Robot mowers

[Notrial]

snake_oil said:

So zone 1 is small and 2 is large? And you have the boundary wire running over the bridge and the guide wire going over the middle of this bridge and contacting to the far end of the larger area?

If so I'm stumped. Got any pics?

Yeah, got a sketch. Let me know if you need any specific photos (mower, base etc.).
Stumped as well

[snake_oil]

I seen to remember there's a test program which sends the mower into the far zone at part of installation. Have you tried that?

[Notrial]

snake_oil said:

I seen to remember there's a test program which sends the mower into the far zone at part of installation. Have you tried that?

If you are talking about the "Calibrate guide" setting...I did try that...it goes out of the base, bumps left/right a few times, then goes back in.
According to the manual, in that mode it should follow the guide wire all the way to the end a well...but it doesn't for some reason

[Zoon]

With remote start on always it should work.
Have you tried generating a new loop signal?

It may not make any difference but is worth a try. (It's under the security settings)

[Ean218]

Does it ever reach the narrow corridor when you try to calibrate?

It may be you have the guide wire too close to the boundary wire.

You also have to be careful which side of the wire it first goes out on to ensure it doesn't hit a boundary or any other obstacle in the process. It always goes out and returns the same side but the distance away from the wire is random.

I have mine going out very much further through a 1.2m pergola and had to bias the guide wire right over to one side. The salesman said it wasn't possible but it works fine.

[prand]

Ean218 said:

Does it ever reach the narrow corridor when you try to calibrate?

It may be you have the guide wire too close to the boundary wire.

You also have to be careful which side of the wire it first goes out on to ensure it doesn't hit a boundary or any other obstacle in the process. It always goes out and returns the same side but the distance away from the wire is random.

I have mine going out very much further through a 1.2m pergola and had to bias the guide wire right over to one side. The salesman said it wasn't possible but it works fine.

Sorry to ask you a favour, but could you explain that - i.e. how you position the mower charging base and guide wire - especially running it through the pergola? My dad's garden splits into two large halves - connected by a 1.5m wide flat paved pergola and I'm not sure where or how to run the guide wire into both areas through a narrow pathway (I am expecting to lay the boundary wire at the edge of the paving slabs, and the guide wire in the gap between slabs for the mower to trundle over) but I am not sure how to loop it efficiently round from one side to the other. I can see it being a very long guide wire!

We've got it running perfectly just in the front portion, and I'm working out how to tackle the back part.

[Notrial]

ash73 said:

Maybe the 3m corridor is too narrow, can you put the base at the other end?

No power at that end unfortunately

[Notrial]

Zoon said:

With remote start on always it should work.
Have you tried generating a new loop signal?

It may not make any difference but is worth a try. (It's under the security settings)

I will give it a try...I guess first step is factory reset.

[Notrial]

Ean218 said:

Does it ever reach the narrow corridor when you try to calibrate?

It may be you have the guide wire too close to the boundary wire.

You also have to be careful which side of the wire it first goes out on to ensure it doesn't hit a boundary or any other obstacle in the process. It always goes out and returns the same side but the distance away from the wire is random.

I have mine going out very much further through a 1.2m pergola and had to bias the guide wire right over to one side. The salesman said it wasn't possible but it works fine.

When I start calibration it just goes out straight, then to the right boundary, then rotates at 180 degrees, then left boundary...then back to the base (no error is given). All that in the first couple of meters from the base. It doesn't even try following the guidewire. If I place it all the way to the other end and set to home mode, it just follows the guidewire back home all the way (about 70m probably).

it doesn't hit anything though.

Maybe the right boundary wire is just too close to the guidewire (where the base is)? Or maybe I messed up doing the calibration at all (when I first setup Flymo). How about doing factory reset, then remote start (always setting), without calibrating...Worth a shot?

Edited by Notrial on Tuesday 13th August 13:42

[Maxf]

Can anybody recommend me a robot mower please - it's for a small lawn (70 sq m) and I'd like the mower to live off to the side undercover (so not one which has a drive through charger). I'd like it to be somewhat smart so I can see on an app when it's mowed and where. I'd also like it to cut to the edge if possible.

Any suggestions?

[Zoon]

Maxf said:

Can anybody recommend me a robot mower please - it's for a small lawn (70 sq m) and I'd like the mower to live off to the side undercover (so not one which has a drive through charger). I'd like it to be somewhat smart so I can see on an app when it's mowed and where. I'd also like it to cut to the edge if possible.

Any suggestions?

I'd go for the Flymo for that size, you aren't going to get an edge cut without a drive in charging dock.

[Maxf]

Zoon said:

I'd go for the Flymo for that size, you aren't going to get an edge cut without a drive in charging dock.

