Discussion
My problems with the Bosch <might> have been solved - after an evening of messing about with it.
I tried replacing the boundary wire last night in case my manual join was the problem, or in case I'd damaged it on Sunday (I did catch it in the rake, although couldn't see any damage). Since I was doing that anyway - I decided to run a double row of wire joined together at the connectors - although I didn't expect it to increase the magnetic field I figured it would be wider so perhaps it would help the mower detect it.
That really didn't work at all - I'm surprised just how upset it got. I deleted the old map and told it to learn the garden - it reversed off the base, turned around but didn't set off - it basically just oscillated slightly from side to side. A bit like it was shaking it's head. Did a factory reset, tried again and off it went - until it got half way around, stopped to recalibrate and did the same thing again when it tried to set off. So I gave that up as a bad idea, removed the extra wire and tried again. This time, it did the same thing as it had on Sunday - launched itself across the garden straight into a flower bed.
So, I tried one more thing. I turned off the power to the cable that runs the length of the garden to the shed at the bottom - although I'm pretty sure the cable is nowhere near the areas the mower has been going out of bounds, and I also think it's buried pretty deep. But, so far that does seem to have solved the problem.
I sent it out 6 times last night and first thing this morning, and it worked perfectly every time. So hopefully the problem is now solved - I still don't really believe it, but the signs are positive.
The garden :
As you can see, it's not very big - and is a mess! But work to sort it out is in progress (mostly inspired by the fact that I just spent so much on a mower, I really should sort the garden out).
In the bottom right is a patch of earth - for various reasons, there has been a pile of rubbish there for some years which I've now cleared out. And in the top right is moss, which is currently in the process of turning black and dying due to moss killer. Bottom left is an overgrown rockery. The mower copes with all this easily - as long as it stays within bounds.
I tried replacing the boundary wire last night in case my manual join was the problem, or in case I'd damaged it on Sunday (I did catch it in the rake, although couldn't see any damage). Since I was doing that anyway - I decided to run a double row of wire joined together at the connectors - although I didn't expect it to increase the magnetic field I figured it would be wider so perhaps it would help the mower detect it.
That really didn't work at all - I'm surprised just how upset it got. I deleted the old map and told it to learn the garden - it reversed off the base, turned around but didn't set off - it basically just oscillated slightly from side to side. A bit like it was shaking it's head. Did a factory reset, tried again and off it went - until it got half way around, stopped to recalibrate and did the same thing again when it tried to set off. So I gave that up as a bad idea, removed the extra wire and tried again. This time, it did the same thing as it had on Sunday - launched itself across the garden straight into a flower bed.
So, I tried one more thing. I turned off the power to the cable that runs the length of the garden to the shed at the bottom - although I'm pretty sure the cable is nowhere near the areas the mower has been going out of bounds, and I also think it's buried pretty deep. But, so far that does seem to have solved the problem.
I sent it out 6 times last night and first thing this morning, and it worked perfectly every time. So hopefully the problem is now solved - I still don't really believe it, but the signs are positive.
The garden :
As you can see, it's not very big - and is a mess! But work to sort it out is in progress (mostly inspired by the fact that I just spent so much on a mower, I really should sort the garden out).
In the bottom right is a patch of earth - for various reasons, there has been a pile of rubbish there for some years which I've now cleared out. And in the top right is moss, which is currently in the process of turning black and dying due to moss killer. Bottom left is an overgrown rockery. The mower copes with all this easily - as long as it stays within bounds.
moles said:
Is the power cable armoured or normal twin and earth?. How deep is it under the surface?.
I didn't lay it, so don't know - I have a picture that I got when I bought the house showing where it is, and it looked like it was a couple of foot deep. But other than that, I don't know much about it.Hopefully, it is the cause - I don't generally need the power on in the shed.
For the Bosch, I don't think it will be able to do the front as well unless the border included the rear garden, drive and front garden all as one area (when it would try to mow your drive).
It can do slopes up to 30 degrees I think? But won't mow to the edges, so would not mow up to the posts.
It can do slopes up to 30 degrees I think? But won't mow to the edges, so would not mow up to the posts.
monkfish1 said:
How reliable is the perimeter wire in ensuring the mower doesn't go beyond it?
I ask as the lawn ends in a small river. If it falls in, its going to be rather expensive!
For my Bosch, it's been 100% reliable since I turned off the power to the shed - never gone outside the wire since.I ask as the lawn ends in a small river. If it falls in, its going to be rather expensive!
The instructions say the Indego will learn the best mowing pattern the first few times it mows, and it seems it definitely has. I went out to the kitchen for something last night, noticed the time and thought I'd see it mowing - but no sign of it. Checked the app and it had cut the entire back garden in 16 mins, which is definitely as quick as I ever managed it.
monkfish1 said:
davek_964 said:
For my Bosch, it's been 100% reliable since I turned off the power to the shed - never gone outside the wire since.
