My autonomous lawn mower thread/blog

Mr.Sir · 09-05-2021 8:47pm

Opinions on the stihl robot, heard from a few people that they are very loud in relation to the husqvarna one.

SocialSpud · 09-05-2021 10:06pm

KCross wrote: »

I wouldn’t put in any boundary wire until you are ready as you could change things in the meantime and you don’t want to be pulling it up or adding joiners.

For future proofing ensure you have all the lawn(s) connected. Limit long, narrow sections as much as possible.

And as you said, access to electrical outlet. Put that somewhere central but out of view , if possible.

Try to have sweeping bends rather than 90 degree bends.

Great thanks for the advice. I'll be having one single rectangle lawn so should be ok. I might build a mini garage for it when the I actually get one.

sligopaul · 10-05-2021 9:24am

I have a Stihl 632p, can't comment on any comparison re noise to Husqvarna though a friend is getting two Huskies this week, so may be able to provide comments then however it's hardly deafening, in fact the little noise it makes is barely enough to wake my dog when asleep on the grass, a little noise is good

Mango Joe · 10-05-2021 10:34am

SocialSpud wrote: »

I'll be getting a lawn ready soon and would like to at least future proof for a robot lawnmower. I'm thinking to at least have a outdoor electrical sockets in the lawn for the dock and put down some boundary cable?

KCross wrote: »

I wouldn’t put in any boundary wire until you are ready as you could change things in the meantime and you don’t want to be pulling it up or adding joiners.

For future proofing ensure you have all the lawn(s) connected. Limit long, narrow sections as much as possible.

And as you said, access to electrical outlet. Put that somewhere central but out of view , if possible.

Try to have sweeping bends rather than 90 degree bends.

Great advice above - I'd also add that when you're choosing kerbing to go for something like the below where your kerb is level with the grass and its not too narrow.

This gives you an ideal automower scenario where you can cut right to the edge with no need for strimming or burning off grass at edges with weedkiller.

There has to be a bit of depth to the kerb to allow the mower to get in from its various angles of approach etc. and not have the outside wheel go off the kerb - wish mine were an inch or two wider.

grey-stone-paving-kerb-adjacent-to-green-grass-lawn-54589453.jpg

grey-stone-paving-kerb-adjacent-to-green-grass-lawn-54589453.jpg

PuddingBreath wrote: »

sound, nice not passive aggressive reply there again.

if you think all these companies are run by some charity that is selling these at cost/break even to ensure best value for the customer then i have some bad news for you...

the tooth fary isn't real ....

Pudding you've said that you'll be back on here afterwards giving your advice to help others on the thread...... What about the people who come on here but clearly couldn't be bothered to read any of the thread - Will you be taking them through it all from scratch in baby steps too?

Gardena resell a pile of everything under that brand from hoses to watering cans - They also sell a number of rebadged Husqvarna Automowers which are probably a good buy as far as I can tell (no personal experience) I can well imagine that their Customer support had no clue what you were asking them as they wouldn't be trained in any of it I'm sure.

This thread is a mine of excellent advice from a lot of people who have shared their thoughts and experiences to help others - Make a cup of tea and give it an hour or two and you'll have an excellent grounding on this topic and will be informed enough to buy the mower best suited to your site.

I've the same mower as Listermint recommended above (also rebadged Husqvarna)and I think its a legendary machine.

SocialSpud · 10-05-2021 6:39pm

Mango Joe wrote: »

Great advice above - I'd also add that when you're choosing kerbing to go for something like the below where your kerb is level with the grass and its not too narrow.

This gives you an ideal automower scenario where you can cut right to the edge with no need for strimming or burning off grass at edges with weedkiller.

There has to be a bit of depth to the kerb to allow the mower to get in from its various angles of approach etc. and not have the outside wheel go off the kerb - wish mine were an inch or two wider.

Thanks for the advice, good to know this now before it's too late. Is this your own lawn?

