Update on Roomba Red

[Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.]

Hi Gang

A few asked for me to post my findings after using the Roomba Red for
a week.

Amazing, simply Amazing, this little critter is!

Because we were having company for Christmas (who doesn't) we gave the
home a thorough cleaning. This meant dust, sweep, vacuum, dust again,
damp mop hard surfaces including hardwood floors and we even lightly
waxed the floors.

After opening the Roomba and turning it loose, despite an already
immaculately clean house, the Roomba managed to track down and locate
enough dust and dog hair to fill the two catch bins to overflowing.

We (or mom) have turned it loose everyday since then and it still
fills up the bins with dog hair and dust bunnies every single day.

The expected problems of the roller brushes becoming entangled with
dog hair has NOT happened. Only 3 or 4 get wrapped loosely and can be
easily removed without removing the brushes before they work their way
down to the hub.

The dogs still IGNORE it while it's doing it's thing. One pooch don't
even move out of its way which does cause it to 'map' an object in the
room.

Although on-line I have heard complaints about the algeorithym it
follows, in our complicated house with numerous obstructions, it
learns real quick and never misses a single spot. It also knows when
it's done and shuts off with a light saying it's done.

Like most kitchens or dining rooms, we have a table and chairs. The
dog food and waterer, free standing cabinets, island, stool, wastecan,
etc. Roomba 'maps' each of these items and works around them very
systematically. Reaching into each nook and cranny it can find.
Yes it DOES get into corners and around chair legs with amazing
dexterity.

Something I didn't even realize at first, assuming it was just a brush
type sweeper, is that it DOES have SUCTION and what the brushes miss,
the suction seems to get quite well. Such as dirt down in the cracks
of hardwood floors, etc. It took me awhile to figure out where and
how it had suction! The vacuum section is integral with the dirt bins
and the air passes between two blue rubber squeege type blades. It's
a little tricky learning how to empty this part of the unit easily.
But it is easy once you figure out just where to put your fingers. I
slip mine between the two blue squeeges and grab the yellow holder and
it slides right out for emptying.

Yesterday I gave it the test of all tests, picking up drywall sanding
dust, just to see if it picked it up or blew it into the room. I
don't recommend using this unit for that purpose as it is very hard on
the machine. But it worked! Did not leave a single trace of the
small piles of drywall dust I placed around the room for it to find.
It did however decrease the vacuum power considerably by the third
pile of drywall dust. NONE blew back into the room!

As someone else tried, I sprinkled about 2 tablespoons of salt so it
covered the entire kitchen floor (in my case I used the bathroom
because it had dark colored tiles). I locked Roomba in the bathroom
and let it run until it said it was done. I could not find a single
grain of salt anywhere in the bathroom. (Note: I blocked Roomba at
the front of the toilet for this test, didn't want salt around the
water pipe to the toilet).

At first, especially in a larger room, Roomba appears to follow a
simple spiral pattern. However, that is really just a start in it's
internal mapping program. If you set Roomba in the center of the
room, it follows a spiral pattern until it finally touches a wall or
object. It will then switch to mapping the perimeter of the room,
working it's way around every single item in the room until it knows
the area it's working in. Then it will start a pattern that includes
vertical and horizontal sweeps and in between switch to diagonal
sweeps. When it encounters something in the center of the room it
will map that as well and work around it very systematically as well.
If the object it encounters just happens to be movable, like a pooch
who moves around from time to time. It appears that when Roomba
crosses this formerly blocked area, it will continue until it finds
another object and start it's mapping process all over again.

It appears that Roomba makes roughly 5 individual passes of every area
in a room. In the first couple of passes it will keep bumping it's
right side learning the perimeter. In later passes, it seems to know
where the obstructions are and not bump into them, but turn at just
the right spot to get the corners.

There is a protrusion on the top front of Roomba, I assume for the
virtual wall signal to enter. This protrusion can cause it to
temporarily get stuck under a sofa or lounge chair, but soon finds its
way free. If it gets stuck to the point the wheels may have spun for
a second, it will begin its mapping routine over again. If it gets
really stuck, wheels turning, machine not moving, it will shut off.