The instructions say the Indego will learn the best mowing pattern the first few times it mows, and it seems it definitely has. I went out to the kitchen for something last night, noticed the time and thought I'd see it mowing - but no sign of it. Checked the app and it had cut the entire back garden in 16 mins, which is definitely as quick as I ever managed it.
What happened when power to the shed was on?The instructions say the Indego will learn the best mowing pattern the first few times it mows, and it seems it definitely has. I went out to the kitchen for something last night, noticed the time and thought I'd see it mowing - but no sign of it. Checked the app and it had cut the entire back garden in 16 mins, which is definitely as quick as I ever managed it.
monkfish1 said:
I wasn't going to try and do that. Would stop a couple or 3 feet short of that. Will have to strim that bit. But, if like the chap above, it runs over the wire, not long after it will be rather wet.
Im getting the impression that the tech involved here is not entirely flawless.
Mine only seemed to run over the (low voltage) wire as a result of a mains cable - I thought it was deep enough not to confuse things, but it seems not. Guess it's not unreasonable that when looking for a wire with voltage, it gets confused when it finds another (probably stronger) one.Im getting the impression that the tech involved here is not entirely flawless.
My mower is indirectly costing me a fortune. I posted a picture of it working earlier in the thread and the 'flower' bed which was totally weeds of several foot high was clearly visible.
But, spending that much on a mower made me think I should sort my garden out. Dug over both flower beds, and planted several variety of plants - including a few Acers, one of which is just over 6ft tall and is definitely my favourite thing in the garden.
I still have plenty to do but the garden is beginning to look great. Must be a sign of my age - never been remotely interested in gardening or gardens - but I'm loving the transformation and am really getting into the way it looks. I'm actually getting quite annoyed that it's not raining - the garden needs it - and I've never thought that in my life! My g/f is wondering if I've been replaced by an alien.
But, spending that much on a mower made me think I should sort my garden out. Dug over both flower beds, and planted several variety of plants - including a few Acers, one of which is just over 6ft tall and is definitely my favourite thing in the garden.
I still have plenty to do but the garden is beginning to look great. Must be a sign of my age - never been remotely interested in gardening or gardens - but I'm loving the transformation and am really getting into the way it looks. I'm actually getting quite annoyed that it's not raining - the garden needs it - and I've never thought that in my life! My g/f is wondering if I've been replaced by an alien.
pdavison said:
Does anyone have any experience of how these machines cope with leaves as a significant part of my lawn will be covered in leaves for a large part of the year?
No, but I'll be able to tell you in about 4 months time thanks to the massive oak tree at the bottom of my garden!Update : My Indego is currently broken. I suspect it's been broken for at least a week or two - my garden gets covered in oak leaves at this time of year, and I was surprised they didn't appear to be being cut up even though the mower is scheduled to go out once a day. But given the time of year, the grass doesn't really grow much. I only noticed when I turned power off to the house for something, and got a warning about the perimeter wire having disappeared - when I switched the mower back on, I found I couldn't log onto it to clear the alarm - and when I went outside, I found it was showing :
Error 55 : Button cell deep discharged
A search online found a couple of references to this, although only in German - seems that the mower uses a button battery to remember calendar etc. - and in a genius bit of design, the battery is soldered in.
There is a reset procedure you can carry out which might fix it - but it didn't.
Called Bosch today, who assured me the battery couldn't be flat so quickly and told me to carry out the reset - which I told them I had. They are now "escalating" it to see if anybody else has any ideas - I'm sure it will need to go back to them, he seemed to think it wouldn't.
Surprisingly, if it does go back they want me to send the dock as well - not just the mower.
A bit disappointing - only owned it since May. While it's showing this error, it refuses to do anything else.
Error 55 : Button cell deep discharged
A search online found a couple of references to this, although only in German - seems that the mower uses a button battery to remember calendar etc. - and in a genius bit of design, the battery is soldered in.
There is a reset procedure you can carry out which might fix it - but it didn't.
Called Bosch today, who assured me the battery couldn't be flat so quickly and told me to carry out the reset - which I told them I had. They are now "escalating" it to see if anybody else has any ideas - I'm sure it will need to go back to them, he seemed to think it wouldn't.
Surprisingly, if it does go back they want me to send the dock as well - not just the mower.
A bit disappointing - only owned it since May. While it's showing this error, it refuses to do anything else.
I stuck it in the kitchen for a few days to warm up but the error is still there as soon as the key is put back in / dock is powered on / controls are unlocked.
Bosch are not being very helpful. They keep telling me they have 'escalated it' but are reluctant to commit to it being sent back for repair which I'm pretty sure needs to happen. I've been told I'll be called back today (after I called them since they didn't call back yesterday after promising they would).
Bosch are not being very helpful. They keep telling me they have 'escalated it' but are reluctant to commit to it being sent back for repair which I'm pretty sure needs to happen. I've been told I'll be called back today (after I called them since they didn't call back yesterday after promising they would).
Jonesy23 said:
davek_964 said:
The German sites definitely said it was soldered - good news if it's not.
