Posts tagged roomba
Why is my Roomba beeping?
Nov 22nd
What do the roomba beeps mean?
I have recently had two instances of beeps from my iRobot Roomba (400 series) that I had not recognized before. It was the “uh-oh” and 3 beeps and then a couple of days later the “uh-oh” and 10 beeps (it takes a long time to beep that much). So I looked up all of the codes on the iRobot website for easy reference in the future. There are even video clips from iRobot so you can hear what the ‘beep’ messages sound like. If your error beep requires a new part your can click here to check for deals: iRobot Web Specials or click here for more information on the Roomba and iRobot products.
Roomba Discovery and 400 Series Beeps
| Roomba Says | What It Means | What You Should Do |
|---|---|---|
| Plays 4-note song as Power button blinks RED Play sound | The battery is low and needs recharging | • Connect the robot to the charger or Home Base® and recharge the battery. |
| “Ehh” Play sound | The Cliff Sensors are dirty or malfunctioning | • Pick up your robot and turn it over.* |
| "Uh-oh" | A wheel is stuck or is not touching the ground | • Lift the robot and place it down again. • Press the Clean button to restart the cycle. |
| “Uh-oh” plus 1 beep
| The robot's main brushes are stalled | • Pick up your robot, turn it over* and remove the wire guard. • Look for something blocking the brushes; you may need to remove and reinstall the brushes to remove the obstruction. |
| “Uh-oh” plus 2 beeps | The robot's Side Brush is stalled | • Pick up your robot and turn it over* • Check to see if something is wrapped around the Side Brush. • Remove the Side Brush with a screw driver and check for string or hair wrapped under it. • Replace the Side Brush, place Roomba in the center of the room and press Clean to resume cleaning. |
| “Uh-oh” plus 3 beeps
| The robot's vacuum is stalled | • Remove and empty the Dirt Bin. • Use a flat-head screwdriver to remove the grill at the back of the Dirt Bin. • Spin the Vacuum Impeller around, shaking out any debris that may be stuck. • Replace the grill and the Dirt Bin. |
| “Uh-oh” plus 4 beeps | The robot's Drive Wheels are stalled | • Your robot may be stuck, or something may be caught in a wheel. If this continues to happen every time you clean, you may need a software upgrade. Contact iRobot Customer Support. |
| “Uh-oh” plus 5 beeps | The robot's Cliff Sensors are obstructed | • Pick up your robot and turn it over.* • Check for any debris that might be caught underneath the front bumper, around the Cliff Sensors. • Wipe the Sensors with a lint-free cloth or use compressed air to clean them out. |
| “Uh-oh” plus 6 beeps
| The robot's Wheel Drop Sensors are overloaded (robot is stuck in a bumpy area) | • Pick up your robot, place it in the center of the room, then power it off and then on again. |
| “Uh-oh” plus 9 beeps
| The robot's Wheel Drop Sensors have failed at startup | • This failure requires you to contact iRobot Customer Support. Click here to send us an email. |
| “Uh-oh” plus 10 beeps
| The robot's bumper is not registering obstacles | • If the robot travels for a long distance without bumping into anything (which would be unusual), it might think it’s stuck and can’t move; press Clean again and it should resume cleaning. |
Note: iRobot and its figure, Roomba, Scooba and PackBot are all regisered trademarks of the iRobot corporation
© 2009, The Geek. All rights reserved. Click here for the Disclosure Statement
Our live in maid
Nov 10th
We have a live-in maid. She is short and kinda pudgy. In addition to providing endless entertainment and amusement, she does floors . Well, that’s all she does, actually. She is an iRobot Roomba, affectionately nicknamed the ‘Room-bug’. We love her.
About two years ago I got one for The Wyf for her birthday. Yes, I broke that one cardinal rule of husband-to-wife gift-giving; No appliances! It was a bit selfish on my part–ok a lot selfish. At the time I was the one who did most of the vacuuming (we live in a multi-level home and it was either move the heavy vacuum between levels or just do the vacuuming myself). The wyf did roll her eyes a bit when I got it, assuming that my intentions were mostly geek-lust. While their may have been some (smallish!) truth to that, she totally loves it now. I think I’ve been forgiven. She said it herself [here].
If you don’t have a Roomba, it’s kinda like a cell phone or a DVR–you can’t imagine ever going back.
Watching the Room-bug zip around the room is mesmerizing. We’ve spent quite a bit of time watching her work and seeing if she is going to move around things (she does) or if she will fall down the stairs (only once, but that’s another story). Knowing you don’t have to do the vacuuming is awesome. And, seriously, what’s cooler than having a robot do your floors?
(There are some tricks that make life with a Roomba easier—keep an eye out for my post on that.)
You can get more info about the iRobot Roomba here.
© 2009, The Geek. All rights reserved. Click here for the Disclosure Statement