We have used it limited to a single room, and let it have free reign
of the whole house. Obviously it has a limited amount of mapping
memory. But must also have a secondary memory to remember where doors
are. Although it may venture into a room it already cleaned, it
doesn't seem to stay in there very long before returning to the room
it should be in. Depending upon where your doors are situated in the
house, it may just consider a wall as an obstruction. Even turned
loose to do the whole house, it will find every open area and clean
it.

When it does find an area of heavy dirt, it will automatically switch
to spot clean momentarily and go over that area until it feels it has
cleaned it well enough, then return to its normal travel.

Rubber backed heavy throw rugs it cleans, but loose throw rugs should
be picked up. The corners of light throw rugs can be picked up by the
brush and stall the machine. At least the newer Roomba's will shut
off when the brushes get tangled. It also gives a beep to let you
know if something like a string or something tangled the brush.

I see no difference between the most expensive Roomba Discovery SE and
the low cost $149.00 special named Roomba Red other than extras you
wouldn't normally use anyhow. We use a stool or box in a doorway
rather than the virtual wall, which requires TWO D sized batteries.

You CAN purchase a drive on charger, hang on wall charger, hang on
wall holder, remote control, etc. for the Roomba Red if you want them.
But like most folks, the drive on charger is usually in the way, and
Roomba don't find it very often anyhow. The remote is just a toy to
steer Roomba yourself, short lived plaything that ends up in a drawer.
A wall hanger with or without internal Charger might be an asset for
some. But since you DO have to empty Roomba's dirt bins after each
usage, we found the best place to keep Roomba was right behind the
kitchen waste can under the bottom shelf of a free standing cabinet.

Because of my working in dirt and clay digging in the yard (dirt
always comes off my shoes in the house no matter how clean I think I
have them), because of our 4 dogs that have a doggie door to outside
(some of them with long hair bring in leaves and grass clippings and
dirty feet), because our house is like grand central station with
folks dropping in all the time.
We feel Roomba is a Miracle!
No one has time to sweep and vacuum every single day after work.
Debi turns Roomba loose when she gets home from work and by the time
we finish dinner, it has done the whole house, except the kitchen.
After dinner we turn Roomba loose in the kitchen and you can just
barely hear it in the adjoining den. Turn the TV up 2 clicks and you
don't hear it at all.

Of course, since it is brand new, we spend more time watching it than
anything else.

Amazing little critter!
Maw calls it the Red Barron
Debi calls it Sheila after my housekeeper in St. Louis
I call it Joshua, who when little found ANYTHING on the floor and put
it into his mouth.
Debi's brother in law, who was visiting, shoelaces untied as usual,
didn't move his feet as it came past and it ATE his shoelace and
wouldn't let go of his foot. So he calls it JAWS!
The pooch who NEVER moves got a good tail cleaning and combing. Her
tail didn't get stuck, but at least now she keeps her backside facing
away from Roomba at all times, even when it's in the next room.
Our dog that barks at everything, has kept silent, just giving Roomba
an evil eye as it passes by her.

A word of caution! Roomba has a SWEET TOOTH for anything that looks
like spaghetti licorice. It will seek out and find any telephone or
extension cord and gobble it right up, even the ones you didn't know
where there. Loose threads, string, Venetian Blind Cords, etc.
Most extension cords you can clip above the baseboards using flat
toothpicks into the crack between the baseboard and wall. But pick up
everything else!
Think of Roomba as being a toddler who gets into EVERYTHING and eats
anything it finds!
In other words Roomba proof your house, hi hi.....

I feel it's the best 150 bucks I ever spent!

And for right now, I can track dirt in, so everybody can watch Roomba
find it. But I wonder how long I will get by with that, hi hi.....

