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51
Lawnbott / Lift Errors, LawnBott & Ambrogio
« Last post by RobotLady on November 01, 2016, 02:10:29 PM »
You may have gotten a "lift error" on your LawnBott or Ambrogio robotic lawn mower and have been wondering what it means. 

First, let's learn how it works and is activated.  The Lift Error is caused by the robot's software detecting that a non-driving wheel is not turning.  How does it know?  Well, there are magnets and "hall effect" sensors installed in and near the non-driving wheels on certain LawnBott/Ambrogio robot mower models.

What is a "hall effect" sensor?  It is a sensor that can detect the magnetic field of a magnet located nearby.  Certain LawnBott/Ambrogio models have magnets installed in the non-driving wheels (that is, the spinning wheels not connected to the wheel motors).  The sensor is embedded into the chassis near the wheels on a tiny circuit board.  There are wires that connect the sensor to the display board that is mounted on the lid or near the back of the chassis.  The tiny board is sunk into the plastic so that the sensor aligns very close to the associated turning wheel and is held by a single screw.

Lift Error occurs when the software determines the wheel is not turning because it no longer gets a signal from the sensor.  The first thing to check when you get a lift error is the mechanical integrity of the non-driving wheels.  They should turn freely.  Sometimes debris, wear and tear or the condition of the ground where the robot is traveling prevents them from turning, so check for anything that inhibits them.

But, Lift Error can also occur commonly in certain LawnBott/Ambrogio robot models due to the wires getting squashed between the lid and the chassis after a repair, inspection or Winter Service.  The models are LawnBott LB75DX v4 Chassis and LawnBott LB85EL.

It is a really common issue because the wires are not tacked down well at the factory.  There are two places the wires can get caught.  1) In the channel that goes all around the robot lid and 2) In the posts that insert into the lid where the bolts go to hold the lid on.

When your robot comes to us for service, we will tape the wires down to the chassis with strong strapping tape to prevent this problem from occurring.

If you find the wires are squashed, usually it is easy to repair them.  Even just a dab of E6000 glue on each exposed wire is enough to provide insulation and protection.  Then tape the wires carefully and look underneath as you put the lid on.  If the lid does not drop on easily, if it is sitting cock-eyed, or if a lid bolt won't go into its hole, most likely the wires got caught.  Rather than forcing the lid on, carefully lift it up and inspect.  Then tape the wires down and try again.

Of course, it is possible the hall effect sensor failed, the wire came out of the display board or the display board failed.  All of these cases require additional troubleshooting steps so please call your dealer for assistance.

I hope you find this post helpful!

Robot Lady
52
Lawnbott / Re: Get a Surge Protector for your Lawnbott if you don't have one...
« Last post by RobotLady on November 01, 2016, 01:48:35 PM »
Correct.  Surge protectors are not fail safe, but they do help.

Another thing we learned recently is that in most areas of the USA the third prong on your power outlet may not be grounded.  Grounding the third prong is another way to help protect robot mower electronics from lightening and power surges.  You can check it with an ohm meter, but the safest way to avoid an electric shock is to call an electrician to check it and have it connected properly.

The electrician can inspect the outlet where your robot is connected to determine whether the 3rd prong is earth-grounded or not.  If it is not earth grounded, he (she... ;-) ) can ground it for you properly by literally putting a stake in the ground outside your house and running a wire to the outlet.

Grounding the outlet properly can prevent robot mower mishaps due to lightening.

Robot Lady
53
Lawnbott / Re: Lightning struck the perimeter wire... now what?
« Last post by RobotLady on November 01, 2016, 01:31:02 PM »
Hi,

It is unclear whether you unplugged the entire perimeter wire before trying the test loop.  If not, please do, it is necessary.

Also, the test loop needs to be at least 20 feet of wire, but 50 feet is even better.  It will not work if the wire is too short.

3.5 ohms on the test loop tells me you may have used wire that is too thin for the test.  Try to use wire that is similar to the perimeter wire.   Using the same wire would be best, if you can.

Robot Lady
54
Lawnbott / Re: Lightning struck the perimeter wire... now what?
« Last post by RoboBob on October 03, 2016, 01:30:28 PM »
I just checked the resistance with the multimeter for the shortened perimeter wire - it reads at 3.8, so the wire shouldn't be causing the issue?
55
Lawnbott / Re: Lightning struck the perimeter wire... now what?
« Last post by RoboBob on October 03, 2016, 01:18:35 PM »
I am pretty certain there are no wire breaks in the "temporary" loop I just made ) - effectively cutting out zone 2, 3 and 4 - However I noticed when plugging in the shorter perimeter wire, the power supply fan stops whirrling and the transmitter shows no lights, when I remove the wire, the power supply starts whirling and the transmitter flashes red
56
Lawnbott / Re: Lightning struck the perimeter wire... now what?
« Last post by RobotLady on October 03, 2016, 01:14:12 PM »
Incredible story and amazing photos!  It sounds like there is a break in the perimeter wire 1000 feet in.  I will send you our signal trouble shooting guide via email.

