iRobot Scooba experience

[uno_bliss]

Uno, chance to woot your Mint. I am keeping my mint, gonna be limited ed soon. First ever bot to be created by Evolution, which will be part of iRobot very soon.

Mint Hard Floor Cleaner

U're not giving me urs??? Don't friend u...

Anyway, I've very mixed feeling about Mint.
- Why I feel like having: another crazy toy where people won't say I'm childish
- Why I don't feel like having: I know logically it's not as clean as Roomba & certainly not close to Scooba
And I already "put down" my V-bot for >4 yrs, it also has a micro fibre paper silent mopping mode (ie. vacuum disabled)

Mint's "Death Star navigation" is the only thing I'm curious about, but model 4200 is limited to small area.
My V-bot now resting in pet cemetery is also well capable of small area, I just need to revive it with Defibrillator (ie. build a battery pack).

'Star wars' window bot is here ... Lolx!

Yes... Good... The circle is now complete!

 

[Vachel Chan]

hello,
can the experts here kindly help me.?
i am currentky using local / uk version of roomba 580,
now in houston, saw 770 on sale so i bought it.
salesman claimed its dual voltage but on the charger it says
input120 vac, 60hz
input power 33w
output power 22.5 vdc bla bla

this is not dual voltage right?

when i get back to sg, can i simply use my new 770 with my current 580 charger?

if not, what should i do?

thanks!!

The Charger provided to you may be internally modded, while external casing is not marked, if you are willing to take the risk of blowing the adaptor or tripping the circuit breaker, can always try to use it at your own risk. You can always still use your current 580 charger for the Roomba.

 

[Vachel Chan]

'Star wars' window bot is here ... Lolx!

The Official Video of the WINDORO - YouTube

Don't really use the Windoro for Windows. Mainly for Kitchen Sliding door glass panels, Shower Glass Screen, Balcony sliding door. Basically used for all glass panels in homes. Really hard to remove grease, dirt and smug stains from glass manually.
Windoro WCR-1001 ($659) is available locally with warranty in Red, Yellow and Silver.

For videos and Specifications of a range of Robotic Cleaners, Do Checkout Autovacstore.com

 

[Zanter]

The Official Video of the WINDORO - YouTube

Don't really use the Windoro for Windows. Mainly for Kitchen Sliding door glass panels, Shower Glass Screen, Balcony sliding door. Basically used for all glass panels in homes. Really hard to remove grease, dirt and smug stains from glass manually.
Windoro WCR-1001 ($659) is available locally with warranty in Red, Yellow and Silver.

For videos and Specifications of a range of Robotic Cleaners, Do Checkout Autovacstore.com

I dont mind renting this cos i dont really wash my windows that often. Like $50 a day?

 

[bakasa2002]

The Official Video of the WINDORO - YouTube

Don't really use the Windoro for Windows. Mainly for Kitchen Sliding door glass panels, Shower Glass Screen, Balcony sliding door. Basically used for all glass panels in homes. Really hard to remove grease, dirt and smug stains from glass manually.
Windoro WCR-1001 ($659) is available locally with warranty in Red, Yellow and Silver.

For videos and Specifications of a range of Robotic Cleaners, Do Checkout Autovacstore.com

Wah, your time to market really fast! Any customers yet?

 

[peter2883]

I'm hoping any of the sifus here can answer my question. I was wondering will the Scooba 380 be able to clean the area I want cleaned...

I stay in a 3 room HDB flat & I'm planning to use the Scooba to start cleaning in the living room and hopefully it will be able to clean the other 02 rooms as well (Excluding the kitchen).

I understand that iRobot employs a very random cleaning method (Although it cleans the area more than once) & I do not think that the Scooba can clean the entire area.

My question is will the Scooba be able to clean the living room, the common room & the master bed room? The area of my place is 731 sqft but if you minus off the kitchen plus the furniture etc it will definitely (I know this for a fact) be within the 425 sqft that the Scooba can clean within 01 cleaning cycle...

I think the area (That iRobot states) of 425 sqft should be a squarish area & the Scooba should not be so intelligent like the Roboking to map the area...

I need something to vacuum & wash the floor, so the best choice for me would be the Scooba...

 

[Jubooo]

The current scooba model will be able to clean a 3 room HDB without issue. You might want to confine it in the living room with 1 tank of cleaning and do the other 2 rooms with another tank or simply clean the entire place with a single run if it is really as small like you mentioned.