TTUL
Gary

[Suzie-Q]

In article <41d43779.1242476921@news.galilei.com>,
raiar@bbs.galilei.com.nospam (Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.) wrote:

-> Hi Gang
->
-> A few asked for me to post my findings after using the Roomba Red for
-> a week.
->
-> Amazing, simply Amazing, this little critter is!
->
-> Because we were having company for Christmas (who doesn't) we gave the
-> home a thorough cleaning. This meant dust, sweep, vacuum, dust again,
-> damp mop hard surfaces including hardwood floors and we even lightly
-> waxed the floors.
->
-> After opening the Roomba and turning it loose, despite an already
-> immaculately clean house, the Roomba managed to track down and locate
-> enough dust and dog hair to fill the two catch bins to overflowing.
->
-> We (or mom) have turned it loose everyday since then and it still
-> fills up the bins with dog hair and dust bunnies every single day.
->
-> The expected problems of the roller brushes becoming entangled with
-> dog hair has NOT happened. Only 3 or 4 get wrapped loosely and can be
-> easily removed without removing the brushes before they work their way
-> down to the hub.
->
-> The dogs still IGNORE it while it's doing it's thing. One pooch don't
-> even move out of its way which does cause it to 'map' an object in the
-> room.
->
-> Although on-line I have heard complaints about the algeorithym it
-> follows, in our complicated house with numerous obstructions, it
-> learns real quick and never misses a single spot. It also knows when
-> it's done and shuts off with a light saying it's done.
->
-> Like most kitchens or dining rooms, we have a table and chairs. The
-> dog food and waterer, free standing cabinets, island, stool, wastecan,
-> etc. Roomba 'maps' each of these items and works around them very
-> systematically. Reaching into each nook and cranny it can find.
-> Yes it DOES get into corners and around chair legs with amazing
-> dexterity.
->
-> Something I didn't even realize at first, assuming it was just a brush
-> type sweeper, is that it DOES have SUCTION and what the brushes miss,
-> the suction seems to get quite well. Such as dirt down in the cracks
-> of hardwood floors, etc. It took me awhile to figure out where and
-> how it had suction! The vacuum section is integral with the dirt bins
-> and the air passes between two blue rubber squeege type blades. It's
-> a little tricky learning how to empty this part of the unit easily.
-> But it is easy once you figure out just where to put your fingers. I
-> slip mine between the two blue squeeges and grab the yellow holder and
-> it slides right out for emptying.
->
-> Yesterday I gave it the test of all tests, picking up drywall sanding
-> dust, just to see if it picked it up or blew it into the room. I
-> don't recommend using this unit for that purpose as it is very hard on
-> the machine. But it worked! Did not leave a single trace of the
-> small piles of drywall dust I placed around the room for it to find.
-> It did however decrease the vacuum power considerably by the third
-> pile of drywall dust. NONE blew back into the room!
->
-> As someone else tried, I sprinkled about 2 tablespoons of salt so it
-> covered the entire kitchen floor (in my case I used the bathroom
-> because it had dark colored tiles). I locked Roomba in the bathroom
-> and let it run until it said it was done. I could not find a single
-> grain of salt anywhere in the bathroom. (Note: I blocked Roomba at
-> the front of the toilet for this test, didn't want salt around the
-> water pipe to the toilet).
->
-> At first, especially in a larger room, Roomba appears to follow a
-> simple spiral pattern. However, that is really just a start in it's
-> internal mapping program. If you set Roomba in the center of the
-> room, it follows a spiral pattern until it finally touches a wall or
-> object. It will then switch to mapping the perimeter of the room,
-> working it's way around every single item in the room until it knows
-> the area it's working in. Then it will start a pattern that includes
-> vertical and horizontal sweeps and in between switch to diagonal
-> sweeps. When it encounters something in the center of the room it
-> will map that as well and work around it very systematically as well.
-> If the object it encounters just happens to be movable, like a pooch
-> who moves around from time to time. It appears that when Roomba
-> crosses this formerly blocked area, it will continue until it finds
-> another object and start it's mapping process all over again.
->
-> It appears that Roomba makes roughly 5 individual passes of every area
-> in a room. In the first couple of passes it will keep bumping it's
-> right side learning the perimeter. In later passes, it seems to know
-> where the obstructions are and not bump into them, but turn at just
-> the right spot to get the corners.
->
-> There is a protrusion on the top front of Roomba, I assume for the
-> virtual wall signal to enter. This protrusion can cause it to
-> temporarily get stuck under a sofa or lounge chair, but soon finds its