Robot Lady
57
Lawnbott / Re: Lightning struck the perimeter wire... now what?
« Last post by RoboBob on October 03, 2016, 01:08:10 PM »
Images of the lightning aftermath can be seen here:   https://imgur.com/a/TA7q3

58
Lawnbott / Re: Get a Surge Protector for your Lawnbott if you don't have one...
« Last post by RoboBob on October 03, 2016, 12:27:45 PM »
Great Idea!  However it wont help you if your unlucky enough to have the lightning bolt hit near your perimeter wire....  https://imgur.com/a/TA7q3
59
Lawnbott / Lightning struck the perimeter wire... now what?
« Last post by RoboBob on October 03, 2016, 12:20:58 PM »
Greetings All,

Ater putting on a new transmitter, it is showing a solid green LED.  I walk around with the AM radio with one of the wires unplugged from the perimeter wire to find the break.  I confirm my zone 1 is good, however venturing further out I notice the signal gets fainter and fainter, there is no sudden no signal according to the am radio - this is roughly at 1000 ft or so.  Its very hot and muggy in South Florida right now, and I just want the lawnbott start cutting something as the grass is getting long, so I cut the leg of the boot segmenting Zone 1 from Zone 2 and run it back to the dock as the end of the perimeter - wire - this should work as I confirmed the radio signal was working at the end of this point.  However when I connected it, I noticed that the transmitter suddenly had no LED indicators and when trying the lawnbott out, it said "No Signal"

Any ideas on what to do next?


If you want the full story....read below....

Last week a lighting bolt hit the perimeter wire - it hit a tree, then appears to have bounced from the tree to the ground where the perimeter wire was acting as flower bed around the tree.  It blew a large chunk of the tree bark off and vaporized about 8" of the perimeter wire.  I cut back about 12-18" from each of the vaporized ends and spliced new cable.

Checking the electronics box mounted on the wall near the dock - I found that the Transmitter was burnt to a crisp, the signal booster had smolder marks on the power outlet and was dead confirmed by multimeter, there were smolder/smudge marks in the inside of the electronics boxes and the connection points where the wires connect to the transmitter and where they connect to the dock were blown off or melted (will upload pictures of all the carnage in a bit...) - Amazingly even though the lawnbott charger had charr marks on the chassis - the multimeter confirmed it was still putting out nominal voltage. 

I was very lucky that the lawnbott got stuck next to another tree in the yard (yeah, need more "flower beds" around the trees...) and didn't make it back to the dock when it detected rain and subsequent lightning bolt through the perimeter wire to the dock. 

I am doubly "lucky" that I happen to have a spare transmitter and power supply, found that the signal booster was just a rebranded power supply.  Swapped out those components out, only to find that the lawnbott says "No Signal" and the transmitter is showing a solid green LED.  I walk around with the AM radio with one of the wires unplugged from the perimeter wire to find the break.  I confirm my zone 1 is good, however venturing further out I notice the signal gets fainter and fainter,  there is no sudden no signal according to the am radio  - this is roughly at 1000 ft or so.  Its very hot and muggy in South Florida right now, and I just want the lawnbott start cutting something as the grass is getting long, so I cut the leg of the boot segmenting Zone 1 from Zone 2 and run it back to the dock as the end of the perimeter - wire - this should work as I confirmed the radio signal was working at the end of this point.  However when I connected it, I noticed that the transmitter suddenly had no LED indicators and when trying the lawnbott out, it said "No Signal"

Any ideas on what to do next?
60
Lawnbott / Best Way to RESET your LawnBott
« Last post by RobotLady on August 23, 2016, 08:52:03 AM »
How to RESET your LawnBott

Is your robot acting strangely in a way you haven't seen before?  Sometimes we recommend a reset. 

Nevermind unplugging the battery cables, the best way to reset your LawnBott is to remove the 20/30 Amp fuse on the side of the motherboard!

We recently learned that removing this fuse powers **everything** down.  Think of it as an on-off switch or a "reset" button.

Removing the fuse is the easiest way to reset your robot and far less risky than removing the battery connector(s).

I hope you find this advice helpful!

RobotLady
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