LG hombot robot vacuum cleaner disassembly

LG hombot robot vacuum cleaner disassembly

I got the open source software from LG, but no reply on my request for a service manual, and could not find out how to open it without damaging the plastic. Anyways It started screaming error messages at me, and stopped working altogether. Now that is a guarantee case, but sending it back, paying for return shipment, just to get an other defective one back? So, after it kept screaming and the whole neighborhood was now looking what was going on 'HOMEBOT CANNOT CONTINUE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SUCTION MOTOR' I wanted to shoot it, I remember Elvis once shot a TV set.. anyways, wanted to see what was inside, wanted to re-design the piece of shit (do not buy this crap!!!) so as it was not working anyways, decided to open it the smart and fast way, dropped it from 1.5 meters on a concrete floor. that did it. Red (warning color!!!) cover flipped of, and there were a couple of real screws exposed. removed these and had a look inside. This is the main board:

formatting link
The huge white 'chip' in the middle is from these guys:
formatting link
The processor or whatever it is says ST on it

The 'suction motor drive' detail is here:

formatting link
nothing wrong with the motor, this seems just a MOSFET, motor in drain, flyback protection diode D21, and sense resistor in the source (R100), and mystery component BD16, there are several BDxxx in its motor drive circuits, no idea what it is. The sense resistor seems bad soldered, maybe the solder connection drops too much. Will put that motor on the lab supply later (just a freaking simple permanent magnet type DC motor).

An other mystery component, could be camera, there are supposed to be 2, one looking up and one down, would have been more clever if one was looking were it was going, my plants for example!!, idiots.

formatting link

Anyways maybe the repair group likes this info, the top red bezel is fixed with click clack plastic hooks, the 'entrance':

formatting link
formatting link

Seems a hobbyist design on a bad day by just arrived interns. 'Look we have a robotic vacuum cleaner to.' Its hight is too high (cannot get under anything). It get stuck on everything (carpet what not). I throws over plants. It scream swith a very loud female voice all the time (into the distortion), even if you activate 'mute' it screams 'MUTE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED' Morons!! And it destroys any cabling you may have, pulled out the wires from the speakers, grabbed an ethernet cable and pulled it all the way, just pure luck it did not pull the camera connected to it on the floor..

My first LG product, and absolutely and 100% certain my last even if I got one or ten for free. Wrote it of, see if I can do better some day, with the parts.

There marketing is good, maybe they write their own reviews like Samsung.

Reply to
Jan Panteltje
Loading thread data ...

Get used to it. Everything nowadays has a computer in it.

Tennis rackets. Stoves. Refrigerators. Telephones. Toilets.

Imagine when everything is online to "the internet of things." You'll spend most of your life reprogramming, debuggung, repairing, or returning every lamp, faucet, thermostat, and toaster oven in your house. Upgrade that blender code from 0.12.313b 3.19.501a to fix some stack overflow vulnerability, when you'd rather be making margueritas.

We bought a new kitchen stove ("gas cooker" in some places) and I wanted one without digital controls. The computerized ones are everywhere and cost about $500. The ones without computers are in the $2000 to $5000 range. Can you imagine a worse environment for cheap electronics than in the top of a stove, or a dishwasher?

We got an NXR for about $2K.

I also ripped out the programmable thermostat in the cabin and replaced it with an analog one. Guests were always leaving the old one in all sorts of bizarre modes and states.

Our Orec vacuum cleaner must be close to 10 years old and works fine. It needs a new belt maybe once a year, but replacement is obvious.

Don't get me started about the controls on my Audi.

--
John Larkin                  Highland Technology Inc 
www.highlandtechnology.com   jlarkin at highlandtechnology dot com    
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
John Larkin

On a sunny day (Thu, 10 Apr 2014 08:47:04 -0700) it happened John Larkin wrote in :

Yea, well I also bought a DirtDevil spider, for a fraction of the money the LG rombot costs. It has (AFAIK) no computah, no remote, and no cameras, it has a bumper sensor with micro switches it seems. I did great cleaning under the bench, TV table, its only 7 cm high. I does not scream, complain, it jumps over cables, is not stopped by low hanging curtains like the LG hombot, did I mention that LG hombot cannot even find its own charging station? The Spider you just need to plug in yourself to charge. It probably has some micro, but it works so good there there is no need to investigate it, it just works. It sucks less than the LG, both for real and figuratively speaking :-) Never Repair Something That Works.

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

I avoid battery-powered tools. They are wimpy, and the batteries will die in a year or two.

--
John Larkin                  Highland Technology Inc 
www.highlandtechnology.com   jlarkin at highlandtechnology dot com    
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
John Larkin

Try some *decent* LiIon tools. Great stuff.

