Friendly Robotics robomow rl350 Operating Manual

Friendly Robotics robomow rl350 Operating Manual

Hide thumbs Also See for robomow rl350:

Advertisement

Operating & Safety Manual
RL350/550/850
www.friendlyrobotics.com
DOC0099A

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Summary of Contents for Friendly Robotics robomow rl350

  • Page 1 Operating & Safety Manual RL350/550/850 www.friendlyrobotics.com DOC0099A...
  • Page 4: Ec Declaration Of Conformity

    7. Technical documentation kept by Mr. Dedy Gur, QA director. I hereby declare that the above product conforms to the requirements as specified above. *The original RL500 was tested by BSI in 2000. All Friendly Robotics models currently sold were tested by F.Robotics Acquisitions Ltd.
  • Page 5 The products are manufactured by F. Robotics Acquisitions (Friendly Robotics). CE approved. © Friendly Robotics, 2007-A. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, electronically or translated without the prior written consent of Friendly Robotics. Product, product specifications and this document are subject to change without notice. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
  • Page 6: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Safety Warnings & Precautions ………………………………………….….……… 5 Safety Features …………………………………………………………….….…..…. 8 What’s in the Box ……………………………………………………………….…... 10 Chapter 1 – Perimeter Wire Setup………………………………………….….….. 12 ® Chapter 2 – Preparing the Robomow …………………………………………. 22 Chapter 3 – Manual & Automatic Operation…………………………………….…29 Chapter 4 –...
  • Page 7: Safety Warnings & Precautions

    Safety Warnings & Precautions Training and Instructions ® Read this manual carefully before operating Robomow . Be familiar with the controls and ® the proper use of Robomow and follow all safety and warning instructions. ® Do not use Robomow for any purpose other than for which it is intended.
  • Page 8 Use caution when lifting Robomow, it’s heavy! Before lifting it, always take out the battery. Keep hands and feet away from the cutting blades and other moving parts. Never pick up or carry this appliance while the motors are running. Never attempt to service or adjust the mower while it is in operation.
  • Page 9 Safety Warnings & Precautions Warning Decal Definitions 1. WARNING-this is a dangerous power tool. Use care when operating and follow all safety instructions and warnings. 2. Read the owner/operating manual carefully and follow all safety instructions. 3. Objects can be thrown from mower while operating, take caution. 4.
  • Page 10: Safety Features

    ® Robomow - Safety Features 1. Child Guard / Safety Guard This menu option offers a safety feature to help prevent children or others not familiar with the safe operation of the mower to operate it freely. 2. Lift Sensor There is a sensor located on the front caster wheel of the mower.
  • Page 11 11. Over-Current Monitoring Protection Each of the three blade motors and each of the two wheel drive motors are monitored continuously during operation for any situation that may cause these motors to over-heat. In such event, the Robomow will stop operation of at least that motor and possibly the mower itself and indicate that the motor is cooling down.
  • Page 12: What's In The Box

    What’s in the Box ® (Robomow ® 1. Robomow 2. Power Pack 3. Operating & Safety Manual 4. Standard Power Supply Used for recharging the Robomow power pack. Indoor use only. 5. RoboRuler Used for setting the distance of the perimeter wire from the lawn edge.
  • Page 13 A Basic How It Works A small wire, called the perimeter wire, is placed around the perimeter of the lawn and any other areas where you do not want the mower to enter. A small signal is generated from a device attached to the perimeter wire, called the Perimeter Switch.
  • Page 14: Chapter 1 - Perimeter Wire Setup

