Moebot S-Series Questions & Answers

Have you checked that you have a Blue Indicator illuminated in front of the dock.? Check voltage at Dock Probes?24V - 26V Check you have voltage from the plug pack stepdown transformer into the dock. If Voltage at Transformer, no voltage at docking probes. No solid Blue Loop energised indicator. You have a failed Dock PCB.

Have red light in docking station that goes to blue when mower on probes and 26.2VDC across probes when mower out of dock. WIFI working as tells me when "Mower Locked" put in you PIN... and charges okay until battery full. Can I connect a short "loop" across +ve and -ve?

Oops should have mentioned red light was when testing in the garage and loop disconnected - sorry. Moebot is still in garage on charge no loop connected but on wifi and messages every now and then that "Mower Locked, Please input your PIN on device" (now realised this message was due to power being turned off/on). I've connected up a short loop (just 2-3m) to see what happens now.

Have never isolated the cause. Not all that uncommon a fault that I presume is software related as never occurred with earlier Version software loaded into the S5 and S10. Has never been a battery problem,

Pleased your problem was not as, I suspected, the dock Mark and you are now sorted and a refund for the new dock requested.

Did you get an answer to this as my S5 was doing the same thing until I redid the perimeter loop and then it changed to "loop not installed"?

Hi Steve, Given the thorough check, its a pretty sure bet you have a PCB CPU common failure. A replacement mother board is $322 from Robot Mowers Australia in Brisbane. [Chris} I know they were temporarily out of stock, but given the demand would be ordering more. Check with them. Robot my Life want advance payment of over $440 for same board! Steve I would not recommend any other robot mower, the price point of any other unit is just so much greater an investment. The Luba 2 1000 AWD looks the goods technically, but at $3600 this Chinese built unit may prove to have a limited shelf life also. I asked the dealer some fairly direct, pointed questions, which they answered with the usual and to be honest expected sales spin, National Warranty, Built for Australian conditions etc. when I asked more pointed questions like return freight costs, warranty etc, they also dropped communications with me completely. I really was up until then a prospective purchaser. A unit weighing what they do and the bulk can cost me over $500 to freight to Brisbane. The moebot has a massive cost advantage for what you get, but let down severely by a lack of after sales follow up or service. Why Robot Mowers Australia or Robot my life, have not returned batches of failed circuit boards for diagnostics and repairs at customers cost is beyond me. Their attitude if you didn't buy the mower off us we aren't interested in service or returns? Yet sell spare parts to people who didn't buy the mowers from them? Frankly [Content Removed] typical Australian small business operator. As a former manufacturer of electronics we were always keen to get hold of any failed circuit board to investigate why a failure, was the component failure common, was a higher grade component required? Moebot with minor improvements could dominate the market. I am currently engineering a replacement Charging module and dock charge probes that will completely eliminate the charging failures. Was happy to provide at no cost to Moebot, Robot Mowers Australia, and Robot my Life the design NO Interest. I am held up still awaiting mail, last received end January. The Ingham flooding and our being cut off is the ongoing cause. Hopefully tomorrow Sunday will be a postal Christmas. Certainly both Australia mower dealers are interested in what will be a kit that will be a permanent fix of the major failure issue. But why would I not make it available directly to owners at minimal cost? Steve I can only suggest, buy a new Mother board. But do not expose the new board to poor electrical charging contact episodes, its a guess but suspect going a long way toward premature board failures, should get 7-8 years at a minimum. Bob

Hi Bob, thanks so much for such a detailed response, I wouldn't even have dreamt of such advice from Robot My Life! Your diagnosis seems likely, the contacts on the charging plate were severely corroded when I initially inspected. I'll definitely be wary of it after replacing the motherboard. There's definitely a market for a charging module that isn't exposed to the elements, the amount of instances of this issue occuring with no solid solutions from robot my life blew my mind.

Again, thanks so much for the help.

Cheers, Steve

I have the same issue "charging current too low". I replaced the charging plate but the issue remained. I ended up dismantling the entire mower and replaced the wiring - this resolved the problem. The positive cable seemed to have become brittle - electrolysis?