Thanks - a dock is fine, but it will need to back into it and drive out as I'd like it to be parked hidden away.

[Podie]

ash73 said:

Just requires a bit of ingenuity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFNlLJKN6Qg&fe...

Liking that

[Zoon]

Maxf said:

Zoon said:

I'd go for the Flymo for that size, you aren't going to get an edge cut without a drive in charging dock.

Thanks - a dock is fine, but it will need to back into it and drive out as I'd like it to be parked hidden away.

The edge cut mowers have the charging pins on one side so don't reverse in as such.
As you've seen from the youtube video the flymo/gardena/husqvarna models reverse in.

[Ean218]

Notrial said:

When I start calibration it just goes out straight, then to the right boundary, then rotates at 180 degrees, then left boundary...then back to the base (no error is given). All that in the first couple of meters from the base. It doesn't even try following the guidewire. If I place it all the way to the other end and set to home mode, it just follows the guidewire back home all the way (about 70m probably).

That implies there is nothing wrong with the guide wire, however looking at your plan you cannot have much in the way of wire coming out of the base and carying on perpendicular to it. I would re-read your instructions and make sure that bit is correct. You may have to move the base to get the straight bits long enough.

[Ean218]

prand said:

Sorry to ask you a favour, but could you explain that - i.e. how you position the mower charging base and guide wire - especially running it through the pergola? My dad's garden splits into two large halves - connected by a 1.5m wide flat paved pergola and I'm not sure where or how to run the guide wire into both areas through a narrow pathway (I am expecting to lay the boundary wire at the edge of the paving slabs, and the guide wire in the gap between slabs for the mower to trundle over) but I am not sure how to loop it efficiently round from one side to the other. I can see it being a very long guide wire!

The Husqvarna made mowers come out and follow the guide wire a random distance away to mitigate running over the same bit of ground each time. However they do always follow on the same side, in my case the RHS looking away from the base.

That means in a tight gap the guide wire needs to be as close as possible to the boundary wire on the other side so the mower can get through. Put it too close though and you may loose the signal, trial and error sorted it for me, I didn't bury the wires until it worked.

[Notrial]

ash73 said:

How about this - I reckon it would find its own way up that narrow corridor from time to time...



p.s. leave the existing guide wire where it is, just add another one and a joint to test it?

Thanks for the suggestion. That was the initial idea, but I figured it would rarely find that north corridor, hence the argument for placing the base there.
In the meantime I've had a breakthrough....I figured why it failed calibrating/remote start altogether.

Apparently when it starts calibration it goes out of the base, about 1m and then it turns right and measures about 60cm, then follows the guidewire (which is on it's left side) at that specific distance (I've included a simple sketch of what it does).

Eventually it bumps into my bridge, but on the next AUTO program with "always" setting on remote start, it follows the guidewire from the base, but this time at around 30 cm from the actual guidewire (also shown on the sketch below).

What puzzles me is why the hell doesn't it follow he guidewire by being right on top of it (like when it's going back home)?

Even at 30cm from the guidewire it still causes issues crossing the narrow bridge, which would be solved if it just rolled on top the guidewire, as I think it should.

Anyone has any idea how to make him follow the guidewire by being on top of it (not to the side)? It's driving me crazy
Is that even normal behaviour or maybe it remembered the previous location of the base/guidewire (I moved it a bit to the side since first installation, to get that 60cm clearance on the right side).

[mikeiow]

Lawn feed & treatments...looking for any suggestions!

Anyone got any advice on how best to treat lawns where one uses a robomow?

With normal lawnmowers, I have done treatments & then made sure the cuttings go to the green bin (or long term compost): weeds killed, maybe lawn overseeded a bit, mowing perhaps left off a week or two then recommence.

A robomow would just shove those 'bad' cuttings back.

Maybe the answer is "don't feed or treat the lawn". Maybe those 'bad' cuttings don't matter too much. Maybe I am over thinking this.
We do have a degree of green weeds on ours I'd like to treat!

[33q]

mikeiow said:

Lawn feed & treatments...looking for any suggestions!

Anyone got any advice on how best to treat lawns where one uses a robomow?

With normal lawnmowers, I have done treatments & then made sure the cuttings go to the green bin (or long term compost): weeds killed, maybe lawn overseeded a bit, mowing perhaps left off a week or two then recommence.

A robomow would just shove those 'bad' cuttings back.

Maybe the answer is "don't feed or treat the lawn". Maybe those 'bad' cuttings don't matter too much. Maybe I am over thinking this.
We do have a degree of green weeds on ours I'd like to treat!

I have mine treated and it doesn't seem to be an issue

[TimJMS]

Feed, weed and top dress mine too. No issues. I sometimes pause the robots for a couple of days after feeding though.