Hi all,
I recently bought a Trilobite ZA1 in very good physical condition (doesn't look like it's been used more than a few times). However, the NiMH packs (which are OEM) are pretty much cactus. One of them just about melted when I tried to charge the robot, spewed electrolyte, generally got very hot and risky. The other one likely isn't too far behind (unsurprising, given the age + the extreme charging current the dock seems to put out).
To test the robot, I've gotten hold of two battery connectors (one with the original thermistor, from the Very Dead Pack; the other with a 10k resistor in place of the thermistor), and attached them to two 18V Ryobi drill batteries (lithium ion) taped to the top of the dust bin.
With this setup, the robot seems pretty confused about its state of charge. It'll make its clicks, spool up the vacuum motor, then instantly spool down again. It clicks over to the other battery, does the same, clicks over to the first battery, and starts hunting for the dock. The battery indicator is always at totally empty.
Could anyone suggest some troubleshooting steps, please? I know it's not a voltage drop-related issue (I tried the same with chunky e-bike cells, measured a voltage drop of only ~0.2V on startup, but got the same behaviour). What can I do to convince the Trilobite it's got a full battery? Has anyone successfully replaced their old NiMH packs with lithium equivalents?
Cheers!