Scooba will still cleans around your furniture and navigates itself trying to cover the entire area given enough time for it. You'll difinitely feel the difference when you walk on it after scooba cleans.

425 sqft is just an estimation and in actual senario, it will depends on how clustered is your house and the floor type.

Feel free to browse my site www.RobovacShop.com for the widest range of models you'll find.

 

[uno_bliss]

I'm hoping any of the sifus here can answer my question. I was wondering will the Scooba 380 be able to clean the area I want cleaned...

I stay in a 3 room HDB flat & I'm planning to use the Scooba to start cleaning in the living room and hopefully it will be able to clean the other 02 rooms as well (Excluding the kitchen).

I understand that iRobot employs a very random cleaning method (Although it cleans the area more than once) & I do not think that the Scooba can clean the entire area.

My question is will the Scooba be able to clean the living room, the common room & the master bed room? The area of my place is 731 sqft but if you minus off the kitchen plus the furniture etc it will definitely (I know this for a fact) be within the 425 sqft that the Scooba can clean within 01 cleaning cycle...

I think the area (That iRobot states) of 425 sqft should be a squarish area & the Scooba should not be so intelligent like the Roboking to map the area...

I need something to vacuum & wash the floor, so the best choice for me would be the Scooba...

I have a customer who fills Scooba tank full & let it run entire HDB home, then change water and repeat.
That's not what I normally advise my customers, but this customer is happy with the results.

Normally, u would split floor area into 425 sq ft with the included Virtual Walls or close room doors.
And u don't even need full tank to clean 1 room (~150 sq ft if minimal furniture).

Scooba 380 version 7 (latest software) gives 30% more battery life, so by right it can complete 130% x 850 sq ft = 1105 sq ft before going flat.
The water change will still be required after 425 sq ft (after ~50 mins of cleaning).

So I can safely say, Scooba will work great for ur home. Just need to understand the water management.
A negative example would be to put full tank of water to run a ~150 sq ft room, cos u would in fact be cleaning that room ~2.5 times.

I've been selling iRobot products full-time on eBay since Aug 2008.
For local ready for delivery items & local round the clock tech support from me, pls visit my eBay iRobot store: uno bliss | eBay
Queries pls email me unobliss@yahoo.com

 

[Jubooo]

I've always wondering the 30% increase in battery life is an extension to battery runtime or extension to the battery life as the capacity of the battery is the same but components in scooba remains the same which will draws the same amount of current from the battery.

If the software update is the same as with roomba's ammendment to charging logic for batter battery life then it should be an extension to battery life instead of runtime.

The roomba 780 actually has a different firmware version (02) than the 500 series and the 600 series (08!!).

___________________
Checkout Robovac iRobot Store for all your robotic needs: Robovac iRobot Store

 

[peter2883]

The current scooba model will be able to clean a 3 room HDB without issue. You might want to confine it in the living room with 1 tank of cleaning and do the other 2 rooms with another tank or simply clean the entire place with a single run if it is really as small like you mentioned.

Scooba will still cleans around your furniture and navigates itself trying to cover the entire area given enough time for it. You'll difinitely feel the difference when you walk on it after scooba cleans.

425 sqft is just an estimation and in actual senario, it will depends on how clustered is your house and the floor type.

Feel free to browse my site www.RobovacShop.com for the widest range of models you'll find.

So what you're saying is that if I block off the kitchen & the area of the 02 rooms plus the living room will be cleaned? Will the Scooba be "smart" enough to go into the 02 rooms? I do not want to do 02 rounds by doing only the living room then the 02 rooms which I think defeats the purpose of the Robot Cleaner... Since I know for a fact that the total area I need cleaning is below 425 sqft I want a robot cleaner to be able to clean the entire area...

 

[Jubooo]

If you give it enough time, scooba will cover as much as possible but it is difficult to guarantee that it will cover the entire room as it will depend on the layout of your house and furniture.

For a more thorough cleaning, you can confine it within the living room using the virtual wall for a period of time like 20-25mins or when you think it is sufficient then let it runs the other 2 rooms.

