning, or without coordinating such BiT running with iRobot.

Here is a copy of my query (message #12908):

Hi Tony:

I have a couple tough questions for you---they regard running
Roomba-Discovery's built-in self-tests.

Starting a few months ago, owners that had their robots quit working
properly, and, after having done everything they could think of to fix
it themselves, ultimately called iRobot's Customer Support phone number
to see what could be done about the duff unit, were told by the CS-Rep
that their floor-cleaner's warranty was null & void, simply because the
customer had admitted s/he ran the built-in tests as part of their
trouble-shooting process.

Is it iRobot's current policy to nullify a floor-cleaner's warranty when
the owner performs the set of factory self-test?

If it is, what is the technical basis for that?

And, last, would you please reference documentation which makes that
policy legal?


Thank you very much.

Regards;
---Gordon
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a copy of Tony's reply (Roomba-Scooba user's message #12910):

Hello Gordon,


Good question...Good timing.


The BiT (Built in test) is not designed for use by anybody other
than trained iRobot employees for the purpose of diagnostics.

It has never been advertised, approved or suggested to customers by
iRobot. It is generally suggested by people on discussion boards and
sometimes it is suggested to people that should be contacting
Technical Support rather than try to determine the issue themselves.

When the BiT is performed on a robot, it shuts off all fail safes
that the robot has (ie: cliff sensors) as well as the ability to
protect motors from over current.

If not done properly, the BiT can open the possibility of damage to
the robot as well as other things within its environment. It may be
considered a Factory Test, but it's only available to the public
because a user figured it out and it has since been passed around
the internet...This does not make it OK for owners to perform this
test.

Since iRobot does not recommend this in any documentation, it is
clearly covered in our warranty under several instances, but is best
described as "applications and uses for which this product was not
intended."

As for why we would do this...

If a customer is within their warranty and they encounter a problem,
they should always contact Technical Support first. Only measures
that iRobot gives to the customer should be performed by the
customer.

If a customer has a circle dance issue and it's easily fixed by an
OSMO but the customer chooses to do the BiT first, they run the risk
of over current to the motor in the wheel module that is
experiencing the encoder issue and because of this it would render
the robot inoperable. However, we would not know that because the
wheel resistance would not change.

iRobot would then send the customer an OSMO which would not fix the
problem and we would have to then send the customer a replacement
robot because of this. This practice would put additional expense on
iRobot and delay the customer's overall correction of the problem
because of the test that they decided to perform before calling
Technical Support.


Why do you bring this up at a good time?


iRobot has changed the policy on the BiT for customers that are in
warranty.

If you are in warranty and you experience a failure the first thing
should ALWAYS be to contact Technical Support at
www.irobot.com/support. However, if you experienced the failure
first and then use the BiT to help determine the issue, you will
still be in warranty as long as you contact Technical Support to
take the next step in correcting it.

If you are in warranty and choose to use the BiT without having
experienced a failure or issue with the robot, the warranty on the
robot will be void.


I hope this clears up the reasoning behind our initial policy on
this matter and how going forward we will still continue to enforce
it to some degree.


Best Regards,
Tony Nutile
iRobot

[dura321]

THESE DIAGNOSTIC ANSWERS ARE THE BOMB

irobot should bring you on as consultant for their FAQ pages



Kudos Gordon

[pcharouz]

Did anybody try it with the sheduler?

[mikegia5]

Did anybody try it with the sheduler?

Yes, works fine. It told me that my right bumper sensor is stuck on, but now I don't know if I should take it apart. I just called Bed-Bath-and-Beyond and they said to bring it in and I will get a refund - a lot easier than tearing it apart!

[Rogue4]

This is my first post, but it is definitely not my last.

My Roomba had been doing the circle of death/start-and-stop tango for the past couple of days, and I was about to give up after trying all of the iRobot FAQs...but then I found this post.

I went ahead and entered into the diagnostic mode on my Roomba Discovery, and sure enough, the first test told me exactly what I was thinking. My right bumper, the side with the spinning brush, was showing up as being struck (even when it wasn't). I removed the four screws that held on the bumper cover, popped off the cover, and I quickly discovered the culprit. The right bumper spring arm mechanism was COMPLETELY covered in dust. I removed the dust by hand, gave it a quick burst of air, and turned the unit over to find that the right bumper was no longer showing up as being struck! YES!

So long story short: buildup along the right bumper, which is common since the spinning brush is on that side, caused a malfunction in the spring arm for the right side of the bumper, so the unit constantly thought that the right bumper was being struck, hence the circles. Once the dust was removed, the unit worked perfectly!

Thank you so much for posting these diagnostics! iRobot SERIOUSLY needs to post this in their FAQ section, especially since so many computer nerds purchase these items and are used to taking things apart.

[Ixtlan]

I went ahead and entered into the diagnostic mode on my Roomba Discovery, and sure enough, the first test told me exactly what I was thinking. My right bumper, the side with the spinning brush, was showing up as being struck (even when it wasn't). I removed the four screws that held on the bumper cover, popped off the cover, and I quickly discovered the culprit. The right bumper spring arm mechanism was COMPLETELY covered in dust. I removed the dust by hand, gave it a quick burst of air, and turned the unit over to find that the right bumper was no longer showing up as being struck! YES!

