M
OBILE
R
OBOTS
Keep the axles clear of carpet or other strings that may wrap around and bind up
AmigoBot’s drive. Occasionally wipe the tires with a damp cloth, and especially remove
any dirt or debris that may accumulate on the tires—these will degrade the robot’s
performance.
A
MIGO
B
OT
B
ATTERIES
Lead-acid batteries like those in your car and in your AmigoBot, last longest when kept
fully charged. In fact, severe discharge is harmful to the battery. So be careful not to
operate the robot if the battery voltage falls below 11 volts or so. (The robot is
programmed to stop working at 10 volts). In other words, heed your robot’s incessant
whining when its batteries are weak.
Severe discharge is harmful to the battery.
Store the battery fully charged.
It’s also a good idea to store the robot plugged into the charger when it’s not going to
be used for a day or two. Charge the battery fully, then store the robot in a cool, dry
place if you intend not to use the robot for any longer period of time(a pity!), such as for
a week or more.
Charging the Battery
If you have the standard AmigoBot or the high-speed charger accessory, insert it into a
common 120-volt (European 240) AC power socket. (Some users may require a special
power-socket adapter which accompanies the charger.) Then insert the charger’s cable
into the Charge socket that is next to AmigoBot’s Power switch on the underside of the
robot. With the high-speed charger accessory, its LEDs indicate charge status, as
marked on its case.
It takes fewer than 12 hours–often just a few hours, depending on the level of discharge–
to fully charge the AmigoBot battery using its standard charger (roughly, three hours per
volt). The fast-charger accessory can charge the battery in just an hour or two.
You do not have to turn off your robot when it is charging. In fact, we encourage you to
plug in the charger while you are programming the robot. Just make sure to disable the
robot’s motors. For instance, put it up on blocks if you put store the robot on a table for
charging. And realize that the charging time will roughly double if you continue to
operate your robot while charging.
Alternative Battery Chargers
The chargers that we supply for the AmigoBot are safe: They pose no danger to the user,
they properly charge the robot’s battery, and they may be left on and connected with
the robot for many days.
Use a different battery charger
AT YOUR OWN RISK.
The center post of the charger socket on the AmigoBot is the positive (+) side of the
battery; the shaft is the negative (-) side. If you choose to use an alternative battery
charger for AmigoBot, be sure to connect positive to positive and negative to negative
from charger to AmigoBot.
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