Bedouin79 · 10-05-2021 7:54pm

Maybe late to the party with this one,but spraying the underneath of Luigi with WD-40 has been a game changer. Grass doesn’t stick as much still needs a clean but it’s a hell of a lot easier to do.

Just thought I’d share

ArrBee · 11-05-2021 9:13am

Bedouin79 wrote: »

Maybe late to the party with this one,but spraying the underneath of Luigi with WD-40 has been a game changer. Grass doesn’t stick as much still needs a clean but it’s a hell of a lot easier to do.

Just thought I’d share

Tips like that are never "too late"

Mango Joe · 11-05-2021 9:31am

SocialSpud wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, good to know this now before it's too late. Is this your own lawn?

No sadly - I've the more standard kerb laid on flat from before Automowers entered my thinking!

I must post a photo of an unfortunate lesson learned that may save others some time, hassle and ultimately disappointment.

I had a "genius" idea to buy tiny cable clips and secure my perimeter loop to the edge of the kerb about 2 cm down and cover with soil.

Plan was to make sure I got the perfect edge cut then using the "drive past wire" menu on the mower to fine tune the distance the mower went onto the kerb before backing off.

All was fine 97.9% of the time, mower approached, wheels rolled smoothly onto kerb, clean cut achieved.

Issue was that if the Mower approached almost parallel to the wire, hard to explain but a side-on approach almost going in the direction of the wire then the outside wheel would drop off the kerb.

Back to square one - Was almost a nice idea.

PS - I had started off on this plan originally due to the fact that the kerbs were bedded in concrete and it was very hard to pin the wire down in the usual way using the plastic pins - I'd be interested to hear if any of you have come up with an alternative that works well for this.

I'll throw up a photo this evening - the plan might work for other mowers..

ArrBee · 11-05-2021 11:11am

Mango Joe wrote: »

PS - I had started off on this plan originally due to the fact that the kerbs were bedded in concrete and it was very hard to pin the wire down in the usual way using the plastic pins - I'd be interested to hear if any of you have come up with an alternative that works well for this.

Hardly a good solution but for some sections of boundary that meet your description, I have cut a channel in the lawn by hand and buried the wire.

I still needed to pin it with the pegs but could yet away with less frequently.
Also, I found that I was able to hammer the peg through the concrete haunch in some parts. Maybe it was thinner there?

Mango Joe · 11-05-2021 12:40pm

Thanks for that - Actually I needed to go looking for my guide wire there recently and couldn't find it anywhere along 80 metres of a run when it had just been pinned down on the surface with no burying.

Was genuinely shocked at what only 6 weeks of grass growth did to lock it down and cover every sign of it - It really gets swallowed up by the grass roots.

By this logic a wire that's buried any distance in the soil should be very secure.

joebre · 11-05-2021 1:55pm

Found that I posted some time ago about Eco Mode but no definite solution !
Set Eco Mode in the App recently.
Parked mower overnight and set to go out through the App this morning. Don't know if it left the charging station or went out and back immediately ?
Eco Mode in now turned off.
Mower indicates no problem in charging station but will not leave.
If trying to start manually outside the station, it will report that Eco Mode is enabled.
Worryingly, I have a blue flashing light.
Guy was working in the garden yesterday and may have damaged the cable ?
Don't know if I have to look for a break or not ?

murfler · 11-05-2021 6:54pm

joebre wrote: »

Found that I posted some time ago about Eco Mode but no definite solution !
Set Eco Mode in the App recently.
Parked mower overnight and set to go out through the App this morning. Don't know if it left the charging station or went out and back immediately ?
Eco Mode in now turned off.
Mower indicates no problem in charging station but will not leave.
If trying to start manually outside the station, it will report that Eco Mode is enabled.
Worryingly, I have a blue flashing light.
Guy was working in the garden yesterday and may have damaged the cable ?
Don't know if I have to look for a break or not ?

I know this sounds simple but have you tried unplugging base station for a minute or two and plugging back in? Turn off your mower fully also and then turn back on, try this a few times if it's still saying Eco mode enabled and bring mower out on lawn and turn on and instruct it to cut on main area from the keypad on mower..

