Scooba Virtual Wall

tum · Joined: 26 Apr 2008 Posts: 41

How wide is the halo and beam? Unlike the Roomba 5XX virtual walls, I have to place the Scooba virtual walls a 1/2 metre into the carpet otherwise the scooba avoids 1/2 a metre of tiles. Also, the halo around the virtual wall appears to me almost 1 metre in diameter! Is this normal?

richnorto · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 246

The scooba and 4xxx walls send a triangle beam. I don't know about the 5xx since I don't use mine. Try angling the wall so it stops the scooba at the edge of the carpet.

tum · Joined: 26 Apr 2008 Posts: 41

richnorto wrote: The scooba and 4xxx walls send a triangle beam. I don't know about the 5xx since I don't use mine. Try angling the wall so it stops the scooba at the edge of the carpet.

That's a bit ridiculous :-(. Shouldn't the virtual wall beam be triangular vertically instead of horizontally?

The Roomba 5XX virtual walls appear to work in a straight line and also turn on/off automatically. Definitely the way it should of been from the start.

richnorto · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 246

Well, I'm no engineer! I have to place the walls slightly angled - and preferably behind a doorway or beam/post for the roombas and scooba to read them correctly. The beam starts small and direct and spreads wider from there. Once you get the hang of placement, it's no big deal. Just angle the wall out a little for your ft. required and play a little to see where the scooba stops and turns. After you do this once, you know how to place it from then on.
Good Luck!

vic7767 · Joined: 14 Jan 2006 Posts: 3099 Location: Louisiana

The actual IR beam transmitted out of the VW is conical like an ice cream cone. The beam is small at the beginning and expands out depending on the distance setting. You can control the size of the IR beam using small brass tubing with a diameter small enough to fit into the plastic hole in the VW. THe smaller the inside diameter of the brass tube, the more narrow the IR beam.