Hi Brett, I guess this is via wi-fi? I don't own or use a smartphone by choice. Closest I can come to is Moebot is stopped near the boundary wire for no obvious reason, Not out of battery Not Bogged or actually trapped by anything. Fix.... Record all your settings and do a factory reset. Usually works until of course next time it happens. I believe its a software glitch. Assuming this is the same failure to proceed events. Cheers Bob

thanks Bob. Tried the factory reset, but still getting same error message. the error shows up on screen as well as via the app. Often the mower then powers off after delivering that message. definitely some sort of software error. I have contacted the MoeBot support team, but still no response. very frustrating!

Bugger Brett, You are experiencing a completely new failure to me. Perhaps someone else has experienced this failure and can assist with an answer. Sorry mate if something occurs to me I'll contact.

Hi Beachside. I have found dealing with my robot life the same. When i go my S10 the charging cable was missing. Said they had one online so i purchased they wouldnt answer my email. Eveidently they didnt have wone when i questioned them where it was. Eventually asked them if there was an aftermarket one that would fit and got that instead. So what they say they have they actually dont, let you purchase without informatiin that there is none in stock. I bought a vacmoo aswell in sept still a no show. No email to say they werent in stock. Now having issues with the S10 threw a code that the wheels overheated, with all the rain its been spinning in one spot, now going out not mowing just doing the rounds and going back to charge. Im dreading emailing them as they are completely useless. Also its out of warranty. Thinking of going back to the gardena.

I believe there’s an issue with the wires connected to the plate. Try pulling the wires out slightly and reconnecting them to the plate. In my case, the copper wire inside the insulation had broken, but it wasn’t visible from the outside. This happened because the plate kept bending the wire at the same spot repeatedly. To fix it, I cut off the section where the wire had been repeatedly bent and reconnected the exposed wire directly to the plate, which resolved the issue for me. Hope that help you out!

Hi Chrissi, You don't say how long the mower is programmed to go out and cut. Was the new battery containing sufficient charge to allow the mower to operate until it fell below the battery capacity to operate? It's my experience the original battery was not at fault. 75% of failure to charge, comes back to the atrocious design of the Flaps, Springs, module. Failures to charge with electrolysis damage to Flap Pivot pins, wiring failures, all of which appears to also contribute to a common premature failure of the mother board CPU. Firstly pull the mower clear of the dock and with your finger poke the charge flaps to ensure they are spring loaded and closing. Then flip the mower upside down and undo the screws securing the Charging flap module, can be 6 screws or as few as 3 screws. Gently prize away the module and check the wires are sound and connected to the m3 screws securing wires to the charge flaps. Generally these wires break because of work hardening at the ring connectors. Kai Yi I is absolutely correct, these wires often break. Clean debris from the module,before refitting. Frankly become very used to repairing the mower yourself, Robot my Life is a sales operation and of no value whatsoever for after sales service. If you need parts ie a complete Charging flap module, with spare wiring harness it is available for $10.57 plus delivery from Robot Mowers Australia in Brisbane (Chris). However to fit the new wires requires a complete strip down of the mower to replace them, I have a step by step guide on you tube I am currently working on a replacement module for the S series mowers that will totally seal the wiring internally with no movement. No Flaps, No Flap Springs or Pivot pins. A new design replacement probe for the docks. This should significantly extend the operating life of my own pair of Moebots, but also help out other relatives and friends. Cheers Bob

Thanks guys, sorry for the delay in replying, I just haven't had time. I did undo everything and clean it. It appears as though the wires are still functioning. The spring loaded plates are also working. I cleaned it all but alas it still won't charge. I will try to get hubby to look at it closer, although he is getting sick of all the issues. Thanks for all the advice. Robot my life are sending free wires when the get them in stock but it sounds like it is a big job to replace them. I will have a go at doing what Kai mentioned above. Thanks again!

Hi Beachside Retiree, please let me know when you have your solution available for purchase.