How do you get to it? If it's simple I'll give it a try but I'm a bit reluctant to risk voiding the warranty by taking it apart.
Did you get anywhere with this? If that picture was anything to go by then the battery is a soldered in one with tags (ML2020) plus maybe a bit of RTV to help hold it in place; not the hardest thing to remove and replace but not a straight DIY thing for a lot of people. Especially as lithium batteries like that can react badly to cack-handed soldering attempts.How do you get to it? If it's simple I'll give it a try but I'm a bit reluctant to risk voiding the warranty by taking it apart.
Being a lithium cell it may have discharged beyond the point where the charge controller wants to recharge it but it might be salvageable. Can't remember the exact techniques but there are ways to encourage the things back to a working state though sometimes they really kill the cell (heat/fizzing/flame etc.).
The battery itself is only a £2 part so if it's not a warranty job it'd be worth getting it replaced rather than a new PCB.
Bosch customer care called me between Christmas and New Year - as a courtesy call, saying there was "some delay" in fixing the Indego's. I told him not to worry - I didn't expect it to progress over Christmas anyway. He then said :
"We hope to get it back to you before the start of the season".
Start of the season? You mean March / April? I advised him that it had to be back far sooner than that, or I would consider that I had purchased an item that was not fit for purpose.
He called me again just now, and it's got even better.
Bosch have "stopped selling the Indego in the UK" (not sure if he said Europe too) - and the current estimate is that I will not get my mower back until June. They will provide me with a battery powered manual lawn mower in the meantime. I declined.
He could not tell me why it will take so long to repair - but kept going back to the "top level sales and marketing decision" to stop selling the Indego. It sounds to me as if they have realised they have a serious design problem.
I am now in an awkward situation - I bought it via Amazon, but returned it to Bosch - however, I think that legally my argument should be with the retailer. To make matters worse, I bought it from Amazon Germany - so I suspect I need to contact them and see if they can do anything if I get it shipped back from Bosch.
Time to send some emails....
The issue with my Bosch Indego seems to have been resolved in a slightly unexpected way.
I called Bosch on Monday and said that I wanted the mower returned so that I could send it back to Amazon for a refund - to which I was told : we are going to refund you.
I pointed out that I hadn't actually purchased it from them, but they said that didn't matter.
This morning, I received email confirmation that they are sending me a cheque.
All credit to Bosch, since they really had no reason to refund me at all, particularly since the retailer had already agreed to. It does make me think they know they have some issue with these mowers though, because they do seem to be going above and beyond what they need to!
I called Bosch on Monday and said that I wanted the mower returned so that I could send it back to Amazon for a refund - to which I was told : we are going to refund you.
I pointed out that I hadn't actually purchased it from them, but they said that didn't matter.
This morning, I received email confirmation that they are sending me a cheque.
All credit to Bosch, since they really had no reason to refund me at all, particularly since the retailer had already agreed to. It does make me think they know they have some issue with these mowers though, because they do seem to be going above and beyond what they need to!
So, I've now received my refund and need to decide whether to buy an alternative. Problem is, at the moment it looks like the Bosch was the only one that ticked all the boxes. Looking back in the thread, I can see some people had other makes (Robomow and Worx). So, my questions :
1) Are they dumb - I.e the cut pattern is completely random and hence they have to be out cutting for more time, or are they like the Bosch where it maps the garden and is finished in 30 minutes?
2) Can they be controlled with an app?
3) Is the battery lithium? Some (Robomow?) seem to be lead acid.
I really don't want to go back to manual grass cutting but at the moment I'm struggling to find a suitable replacement.
1) Are they dumb - I.e the cut pattern is completely random and hence they have to be out cutting for more time, or are they like the Bosch where it maps the garden and is finished in 30 minutes?
2) Can they be controlled with an app?
3) Is the battery lithium? Some (Robomow?) seem to be lead acid.
I really don't want to go back to manual grass cutting but at the moment I'm struggling to find a suitable replacement.
moles said:
Robomow rc304 here yes it's dumb but does 100m2 in about 75mins all over, yes is controlled by an app and can be done like a RC car yes to lithium
Thanks. My garden isn't particularly big so maybe I'm over thinking the 'dumb' thing - especially since I still have to get the mower out every few weeks for the edges.rfisher said:
The Worx robot cuts the edges so you won't need to do that if you buy one.
App control is a gimmick as all modern robot mowers have calendar time and date automation for scheduling mow time (which can be at 3am with the Worx if you want as it's the quietest mower out there - brushless motors all round).
No lead acid mowers produced these days.
Shame you are darnsouf or you could try one of mine.
Thanks - so the blade on the Worx ones goes right to the edge? That does make them quite tempting!App control is a gimmick as all modern robot mowers have calendar time and date automation for scheduling mow time (which can be at 3am with the Worx if you want as it's the quietest mower out there - brushless motors all round).
No lead acid mowers produced these days.
Shame you are darnsouf or you could try one of mine.
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