Mango Joe · 12-05-2021 11:18am

joebre wrote: »

Found that I posted some time ago about Eco Mode but no definite solution !
Set Eco Mode in the App recently.
Parked mower overnight and set to go out through the App this morning. Don't know if it left the charging station or went out and back immediately ?
Eco Mode in now turned off.
Mower indicates no problem in charging station but will not leave.
If trying to start manually outside the station, it will report that Eco Mode is enabled.
Worryingly, I have a blue flashing light.
Guy was working in the garden yesterday and may have damaged the cable ?
Don't know if I have to look for a break or not ?

You've a Husqvarna 315x isn't it?

The aptly named flashing blue light of terror means:

1. Loop Circuit continuity issue - ie break in the cable
2. Faulty transformer.
3. Issue with charging station circuit board.

2 & 3 are much less likely in your timeframe of ownership.

Seeing as you've mentioned that fella hacking lumps out of your garden yesterday then I'd say its a pretty safe bet as to what's wrong here....Retrace his steps.

*** PS There was someone on here who mentioned having a quirky issue where the blue light could only be cleared by unplugging the transformer for 5 mins and then retrying - worth a go first. This isn't a "by design behaviour" just a design flaw.

murfler · 12-05-2021 11:48am

Mango Joe wrote: »

You've a Husqvarna 315x isn't it?

The aptly named flashing blue light of terror means:

1. Loop Circuit continuity issue - ie break in the cable
2. Faulty transformer.
3. Issue with charging station circuit board.

2 & 3 are much less likely in your timeframe of ownership.

Seeing as you've mentioned that fella hacking lumps out of your garden yesterday then I'd say its a pretty safe bet as to what's wrong here....Retrace his steps.

*** PS There was someone on here who mentioned having a quirky issue where the blue light could only be cleared by unplugging the transformer for 5 mins and then retrying - worth a go first. This isn't a "by design behaviour" just a design flaw.

Good advice, I would strongly recommend plugging out base station for a couple of minutes and then plug back in..turn off mower and then turn it back on, it should clear..try a few times and if that doesn't work physically push mower into charge station and try get it to work from your phone app.
I have had the Flashing blue light many a time when it's set in Eco Mode and I pick up my mower when it's out working to clean or whatever...when I try get it back mowing I get the Flashing Blue light and it says Eco Mode activated on screen..through trial and error I figured out the above steps clear it

listermint · 12-05-2021 11:52am

Mango Joe wrote: »

You've a Husqvarna 315x isn't it?

The aptly named flashing blue light of terror means:

1. Loop Circuit continuity issue - ie break in the cable
2. Faulty transformer.
3. Issue with charging station circuit board.

2 & 3 are much less likely in your timeframe of ownership.

Seeing as you've mentioned that fella hacking lumps out of your garden yesterday then I'd say its a pretty safe bet as to what's wrong here....Retrace his steps.

*** PS There was someone on here who mentioned having a quirky issue where the blue light could only be cleared by unplugging the transformer for 5 mins and then retrying - worth a go first. This isn't a "by design behaviour" just a design flaw.

Also make sure the guide wire is not crossing over itself. Or the left and right on the back of the base station isn't mixed up and crossing over each other.

Ferns83 · 13-05-2021 10:49am

Hi all,

1st time posting in this thread so apologies if I am in the wrong area.

I would be very grateful for some advice.

This is a long running saga so apologies for the long rant.

I purchased a flymo 1200r late 2019 from Amazon uk.

I installed in early 2020 and it ran flawlessly for the year. Except for 1 wire repair when a root pushed up the wire and the mower cut it.

I put the mower inside in the shed for winter 2020 and left the base station connected outside.

I tried to restart recently but was with a flashing blue light on base station which means there is an issue with the loop.

I tracked the wire with an AM radio and found no break.

