I Fix Roomba! Lo.
I love my robots dearly, and when they stop working I am very sad.
My Roomba started making a thumping noise every couple of seconds, which was worrisome. When I googled the sound it linked up to an entry that mentioned the brushes weren't spinning, which was more worrisome. And lo, when I took the back off to see if the brushes were spinning, they were not.
Woe and despair! What would save my kingdom from the menacing dust bunnies?
But the internets provided the solution, for lo!, we live in an age of miracles and wonders known as the future, when a total stranger's diary entry can be the key to us fixing our personal domestic robots.
Turns out this happens when the detangler engages, thinking the brushes are full of hair because it's encountering resistance. If the brushes are not full of hair, it's likely that the gear box is.
Where is a Roomba's gear box, you may wonder? Excellent question. The answer is, basically, behind all the screws. First you must unscrew the yellow swirly brush. Then you must unscrew the grey bottom. Then you must unscrew the purple-blue brush frame from the patient's body. Then you must unscrew the purple-blue brush frame's sides. This is a trick, because they don't come off--just loosen enough to allow you to swivel out the red brush case (carefully, without disconnecting the black wire, which will cause the bomb to go off). Then you must unscrew the side of the red brush case, which allows you access to the gear box.
I had a line of shot glasses sitting on the table in front of me, just to keep the screws in the right order.
And lo! The gears were clogged with cruddy junky bits and cat hair. Apparently the Roomba has been setting aside some cat hair for a snack later. So, using a tiiiiny screwdriver, I cleaned the grooves in all the gears, and extracted the giant hairballs from around the spindles and in the corners.
Then I snapped my fingers and the Roomba didst reassemble itself. And lo, the thumping was no more, and the brushes did spin, and peace reigned once more in the kingdom.
My Roomba started making a thumping noise every couple of seconds, which was worrisome. When I googled the sound it linked up to an entry that mentioned the brushes weren't spinning, which was more worrisome. And lo, when I took the back off to see if the brushes were spinning, they were not.
Woe and despair! What would save my kingdom from the menacing dust bunnies?
But the internets provided the solution, for lo!, we live in an age of miracles and wonders known as the future, when a total stranger's diary entry can be the key to us fixing our personal domestic robots.
Turns out this happens when the detangler engages, thinking the brushes are full of hair because it's encountering resistance. If the brushes are not full of hair, it's likely that the gear box is.
Where is a Roomba's gear box, you may wonder? Excellent question. The answer is, basically, behind all the screws. First you must unscrew the yellow swirly brush. Then you must unscrew the grey bottom. Then you must unscrew the purple-blue brush frame from the patient's body. Then you must unscrew the purple-blue brush frame's sides. This is a trick, because they don't come off--just loosen enough to allow you to swivel out the red brush case (carefully, without disconnecting the black wire, which will cause the bomb to go off). Then you must unscrew the side of the red brush case, which allows you access to the gear box.
I had a line of shot glasses sitting on the table in front of me, just to keep the screws in the right order.
And lo! The gears were clogged with cruddy junky bits and cat hair. Apparently the Roomba has been setting aside some cat hair for a snack later. So, using a tiiiiny screwdriver, I cleaned the grooves in all the gears, and extracted the giant hairballs from around the spindles and in the corners.
Then I snapped my fingers and the Roomba didst reassemble itself. And lo, the thumping was no more, and the brushes did spin, and peace reigned once more in the kingdom.