3200 Failing to back out of dock completely

[bottlawn]

Last year it stopped backing out completely.  Instead, it backs out just to the end of the dock to the point where, when it turns right, it bumps into the edge of the dock.  After fumbling back and forth a few times it often will figure out how to get out.  But maybe 1/4 of the time it will bump itself backwards to the point where it goes out of border.  I haven't been able to figure out any solution, and straightening the wire leading into the dock hasn't helped.

Furthermore, sometimes it won't dock on completion properly.  Goes in, then backs out.  Sometimes will go right back in, and other times will make another pass around the lawn. 

Has anyone experienced these issues and found a solution?

[AGR]

The first issue I have not had, but the second I have and they may be related.

For a while my guy did the same thing where it would go in and then back out and then go around again and again. I found that one of the charging plates was not lowering enough to catch the charging nipple on the unit. I took pliers to it and bent the tab that keeps it from going too low. That helped a lot. Kathy told me once too that the plates can get dirty and hinder the electrical flow and so I also cleaned it a few times and once even lightly hit it with high grain (made for metal) sand paper.

So perhaps your unit goes so far in to catch a charge, its not programmed to go out so far and one or both of these will help.

[bottlawn]

I forgot to mention that I had sanded both the plates and the bolts to ensure good contact.  A few months ago I had even run a dremel polisher on them.  I just checked the plates and they appear to be at the right height, where it barely touches the top rib of the mower hood, which is a lot lower than the top of the charging bolt.  It looks about a little more than an inch from the front of the where the wires come through the base, so I don't think it is docked too far.  I tried setting up the dock a few feet away to see if the undocking is better in a different environment, but that didn't change.  The last thing I can think of is to use a separate test wire loop to see if the signal has anything to do with it.  Anyway, thank for the tips, AGR.

I see the traffic on this forum seems to have tapered off the past few years--makes me wonder if the brand has fallen out of favor.

[RobotLady]

Hi, the brand has not fallen out of favor.  People stop talking when their robots are running smoothly.  Quality has improved a lot over the years.

What voltage do you have on the batteries?  Measure it with a voltmeter.  It should be close to 29V.

Also, while you have it open, take a look at the 3 fuses on the motherboard.  One fuse is under a black plastic cap.  The other two are automotive fuses and are very easy to find.

[RobotLady]

Someone sent us a video of their robot with a similar problem (maybe it was you?) and we noticed one wheel was not turning when it tried to back out.  The issue turned out to be the wheel motor had failed.  Hope this helps others who may have a similar issue...

RobotLady

[AekaGSR]

I had the bad wheel motor, it masked itself as a bad transmitter as it couldn't spin for a signal check.  And then later my transmitter actually did fail due to a faulty car battery charger in my garage.  I had all the best luck.

[RobotLady]

Thanks for your incredible patience while waiting for parts to arrive!