Purchased used Robots

[newtoroomba]

I just finished purchasing two Robots off Ebay and one stated that it is "Fully functional, however looses battery power more frequently than usual and needs recharging. Also good for use of all parts besides battery. The other one states "Before the battery died, this Roomba provided reliable service. Instead of replacing the battery, we just got a new one." Both of them sound like they need a good cleaning and a new battery and I paid $70 bucks for both of them which I think is a decent deal...however they don't come with any charger, batteries or walls...where can I find these relatively cheap?

[vic7767]

The same place you got the Roombas, ebay.

[TechGuy]

They can be found locally using Craigslist, Kijiji and eBay classified. I like to buy local because of no shipping charge and can be inspected before paying.

[newtoroomba]

The one I have now I got local off craigslist and the other ones are a gamble so there is always a risk, I'm comfortable enough since they state they are funtional with a new battery. At the very least I will have something fun to do!

[newtoroomba]

Well guys I got one of the two roomba's I bought off Ebay today. I am very confused as a lot of the parts on this vary a lot from the other 4210 I have. First the brush deck is yellow (other is black) the container where dirt collects has a longer blue lip on it (other is just very short but even in length) it has a swivel front wheel (other is stationary) and only has one metal terminal in the deck (other..2) This one seems to more fluently crawl smoothly along the floor and the other one I own bangs into furniture a lot more forceful. It also backs off the dock without the brushes turning on immediately which seems to be correct and my original one does the opposite! Did the 4210 model have different versions or something?

When I turned it on for the first time...it moved but no brushes would turn. I took it apart and sifted through mounds of hair and dirt, cleaned the gears and entire inside of it.

Somehow tonight I seem to have kick started the motor to the brush back to life as I manually turned the long metal bar about 10-15 times as it was crawling around the floor. I saw some sparks in the motor as I turned it and alas it fired up! Now I'm left with the following issues.

When the power button is pressed everything lights up as normal, clean is the only button that doesn't seem to operate without pressing down real hard on the button. And the side brush seems to be missing the gold bolt looking thing along with of course the brush and screw...I know where to get the brush and screw but what about this gold bolt that attaches it to the roomba?

[sageman]

1)yh the brush deck will differ in color nouthing to worry about there
2)by lip do you meen the blue squeegy thing to channel the dust
3)the wheel is anouther desigh flaw the fixed scratched peoples floor so they changed it to swivel
4)one meatle terminal sounds like one has been snapped off


you may need to clean/replase the brush motor

you can open the part of the case where the buttons are and clean the contacts that should sort out your button problem

[CleanMe]

the container where dirt collects has a longer blue lip on it (other is just very short but even in length)

One of the rubber strips on my 2nd-hand Sage is worn to the point that the scallops are gone and it is a bit more narrow than the one on the dirt bin. As far as I can tell, it has no effect on how well the bot cleans.

it has a swivel front wheel (other is stationary)

As sageman mentioned, Roombas originally came with stationary wheels. It was found that when Roombas turned sideways (and they do that a lot), the stationary wheel would scratch wood and other types of solid floors. The wheel itself could also wear out due the friction of the sideways movement. iRobot subsequently put swivel wheels on all the Roombas. To protect your non-carpeted floors and your Roomba, the stationary wheel can be covered with electrical tape that will need to be replaced occasionally. More info here: http://www.robotreviews.com/chat/viewto ... 7495#p7495 - about the 9nth picture down.

When the power button is pressed everything lights up as normal, clean is the only button that doesn't seem to operate without pressing down real hard on the button.

If you haven't already done so, you might try cleaning the button contacts in the control panel. Access it from the underside of the top shell and when done, seal the control panel with tape.
http://www.robotreviews.com/chat/viewto ... 264#p31264

And the side brush seems to be missing the gold bolt looking thing along with of course the brush and screw...I know where to get the brush and screw but what about this gold bolt that attaches it to the roomba?

You may need to buy a new side brush assembly. Check on ebay and with http://www.protechrobotics.com. Protech Robotics carries lots of small Roomba parts, so if you don't see what you need just ask.

[mfortuna]

I use a fixed wheel red on my wood floors and it doesn't scratch them, The wheels do wear. My retired disco will need a new front wheel if I return it to service. I think the tile and grout is hard on the front wheel.

All my 400 series back up from the dock with a beep beep sound and then start the brushes.

The metal terminal in the deck is a dirt detector. Originally the 400 series had two, as a cost reduction Irobot eliminated one.

[newtoroomba]

Well the differences in the two robots is strange...this one just operates much smoother than the other. I'm glad I paid only $20 for it!

Whoever was the developer/designer of the discovery models didn't take into consideration the amount of dirt that can get picked up into the internal parts and did a bad job!

I'm awaiting the second robot I bought off ebay and the new battery and I will post more then.

[sageman]

The metal terminal in the deck is a dirt detector. Originally the 400 series had two, as a cost reduction Irobot eliminated one.

ahh i read the word "deck" as "dock"

[newtoroomba]

Well I scored today on Black Friday! I picked up a used (very clean condition) 520 with dock and lighthouse for $25 at a yard sale! I plugged it in and I got the quick flashing orange light which from what I read means it's in it's 16 hour charge mode right? I have no clue what the condition of the battery is or what the inside of it looks like but I will be doing a complete clean inside and out. What is a good cleaner to clean the outside and try to make it look more new and get some of the scuff marks off it?

I've also never taken apart this model (just discoveries) so if you have a thread or spot that gives me those instructions too, I would appreciate it!

[vic7767]

I use automotive polishing compound to remove scratches and auto wax to shine em up. Here's a link to the dis-assembly instructions: http://vic7767-robotmods.blogspot.com/