Hi Kevin, Check you have 26V + at the docking probes. Also that flaps on mower module are up and sprung. Usually will be a flaps failure rather than transformer/docking station failure. Mower CPU unaware it has arrived at charge station. If no luck let me know and I can suggest from there. Cheers Bob

Thanks Bob! I've managed to fix it. One of the wires had broken that attach to the flaps. It's a bit of a design fault I think as every time the mower docks the wires bend and eventually break. 2nd time it's happened 1st time was a partial break so just got a current to.low to charge message. So yes flaps failure of sort you were spot on. Thanks again. Kevin

IMPORTANT. Alternative source for Parts Supply for Moebot is :-www.Robotlawnmowers.com.au/robot-lawn-mowers/robot-spare-parts/replacement-moebot-charging-set Beachside Retiree Bob

Same thing, charging current to low. Luckily I have 2 base stations, front and back. Moved in to the other station and it charged. So definitely a problem with the base station in my case.

Very recent discovery. If the on Motherboard Button Battery 3V fails, a "Charging current too Low" message generates and the main battery circuit is interrupted and fails to charge main Lithium Battery Pack. Very easy diagnosis is check the LCD LED display for date and time. If the on motherboard battery is missing or fails the mower date/time reverts to manufacture date 1/1/21. However failure of this battery is extremely unusual. This event if it occurs does not prevent reprogramming correct date and time with a Success" message, but reverts again within minutes.

Hi Melissa, Could I suggest you write down your Zone and Schedule Information etc. Then via Settings scroll through to Factory reset and activate. You will then need to reprogram with the settings info you wrote down. You will need to use the factory Pin Code to start and change Pin Code to your usual pin first. This is a fairly reliable fix for later model S5 and S10 [ Only difference Battery size]. This stopping for no reason is occurring in the later batches of mowers manufactured. Prone to those with software that allows selection of mowing/cutting above boundary wire selectable between 1-5 cutting operations. I have no idea as to what the Phone wi-Fi messaging may be. Don't own a Smart Phone. I manually program at the mower and use the onboard LED display only. I did need to strip down one of my Moebots after 3600 hours of cutting and tend to bearing replacements in the 18V Brushless [ good quality]cutting motor.[Common low cost bearings] A problem identifiable by the bearing noise when cutting, which was unmissable. Hall sensor error is not shown on the led display, mower simply will not go out and work if the hall sensor fails. Hall sensor is a very small seperate mini circuit board inside the main case, located close to the Right side Jockey wheel which detects mower being picked up and cancels instantly all cutting and travelling operations. I had a Hall sensor fail on my early model S5, a replacement was supplied free of cost in my case, by Robot My Life. However I would not expect the average owner to strip down a Moebot. Male or Female. I suspect Females would in all likelyhood however be more patient in doing so. Bob Ford

Yes the exact same thing happened to us. Absolutely they should fix it under warranty and send a replacement unit or get it back to the factory for repair at their own cost. Seems to be a common issue with a poorly built Chinese mower. Extremely poor customer service. It took months of correspondence phone calls and pestering to even get the replacement part. All I could recommend is to keep pestering them. It’s not the customers job to do electrical work on a faulty mower.

:( Yeah, that's what I thought. I shouldn't have to fix it myself. Most places say if you do any work on something yourself, you void the warrantee. Is that what they're trying to do? Get out of honouring the warrantee because they can say people damaged the mower by trying to fix it themselves?