    Chapter 1 Perimeter Wire Setup 1.0 Where To Start In order to determine the best location to begin the setup, it is best to first make some basic decisions based on your lawn. While many lawns can be effectively cut during the course of one single, most lawns and homes are not laid out in such fashion to efficiently allow the Robomow to operate freely all over the lawn.
  • Page 15 Note: Use the short distance of the RoboRuler to set the wire position around the obstacle while creating a Perimeter Island (See section 1.8). Area outside perimeter - same basic Area outside perimeter - has a wall as level and free of obstacles. an obstacle.
  • Page 16 Add pegs in to pull the perimeter wire down to the ground surface, below the Perimeter Wire grass tips. Tip! It is recommended to water the ground prior to pegging the wire. Figure 1.3 – Pegging the Perimeter Wire 1.4 Corners & Sharp Turns Care must be taken not to create a corner sharper than 90 degrees when setting up the perimeter wire.
  • Page 17 1.6 Defining Obstacles-Perimeter Islands Many obstacles can be left in the lawn without consideration to excluding them using the perimeter wire. The basic rule of thumb is that the obstacle must be at least 6 inches (15 cm) high from the ground, vertical to the ground and the obstacle must be relatively rigid.
  • Page 18 Figure 1.6 – Perimeter Wire Setup Distances for Obstacles Tree too close to perimeter, less than 4 Trees large enough to allow Small tree, must feet (1.2m), loop out with Robomow to bump into do not exclude with perimeter perimeter wire require a perimeter wire around it wire Minimum distance...
  • Page 19 1.7 Multiple Zones/Areas As mentioned earlier, your home may require more than one zone to be set up in order for the Robomow to work in all of your lawn effectively. Having two or even three zones does not affect the efficiency of the Robomow and in many circumstances is more desirable than one large zone.
  • Page 20 Maximum length of wire connected to the Perimeter Perimeter Switch in one Switch loop is 1000ft (300m) Zone A Zone C While the picture Zone B shows two wires separate, they While the picture should be adjacent shows two wires separate, they should be adjacent - Three separate zones, all in one loop connected to the Perimeter Switch.
  • Page 21 1.8 Slopes As a general rule of thumb, any slope that can safely be cut using a walk behind mower can also be cut using the Robomow in the automatic mode. The maximum slope limit is 15 degrees, the same as a traditional walk behind mower.
  • Page 22 Using a small flat blade Strip back ¼ inch (6 mm) of screwdriver, tighten these insulation from each wire end two screws to secure the and insert each perimeter wire perimeter wires into the end into hole of connector. connector Figure 1.10 –...
  • Page 23 The Perimeter Switch has an automatic shutoff feature, eliminating the need for you to turn it off after each use. It will shut itself off after 5 continuous hours of operation. You can expect a good set of alkaline batteries in the Perimeter Switch to last most, if not all, of a normal cutting season. You may manually turn the perimeter switch off by pressing the ‘ON’...
  • Page 24: Chapter 2 - Preparing The Robomow

    Chapter 2 ® Preparing The Robomow Carrying handle Bumpers with touch sensitive sensors Manual Controller Operating Lamp Power Pack ® Figure 2.1 - A basic ‘w at is what’ of the Robomow 2.1 Inserting Power Pack Fuse Your Robomow is shipped with the Power Pack fuse removed and it will not operate without it. The fuse is contained in a small plastic bag attached to the top of the Power Pack.
  • Page 25 2.2 Using The Manual Controller The Robomow is equipped with a Manual Controller. It enables you to manually drive and operate the mower. To get started on using the Manual Controller, study figure 2.3 to view the various operating controls and their functions. Refer to Chapter 5, Manual Operation for full details regarding use of the Manual Controller.
  • Page 26 2.3 Manual and automatic operation The Robomow is safely designed so that operation in the manual mode is prohibited unless the Manual Controller has been removed from its’ holder and is in the possession of the user to operate the buttons. See Figure 2.4. The manual mode is used to primarily move/drive the Robomow into the lawn and to return it after mowing.
  • Page 27 2.5 Setting The Cutting Height And Ground Clearance Remove the Power Pack before making any adjustments. The Robomow has two basic adjustments, cutting height and ground clearance. When using the high cut blades, the cutting height is adjustable from approximately 1.5 inches to 3.5 inches (3.8 cm – 8.9 cm) and with the low cut blades from 1 inch to 2.5 inches (2.5 cm –...
  • Page 28 2.6 Set Country and Perform One Time Calibration The Robomow uses a sophisticated navigation system that utilizes an on-board compass type device, which responds to the magnetic poles of the earth. Magnetic North can vary from one point on the earth to another, based on geography.
  • Page 29 Figure 2.10 – Calibrating Sequence LCD Display Action Required Zone A Zone A Dock Zone Dock Zone GO’ Press ‘ Press GO Press GO Press GO Press GO GO’ Set Country Set Country Set Country Set Country Press ‘ Press GO Press GO Press GO Press GO...
  • Page 30 2.7 Test the Perimeter Wire Position for Edge Mowing: As mentioned in Chapter 1, it is best to test the position of the perimeter wire on edge mowing to determine if any small adjustments need to be made to the wire position before driving the rest of the wire pegs into place.
  • Page 31: Chapter 3 - Manual & Automatic Operation