-> way free. If it gets stuck to the point the wheels may have spun for
-> a second, it will begin its mapping routine over again. If it gets
-> really stuck, wheels turning, machine not moving, it will shut off.
->
-> We have used it limited to a single room, and let it have free reign
-> of the whole house. Obviously it has a limited amount of mapping
-> memory. But must also have a secondary memory to remember where doors
-> are. Although it may venture into a room it already cleaned, it
-> doesn't seem to stay in there very long before returning to the room
-> it should be in. Depending upon where your doors are situated in the
-> house, it may just consider a wall as an obstruction. Even turned
-> loose to do the whole house, it will find every open area and clean
-> it.
->
-> When it does find an area of heavy dirt, it will automatically switch
-> to spot clean momentarily and go over that area until it feels it has
-> cleaned it well enough, then return to its normal travel.
->
-> Rubber backed heavy throw rugs it cleans, but loose throw rugs should
-> be picked up. The corners of light throw rugs can be picked up by the
-> brush and stall the machine. At least the newer Roomba's will shut
-> off when the brushes get tangled. It also gives a beep to let you
-> know if something like a string or something tangled the brush.
->
-> I see no difference between the most expensive Roomba Discovery SE and
-> the low cost $149.00 special named Roomba Red other than extras you
-> wouldn't normally use anyhow. We use a stool or box in a doorway
-> rather than the virtual wall, which requires TWO D sized batteries.
->
-> You CAN purchase a drive on charger, hang on wall charger, hang on
-> wall holder, remote control, etc. for the Roomba Red if you want them.
-> But like most folks, the drive on charger is usually in the way, and
-> Roomba don't find it very often anyhow. The remote is just a toy to
-> steer Roomba yourself, short lived plaything that ends up in a drawer.
-> A wall hanger with or without internal Charger might be an asset for
-> some. But since you DO have to empty Roomba's dirt bins after each
-> usage, we found the best place to keep Roomba was right behind the
-> kitchen waste can under the bottom shelf of a free standing cabinet.
->
-> Because of my working in dirt and clay digging in the yard (dirt
-> always comes off my shoes in the house no matter how clean I think I
-> have them), because of our 4 dogs that have a doggie door to outside
-> (some of them with long hair bring in leaves and grass clippings and
-> dirty feet), because our house is like grand central station with
-> folks dropping in all the time.
-> We feel Roomba is a Miracle!
-> No one has time to sweep and vacuum every single day after work.
-> Debi turns Roomba loose when she gets home from work and by the time
-> we finish dinner, it has done the whole house, except the kitchen.
-> After dinner we turn Roomba loose in the kitchen and you can just
-> barely hear it in the adjoining den. Turn the TV up 2 clicks and you
-> don't hear it at all.
->
-> Of course, since it is brand new, we spend more time watching it than
-> anything else.
->
-> Amazing little critter!
-> Maw calls it the Red Barron
-> Debi calls it Sheila after my housekeeper in St. Louis
-> I call it Joshua, who when little found ANYTHING on the floor and put
-> it into his mouth.
-> Debi's brother in law, who was visiting, shoelaces untied as usual,
-> didn't move his feet as it came past and it ATE his shoelace and
-> wouldn't let go of his foot. So he calls it JAWS!
-> The pooch who NEVER moves got a good tail cleaning and combing. Her
-> tail didn't get stuck, but at least now she keeps her backside facing
-> away from Roomba at all times, even when it's in the next room.
-> Our dog that barks at everything, has kept silent, just giving Roomba
-> an evil eye as it passes by her.
->
-> A word of caution! Roomba has a SWEET TOOTH for anything that looks
-> like spaghetti licorice. It will seek out and find any telephone or
-> extension cord and gobble it right up, even the ones you didn't know
-> where there. Loose threads, string, Venetian Blind Cords, etc.
-> Most extension cords you can clip above the baseboards using flat
-> toothpicks into the crack between the baseboard and wall. But pick up
-> everything else!
-> Think of Roomba as being a toddler who gets into EVERYTHING and eats
-> anything it finds!
-> In other words Roomba proof your house, hi hi.....
->
-> I feel it's the best 150 bucks I ever spent!
->
-> And for right now, I can track dirt in, so everybody can watch Roomba
-> find it. But I wonder how long I will get by with that, hi hi.....
->
-> TTUL
-> Gary


Remarkable report, Gary. And very useful. Thanks for taking
the time to write and post.
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
***Revelation 22:12*** ICQ: 349878998
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/

[Leanne]

> A few asked for me to post my findings after using the Roomba Red for
> a week.