As a reviewer of the Moebot S5 and S10 and user of the mowers for 7 nights per week, 365 days a year up here in the wet tropics, failures have occurred, common to both,[ I have two, mowers]. The first I alerted the Manufacturer and supplier Robot my Life about quite soon after purchase. The heavy constant 70 hrs a week operation quickly identifying failures. My fix for broken charge flap springs and cause has already been published. Wet grass and electrolysis pitting the pivot pin shaft and breaking of the springs that operate the charge flaps, a common to Positive and Earth Metal Pivot Pin. Failure of the spring, results in no charge of the battery. Fix is replace pivot shaft with a Bamboo skewer pivot pin [non conductor]. Adhere a curtain of brush bristles in front of the charge flap openings, to assist keep grass out. The second failure is a lot more disturbing. "Charging Voltage too Low" is in fact a Mother Board component failure, within the Voltage Supply [Flaps] in and temperature controlled charging of the battery pack circuitry, components. Robot my Life are extremely tardy / unreliable as far as failures/ repairs acknowledgement or actions. Melbourne based they have no arrangements for Australia wide warranty repair or servicing. The Mower is actually in my opinion reasonably well constructed, given the price. However battery charge circuit failures are troublesome and indicate the Mother Board Component failure is due to a suspect component, perhaps an entire batch problem. If in warranty and you do not get satisfaction from your supplier, Queenslanders can lodge a claim via QCAT online at very low cost. Other States??? Lesson learned, Charging at front of a Robot Mower is problematic. I have also found 4 wd a must if sandy soil. Bob Ford

Thanks Bob, I have not been able to resolve the "Charging Voltage too Low" issue and I suspected I would end up down the QCAT path given I am out of warranty but within the "reasonable expectation of service" for a device of this type and cost as per Consumer Law.

Hi Peter B, The only fix is a Mother Board swap out. There is a definite burnt component smell on opening the main casing if done soon after this failure is noticed. Cannot see anyway of posting photos or I would. Surface mount components can make damage identification difficult, in fact I cannot visually find the blown component in the Voltage supply/ Battery Charging circuitry of the Mother Board. I am currently trying to track this failure to the actual component on an S10 Mother Board. Multimeter simply confirms output voltage to battery is too low. I am fairly confident this is a component batch failure, Does not seem to occur with the earliest manufactured units. Definitely nothing to do with the charging flap problem. First models the Charging Flap Module was secured with 6 screws. Latest manufactured models module has only 3 securing screws. Cheers Bob Ford

Hi Bob, I have an early model with the 6 screws so appears it is an issue. I have pinged MoeBot support for a motherboard replacement, along with the advice I would take to QCAT should I not get a response. See how I go, hopefully they will just send one on.

Go Peter, Actually I have found Nischal a tech and Mary in Service at Robot my Life very obliging. If you can access them. But the Business is geared for sales, not support. More a problem at the China End. As most manufacturers wont appoint exclusive sales agents etc, just want to sell goods in bulk quantities to anyone. Makes setting up a National support network financially unviable in Australia. Also makes the decision to upgrade and spend over $3K on a Robot Mower of any Brand problematic given all are of Chinese Manufacture pretty much. Good Luck Cheers Bob

Thanks Bob, I have read your early post about the pin and charging plates, and yes it was the positive one that broke with me as well, will try the recommendation of the bamboo skewer if I can get this going again. I received a fairly stock standard response from MoeBot on the motherboard "Unfortunately, as your unit is now 7 months outside the 2-year warranty period, we are unable to offer warranty coverage for the necessary repairs.". I guess they don't read Australian Consumer Law so looks like I am going to have to travel the path of QCAT, unfortunately I was hoping they would just get on with it so I could get MoeBot back operational. I see you are not that far from me (Palm Cove) so operating under similar climatic conditions.

I really hope they would supply a Mother Board at a discounted price? I suspect it would be only around US$30 if that, ex factory. I am willing to post as a 3rd review a photo by photo, guide to stripping down an S series. For those owners that feel it a daunting prospect. But fairly pointless if parts required to repair cannot be rapidly sourced by owners.(Owners should expect 3 years trouble free operation in my opinion) If Product Review chose to Publish my 3rd review that is. Glenn Yee the founder of Robot my Life always responded quickly to my emails directly to him. However the business could well have been sold? I have purchased many Robotic Products from Robot my Life, the only problematic unit the Moebot S Series due to after sales support failures, even support staff not understanding the nature of the actual failures and causes, yet this product has the greatest product potential in my opinion. Worst case Peter we are at least living in the real Qld and best parts of Australia. Cheers Bob