hansolo76 0 Report post Posted April 7, 2008 i suppose theres no scientific proof abt the batt myth but could be i didn dig deep enough have read alot of comments though about stories of either inadequate charge or premature batt deathwats for sure is the power will be wasted in terms of heat on the transformer. i should be bringing the power brick to SLT to check if any shop can help once my roomba arrives Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cookie 0 Report post Posted April 8, 2008 i suppose theres no scientific proof abt the batt myth but could be i didn dig deep enough have read alot of comments though about stories of either inadequate charge or premature batt deathwats for sure is the power will be wasted in terms of heat on the transformer. i should be bringing the power brick to SLT to check if any shop can help once my roomba arrivesFor sure there will be inadequate charge if the Transformer Current (Amp) rating is not high enough. If this happen, you will never get a Full charge no matter how long you charge. So do check the rating before you buy, of cos higher rating, will be more bulky and more expensive.I had mod my Scooba 350 and leave the power supply always on for nearly half a year, still working fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tingshen 0 Report post Posted April 8, 2008 cookie, why do you need to always turn on your psu? Since it's almost impossible to schedule a Scooba....are you using it everyday? Even for Roomba, there is no need to turn on 24/7 what? just use a timer to give it 3hr charge b4 your schedule would do the job right? a lot of energy wastage for 24/7 u know?what you talk about rating, are you talking about total power eg 80W or the max Amp it can produce? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frostyflake 0 Report post Posted April 8, 2008 hi to all experienced roomba users! I had always wanted to get a irobot vacuum for my new house. But I have some questions & hope can get some answers from seasoned users.If my house is 2 storey, how do I make sure it clean upstairs and downstairs? Do I wait for it to finish 1 level first and literally carry it to the next level to continue? Or should I do it on alternate days, e.g. today clean level 1, next day then level 2... Sorry if it sounds stupid but I really need suggestions on how to go about it, I don't want to invest in 2 units, at least not for the moment.Then do you all normally on the base for 24hrs and let it sit there? Or do you all switch it off till the next day? I'm thinking more on the utility bills as there are so many things that I need to on it for 24 hrs.. like fish tank, water feature.. worried that the bill will be high Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cookie 0 Report post Posted April 8, 2008 cookie, why do you need to always turn on your psu? Since it's almost impossible to schedule a Scooba....are you using it everyday? Even for Roomba, there is no need to turn on 24/7 what? just use a timer to give it 3hr charge b4 your schedule would do the job right? a lot of energy wastage for 24/7 u know?what you talk about rating, are you talking about total power eg 80W or the max Amp it can produce?I read the instruction and it says it is recommended to leave the power adaptor so as to optimize the battery.. Dunno true or not, but since the adaptor and the unit is rather cool most of the time (Except during charging), I feel that it should not consume much electricity.About the rating.. it can be the Power or Current (Amp) rating... since the voltage is fixed. But sorry I did not do an actual calculation on how much the robot need, so dun ask me what rating to get..That time I went to SL tower, a transformer can cost u from $20 to few hundred dollars, depend on the power rating. hi to all experienced roomba users! I had always wanted to get a irobot vacuum for my new house. But I have some questions & hope can get some answers from seasoned users.If my house is 2 storey, how do I make sure it clean upstairs and downstairs? Do I wait for it to finish 1 level first and literally carry it to the next level to continue? Or should I do it on alternate days, e.g. today clean level 1, next day then level 2... Sorry if it sounds stupid but I really need suggestions on how to go about it, I don't want to invest in 2 units, at least not for the moment.Then do you all normally on the base for 24hrs and let it sit there? Or do you all switch it off till the next day? I'm thinking more on the utility bills as there are so many things that I need to on it for 24 hrs.. like fish tank, water feature.. worried that the bill will be high Roomba work different way from Scooba. If I were u, I will get 2 roomba with charging base and leave the base on 24 hours. In tis case, u dun have to monitor the robot and just let it run on its own. When battery run out, it will return to its base to charge.Scooba work in diff way where u need to monitor it more closely, need to change water, divide out area, charge battery blah blah.. not as convenient as Roomba Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hansolo76 0 Report post Posted April 8, 2008 hihi did you mod your scooba power brick at SLT and if so any particular shop to recommend? i've read in forums its recommended by irobot to leave the docking station always plugged in and charging so you scooba should be all riteFor sure there will be inadequate charge if the Transformer Current (Amp) rating is not high enough. If this happen, you will never get a Full charge no matter how long you charge. So do check the rating before you buy, of cos higher rating, will be more bulky and more expensive.I had mod my Scooba 350 and leave the power supply always on for nearly half a year, still working fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tingshen 0 Report post Posted April 8, 2008 I read the instruction and it says it is recommended to leave the power adaptor so as to optimize the battery.. Dunno true or not, but since the adaptor and the unit is rather cool most of the time (Except during charging), I feel that it should not consume much electricity.if you're using transformers, both PSU and the transformers will not be cool even when no electricity is drawn from iRobot. Are you using a modified version PSU or got hold a piece of local PSU? I dun mind to turn it on if I have a 240v input PSU......As for optimizing battery....different people got different saying leh, some even says it can't even last for more than 8 months..... frostyflake, it's up to you to design how you run the robots. Not the other way That's the fun part. Both of your proposal works, as long as you are happy... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cookie 0 Report post Posted April 8, 2008 hihi did you mod your scooba power brick at SLT and if so any particular shop to recommend? i've read in forums its recommended by irobot to leave the docking station always plugged in and charging so you scooba should be all riteNope, I mod it myself cos I am rather familiar wif electronics and solder skill. If u really want to mod, try print out this foto and ask around the shops in SLT to mod for u.(I assume u bought a white Roomba)http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregories/2167737528/I bought my C1 capacitor @ $3 from this shop #B1-28 in SLT Do note that they closed shop at around 5pm ++ (Close on Sun) .. go earlyif you're using transformers, both PSU and the transformers will not be cool even when no electricity is drawn from iRobot. Are you using a modified version PSU or got hold a piece of local PSU? I dun mind to turn it on if I have a 240v input PSU......As for optimizing battery....different people got different saying leh, some even says it can't even last for more than 8 months..... frostyflake, it's up to you to design how you run the robots. Not the other way That's the fun part. Both of your proposal works, as long as you are happy... The PSU still abit warm lah.. I mean it is rather cool as compare to a transformer and I felt that the really little heat wont consume much electricity.Like say if I on the unit for one year, it is like just switch on your lamp for 1 night... No fussy abt it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hansolo76 0 Report post Posted April 11, 2008 cookie, thanks for the pic and SLT lobang. now whats left is to get my hands on a roomba trying to find good deals from US retailers and import. too bad i juz dont trust ebay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tingshen 0 Report post Posted April 11, 2008 why aren't you trust ebay? I have been buying so many things from ebay. Scooba, Roomba, SRU9600, Spyder2Express, my wireless adapter for rear channel speakers etc etc.......from a few dollars to a few hundreds dollars. You're protected by Paypal, I dun think there is anything safer than that, for internet purchases. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hansolo76 0 Report post Posted April 12, 2008 well the way i see it, unless the item is much cheaper than online retail stores, the risk involved just dont justify the savings. paypal protects only up to a limit yeah? my main concern is even if the seller is forced by paypal to refund a wrong sale, i will still have to pay freight to ship the item back ya. why aren't you trust ebay? I have been buying so many things from ebay. Scooba, Roomba, SRU9600, Spyder2Express, my wireless adapter for rear channel speakers etc etc.......from a few dollars to a few hundreds dollars. You're protected by Paypal, I dun think there is anything safer than that, for internet purchases. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tingshen 0 Report post Posted April 12, 2008 well, how much would it cost you to buy a robot? aiyo.....dun need to be so risk adverse for such an item bah....I always buy from ebay coz I always got them so much cheaper compared to anywhere else......so far only encountered 1 stupid guy who kept sending me stuff without informing me. But at least it's better than missing stuff.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tingshen 0 Report post Posted April 17, 2008 Just realized paypal could cover you for up to USD2000. That's really a big sum.Btw, nunu is now the proud owner of Scooba 335 no news from her so far, I hope the robot is serving her well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
club101 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2008 Hi Guys,I have a contact who wants to sell me a Roomba 560 ( brand new) for $700. saw at Irobot website : $349 USD X 1.38 = $481 SGD ( Assume credit card charges 1.38)Vpost shipping = $150 ( based on my friend's own import cost the last time)total cost : $631do you think I should just let him earn the $70 for all the hassle? I actually tried to order fr Irobot direct but they only accepted US credit cards, vpost conceirge & others charge abt 5% of purchase price. any comments on this? I'm not an ebay fan & no paypal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tingshen 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2008 (edited) haha, you want or not, I sell you at $650 !! but you gotta self collect from me @ Shenton way/Redhill it is a Roomba 550, black color instead of silver faceplate, same specs except it comes with free batteries for the lighthouses and extra 3 filters Brand new but opened, never used. Coz I can wait for another week, if you are keen I can let go mine for you first Edited April 18, 2008 by tingshen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