Using a voltmeter I then:

Checked voltage at transformer and got 28 volts.

Checked voltage at base station entry and got 28 volts.

Did continuity test on perimeter and guide wire and got continuity.

Did resistance test on perimeter and guide wire and got 4 ohms.

Finally I made a small loop using spare wire and connected it to base station terminals but still have a flashing blue light. I assumed this loop may not be long enough so repeated the loop using a spare roll with approx 50 meters on it. Still have flashing blue light.

I am convinced the issue is with the base station and not the loop wire.

Spoke to Amazon yesterday and they will give me a full refund as it is under 2 year warranty. I wanted a replacement but no longer have 1200r in stock.

Looking at other movers they are much more expensive than original price paid.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

KCross · 13-05-2021 11:56am

The primary test, is the one which you have done, which is to put a fresh piece of loop wire across the terminals to rule out your actual boundary wire as the root cause.

So it sounds like the base station alright. The motherboard probably needs replacing.

obi604 · 13-05-2021 11:59am

Silly question time

In regard to these lawnmowers, do they have a bag that collects the grass? I think not but just checking

or are they just consistently cutting the lawn daily so that no bag is needed i.e is there anything to rake up at all?

Josieg · 13-05-2021 12:03pm

obi604 wrote: »

Silly question time

In regard to these lawnmowers, do they have a bag that collects the grass? I think not but just checking

or are they just consistently cutting the lawn daily so that no bag is needed i.e is there anything to rake up at all?

No, its cuts so regularlythat all you get are really fine clipping that fall into the lawn and disappear feeding the grass in the process! Although I find if I leave it too long between cuts during growing season due to heavy rain for days on end I might rake the longer grass left after a cut.

obi604 · 13-05-2021 12:37pm

Josieg wrote: »

No, its cuts so regularlythat all you get are really fine clipping that fall into the lawn and disappear feeding the grass in the process! Although I find if I leave it too long between cuts during growing season due to heavy rain for days on end I might rake the longer grass left after a cut.

noted. how often do they do their job?

Is it like every3/4 days. work one day, then rest for 3/4 days. then back at it again. or you can program it to do it daily etc

KCross · 13-05-2021 12:40pm

obi604 wrote: »

noted. how often do they do their job?

Is it like every3/4 days. work one day, then rest for 3/4 days. then back at it again. or you can program it to do it daily etc

Very much a depends thing, but usually daily with maybe some days where you dont send it out. Its all setup via timers and it depends on the mower you have and the size/complexity of your lawn and grass growth.

obi604 · 13-05-2021 12:46pm

KCross wrote: »

Very much a depends thing, but usually daily with maybe some days where you dont send it out. Its all setup via timers and it depends on the mower you have and the size/complexity of your lawn and grass growth.

thanks for info.

on the battery size of these things, I know all different sizes and prices etc but what are the from and to battery sizes?

I guess they would do a few hours cutting before having to recharge

KCross · 13-05-2021 6:00pm

obi604 wrote: »

on the battery size of these things, I know all different sizes and prices etc but what are the from and to battery sizes?

I guess they would do a few hours cutting before having to recharge

They dont advertise on battery size... you've spent too much time in the EV forum!

They advertise them based on the max m² that the mower is rated for. That value is based on more than just battery size.... cutting width, speed it travels at etc. So, the battery isnt the thing that matters.... its the m² that matters.

As a reference, mine charges for ~1hr and cuts for ~2-3hrs but each one will be different, of course.

obi604 · 13-05-2021 9:08pm

KCross wrote: »

They dont advertise on battery size... you've spent too much time in the EV forum!

They advertise them based on the max m² that the mower is rated for. That value is based on more than just battery size.... cutting width, speed it travels at etc. So, the battery isnt the thing that matters.... its the m² that matters.

As a reference, mine charges for ~1hr and cuts for ~2-3hrs but each one will be different, of course.

