Robot mowers

Author
Discussion

ThunderSpook

3,631 posts

212 months

Sunday 26th March 2023
quotequote all
Jeremy-75qq8 said:
I have the older flymo that just does what you tell it.

I need another one for a new house.

The easy life 150 /500 etc are the same product per one review other than the length of wire provided.

There is also on the spec a max running time. It this enforced so the cheaper ones can only cut a smaller area ?

If so can it be hacked ?!

Alternatively any other reasonably prices suggestions ?

Edited by Jeremy-75qq8 on Sunday 26th March 11:01
Correct, they are the same product, but the running time on the lesser models is reduced.

I am not aware of anyone having hacked it so far.

rfisher

5,024 posts

284 months

Sunday 26th March 2023
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Usually just have a lower capacity battery in the smaller lawn area machines.

Easy enough to check and upgrade if you can get to the battery.

Some mowers have heavy duty motors and gears in larger capacity machines, but that's more likely at the higher end of the market.

Semmelweiss

1,639 posts

197 months

Sunday 26th March 2023
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I "upgraded" my Worx Landroid M500 to the M700 by buying a larger battery on Amazon for £30.

mrpbailey

978 posts

187 months

Monday 27th March 2023
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So I went to get my flymo easilife back out today after being taken in over winter. It is asking for a ‘new pin’ (on the mower screen) like a first time set up (also wanted country, lawn size etc inputting - strange as in the app everything is as normal). When I try to put in the PIN code (correct as per in the app) it says pin not accepted. Try to enter a different pin for new setup gets the same response.
App just says “waiting for security pin”

Any ideas?

rfisher

5,024 posts

284 months

Monday 27th March 2023
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Try the factory default pin.

Usually 0000 or 1234.

ThunderSpook

3,631 posts

212 months

Monday 27th March 2023
quotequote all
Use your old pin and then set a new pin. Mine did this last year and it was a right pain.

mrpbailey

978 posts

187 months

Monday 27th March 2023
quotequote all
rfisher said:
Try the factory default pin.

Usually 0000 or 1234.
Tried those with no success

ThunderSpook said:
Use your old pin and then set a new pin. Mine did this last year and it was a right pain.
Even with the old pin it was still not accepting and wouldn’t let me move forward to the next setting, could only go backwards into date/time/lawn size etc.

Anyway, sorted now!
I left it off for an hour then went back to it and it accepted the old pin straight away banghead

JD

2,782 posts

229 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
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Anyone bought a replacement battery for the Flymo 1200r recently that could recommend a source?

The ones I’ve seen on Amazon seem like a minefield of ones that might not work!

mrpbailey

978 posts

187 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
quotequote all
My Flymo is playing up again, think the battery may be knackered. Noticed it didn’t come out on schedule yesterday, when checked it said 6% battery remaining. Strange as it had been on charge since the previous evening. Removed it from the charging base and cleaned the strips for charging and put back on charge. Checked again half hour later and battery 100% so sent it out to cut, 30 seconds later it stops with low/empty battery!
When connected to the charger base it says ‘charging’ but obviously it either isn’t or it isn’t holding a charge.

Anyone else had battery issues? It was purchased in August 2020 and spends winters stored away in the garage so I wouldn’t expect battery failure this early.

33q

1,559 posts

124 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
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Started to set my 1200r up this morning.

Been stored inside over winter and is displaying a 'Collision' error. Started to strip it down to find out a bit more...magnet error on front sensor maybe?

and Loop error....but I can sort that!

It's a nice day and I was planning to be outside not in the shed up to my armpits in old grass.

Zoon

6,725 posts

122 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
quotequote all
33q said:
Started to set my 1200r up this morning.

Been stored inside over winter and is displaying a 'Collision' error. Started to strip it down to find out a bit more...magnet error on front sensor maybe?

and Loop error....but I can sort that!

It's a nice day and I was planning to be outside not in the shed up to my armpits in old grass.
Did you store it resting on the front end or on it's wheels?

pquinn

7,167 posts

47 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
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JD said:
Anyone bought a replacement battery for the Flymo 1200r recently that could recommend a source?

The ones I’ve seen on Amazon seem like a minefield of ones that might not work!
Looking at it do the 1200R packs even have a built in charge controller or any cell balancing? The ones I see look like just a raw stack of cells & maybe a thermistor.

