Bott will randomly shut off.

[AekaGSR]

My 3510 will sometimes be found dead on the lawn.  I can usually just turn it back on and it will be happy until it needs to go back into the charge base.  It will pass through the charge base as it won't detect the voltage on the plates.  If I manually set it in the base it will run through the charge test, quickly display "no charge" and go into pause mode.

My current remedy is to open it up and move some wires around (or sometimes just pick up the back a few inches and give it a couple thumps on the ground),  it will then work fine for a few days to a week where it will charge just fine and not die randomly.   Obviously there is a main power wire issue, but I've looked at the connectors at the main junction and everything appears normal.   
The main board was also once replaced under warranty since the board itself went out (unrelated i hope), and it was having these same problems beforehand, so the main board can be ruled out as causing the problem. 

I'd like to be able to fix this here, as shipping it across the country to my vendor is a pain in the ass, and costly.

[toolbelt]

One thing to look for is corrosion around the grounding points....where ever they are and/or if they exist.  Corrosion can act as a resistance cutting off the connection.  From what you are saying about a kick here and there causes me to believe you have a loose connection.  Software programs do not change randomly so it's most likely a hardware problem.
What happens if you hit run after it goes into the pause mode?

Another thing to do if you haven't already is to make sure all of the connectors are seated nice and firm.  Wiggle them around, side to side, etc.  Don't forget the battery terminals.  Does your unit shut down if a bump switch is activated, say it's picked up?  If so, then it could be one of those switches.  All shots-in-the-dark but anyone could be causing your problem.  Hope that helps, toolbelt

[RobotLady]

Take some fine sand paper and shine up the plates and the recharging nuts.  Most likely they have some oxidation on them and the robot is not detecting them.  Others have done this and it fixed the problem.

Finding it dead in the lawn is normal if it decides to charge but does not find the charger.   It will just keep going until it dies. 

[RobotLady]

I thought of a few more things it could be, too, and wrote a "Dead Robot Troubleshooting Guide".  It covers your condition and a few more.  Send your me email address and I will email it to you.

RobotLady

[AekaGSR]

One thing to add is that if it does die it won't be because of a low battery. I've seen it turn off its blade and attempt to turn it back on causing it to shut down during a normal cutting cycle, not while searching for charge.  My email is aekagsr at gmail.com if you could send that guide.  Thanks!

[AekaGSR]

I found the problem.  I looked at the main power connectors again under much more scrutiny.  The connector I'm talking about is the battery leads that plug into the main board.   One side of the connector had a slight bulge to it, like it was getting hot and the terminal on that side didn't have the positive pressure that the other ones did on the pins,  currently I stuck some foil in that terminal for a more solid connection and haven't had a problem.  I'm working on getting replacement connectors.

[RobotLady]

Good catch! 

The terminals should not be getting hot, though.  It means too much current is being drawn from the battery if that happens. 

Have you been greasing the rear wheels?  Check our Winter Service instructions (posted in the forum).  It tells you how to do it.  Friction between the wheel hub and the motor could cause overheating.

Hope this helps!

Robot Lady

[AekaGSR]

Replacing the connectors stopped it from killing itself, but it still has issues with not detecting a charge.    Its a 50/50 shot if it will stop or pass through.  I've cleaned the dome nuts over and over, and the plates, made sure they have solid contact, and voltage is being pass to the nuts verified with a multimeter.

[RobotLady]

It must be some type of intermittent connection between the recharging nuts and the motherboard.  Possibly there is an issue on the motherboard itself.

The way to troubleshoot it is with an ohm meter and tracing it (with black battery terminal(s) pulled) all the way to through the motherboard to the processor.  This is tedious, though, so if you don't have the patience to trace it on the motherboard, stopping at the point where it connects to the motherboard is probably good enough.

The recharging nuts can be removed and then try to polish the screw terminals to make sure the nuts connect well to the terminals.

You might also consider a software update because in the new software, the robot drives much slower on the wire and it will be less likely to overshoot the base.  Still if it is not getting a good connection, that won't matter, so looking at the connections is more important.

Hope this helps!

Robot Lady

[AekaGSR]

Thanks, I'll check it out tomorrow. 

[AekaGSR]

Thanks. I found it.  The bump sensor assembly that attaches to the charge nut uses a rivet to connect the charge wire.  It was loose, causing intermittent issues.  I drilled out the rivet and used a proper screw and nut.   Works perfectly now.

[gsmwf360]

Glad to hear you figured it out! Thanks for posting your findings as it may help others, or me :-) in the future!