Lol. True.
Yeah, I was looking for something like a 1kw battery or something

witnessmenow · 14-05-2021 11:25am

We've had some issues with dog poo before, but this was a new one

E1Qt_xqXEAAPTqI?format=jpg&name=medium

I have no idea how it happened

PuddingBreath · 14-05-2021 11:50am

i ordered a worx off MyRobotcenter last weekend. so now on 5th working day. still saying in process in the account overview. delivery time is stated as 4 days from day ordered. i contacted them earlier in the week about getting a heads up on shipping, delivery and if they provide a tracking number, no reply. a bit concerened now, i'm thinking of cancelling and buying in a local B&Q or somewhere. has anyone dealt with them recently ? bunged off an email again there now for an update

afatbollix · 14-05-2021 12:02pm

witnessmenow wrote: »

We've had some issues with dog poo before, but this was a new one

Image/Dog Poo photo/Image

I have no idea how it happened

What do you do for dog poo? Thinking of getting one for my mother but she has two dogs and worried about the dog crap clogging it all up. But if it just scatters it could be a good solution to that too.

witnessmenow · 14-05-2021 1:45pm

afatbollix wrote: »

What do you do for dog poo? Thinking of getting one for my mother but she has two dogs and worried about the dog crap clogging it all up. But if it just scatters it could be a good solution to that too.

We have a pooper scooper thing that we we use every morning before it goes out and if we see the dogs going during the day we scoop it too. It's a long handled thing, kind of like this, but its made of plastic and we can put a small bin bag in it, I don't know where we got it though. We usually pick of a few days worth of stuff before changing the bag so its a pretty quick job.

There are plenty of times where we missed something or whatever and its no big deal, but I probably won't plan for there to be no plan for picking it up, if that makes sense. Depending on the consistency it would be more likely to push it around or smoosh it around.

krissovo · 14-05-2021 2:26pm

afatbollix wrote: »

What do you do for dog poo? Thinking of getting one for my mother but she has two dogs and worried about the dog crap clogging it all up. But if it just scatters it could be a good solution to that too.

Unless your dog has IBS or has a diet of vindaloo its not a problem. The mowers just largely ignores the turd and either bobbles over like its a twig or it might cut a piece off if I am using a low setting. The mower self cleans anyway by the constant cutting of grass. These are different to normal mowers that use the cutting blade like a propeller to "suck" the grass into the blade, they can get messy!

I check every day or so and use an old ball thrower to flick the turd into a flower bed but its not really a problem if they are left.

joebre · 15-05-2021 9:56am

Thanks to all who replied to my question about Eco Mode enabled.

No break found in cable.
Think the housing got a knock and one of the terminals was not making a proper connection.
Tightened the connection and working since.

listermint · 15-05-2021 10:05am

Ferns83 wrote: »

Hi all,

1st time posting in this thread so apologies if I am in the wrong area.

I would be very grateful for some advice.

This is a long running saga so apologies for the long rant.

I purchased a flymo 1200r late 2019 from Amazon uk.

I installed in early 2020 and it ran flawlessly for the year. Except for 1 wire repair when a root pushed up the wire and the mower cut it.

I put the mower inside in the shed for winter 2020 and left the base station connected outside.

I tried to restart recently but was with a flashing blue light on base station which means there is an issue with the loop.

I tracked the wire with an AM radio and found no break.

Using a voltmeter I then:

Checked voltage at transformer and got 28 volts.

Checked voltage at base station entry and got 28 volts.

Did continuity test on perimeter and guide wire and got continuity.

Did resistance test on perimeter and guide wire and got 4 ohms.

Finally I made a small loop using spare wire and connected it to base station terminals but still have a flashing blue light. I assumed this loop may not be long enough so repeated the loop using a spare roll with approx 50 meters on it. Still have flashing blue light.

I am convinced the issue is with the base station and not the loop wire.

Spoke to Amazon yesterday and they will give me a full refund as it is under 2 year warranty. I wanted a replacement but no longer have 1200r in stock.

