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ActivMedia Robotics
Maintenance & Repair
Chapter 8
Your ActivMedia robot is built to last a lifetime and requires little maintenance.
Drive Lubrication
The drive motors and gearbox are sealed and self-lubricating, so you need not fuss with
grease or oil. An occasional drop or two of oil on the axle bushings between the wheels
and the case won’t hurt. And keep the axles clear of carpet or other strings that may
wrap around and bind up your robot’s drive.
Batteries
Lead-acid batteries like those in your ActivMedia robot 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 VDC.
Changing Batteries
CAREFUL!
The Batteries slide in
TERMINALS LAST!
Except the Pioneer 2 CE and AmigoBot, ActivMedia robots have a special battery
harness and latched doors for easy access to the onboard batteries. Simply unlatch the
rear door, swing it open and locate the one to three onboard batteries inside.
To remove a battery, simply grasp it and pull out. We also provide a suction-cup tool to
help. Spring-loaded contacts eliminate the need to detach any connecting wires.
Similarly, insert batteries by simply sliding each one into a battery box compartment.
Load the batteries so that their weight gets distributed evenly across the platform:
Center a single battery and place two batteries one on each side.
Hot-Swapping the Batteries
You may change the batteries on your ActivMedia robot without disrupting operation of
the onboard systems (except the motors, of course): Either connect the charger, which
powers the robot's systems while you change the battery or batteries. Or, if you have
two or three batteries, swap each with a freshly charged one individually, so that at least
one battery is in place and providing the necessary power.
Charging the Battery
If you have the standard charger accessory, insert it into a standard 110 VAC three-
pronged wall power receptacle. (Some users may require a special power adapter.)
Locate the round plug at the end of the cable that is attached to the charger and insert
it into the charge socket that is just below your robot’s Main Power switch. The LEDs on
the charger 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 a Pioneer 2 or PeopleBot battery using the accompanying
charger (roughly, three hours per volt per battery). Although you may operate the robot
while recharging, it restricts the robot’s mobility.
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