Help with Scooba Service Code 1

malinconico · Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Help

I love my roobma and scooba but they aren't very reliable. My scooba 5900?)is currently stuck in service code 1. I have tried they self diagnostic and everything appears to have checked out fine including the fan and test to ensure that they filter was in place.

Anyone have any ideas as to what is going on??

S. Malinconico

Gordon · Posted: June 15, 2008, 8:43 am Post subject: Re: Help with Scooba Service Code 1

malinconico wrote: ...I love my roobma and scooba but they aren't very reliable. My scooba 5900?)is currently stuck in service code 1. ...Anyone have any ideas as to what is going on?? Try the following:
"Error Code = 1
What it means: Vacuum malfunction
What to do: Remove and rinse Scooba's filter and vacuum port (page 16)."

On page 16, one sees the general instructions for cleaning the dirty tank and filter screen.

You can easily see how well you have cleaned the filter, but you can't inspect the interior of the DT (dirty tank) to achieve that same judgement. However, Scooba has its own means for detecting when air-flow through the DT becomes inadequate.

I presume you have been following the DT flushing process that is shown on p.16 of the 5900-OM. THAT IS A TOTALLY INADEQUATE PROCESS !!

You may also have let the robot lie about for some period of time, following a mission, rather than cleaning the DT ...AS SOON AS THE MISSION ENDS !!

You can try to recover use of that Tank by following a clean-out process given in this thread.

FYI: Scooba contains no discrete sensor that responds to a reduction of air-flow through the robot. But, it does measure the magnitude of electric current passing through the fan-motor. It is a proven fact that current slightly diminishes when air-flow through the fan-assembly is blocked, therefore {conjecture} Scooba's micro controller unit can process that reduction as a fault; and, when that fault maintains for some elective period of time, existence of the fault is passed on to the user via an error-code number.

malinconico · Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Gordon

Thanks for the instruction. I minced the tank and the input posts throughly. I have 8 indoor cats and even tho I run the roomba first I think I miss a lot of cat hair and litter. Guess what came out of the intake post on the tank, lots of hair and liter. As soon as the error code clears I will try the tank in its new clear state...I will let everyone know if it works.

S Malinconico

Gordon · Posted: June 16, 2008, 9:03 pm Post subject:

malinconico wrote: ... I minced the tank and the input posts throughly. Nice going, S.M., it seems your Scooba is on the way to recovery! Quote: I have 8 indoor cats and even tho I run the roomba first I think I miss a lot of cat hair and litter. ... Two comments here:
1) Push Broom: I suggest use of a fine-bristle, 12-inch push-broom rather than using a Roomba for pre-sweeping an area to be Scooba-mopped -- especially in a room having the toe-kick cavity under cabinet doors/drawers. You can see where the push-broom has swept, and the job gets done much faster than Roomba can do it.
2) Clumping Litter: You did not say you are using "clumping-litter", but I think many cat-tenders do use that type litter. Once a clumping-litter gets into a Scooba tank, I doubt that it can all be removed. Think of it as the same process in which cholesterol deposits plaque along the walls of our blood vessels.

Use item (1) to sweep up all litter (no matter what type it is) before Scooba hits the floor! Quote: ...I will let everyone know if it works. ... Please do that.

malinconico · Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Is there any way to clear the error code so that I can try the newly cleaned tank?

S Malinconico

Fraggboy · Posted: June 17, 2008, 4:14 am Post subject:

SM,

Take out the battery and press the Power button for at least 10 seconds. Place battery back in (Make sure the yellow tabs are tucked in) and try again.

malinconico · Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Thanks Chris, but it didn't work. When this problem started but before I found the clogs in the tank the error code cleared itself after 24-48 hours with the battery out of the scooba. I was hoping there was a faster way.

S Malinconico

Gordon · Posted: June 17, 2008, 9:25 am Post subject:

malinconico wrote: ... My scooba 5900?)is currently stuck in service code 1. I have tried they self diagnostic and everything appears to have checked out fine including the fan and test to ensure that they filter was in place. ... {following the appropriate power-cycle suggested by Fraggboy...} malinconico wrote: ...Thanks Chris, but it didn't work. When this problem started but before I found the clogs in the tank the error code cleared itself after 24-48 hours with the battery out of the scooba. I was hoping there was a faster way. S.M., when you said this: malinconico wrote: ... My scooba 5900?)is currently stuck in service code 1. I have tried they self diagnostic and everything appears to have checked out fine... , I was misled into thinking ONLY about an air-path blockage issue, because you were able to run the diagnostic tests!

So, what does THAT mean? It means you had control of the Power and Clean switches, as required, to get Scooba into the built-in-tests' mode, and to increment through the test series.

Based on your current claim, you no longer have that control. It now looks like your Scooba has the dreaded "zero, one fault", a moniker applied to the problem by iRbt's Customer Support group!

Scooba is behaving as if you have pressed the Power and Clean buttons, but have not yet released the Clean button. Granted your finger tips are no longer touching those buttons, but, unfortunately, the Power-button's switch-element is still in the depressed state (closed-switch), and so is the Clean switch-element. I'll further grant you that I cannot 100% know those things about your Scooba, but that is the result I project from the symptoms and history that you have presented.

Read more about that fault by visiting this page.

Recently, there was a post in which the Scooba owner/author effected a 'repair' by performing an 'orhtoscopic' surgery on those switches, effectively relaxing the forces that were keeping the spring-elements forced into the closed state. I'll see if I can find a link to that post, and slip it in here via a later edit.

BTW, I'm guessing that the described "surgery" left the switches un-sealed from ambient contamination threats, but, he was at least able to get his Scooba operational!

malinconico · Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 5

Gorden

I think you maybe right, it takes multiple tries to get into the diagnostic mode and even then the clean button doesnt advance to progam well.

I have a way to apply a vaccum to the top of the clean button and pull the membrane up, maybe this will free the button switch from being continuously engaged...

I will let you know if it works.

S Malinconico

Gordon · Posted: June 17, 2008, 12:14 pm Post subject:

malinconico wrote: ...I have a way to apply a vaccum to the top of the clean button and pull the membrane up, maybe this will free the button switch from being continuously engaged... If I were to have to attemp that correction. I would also pre-heat the over-lying membrane to allow it to yield more easily. Here's a link to where I first proposed that heating:
http://www.roombareview.com/chat/viewtopic.php?t=8761
...however, the heating was intended to reveal the switch-problem, not mend it.