Looking at other movers they are much more expensive than original price paid.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

It will be your mother board. Mine broke because a slug had a death wish and fried himself by eating through the board's lacquer and bridging a resistor.

New board 80 bills from France. Working perfectly now

PuddingBreath · 15-05-2021 3:11pm

PuddingBreath wrote: »

i ordered a worx off MyRobotcenter last weekend. so now on 5th working day. still saying in process in the account overview. delivery time is stated as 4 days from day ordered. i contacted them earlier in the week about getting a heads up on shipping, delivery and if they provide a tracking number, no reply. a bit concerened now, i'm thinking of cancelling and buying in a local B&Q or somewhere. has anyone dealt with them recently ? bunged off an email again there now for an update

just as a warning to others, an update on my order from MyRobotCenter.
they're showing what i ordered off them as in stock now for over a week. We were last in contact with them yesterday. They said they don't have them in stock. we asked if they would ship it via express shipping by way of an apology as we were expecting it to arrive thursday the 13th(as per their website's delivery times).

they wouldn't even do that so we'll be cancelling the order monday. i wouldn't use them again for anything.

spose · 15-05-2021 4:21pm

It’s a pity myrobotcentre performance is poor. I’ve ordered off them 4 or 5 times over the years and always been excellent...shipped straight away. Had one technical problem while in warranty and the machine was collected and returned fixed no drama.

murfler · 15-05-2021 6:04pm

PuddingBreath wrote: »

just as a warning to others, an update on my order from MyRobotCenter.
they're showing what i ordered off them as in stock now for over a week. We were last in contact with them yesterday. They said they don't have them in stock. we asked if they would ship it via express shipping by way of an apology as we were expecting it to arrive thursday the 13th(as per their website's delivery times).

they wouldn't even do that so we'll be cancelling the order monday. i wouldn't use them again for anything.

Thanks for the heads up on your bot and also the tooth fairy

Gaffs89 · 15-05-2021 6:30pm

Right lads,I've got an Ambrogio 20 elite a couple of months now.Delighted with it.Only one issue, I have a large flower bed wired off in the middle of the lawn,sometimes the Mower finds the wire around the flower bed instead of the perimeter wire when it's returning to the charger.The mower goes round the flower bed until I manually interrupt it.
Any ideas?

Bedouin79 · 16-05-2021 6:33am

Gaffs89 wrote: »

Right lads,I've got an Ambrogio 20 elite a couple of months now.Delighted with it.Only one issue, I have a large flower bed wired off in the middle of the lawn,sometimes the Mower finds the wire around the flower bed instead of the perimeter wire when it's returning to the charger.The mower goes round the flower bed until I manually interrupt it.
Any ideas?

Haven’t tried wiring off anything yet but my 2 cents would be maybe the wires aren’t close enough together for long enough before the flower bed. Having the wires doubled up a bit earlier on the perimeter may help.

Gaffs89 · 17-05-2021 10:23am

http://imgur.com/a/hi4ozFQ

If the Mower finds the flower bed wire first when it's time to return home.It just goes round in circles.
If it finds the perimeter it's grand.It just goes straight to the charger.

witnessmenow · 17-05-2021 11:50am

Gaffs89 wrote: »

http://imgur.com/a/hi4ozFQ

If the Mower finds the flower bed wire first when it's time to return home.It just goes round in circles.
If it finds the perimeter it's grand.It just goes straight to the charger.

I had this exact same issue with a worx mower and I ended up widening the gap of the wires going to the "island" , so now it goes around the island on the way home. This does leave a patch of grass where the mower can't drive over, but it should get cut when your mower is doing the boundary

KCross · 17-05-2021 12:17pm

Gaffs89 wrote: »

If the Mower finds the flower bed wire first when it's time to return home.It just goes round in circles.
If it finds the perimeter it's grand.It just goes straight to the charger.

witnessmenow wrote: »

I had this exact same issue with a worx mower and I ended up widening the gap of the wires going to the "island" , so now it goes around the island on the way home. This does leave a patch of grass where the mower can't drive over, but it should get cut when your mower is doing the boundary

Thats a bit of a design gap, isnt it?