Reply to
krw

On a sunny day (Thu, 10 Apr 2014 09:16:12 -0700) it happened John Larkin wrote in :

You have a cellphone?

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

On a sunny day (Thu, 10 Apr 2014 13:58:49 -0400) it happened snipped-for-privacy@attt.bizz wrote in :

Yep, Lipos are cool, just got some new ones and was testing USB charger chip MCP73831T programmabe current, amazing charging, nice chip.

But limited number of charge discharge cycles lipos have, John is right about that (350 times perhaps).

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

looks vaguely like an old CD player or something.

There must be hundreds of screws in that thing.

horrible.

haha

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

Sure, a simple one. I charge it about every other week, and I've replaced the battery once. But it's not a power tool.

You're not going to get a horsepower or so out of a battery for long, especially when the battery is two years old.

--
John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
John Larkin

Microchip has some nice parts.

*Easily* 500 cycles and more like 1000. Because the self-discharge is so small, that's generally a long time.
Reply to
krw

You're not going to get a "horsepower or so" out of a hand tool. You're in the stationary tool realm at a HP (Craftsman HPs don't count).

Reply to
krw

120 volts, 15 amps is 1800 watts. Lots of circular saws pull 13 amps, 1560 watts.
--
John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com 
 Click to see the full signature
Reply to
John Larkin

Well I married my room cleaner. The interface can be quirky but as a multifunction unit the versatility can't be beat. That said it will not work 24/7 but can easily find it's charging device hwen required.

Reply to
Rheilly Phoull

Utter nonsense. Show me one with a 14GA cord. Better yet, put a meter on one and show me where it's drawing anything close to 500W, in use. They may draw 15A at stall (doubtful), but it'll be an interesting ride if you do stall one. A stalled saw isn't very useful, either.

A battery powered circular saw isn't at all useless (I have two) but it's not a replacement for a corded saw. Drills and drivers are another matter. I only have one corded drill anymore (and over a dozen cordless drivers and drills), a 1/2" hammer drill that I've never used.

Reply to
krw

On a sunny day (Thu, 10 Apr 2014 15:07:38 -0700) it happened John Larkin wrote in :

Yes, true, at 100% charge /discharge about 350 times or so on a lipo. I have VARTA datasheet somewhere .. for the LP523450LP I am using (3.7 V 1Ah single cell):

300 cycles at > 80% capacity 500 cycles at > 70% capacity

2 years...

Cellphones do not always discharge 100%, had my Nokia for at least 3 years, charged every day. Ther are bad batteries too, some die after a week.

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

On a sunny day (Thu, 10 Apr 2014 18:35:53 -0400) it happened snipped-for-privacy@attt.bizz wrote in :

See my reply to Jonhn, about the Varta datasheet Or google Varta LP523450DL lithium ion.

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

pend most

mp,

r code

you'd

d one

about

ou

stove, or

it with

izarre

t needs a

the LG rombot costs.

ensor with micro switches it seems.

hanging curtains like the LG hombot,

to investigate it, it just works.

in a

I have a vacuum robot cleaner I bought in korea 12 years ago. Still runs fi ne, no significant drop in charge, it is pretty dumb though, uses random pa ttern cleaning. But when my wife tells me to vacuum, I can vacuum with the regular powered device and the robot at the same time. Who said men can't m ultitask?

Cheers

Klaus

Reply to
Klaus Kragelund

Sure you will

I swear to Festool tools. I am dreaming about this one:

formatting link

Something like 1-2kW, so about 2HP

Cheers

Klaus

Reply to
Klaus Kragelund

I have this one:

formatting link

1600W

Cheers

Klaus

Reply to
Klaus Kragelund

Had the 'suction motor' on the lab supply.

12V 300mA (280 mA when vacuum sucked, not much sucking power really). It has some temp sensor mounted on the side, so is protected. Nothing wrong with the motor. Stupid hobbyist amateur LG design sensor system, bridged the sensor resistor in the driver with a 10 cm piece of wire from flat cable, works 100% OK now, apart from its other quirks. It came after me! wow. 2 minute soldering job, its running now. And its silent, pulled the speaker plug! Hit my plant again too, just in time stopped it from falling over by pressing stop on the remote. Will it go up in flames if the motor shorts or something? Well there is something to say for that, probably sets the lipo on fire or burns the PCB, but my experience is that the resistance of the strand of flatcable is so high that it will shut of its sensors anyways, and the thermal cutout on the motor as last resort. And I Am Watching It.

Shit it just pulled out the cable to the LED lights.

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.