AskAboutGadgets Archive

Fixing a roomba battery ?

posted by: Tal Galili on 2010-08-22
tagged: battery, roomba
score: 6

Hi all,

I got a roomba, but with a problem.

The problem is that after I charge the roomba, it can move less then half a feet - and then stops (blipping as if the battery is dead)

If I then charge the roomba, it can again move half a feet, only to die again.

How can I fix the roomba battery in the cheapest/easiest way?

Thanks

Answer 1500

posted by: Tal Galili on 2010-08-23
score: 3

Well.

In the meantime I found this article. And also that Amazon sells these things.

So I am o.k

Answer 1533

posted by: Brian Kim on 2010-08-23
score: 2

Does it play a 4-note song and the power button blinks Red? If it does not, It may not be a battery problem.

How many times does it beep after it dies? Look at the back of the manual and see what your problem is. The number of beeps mean different problems.

EDIT: Here's a web page if you can't find your manual. What is Roomba saying to me?

It goes "uh oh" and then it starts beeping. Count the beeps after "uh oh" sound.

I had a similar problem. It would back out from the docking station at the scheduled time. It would come straight out about a foot or two and the it would die and beep. Mine died and beeped 9 times which meant a sensor problem. 9 beep problem is quite common for Roomba 500 series and cleaning sensors didn't help for me. I called iRobot support and they said they will replace mine with new Roomba, but mine was out of warranty period which is 1 year... They offered me the newer model of Roomba without any accessories for $129. Still debating whether I should buy it...

I hope yours is not the infamous 9-beep problem. If it is I hope your are still covered with 1 year warranty.

Answer 1555

posted by: Bob on 2010-08-24
score: 0

I wouldn't try to replace the battery just yet. It probably just needs to be reset:

Run the Roomba until it's dead (shouldn't be too hard for you).
Flip it over and remove the battery.
Hold down the power button for about 5 seconds.
Re-insert the battery.
Plug in the Roomba (safer than docking station) and leave it alone for at least 12 hours.

When you start it up again, it should be able to run for much longer. I have to do this with my Roomba occasionally (it may depend on the model, etc). It's annoying, but still a much easier and cheaper fix than replacing the battery.

Edit: These look like the official instructions: http://robotshop.helpserve.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=1

All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.