Makes me wonder if they could be rebuilt with some decent cells or even better if a proper managed 18V tool battery could be made to fit.

oldskoolgent

124 posts

49 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
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Hi all,
Dave is about to come back form his winter holiday and it's pretty clear we need to re lay his guidance wire.
After a few years , i've finally used his initial supplied cable all up and need to buy replacement. Do i really need to buy the same again or can i just buy 50m of X ? and if so what is X ?



33q

1,559 posts

124 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
quotequote all
Zoon said:
Did you store it resting on the front end or on it's wheels?
For a short while it was vertical, nose down, but usually flat.....you know something....please tell.

I think its toast....stripped it down and managed to tear one of the rubber dampers though. Only place I can find with spares in Ransoms. A new sensor is £73 and dampers are £14.50 each. So £100.

It's done 5 seasons so I need to decide what to do ...replace or do something different.

JD

2,782 posts

229 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
quotequote all
pquinn said:
Looking at it do the 1200R packs even have a built in charge controller or any cell balancing? The ones I see look like just a raw stack of cells & maybe a thermistor.

Makes me wonder if they could be rebuilt with some decent cells or even better if a proper managed 18V tool battery could be made to fit.
They look very rudimentary, certainly for the asking price. £60 for 5 midrange 18650 cells seems a bit sharp

It looks like there might be a little BMS on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1UV45BIfhE

The original cells are 5x these, 2100mAh ones - https://www.ancoo-battery.com/en/product/US18650V3...

I think I can get 5 3000mAh ones for about £30

A bit of a risk as he still works quite well, just spends more time charging that mowing now, but if I mess the battery up he will be no good and I will still have to buy a new overpriced battery!

ThunderSpook

3,631 posts

212 months

Monday 3rd April 2023
quotequote all
oldskoolgent said:
Hi all,
Dave is about to come back form his winter holiday and it's pretty clear we need to re lay his guidance wire.
After a few years , i've finally used his initial supplied cable all up and need to buy replacement. Do i really need to buy the same again or can i just buy 50m of X ? and if so what is X ?
I bought this when I moved house last year and had to redo my Flymo wires:

50 m boundary cable for robotic lawnmowers, lawn robots, boundary wire, search cable, guide cable, from Germany https://amzn.eu/d/c7zjE32

I think it says this one isn’t currently available but this worked fine.

pquinn

7,167 posts

47 months

Tuesday 4th April 2023
quotequote all
ThunderSpook said:
oldskoolgent said:
Hi all,
Dave is about to come back form his winter holiday and it's pretty clear we need to re lay his guidance wire.
After a few years , i've finally used his initial supplied cable all up and need to buy replacement. Do i really need to buy the same again or can i just buy 50m of X ? and if so what is X ?
I bought this when I moved house last year and had to redo my Flymo wires:

50 m boundary cable for robotic lawnmowers, lawn robots, boundary wire, search cable, guide cable, from Germany https://amzn.eu/d/c7zjE32

I think it says this one isn’t currently available but this worked fine.
It's probably going to be a bog standard single core PVC insulated 16AWG or 18AWG (maybe thinner) stranded core cable, nothing special.

You can probably get away with whatever the cheapest stuff is you can find.

Jeremy-75qq8

1,038 posts

93 months

Tuesday 4th April 2023
quotequote all
33q said:
For a short while it was vertical, nose down, but usually flat.....you know something....please tell.

I think its toast....stripped it down and managed to tear one of the rubber dampers though. Only place I can find with spares in Ransoms. A new sensor is £73 and dampers are £14.50 each. So £100.

It's done 5 seasons so I need to decide what to do ...replace or do something different.
I just had this. It was on its end and it bends the rubber mounts.

I was going to take it to bits the following day but a day of sitting normally sorted it.

Zoon

6,725 posts

122 months

Tuesday 4th April 2023
quotequote all
33q said:
For a short while it was vertical, nose down, but usually flat.....you know something....please tell.

I think its toast....stripped it down and managed to tear one of the rubber dampers though. Only place I can find with spares in Ransoms. A new sensor is £73 and dampers are £14.50 each. So £100.

It's done 5 seasons so I need to decide what to do ...replace or do something different.
Yes, on the 1200R storing them resting on the bumper damages the front collision switch over time.

33q

1,559 posts

124 months

Tuesday 4th April 2023
quotequote all
Zoon said:
Yes, on the 1200R storing them resting on the bumper damages the front collision switch over time.
I didn’t know it would be a problem. It’s been flat for weeks.

I have ordered a used sensor off eBay and I can fix the mounts.

Fingers crossed