There must be a proper solution to that as a mower going around in circles and eventually going dead isnt good enough really. The whole idea is that you can let it at it and not have to keep rescuing it.

Any input from the dealer or manufacturer? Or the manual?

witnessmenow · 17-05-2021 1:14pm

KCross wrote: »

Thats a bit of a design gap, isnt it?

There must be a proper solution to that as a mower going around in circles and eventually going dead isnt good enough really. The whole idea is that you can let it at it and not have to keep rescuing it.

Any input from the dealer or manufacturer? Or the manual?

Worx told me to do this so I guess this is the solution

https://support.worx-europe.com/how-set-up-island

I have had this setup like basically all of last summer and it was no problem.

The mowers navigation is really simple, they basically have no idea where they are, they drive til the find the wire and follow it anti-clockwise til it finds home. When it finds the large island it doesn't know it's not the actual boundary. The only thing it could do software wise if there is was a max time to go home, and if it spent more than that going home it searched for a new boundary

KCross · 17-05-2021 2:43pm

witnessmenow wrote: »

Worx told me to do this so I guess this is the solution

https://support.worx-europe.com/how-set-up-island

I have had this setup like basically all of last summer and it was no problem.

The mowers navigation is really simple, they basically have no idea where they are, they drive til the find the wire and follow it anti-clockwise til it finds home. When it finds the large island it doesn't know it's not the actual boundary. The only thing it could do software wise if there is was a max time to go home, and if it spent more than that going home it searched for a new boundary

Thats a poor solution though. The software should be able to detect that its getting nowhere and look for another boundary.

Fine that it works for you but others could have several islands (thus increasing the likelyhood of the issue occurring) with some of those being in the middle of the lawn area which means multiple strips being left uncut.

Its also another good case for getting a mower with a guide wire to get home reliably.

witnessmenow · 17-05-2021 3:02pm

KCross wrote: »

Thats a poor solution though. The software should be able to detect that its getting nowhere and look for another boundary.

Fine that it works for you but others could have several islands (thus increasing the likelyhood of the issue occurring) with some of those being in the middle of the lawn area which means multiple strips being left uncut.

Its also another good case for getting a mower with a guide wire to get home reliably.

Detect how? The only way would be for it detect its traveled too far/for too long looking for home, it doesn't have any other data points to work with.

I don't understand how it's a bad solution? A mower with a guide wire would probably work (I've never had one) but I think you are over estimating how big of a problem this is. The grass in the gap is cut when you do a boundary cut, which it's recommended you do a couple of a week. It didn't look any different to any other part of our lawn.

The actual negative of this solution is you end up with with a more segmented lawn, in Gaffs image from a few posts up, the mower will now only get to the back section of garden on the right hand side of the flower bed, but in practise it was never an issue for us, the lawn all got cut.

KCross · 17-05-2021 3:47pm

witnessmenow wrote: »

Detect how? The only way would be for it detect its traveled too far/for too long looking for home, it doesn't have any other data points to work with.

That would be a possible solution or something in the menus that allow you to dictate, based on your knowledge of your own boundary, how long you want it to spend looking.

I'm not trying to come up with a solution as the mower is what it is, just saying its not ideal and other mowers dont have this issue (e.g. some have GPS). Its a design gap is all I'm saying.

witnessmenow wrote: »

I don't understand how it's a bad solution? A mower with a guide wire would probably work (I've never had one) but I think you are over estimating how big of a problem this is. The grass in the gap is cut when you do a boundary cut, which it's recommended you do a couple of a week. It didn't look any different to any other part of our lawn.

The actual negative of this solution is you end up with with a more segmented lawn, in Gaffs image from a few posts up, the mower will now only get to the back section of garden on the right hand side of the flower bed, but in practise it was never an issue for us, the lawn all got cut.

That exactly.

As I said, fine if it works for you in your case, but it may not work for many others.