So long story short: buildup along the right bumper, which is common since the spinning brush is on that side, caused a malfunction in the spring arm for the right side of the bumper, so the unit constantly thought that the right bumper was being struck, hence the circles. Once the dust was removed, the unit worked perfectly!

Thank you so much for posting these diagnostics!

Your post was the antecedent which made my being able to fix my Roomba (just now) possible.

After reading your post, I started thinking about how my Roomba behaves in terms of the conditions to which it must have been "thinking" it was responding. Since, upon starting, it would go backwards counter-clockwise about an inch, then stop and do it all over again, that suggested that it might be having a problem with something associated with the left side of the front (only) bumper.

I turned it over to see what it'd take to get the bumper off. On my model, it looked like every screw in the machine and every other part of the machine would have to be taken apart just to get to the screws which hold on the front bumper. So, owing to your post, I took compressed air and blasted all around the inside of the front bumper from all possible directions.

This did not solve the problem.

But its failure did finally cause me to look more closely at the components of the front bumper. I finally noticed four little modules, each which have leds which shine on the ground (I guess), and there are two bunches of wires which go from the main body of the Roomba to these modules, one bunch of wires on the left and one on the right.

And there I saw the problem.

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw it. And I think that blowing the compressed air behind the bumper made it apparent (it was so blatant, I don't know how I could've missed it before, unless the motion of the air had made it visible).

One of the wires in those bundles, a black wire, had been severed right in half. So, from the perspective of the Roomba, it had "an eye put out" because of a severed "nerve". It was a bit of a trick (since I couldn't get it apart) for me to get the wire soldered back together. But once I did, the circle dance was gone.

Thanks!

ps: I'm guessing that the wire was severed by a floor vent.

[Guest 1]

does anybody have any pictures of disasemble of these parts and cleaning and reasemble?
Where is this spring?
Pictures of all parts and tests would greatly help.
thanks

[drivingblind1]

I have a Roomba 504 (Green). It only has one button function, clean. Mine is doing the circle of death and I would like to fix this my self. The warantee is past (I got it in Dec. 2007) What is the procedure for fixing this? How do I run a 'diagnostic"?

[drivingblind1]

I read about the faulty signal to the right bumper sensor. It recommended to 'smack' the right side of the bumper a few times to dislodge the obstruction causing the false signal. I tried this and it worked!!!! It's in there right now cleaning away! Thanks!!!

[vic7767]

In the future when you need to run the diagnostics on your single button Roomba just remove the battery, press down the Clean button and hold it down while inserting the battery. You will hear the Roomba play its tunes. Once the tunes stop release the Clean button you are in the diagnostic mode.

[mfortuna]

I was going to suggest your procedure vic but I thought it was a 500 series roomba. I think drivingblind1 meant to say 405 and not 504?

[vic7767]

I thought it was a 4XX series with one button. There may be some 4XX models that have more than one button that could then use the normal button presses to enter into diagnostics.

So far the 5XX models can only enter diagnostics mode by SCI commands, no one has posted a button sequence yet.

[drivingblind1]

I used a small leaf blower to blow out dust and junk off the bumper sensors. This cured the death spiral in my 400 series.

[charis]

Thank You So Much for posting the diagnostic procedure! I quickly discovered that the reason mine only goes backwards in circles is because it thinks it's hitting something in the front right side. It must think the bumper is pressed. I smacked it but no luck. I blew the insides clean as well. Now I think I have to take off the bumper to see what the problem is. I saw a post with instructions at
http://mysite.verizon.net/gsplews/Dis-asm_Re-asm_files/accssng_interior_0604xx.htm
so I plan to give that a try.
Thanks again for posting the diagnostics!

Charis in Seattle

[andrewz]

I used a small leaf blower to blow out dust and junk off the bumper sensors. This cured the death spiral in my 400 series.

I'v tryed that diagnos and had head ache )

astigmatism
P iCore7 266 16gig/ram

[vic7767]

The built in tests are the very best way to help identify what sensor is complaining. Then the resultant test will hopefully help clear the problem.

[chuckh1958]

Can someone please tell me exactly where the diagnostic test that everyone is referring to can be found. I've read through all 16 posts on this topic and have not found the actual procedure anywhere. Thanks.

[CleanMe]

In the very first post there's a bold bright red line that reads 'Roomba Discovery Diagnostics & Disassembly'. Click on that.

Or, go to the main Roomba and Scooba Chat page and click on the message under Announcements that starts with 'Read First'.

[chuckh1958]

Thanks. Found it. Hopefully this procedure works for the original roomba. Mine seems to be dead. Don't know if it's the roomba, the batteries, or what.

[CleanMe]

Nope, that won't work for the original Roomba. Go to the Read First post, and under Roomba 4xxx click on the very last link - articles by Swiftracer. You'll find what you need there.