If you runs it regularly, you can simply let it roams freely in the living room and 2 bedrooms. I am staying in a 5 room HDB and that is what I do, allowing to wonder everywhere. Free & easy package

 

[peter2883]

I've made some calculations based on my home & the actual size (excluding the kitchen) is 443 SQ that needs cleaning but this is for an empty unit with no furniture... I just calculated the queen size bed (The bed frame sits flat on the floor so the Scooba cannot go under my bed) in my room... This comes up to 3 m3 so total space that needs cleaning is max 410 sqft (This is excluding the shoe cabinet, bedside table, office table, etc) so in actual fact it should be even lesser than this... I'm only worried that the Scooba cannot clean the entire area without intervention...

My objective in getting this is so that I do not need to "look after" the Scooba... My plan is to let the Scooba clean when I leave the house in the morning and come back to a clean floor... Hopefully the Scooba can do this...

 

[uno_bliss]

I've made some calculations based on my home & the actual size (excluding the kitchen) is 443 SQ that needs cleaning but this is for an empty unit with no furniture... I just calculated the queen size bed (The bed frame sits flat on the floor so the Scooba cannot go under my bed) in my room... This comes up to 3 m3 so total space that needs cleaning is max 410 sqft (This is excluding the shoe cabinet, bedside table, office table, etc) so in actual fact it should be even lesser than this... I'm only worried that the Scooba cannot clean the entire area without intervention...

My objective in getting this is so that I do not need to "look after" the Scooba... My plan is to let the Scooba clean when I leave the house in the morning and come back to a clean floor... Hopefully the Scooba can do this...

U're the few people who actually understands "Effective floor area", ie. area where Scooba can actually clean & u will let it clean. Eg. A master bedroom with king size bed with zero clearance below can actually have lesser Effective floor area compared to a empty spare room.

Also, some users scared of dirtying Scooba in toilet or greasy kitchen (which defeats the purpose!). Balcony & storeroom, raised laminate platforms are all examples of areas which Scooba won't clean.
So when I see customer's 4 or 5 room home, with good water management, it's possible to complete with 1 battery charge.

But to let Scooba run loose around whole house is really unlikely for even coverage. I've seen cases where Scooba cleaned a room for long time before exiting the room. It was a computer room with a large PC table next to entrance, Scooba kept knocking into that table & changed direction. So if it were left alone, the coverage won't be even.

But like that customer I mentioned in previous HWZ post, she just put full tank & let Scooba run loose whole HDB, then change water & repeat. Maybe she didn't start Scooba at same spot for Round 2, but somehow she's happy with the results.

 

[uno_bliss]

I've always wondering the 30% increase in battery life is an extension to battery runtime or extension to the battery life as the capacity of the battery is the same but components in scooba remains the same which will draws the same amount of current from the battery.

My initial thoughts were that OSMO v7 alters Charging Algorithm to charge in gentler way minimizing overheating a battery. Battery temperature, charge current of fast/medium & trickle can all affect the lifespan of battery. Battery charging is basically chemical reaction with formation of crystals, we learn from pri school science that large or small crystals form under different conditions.

However, if u apply OSMO v7 to a v5 or lower Roomba, u can observe some weird phenomenon, Roomba moves in a Charlie Chaplin style, the movement isn't smooth.
That made me suspect v7 powers the drive wheels at minute intervals, something like u pedal a bicycle only when u start to slow down.
So perhaps beside Charging Algo, newer version software utilizes feedback system to drive the power hungry motors. A bit like Laptop or hand phone Power Saving mode.

For the case of Scooba v7, my first thought was also longer battery lifespan by virtue of Charging logic, but a few customers reported longer running time compared to Scooba v6 as of Day 1 (ie. new vs new). One customer even told me total running time was 130 mins. So I believe the software did some power tweak.

 

[peter2883]

U're the few people who actually understands "Effective floor area", ie. area where Scooba can actually clean & u will let it clean. Eg. A master bedroom with king size bed with zero clearance below can actually have lesser Effective floor area compared to a empty spare room.

Also, some users scared of dirtying Scooba in toilet or greasy kitchen (which defeats the purpose!). Balcony & storeroom, raised laminate platforms are all examples of areas which Scooba won't clean.
So when I see customer's 4 or 5 room home, with good water management, it's possible to complete with 1 battery charge.

