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Maintenance and Repair
Maintenance & Repair
Chapter 7
Your AmigoBot Intelligent Mobile Robot is built to last a lifetime and requires little
maintenance.
Drive Lubrication
The drive motors and gearbox are sealed and self-lubricating, so you need not
fuss with grease or oil. An occasional drop or two of oil on the axle bushings
between the wheels and the case won't hurt.
Keep the axles clear of carpet or other strings that may wrap around and bind up
AmigoBot's drive. Occasionally wipe the tires with a damp cloth, and especially
remove any dirt or debris that may accumulate on the tires—these will degrade
the robot's performance.
AmigoBot Batteries
Lead-acid batteries like those in your car and in your AmigoBot, last longest when
kept fully charged. In fact, severe discharge is harmful to the battery. So be
careful not to operate the robot if the battery voltage falls below 11 volts or so.
(The robot is programmed to stop working at 10 volts). In other words, heed your
robot's incessant whining when its batteries are weak.
It's also a good idea to store the robot plugged into the charger when it's not
going to be used for a day or two. Charge the battery fully, then store the robot
in a cool, dry place if you intend not to use the robot for any longer period of
time(a pity!), such as for a week or more.
Charging the Battery
If you have the standard AmigoBot or the high-speed charger accessory, insert it
into a common 120-volt (European 240) AC power socket. (Some users may
require a special power-socket adapter which accompanies the charger.) Then
insert the charger's cable into the Charge socket that is next to AmigoBot's
Power switch on the underside of the robot. With the high-speed charger
accessory, its LEDs indicate charge status, as marked on its case.
It takes fewer than 12 hours–often just a few hours, depending on the level of
discharge– to fully charge the AmigoBot battery using its standard charger
(roughly, three hours per volt). The fast-charger accessory can charge the
battery in just an hour or two.
You do not have to turn off your robot when it is charging. In fact, we encourage
you to plug in the charger while you are programming the robot. Just make sure
to disable the robot's motors. For instance, put it up on blocks if you put store the
robot on a table for charging. And realize that the charging time will roughly
double if you continue to operate your robot while charging.
Alternative Battery Chargers
The chargers that we supply for the AmigoBot are safe: They pose no danger to
the user, they properly charge the robot's battery, and they may be left on and
connected with the robot for many days.
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