Getting my first Neato

[Tris]

Hi Everyone,

I've been looking at getting a Neato for a little while now but I was a bit put off by the price of new and used machines. While doing some research, I stumbled upon this great site which helped me make the decision to rescue a cheap, faulty XV Signature from ebay.

It's apparently suffering from the "blank screen / green light / no response" problem so I'll replace the caps on the motherboard and see what happens! If it does spring back into life then I'll treat it to a new combo brush and a set of ANewPow Lithium batteries.

Thanks for maintaining this great repository of Neato knowledge guys, wish me luck!

[JEfromCanada]

I hope you have the technical knowledge to deal with a damaged unit. I'd hate to see you get turned off of a good machine by trying to rescue a unit that perhaps should not have been purchased. Good luck!

[TechGuy]

If the price is right ($50 or less), it will be fine to get a non-functioning robot just for its parts. 2 good wheel motors alone will worth $50 on eBay.

[vic7767]

That Neato is suffering from two different issues. The Cap will fix the dull green LED but the blank display will require a replacement LCD assembly.

[TechGuy]

Is Neato uses the same LCD panel for all Neato models from XV series to BotVac?
Is it possible to start a cleaning mission using a USB cable with a non-functioning LCD panel?

[Tris]

Don't worry, I'm a Software and Test Engineer who loves a challenge. I'm used to repairing 80's arcade boards that have been half eaten by NiCad juice!

I paid £78 ($108) including delivery, got the bot with base station in original box. I couldn't find anything cheaper than that. It's in the post at the moment so I'll see what I'm up against soon!

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep an eye out for a replacement LCD...

[vic7767]

Depending on the rev of your main board rev 113 or rev 64 will require a different LCD assembly. Both are available on ebay at around $50 shipped.

[glnc222]

There have been posts from users with blank LCD screens who could still run the robot with the panel buttons. Apparently just internal failure of the display -- in their particular cases; other defects possible. You can get all the menu info over USB though inconvenient, plugging in etc. Theoretically you can launch cleaning over USB, though with some tricks regarding the USB: to insure it is not trapped by a cable, the bot requests unplugging the USB to run. Yet it has been observed the USB interface comes back when replugged in when running, used by some hobbyist added wireless equipment. These items are listed in the "Mods & Repairs" thread index top of main forum page.
Also there are links to tips and tricks involved in disassembly and re-assembly of XV robots, to avoid unexpected damage to parts.
If not familiar note the Neato Control Program from Russia greatly enhancing the USB connection with graphical interface.

[Tris]

It arrived today and it's in pretty good physical shape, only a couple of scuffs here and there. Sadly, the LCD is blank all the time but everything else appears to be working!

I've used the NeatoControl program to test all the sensors and motors, everything looks good. The batteries were giving me about 8.3v each on a DMM but the internal fuel gauge was only reading 14%, which I guess is why the seller couldn't get it to run, especially with no error on the display. I set the battery to 100% and it burst into life. I will perform the battery conditioning procedure at some point and see how good the batteries are - they look like the originals so they probably won't last long...

Now I just need to strip it down and give it a good clean, free up all the bearings, change the caps, etc. I think I can live without the display for the time being; it won't take long to find my way around the invisible menu and I can always set up scheduling with NeatoControl.

I gave it a quick run in an area of about 2 square metres and I was amazed at the amount of fluff it picked up!

Thanks again!

[vic7767]

That's some great news. Thanks to the tools and hints and tricks and knowledge available here at robot reviews you got your Neato up and running without major stress. Have fun !

[Tris]

I just thought I'd post a quick update and a question...

The batteries are actually in great condition - the longest run time I've had yet was just shy of 50 minutes and it only stopped because it ran out of floor to clean! It finds its way back to the base station and docks every time, no problem.

One potential issue I've noticed is that the brush stops spinning now and again during a clean but the robot carries on as if nothing is wrong. After a few seconds, the brush starts spinning again. Is this a known or common behaviour? This can be heard/observed from around 1:52 to 2:04 in the following video (not my video or robot but the same model):



BTW, my robot is currently running FW v3.2 on Rev64.

[JEfromCanada]

I haven't watched the video, so my response is general - not related to the video. Neato keeps a map of where it's already cleaned. So, if it passes over an area that it thinks has already been cleaned, it will sometimes stop its brushes to conserve energy.

Edit:

After watching the video, it appears that Neato was just taking a look around to survey the room before again starting to clean.

As an aside, I was surprised to *NOT* see the Neato do its "Corner Clever" behaviour at the end of that first long wall. It makes me wonder whether it needs a firmware flash. I was pretty sure that version 3.2 of the firmware had that feature already in place.

Edit #2: Just saw the disclaimer about the video not being your actual robot. That might explain why it doesn't display the behaviour expected with version 3.2 of the firmware.

[Tris]

I guess it didn't do the Corner Clever thing because it was doing a spot clean - the far wall must have been just out of range.

The bot in the video cuts the brush motor on an interior "to & fro" pass, it doesn't seem to be in "explore" mode.

The brush on my bot has cut out even when covering fresh ground on a perimeter. I'll have to watch it a little closer and see if I can spot a pattern...

[glnc222]

Brush motor pausing -- this is a programmed feature of Neato behavior where it attempts to save power by stopping the brush when it becomes occupied maneuvering in a tight space too long. It has always seemed too slow to resume.
It does not stop the fan because it takes time to rev it up to full speed.

[Tris]

That makes sense, based on my observations so far. Thanks!

Speaking of the brush, I've changed the speed to match the VR100's 1450RPM. It certainly sounds more purposeful, I'll have to see how cleaning performance and runtime are affected.

Also on my to-do list is sourcing a cheap compatible replacement LCD; the cheapest Binky UI board on ebay would cost at least $92 after shipping and UK import charges!

[glnc222]

Brush speed: the higher VR100 brush speed came with the combo brush introduced first by Vorwerk, I think with four elements instead of six in the original XV blade brush. Also helical form. The higher speed may be to equalize the number of blade strikes per second. The additional load of the higher speed can be observed over USB and the effect on run time calculated. The Neato uses about 2ah per run as a programmed limit. I suppose the load must be observed with the brush in contact with the floor, as a drag is created.