Roomba - Vacuum Cleaning Robot (VCR)

[Tommisan]

Hi,

 

I called them using 019, not the premium 001.

 

I have just signed up on Vpost and will most probably place the order tonight or tomorrow morning. On the power issue, it should not be difficult to find a step up transformer. It is 120 to 240V right?

 

Just to check with you, when it said self charging station, does it mean that Roomba will make its way back to the charging dock station?

 

Cheers,

 

Tommy

[Cklasse]

I had placed an order last night for a Roomba 560 at Amazon.com.

It is selling at the same price as iRobot.com at US$349.95 with free shipping in US.

If you want lower price, bid for it in eBay and you can get as low as US295 without shipping. Try ebay.com.

 

I used vPost for the free shipping in US and just pay the US to Sin part since there is a discount offer for vPostUSA now.

I am eagerly waiting for my Ang Mo maid to arrive so that she can sweep the floor for me.

 

So far all reviews has indicated that the Roomba 560 is good.

 

 

 

http://www.roombareview.com/chat/viewtopic.php?t=6221

[Jc777]

how long have you been using your roomba? how many times have you send for repair or servicing already?

[Jc777]

yah, step down transformers are readily available from DIY shops. let me know if you cannot find. it is 220/240V to 110/120V. SG power supply is 240V and US is 110V.

 

if you surf and view the videos on the website, you would see that roomba will make it way back to the docking station when cleaning completes or battery runs out. check out the roombareview URL in the previous post also for more info.

[Cklasse]

Another site that has detailed review of the Roomba.

 

http://www.newstarget.com/PhotoTour_Roomba_530_1.html

[Jc777]

ebay will be able to find at lower price, but beware of untrusted seller.

 

do share with us how much is your shipping from US-SIN charged by vpostUSA. is it cheaper (cost/unit wise)to ship more than 1 set? how much discount are they offering now?

[Poortraveller]

when is the ETA?

[Cklasse]

Amazon just sent me an email to notify me that my "ang mo maid" has been shipped to vPost in US. It should arrive at my door step in first week of Jan 2008, hopefully they get it up the plane by Christmas.

 

I checked out the AC adapter in Sim Lim today and it cost about S$20.

[Husky]

I am currently using the basic model - Roomba red. So far, it has been doing most of the vacuuming work (which i hate) while i move the furniture around, clean the lobangs it cannot reach and mop the floor. Beats doing it myself and much cheaper than the cleaning auntie. The only gripe is that i have to charge it for a long time even though i have a 3hr fast charger!

[Jc777]

gotten my roomba 560 last weekend. at first used a lousy transformer which burnt out in a couple of hours, blowing up some of the components in the roomba power adaptor.

 

following the instruction on some forums on modding the power adaptor to accommodate sg 240V power supply, managed to revive the power adaptor. since then, charged the battery overnight and the still working fine.

 

cost of modding the power supply is $3 + some time/labour to desolder and resolder.

 

before vacuuming the floor, it had a dusty feeling. after vacuuming by roomba, the floor feels clean and comfortable. works fine on parquet floors also.

[Putter]

I bought the Roomba scheduler 3 years back from the local agent John Ackerman. It costed me close to $800. Later I realize the US pricing was selling at half the cost. Hence, I bought the Scooba from Amazon to ship to Singapore, as John Ackerman is again selling at double the US pricing.

 

Just get a cheap transformer to step down the voltage will do as the charging doesn't draw lots of current. Also for the Scooba, need not get those expensive Clorax solution. Just use Magic Clean solution but dilute them (3 tea spoon).

 

Recently, I handcarry the 560 which I ordered in US. This latest model optimized the floor coverage with the Lighthouse mode, and covers close to 2 hrs in a single charge. The algorithm is also much better as it slow down when close to knocking an obstalce, hence, reducing the impact that will cause early wear and tear due to vibration. The battery is also no longer slot in type, whereby reduce the chances of poor contact caused by long term usage.

 

Do get an extra battery and it lasted only for about 1.5 years.

 

But all these robots do wonderful job to my place in cleaning up the floor. But make sure you tidy up your place to ensure no loose wiring, loose clothes etc on the floor, which may entangle the robot.

 

Have fun.

[Cklasse]

I had used vPostUSA to ship my Roomba560 since Amazon offer free shipping within US. Guess what? the Roomba is still not here.

It's almost a month and after countless emails, vPostUSA only gave me an auto-reply from some stupid computer, they were not reading emails at all to know what's my problem. Wrote to Singpost and finally vPostUSA called me to clarify the processing issue (my Roomba was stuck in vPostUSA for verification). I will be getting it finally, after a long wait from 2007 to 2008 and was given a 15% off for the wait.

 

I would have hand carry one back if I know they are going to take so long or even gladly pay more for FEDEX or UPS. Apparently, there is a system and procedure problem with this vPostUSA if your item encounter verification problem.

 

 

BTW, what kind of step-down transformer to get and where can I get one?

[Jc777]

the general guide gotten from the feedbacks from HWZ and some other forums is that get a step-down transformer with a power rating of at least 100W, even though the power adapter of roomba 560 supposed to draw about 33W. one of the more proven brands is newstar.

 

newstar 100W and above step-down transformer can be found at mustafa for around $20 or more, or some said they bought at SLT.

 

if you are a hands-on person, i would recommend modding the power adapter as any form of power transformation will generate heat lost. there will be heat lost in rectifying AC-DC in the power adapter already. addition step-down would means more heat generated and thus wasted.

 

however, if you are more conservative, then getting a newstar step-down > 100W would be a safer choice.

[Putter]

Yes...I experience the same thing with vPost too. Takes very long time to receive the goods.

 

As for transformer, I am using the Newstar 80W.

[Safetyfirst]

for benefit of those interested, there is a good offer at www.tryscooba.com

U can get a scooba + FREE red ROOMBA

Edited January 15, 2008 by Safetyfirst

[Putter]

Just need to warn those who want to purchase Scooba. The performance is more problematic than the Roomba vaccum robot. Sometime it still leave a trace of water as it can't suck out all the fluid into the dirty tank. However, most of the time, it does a pretty decent job.

 

Unlike the vacuum robot, the performance is very reliable.

 

The red one also does a good job except that the battery can only last abt 45min to 1 hour of operation, and need a very long hours (~8 hours) to charge for next use. In other words, you can walk out of the house while turning on the robot, and expect it to be fully charged upon returning home (it will auto return back to base station for charging upon completion). Unlike the Discovery and 500 series, it only takes 3 hours or less to fully charge the battery for next use.

[Cklasse]

Finally! my Ang Mo maid arrives.

vPost finally delivered my Roomba 560 today after 5 weeks since I ordered from Amazon.

 

Will be charging it for 16 hours before I run it tomorrow after I get home. I found out that 2 lighthouses are not enough for my home leh; there are 3 rooms and a kitchen to block before roomba finishes with the living room.

 

How do you guys go about cleaning?

[Sabian]

close the doors.