(snip)

Sounds good!! does anyone know if you can get it in Aus? A google search
didn't bring anything up.


--
Leanne
--------------------------------
Before you were conceived I wanted you,
Before you were born I loved you,
Before you were here an hour I would die for you,
This is the miracle of life.

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lstacherski/album?.dir=/1b24&.src=ph&.tok=ph_0BGCBvVMFF54J

[Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.]

Hi Leanne

I have a friend in New Zealand that ordered one on-line, it arrived in
only 8 days, which shocked the holy heck out of him.

He is pleased with how it does every room, EXCEPT ONE, in his house.
The room that is dealing him fits is his daughters room, it has a very
long shag type wall to wall carpeting that seems to bog down the brush
to the point the machine shuts off as if being clogged or the brush
jambed.

Now that we have used ours for two weeks now, we are still very
pleased with it, but have found a couple of faults with it.

The rubber veined roller that is part of the brush system is too soft
and can be damaged (small tears in the edges) if it encounters
something like a rock that is too large to jump up into the collection
bin. The rock will lodge at the edge, being held up by the spinning
rubber roller, which then wears down the rubber vein in the area of
the rock.

The second minor irk is that when it knows it is finished cleaning, it
usually makes two more passes along the long length of the room,
probably in order to guess where the middle of the room is before it
shuts down. It seems to forget that it mapped out a heavy coffee
table in the middle of the room. So guess where it decides to shut
down. You got it, right under the center of the coffee table.
Not hard to find though, it keeps chirping it's ALL DONE signal till
the cows come home.

I now know of 8 folks who bought the Roomba Red and love it.
Of those 8, one had a problem out of the box with their unit,
exchanged it and love the replacement, no more problems.
When asking what the problem was, I think it was more of an ID-Ten-T
user error than a problem with the machine itself.

By the way, something not shown in the directions. You can pick up
the machine by lifting the carrying handle on the top. You don't have
to lift it by the sides as shown in the directions.
This is apparently a new feature that did not hit the direction
booklets yet.

TTUL
Gary

[Leanne]

> Hi Leanne
>
> I have a friend in New Zealand that ordered one on-line, it arrived in
> only 8 days, which shocked the holy heck out of him.
>
> He is pleased with how it does every room, EXCEPT ONE, in his house.
> The room that is dealing him fits is his daughters room, it has a very
> long shag type wall to wall carpeting that seems to bog down the brush
> to the point the machine shuts off as if being clogged or the brush
> jambed.
>
> Now that we have used ours for two weeks now, we are still very
> pleased with it, but have found a couple of faults with it.
>
> The rubber veined roller that is part of the brush system is too soft
> and can be damaged (small tears in the edges) if it encounters
> something like a rock that is too large to jump up into the collection
> bin. The rock will lodge at the edge, being held up by the spinning
> rubber roller, which then wears down the rubber vein in the area of
> the rock.
>
> The second minor irk is that when it knows it is finished cleaning, it
> usually makes two more passes along the long length of the room,
> probably in order to guess where the middle of the room is before it
> shuts down. It seems to forget that it mapped out a heavy coffee
> table in the middle of the room. So guess where it decides to shut
> down. You got it, right under the center of the coffee table.
> Not hard to find though, it keeps chirping it's ALL DONE signal till
> the cows come home.
>
> I now know of 8 folks who bought the Roomba Red and love it.
> Of those 8, one had a problem out of the box with their unit,
> exchanged it and love the replacement, no more problems.
> When asking what the problem was, I think it was more of an ID-Ten-T
> user error than a problem with the machine itself.
>
> By the way, something not shown in the directions. You can pick up
> the machine by lifting the carrying handle on the top. You don't have
> to lift it by the sides as shown in the directions.
> This is apparently a new feature that did not hit the direction
> booklets yet.

thanks Gary,

Do you know where your from ordered it from? I was thinking about getting it
online too but the US voltage varies to ours... did he get it from the UK?