But to let Scooba run loose around whole house is really unlikely for even coverage. I've seen cases where Scooba cleaned a room for long time before exiting the room. It was a computer room with a large PC table next to entrance, Scooba kept knocking into that table & changed direction. So if it were left alone, the coverage won't be even.

But like that customer I mentioned in previous HWZ post, she just put full tank & let Scooba run loose whole HDB, then change water & repeat. Maybe she didn't start Scooba at same spot for Round 2, but somehow she's happy with the results.

So sad to say based on the replies the only way to have a clean floor is to clean all the rooms individually (ie. one cycle for living room, one cycle for master bedroom and one cycle for common room)... Even though the effective floor area is within the specification of the Scooba it will not be able to clean the entire area...

 

[uno_bliss]

So sad to say based on the replies the only way to have a clean floor is to clean all the rooms individually (ie. one cycle for living room, one cycle for master bedroom and one cycle for common room)... Even though the effective floor area is within the specification of the Scooba it will not be able to clean the entire area...

It's not that bad lah... As Jubooo suggested room by room, that's the best method to be sure & can exercise very good water management cos u'll be able to estimate Effective floor area & gauge the water accordingly.
However, I do teach my customers how to simplify things if their rooms are close together. Eg. 3 rooms in T-shape (the short stroke is room entrance, the long stroke is corridor leading to living area), u can use Virtual Wall to make Scooba treat the 3 rooms as one big area, a full tank should be able to clean the 3 rooms pretty evenly.
Then the corridor & living area treat as 1 big area, same thing put full tank of water.

Kitchen can do separately since u might wanna use detergent to remove the stickiness (I'm assuming got fry things). Most kitchens have a height diff from dining area or got sliding door railing, so die die need to do separately.

 

[Jubooo]

The 3 room HDB layout is usually very neat without a long passage way to all bedrooms. Like I've said earlier, you can let it run loose and it will cover all 3 areas by itself but of course it's more thorough if it is confined into a smaller area but if you run regularly, you'll see that the result achieved is just as great.

Nothing beats pressing a button to let it cleans while you handle other chores. You'll definitely find a way that suits you best after seeing how it runs.

___________________
Checkout Robovac iRobot Store for all your robotic needs: www.RobovacShop.com

 

[peter2883]

The reason why it's bad is because I already know that the kitchen has to be done on a separate cycle...

Now since this is the case I have to do this 04 times a week to clean every individual room... That's not very efficient...

The original plan I had was like what Uno suggested & that was to do the rooms on 01 cycle & another cycle for the kitchen... And seriously I won't be at home during the process cuz I heard the Scooba is also quite loud...

I want to enjoy watching my tv when I'm home not listening to the bloody thing cleaning the house with loud noises disturbing me... Hahaha...

 

[uno_bliss]

The reason why it's bad is because I already know that the kitchen has to be done on a separate cycle...

Now since this is the case I have to do this 04 times a week to clean every individual room... That's not very efficient...

The original plan I had was like what Uno suggested & that was to do the rooms on 01 cycle & another cycle for the kitchen... And seriously I won't be at home during the process cuz I heard the Scooba is also quite loud...

I want to enjoy watching my tv when I'm home not listening to the bloody thing cleaning the house with loud noises disturbing me... Hahaha...

Yah, Scooba sounds like a big vacuum cleaner but not so high pitch, I got a National 1200W vacuum that's deafening.
Scooba vacuum needs to be strong since must vacuum water.

Back to story... despite u said ur Effective floor area is 400+ sq ft, u could in theory finish whole house excluding kitchen with 1 full tank cycle, but u might have to tidy up ur chairs to minimize obstacles.
But to be sure of even & thorough cleaning, I still strongly recommend 3 rooms in 1 cycle, living/dining/corridor in 1 cycle. Kitchen actually can chop chop complete in just 15 mins (assuming it's ~80 sq ft).

 

[peter2883]

I managed to upload the floor layout of my place... Will the Scooba be able to recognise the Living Room, the common Room & the Master Bed Room as 01 space? The store room will be closed and was not calculated into the floor area to be cleaned...

Like I said in my previous post the total area is 443 SQFT but the actual cleanable space is definitely below 410 SQFT. Will the Scooba be able to go into both rooms to clean... I will be starting the Scooba in the Living Room... I hope this gives a much clearer picture for the Sifus out there...

PS Sorry if the image is small... I can't seem to be able to get it any bigger...