    Chapter 3 Manual and Automatic Operation Activating The Perimeter Switch The Robomow cannot operate unless the Perimeter Switch is turned on and the mower is on the inside of the active perimeter. Locate or connect the Perimeter Switch to the zone, which you would like to mow.
  • Page 32 The first mowing chore for the Robomow is mowing the edge. By edge, we mean the outer perimeter of the active zone the Robomow is working within. This is essentially where you placed your perimeter wire in the wire set-up. Edge mowing provides a clean even cut around the perimeter and helps to minimize the amount of trimming along walls and other obstacles.
  • Page 33 Skipping Edge Mowing The Robomow provides a means that will allow you to skip the edge mowing process and start directly with the scanning (mowing) process. In order to do this, simply press the ‘GO’ button two times at the initial startup of the mower. Pressing ‘GO’ the second time immediately following the first press will tell the mower to skip mowing the edge.
  • Page 34 The Manual Controller can only operate in manual mode when removed from the holder, which holds it in place during automatic operation. For safety it is designed in such a way that manual operation is prohibited while in the holder and automatic operation is prohibited when removed from the holder. You will also notice that the Manual Controller contains the keypad for starting automatic operation as well as the emergency stop.
  • Page 35 Figure 3.11 – Manual mowing with manual controller Step 1 Using right thumb, press and hold ‘C’ button. Step 2 While holding the ‘C’ button, press the ‘Mow’ button with your left thumb. The blades will now start. Step 3 Release the ‘C’...
  • Page 36: Chapter 4 - Charging

    Chapter 4 Charging 4.1 Charging Of all the areas regarding the Robomow, proper charging of the Power Pack is second only to safety in importance. Failure to follow the charging guidelines will result in poor performance and a short Power Pack life.
  • Page 37 The LCD on the Manual Controller will display the text seen in Figure 4.4 and the battery icon will continually move from empty to full to show the charging. Once the battery is fully charged, the message will change to that as shown in Figure 4.5, reminding you to keep it connected to the Power Supply until the next use.
  • Page 38 when something has interrupted the charging operation, such as a loss of power to the Power Supply for example. The Power Pack should be fully charged before initiating any operation. In addition, you should have examined the mower before operation to look for problems that may cause excessive energy consumption and thereby less than optimum run-time.
  • Page 39: Chapter 5 - Settings And Advanced Features

    Chapter 5 Settings and Advanced Features 5.1 User Options Lifting the Manual Controller from its holder will change the text display on the LCD to the manual operating menu, as seen in Figure 5.1. Manual Figure 5.1 User options Pressing ‘GO’ once will take you to the next screen, ‘User Preferences’. Figure 5.2. Using the ‘Up ⇑...
  • Page 40 User Preferences User Preferences User Preferences Press ‘GO’ Press ‘GO’ Press ‘GO’ Zones setup Zones setup Zones setup Press GO Press GO Press GO Press GO Press GO Press GO Sound Sound Press GO Press GO Wire Position Wire Position Press GO Press GO Language...
  • Page 41 5.2.1.2 Learn Edge The default distance for edge mowing is approximately 1.5 to 2 rounds around the perimeter. This feature allows the user to learn a specific distance in each operating zone in order to cause the mower to cut the edge a specific distance, such as one full round. It will remain as a learned distance until the edge is re-learned or the factory default edge is selected.
  • Page 42 5.2.6 Blades replaced Choose this option after replacing the blades to restart the reminder counter. A reminder to replace the blades again will be displayed after the next 200 hours of operation. Blades are easy to replace, refer to section 8.2. 5.2.7 Anti-Theft The anti-theft system provides the user a disabling function that will prevent anyone from using or...
  • Page 43 Never use the Robomow with a safety device or feature not properly operating. Never attempt to disable or bypass any safety device or system. See an authorized Friendly Robotics service facility for repair or information regarding any safety system or device.
  • Page 44: Chapter 6 - Text Messages And Troubleshooting