Thanks again.

--
Leanne
--------------------------------
Before you were conceived I wanted you,
Before you were born I loved you,
Before you were here an hour I would die for you,
This is the miracle of life.

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lstacherski/album?.dir=/1b24&.src=ph&.tok=ph_0BGCBvVMFF54J

[Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.]

Hi Leanne

I will be talking to him tonight via e-mail and will ask him where he
got it from and how he is handling the difference in voltage.

This means I will probably not have a response for you until tomorrow
night, sorry for that delay.

TTUL
Gary


"Leanne" <ldss1@bigpond.com> verbositized:

>> Hi Leanne
>>
>> I have a friend in New Zealand that ordered one on-line, it arrived in
>> only 8 days, which shocked the holy heck out of him.
>>
>> He is pleased with how it does every room, EXCEPT ONE, in his house.
>> The room that is dealing him fits is his daughters room, it has a very
>> long shag type wall to wall carpeting that seems to bog down the brush
>> to the point the machine shuts off as if being clogged or the brush
>> jambed.
>>
>> Now that we have used ours for two weeks now, we are still very
>> pleased with it, but have found a couple of faults with it.
>>
>> The rubber veined roller that is part of the brush system is too soft
>> and can be damaged (small tears in the edges) if it encounters
>> something like a rock that is too large to jump up into the collection
>> bin. The rock will lodge at the edge, being held up by the spinning
>> rubber roller, which then wears down the rubber vein in the area of
>> the rock.
>>
>> The second minor irk is that when it knows it is finished cleaning, it
>> usually makes two more passes along the long length of the room,
>> probably in order to guess where the middle of the room is before it
>> shuts down. It seems to forget that it mapped out a heavy coffee
>> table in the middle of the room. So guess where it decides to shut
>> down. You got it, right under the center of the coffee table.
>> Not hard to find though, it keeps chirping it's ALL DONE signal till
>> the cows come home.
>>
>> I now know of 8 folks who bought the Roomba Red and love it.
>> Of those 8, one had a problem out of the box with their unit,
>> exchanged it and love the replacement, no more problems.
>> When asking what the problem was, I think it was more of an ID-Ten-T
>> user error than a problem with the machine itself.
>>
>> By the way, something not shown in the directions. You can pick up
>> the machine by lifting the carrying handle on the top. You don't have
>> to lift it by the sides as shown in the directions.
>> This is apparently a new feature that did not hit the direction
>> booklets yet.
>
>thanks Gary,
>
>Do you know where your from ordered it from? I was thinking about getting it
>online too but the US voltage varies to ours... did he get it from the UK?
>
>Thanks again.
>
>--
>Leanne
>--------------------------------
>Before you were conceived I wanted you,
>Before you were born I loved you,
>Before you were here an hour I would die for you,
>This is the miracle of life.
>
>http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lstacherski/album?.dir=/1b24&.src=ph&.tok=ph_0BGCBvVMFF54J
>
>

[BT Newsgroups]

Can you get these in the UK, sound brilliant !!!!



"Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." <raiar@bbs.galilei.com.nospam> wrote in message
news:41d43779.1242476921@news.galilei.com...
> Hi Gang
>
> A few asked for me to post my findings after using the Roomba Red for
> a week.
>
> Amazing, simply Amazing, this little critter is!
>
> Because we were having company for Christmas (who doesn't) we gave the
> home a thorough cleaning. This meant dust, sweep, vacuum, dust again,
> damp mop hard surfaces including hardwood floors and we even lightly
> waxed the floors.
>
> After opening the Roomba and turning it loose, despite an already
> immaculately clean house, the Roomba managed to track down and locate
> enough dust and dog hair to fill the two catch bins to overflowing.
>
> We (or mom) have turned it loose everyday since then and it still
> fills up the bins with dog hair and dust bunnies every single day.
>
> The expected problems of the roller brushes becoming entangled with
> dog hair has NOT happened. Only 3 or 4 get wrapped loosely and can be
> easily removed without removing the brushes before they work their way
> down to the hub.
>
> The dogs still IGNORE it while it's doing it's thing. One pooch don't
> even move out of its way which does cause it to 'map' an object in the
> room.
>
> Although on-line I have heard complaints about the algeorithym it
> follows, in our complicated house with numerous obstructions, it
> learns real quick and never misses a single spot. It also knows when
> it's done and shuts off with a light saying it's done.
>
> Like most kitchens or dining rooms, we have a table and chairs. The
> dog food and waterer, free standing cabinets, island, stool, wastecan,
> etc. Roomba 'maps' each of these items and works around them very
> systematically. Reaching into each nook and cranny it can find.
> Yes it DOES get into corners and around chair legs with amazing
> dexterity.
>
> Something I didn't even realize at first, assuming it was just a brush
> type sweeper, is that it DOES have SUCTION and what the brushes miss,
> the suction seems to get quite well. Such as dirt down in the cracks
> of hardwood floors, etc. It took me awhile to figure out where and
> how it had suction! The vacuum section is integral with the dirt bins
> and the air passes between two blue rubber squeege type blades. It's
> a little tricky learning how to empty this part of the unit easily.
> But it is easy once you figure out just where to put your fingers. I
> slip mine between the two blue squeeges and grab the yellow holder and
> it slides right out for emptying.
>
> Yesterday I gave it the test of all tests, picking up drywall sanding
> dust, just to see if it picked it up or blew it into the room. I
> don't recommend using this unit for that purpose as it is very hard on
> the machine. But it worked! Did not leave a single trace of the
> small piles of drywall dust I placed around the room for it to find.
> It did however decrease the vacuum power considerably by the third
> pile of drywall dust. NONE blew back into the room!
>
> As someone else tried, I sprinkled about 2 tablespoons of salt so it
> covered the entire kitchen floor (in my case I used the bathroom
> because it had dark colored tiles). I locked Roomba in the bathroom
> and let it run until it said it was done. I could not find a single
> grain of salt anywhere in the bathroom. (Note: I blocked Roomba at
> the front of the toilet for this test, didn't want salt around the
> water pipe to the toilet).
>
> At first, especially in a larger room, Roomba appears to follow a
> simple spiral pattern. However, that is really just a start in it's
> internal mapping program. If you set Roomba in the center of the
> room, it follows a spiral pattern until it finally touches a wall or
> object. It will then switch to mapping the perimeter of the room,
> working it's way around every single item in the room until it knows
> the area it's working in. Then it will start a pattern that includes
> vertical and horizontal sweeps and in between switch to diagonal
> sweeps. When it encounters something in the center of the room it
> will map that as well and work around it very systematically as well.
> If the object it encounters just happens to be movable, like a pooch
> who moves around from time to time. It appears that when Roomba
> crosses this formerly blocked area, it will continue until it finds
> another object and start it's mapping process all over again.
>
> It appears that Roomba makes roughly 5 individual passes of every area
> in a room. In the first couple of passes it will keep bumping it's
> right side learning the perimeter. In later passes, it seems to know
> where the obstructions are and not bump into them, but turn at just
> the right spot to get the corners.
>
> There is a protrusion on the top front of Roomba, I assume for the
> virtual wall signal to enter. This protrusion can cause it to
> temporarily get stuck under a sofa or lounge chair, but soon finds its
> way free. If it gets stuck to the point the wheels may have spun for