Basically, its something worth considering when purchasing, in particular if you know you will have "lots" of islands.

Gaffs89 · 17-05-2021 4:34pm

Thanks for the replies Lads.witnessmenows solution should work for me.
KCross has a good point though ,a guide wire would solve it.
I've adjusted the distance the Mower keeps from the wire.
In the manual it says you can use the "on wire " or V meter method to return to the base.I can't find how to change that setting. The app uses different terms than the manual.unless it's part of the set up the dealer did when he set it up.
All that being said it's doing a great job on my lawn . It's very complex and it's not missing any spots.The diagram I posted was simplified to show this particular issue.
Thanks again.

krissovo · 18-05-2021 1:21am

KCross wrote: »

Thats a bit of a design gap, isnt it?

There must be a proper solution to that as a mower going around in circles and eventually going dead isnt good enough really. The whole idea is that you can let it at it and not have to keep rescuing it.

Any input from the dealer or manufacturer? Or the manual?

I use the alternative solution for the Worx which is the the off limits module with magnetic wire, not cheap but at least it works......Mostly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPwVWMXce9Y

I have a 10x20 island plus a kids play area which is sand/gravel approx 15 x 20 and the off limits works well 95% of the time and certainly not as reliable as the wire. I sometimes find him stuck in the sand of the play area when he has crossed the boundary.

Midlakelands · 18-05-2021 12:21pm

Gaffs89 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies Lads.witnessmenows solution should work for me.
KCross has a good point though ,a guide wire would solve it.
I've adjusted the distance the Mower keeps from the wire.
In the manual it says you can use the "on wire " or V meter method to return to the base.I can't find how to change that setting. The app uses different terms than the manual.unless it's part of the set up the dealer did when he set it up.
All that being said it's doing a great job on my lawn . It's very complex and it's not missing any spots.The diagram I posted was simplified to show this particular issue.
Thanks again.

I'm new to the ambrogio range and only at the planning stage for installation of an l35 but from what I've been reading doesn't the ambrogios all have a recall to wire feature where you install a small 'spike' on the perimeter wire that is 5cms apart. That causes the mower to take a turn to another part of the garden where it will try to find the perimeter again and continue on its way back to the base. You need to plan them to ensure that the mower isnt going to go around in circles but putting one on a perimeter island might help in this case?

Gaffs89 · 18-05-2021 4:57pm

In the manual it's not very clear about the recall to wire.As far as I can make out you do that just before a narrow passage to make the Mower travel down the centre. I'll give it a try if it starts to circle the flower bed again.
Dam these things are addictive.Trying to get it perfect.
I can't believe how fast it got the lawn under control and looking well.

murfler · 18-05-2021 7:26pm

Hi some advice needed please. After todays torrential rain I noticed some flooding around where I placed my charging station. Water was up on the base of charging station and very close to wheels of mower. I'm wondering should I be concerned of water damaging anything, is the PCB located a few inches up from bottom of station? I ran it all last year with no issues and today's rain was out of the ordinary but still I can't imagine that being great? I can't really raise the station as mower needs ground relatively flat to Dock. Thanks

murfler · 18-05-2021 7:27pm

murfler wrote: »

Hi some advice needed please. After todays torrential rain I noticed some flooding around where I placed my charging station. Water was up on the base of charging station and very close to wheels of mower. I'm wondering should I be concerned of water damaging anything, is the PCB located a few inches up from bottom of station? I ran it all last year with no issues and today's rain was out of the ordinary but still I can't imagine that being great? I can't really raise the station as mower needs ground relatively flat to Dock. Thanks

Sorry I should have mentioned I have a husqvarna 430x

murfler · 18-05-2021 7:35pm

murfler wrote: »

Sorry I should have mentioned I have a husqvarna 430x

Actually just found a YouTube video on how to change the PCB..it seems to be up off of base of station a couple of inches...I don't think the water will ever reach thar point..hopefully

My autonomous lawn mower thread/blog

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