    Chapter 6 Text Messages and Troubleshooting Messaging The Robomow is equipped with a sophisticated monitoring system that will notify you in the form of a text message in the LCD panel when common operational faults occur. In addition, it will also communicate in text form several messages that are meant as a prompt to the user to perform a certain function or action.
  • Page 45 Message Displayed Probable Cause/Event Corrective/User Action Front/Rear bumper - Move mower away from object pressing - Front or Rear Bumper is constantly being pressed against bumper. pressed CAUTION – Remove power pack before lifting the mower - The Robomow has driven onto an obstacle, raising the front end.
  • Page 46 Message Displayed Probable Cause/Event Corrective/User Action - Confirm the message and replace the Replace lamp - The Operating Lamp is burnt out Operating Bulb as soon as possible - Calibration failure from interference in the - Move the Robomow 10-12 feet (3-4m) from Retry elsewhere immediate area this spot and attempt calibration again.
  • Page 47 Problem Encountered Probable Cause/Event Corrective/User Action - Weak batteries - Install fresh alkaline C-cell batteries - Poor wire splicing (confirm that when the Perimeter Switch is turned on, first the ‘Cut wire’ indicator is flashing once). - Use the connectors supplied in the box. It is - Twisted cables, or a screw terminal, waterproof and gives a reliable electrical insulated with insulation tape is not...
  • Page 48 Problem Encountered Probable Cause/Event Corrective/User Action Robomow has crossed over wire during operation CAUTION The Robomow is designed to remain within an active perimeter of your lawn when - Refer to the setup rules for wire placement, - Improper perimeter wire setup OR properly installed.
  • Page 49 Problem Encountered Probable Cause/Event Corrective/User Action Watch the full operation of edge and confirm Obstacle along path no obstacles are present RL500 & RL550, start edge from the Robomow does not opposite side of the lawn. Contact your complete the edge service provider if this does not correct the Peculiar geometry of perimeter situation.
  • Page 50: Chapter 7 - Specifications

    Chapter 7 Specifications Bottom Dimensions 89cm l x 66.5cm w x 31.5cm h (35” x 26” x 12.5”) Weight 22.6kg (50lb.) Unit + 12.6kg (28lb.) Power Pack Front Noise level < 85 db (A) Mowing Width 3 Blades and a total cutting width of 53cm (21”) Cuts 1.5cm outside the wheels Mowing Height 6 settings at the front and 2 at the rear...
  • Page 51: Chapter 8 - Maintenance And Storage

    * Side by side comparison Chapter 8 Maintenance and Storage Recommended Maintenance Schedule Maintenance Service Maintenance Procedure Interval Check and remove grass clippings and dirt from the mowing deck if necessary, particularly when mowing wet and damp grass (refer to section 8.1) Each Use Charge the power pack after every use.
  • Page 52 Whenever replacing the blades, it is recommended to restart the counter of the blades replacement reminder by choosing the ‘Blades replaced’ option under the ‘User Preferences’ menu and press the GO button again to clear the reminder. Figure 8.1 Squeeze tabs & pull Squeeze tabs &...
  • Page 53 8.3 Outer Housing Use only a damp cloth and a dry brush to clean the outer surfaces of the Robomow. A light detergent can be used in a water solution, and then soaking and wringing dry the cloth for cleaning. Never use harsh or abrasive cleaning solutions.
  • Page 54: Chapter 9 - Accessories

    Chapter 9 Accessories Perimeter Switch Convenience of having a switch for each zone and not moving one switch from zone to zone. Peg Pack (50) For larger lawns and additional zones. Perimeter Wire For larger lawns and additional zones. Power Pack Convenience of increasing capacity with a second battery.
  • Page 55: Tips For Maintaining Your Lawn

    Tips for maintaining your lawn ® Robomow - Lawn care has never been so easy Best time to mow Mow your lawn when the grass is dry. This prevents the clippings from clumping and leaving piles on the lawn. Mow it late in the day rather than during the heat of the day. Mowing frequency Mow often, producing short, small clippings.
  • Page 56: Limited Warranty

    Friendly Robotics is not liable for indirect, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the use of the Friendly Robotics Product covered by this warranty, including any cost or expense of providing substitute equipment or service during reasonable periods of malfunction or non-use pending completion of repairs under this warranty.
  • Page 57 To register your product online, go to www.friendlyrobotics.com/register/ www.friendlyrobotics.com...

This manual is also suitable for:

Robomow rl550Robomow rl850

Table of Contents