> a second, it will begin its mapping routine over again. If it gets
> really stuck, wheels turning, machine not moving, it will shut off.
>
> We have used it limited to a single room, and let it have free reign
> of the whole house. Obviously it has a limited amount of mapping
> memory. But must also have a secondary memory to remember where doors
> are. Although it may venture into a room it already cleaned, it
> doesn't seem to stay in there very long before returning to the room
> it should be in. Depending upon where your doors are situated in the
> house, it may just consider a wall as an obstruction. Even turned
> loose to do the whole house, it will find every open area and clean
> it.
>
> When it does find an area of heavy dirt, it will automatically switch
> to spot clean momentarily and go over that area until it feels it has
> cleaned it well enough, then return to its normal travel.
>
> Rubber backed heavy throw rugs it cleans, but loose throw rugs should
> be picked up. The corners of light throw rugs can be picked up by the
> brush and stall the machine. At least the newer Roomba's will shut
> off when the brushes get tangled. It also gives a beep to let you
> know if something like a string or something tangled the brush.
>
> I see no difference between the most expensive Roomba Discovery SE and
> the low cost $149.00 special named Roomba Red other than extras you
> wouldn't normally use anyhow. We use a stool or box in a doorway
> rather than the virtual wall, which requires TWO D sized batteries.
>
> You CAN purchase a drive on charger, hang on wall charger, hang on
> wall holder, remote control, etc. for the Roomba Red if you want them.
> But like most folks, the drive on charger is usually in the way, and
> Roomba don't find it very often anyhow. The remote is just a toy to
> steer Roomba yourself, short lived plaything that ends up in a drawer.
> A wall hanger with or without internal Charger might be an asset for
> some. But since you DO have to empty Roomba's dirt bins after each
> usage, we found the best place to keep Roomba was right behind the
> kitchen waste can under the bottom shelf of a free standing cabinet.
>
> Because of my working in dirt and clay digging in the yard (dirt
> always comes off my shoes in the house no matter how clean I think I
> have them), because of our 4 dogs that have a doggie door to outside
> (some of them with long hair bring in leaves and grass clippings and
> dirty feet), because our house is like grand central station with
> folks dropping in all the time.
> We feel Roomba is a Miracle!
> No one has time to sweep and vacuum every single day after work.
> Debi turns Roomba loose when she gets home from work and by the time
> we finish dinner, it has done the whole house, except the kitchen.
> After dinner we turn Roomba loose in the kitchen and you can just
> barely hear it in the adjoining den. Turn the TV up 2 clicks and you
> don't hear it at all.
>
> Of course, since it is brand new, we spend more time watching it than
> anything else.
>
> Amazing little critter!
> Maw calls it the Red Barron
> Debi calls it Sheila after my housekeeper in St. Louis
> I call it Joshua, who when little found ANYTHING on the floor and put
> it into his mouth.
> Debi's brother in law, who was visiting, shoelaces untied as usual,
> didn't move his feet as it came past and it ATE his shoelace and
> wouldn't let go of his foot. So he calls it JAWS!
> The pooch who NEVER moves got a good tail cleaning and combing. Her
> tail didn't get stuck, but at least now she keeps her backside facing
> away from Roomba at all times, even when it's in the next room.
> Our dog that barks at everything, has kept silent, just giving Roomba
> an evil eye as it passes by her.
>
> A word of caution! Roomba has a SWEET TOOTH for anything that looks
> like spaghetti licorice. It will seek out and find any telephone or
> extension cord and gobble it right up, even the ones you didn't know
> where there. Loose threads, string, Venetian Blind Cords, etc.
> Most extension cords you can clip above the baseboards using flat
> toothpicks into the crack between the baseboard and wall. But pick up
> everything else!
> Think of Roomba as being a toddler who gets into EVERYTHING and eats
> anything it finds!
> In other words Roomba proof your house, hi hi.....
>
> I feel it's the best 150 bucks I ever spent!
>
> And for right now, I can track dirt in, so everybody can watch Roomba
> find it. But I wonder how long I will get by with that, hi hi.....
>
> TTUL
> Gary
>

[Rein]

On 30 Dec 2004 13:13:11 EST, raiar@bbs.galilei.com.nospam (Gary V.
Deutschmann, Sr.) wrote:

>Hi Gang
>
>A few asked for me to post my findings after using the Roomba Red for
>a week.
>
>Amazing, simply Amazing, this little critter is!

nice, thanks.
I was wondering what kind of battery the roomba uses ? Are they
replace-able ?
As with anything rechargable, they do wear out.
I've thrown things away in the past that were fine except for the
no-longer-rechargable battery.


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