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Robots - Repairs Information & Tips - The most disheartening thing to see is getting your robot and finding that it does not work or is broken. The first thing is: Oh ?X?!&X!?. Then! what do I do? The answer is, SEE BELOW . . . . . . . "GET IT FIXED or FIX IT".
The Robot Batteries and Chargers
BATTERIES . . . The Robot Batteries and Chargers

Reference Web Sites: 2-XL Robot

2-XL Robot . . . www.grandcanyontuberadio.com - - (Repairs). (U.S.A.)
2-XL Robot . . . eBay 2_XL Repairs - - Classics (Repairs) (U.S.A.)
2-XL Robot . . . 2-LX Repairs - - (Repairs) (U.S.A.)

2-XL Robot . . . 2-XL Tiger / Mego Robot ® Repair Pictures - - (Repairs). (U.S.A.)

Reference Web Sites: Armatron Robot Arm:

ARMATRON . . . Jeff-z.com - - Tomy Armatron - Marketed by Radio Shack (Repairs). (U.S.A.)
ARMATRON . . . Starborne Works - - Tomy Armatron Dissection. (Repairs) (U.S.A.)

ARMATRON . . . Armatron Robot Internals: - - [ [ Repair Pictures of the Armatron Family ] ]

Our thanks to the following sites for Tomy Armatron Repairs tips. Go to these sites for more details.
ARMATRON . . . http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Mobile-Armatron/1564/1
ARMATRON . . . http://www.iheartrobotics.com/search/label/armatron
ARMATRON . . . http://www.samstoybox.com/toys/Armatron.html
ARMATRON . . . http://www.starborneworks.com/?p=22
ARMATRON . . . http://www.crabfu.com/steamtoys/steam_armatron/
ARMATRON . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCiyR8s1vCo

Reference Web Sites: Buster Robots:

BUSTER . . . Buster Robot Remote Control Platform (U.S.A.)
BUSTER . . . Buster Robot Internals - - [ [ Repair Pictures of the Buster Robot ] ]

Reference Web Sites: Compurobot Robots:

COMPUROBOT . . . Compurobot Robot Pictures

Reference Web Sites: i-Cybie:

I-CYBIE . . . www.robotsrule.com : - - i-Cybie Robotic Dog (U.S.A.)
I-CYBIE . . . Wikipedia : - - i-Cybie From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (U.S.A.)
I-CYBIE . . . www.robocommunity.com : - - i-Cybie info and hacks (U.S.A.)
I-CYBIE . . . www.aibohack.com : - - i-CybiePet's i-Cybie Site (U.S.A.)
I-CYBIE . . . HackingLab : - - "Teaching robotic dogs new tricks" .. or How to hack an i-Cybie. (U.S.A.)
I-CYBIE . . . ImagineRobots : - - i-Cybie Robot Dog. (U.S.A.)

Reference Web Sites: Pleo Robot

Pleo Robot . . . science.howstuffworks.com/pleo
Pleo Robot . . . https://fr.ifixit.com/Pleo_Teardown
Pleo Robot . . . Pleo Repair Pictures

Reference Web Sites: Pino Robot

Pino Robot . . . http://www.davidbuckley.net/RS/Pino.htm
Pino Robot . . . http://www.sbi.jp/symbio/people/tmatsui/~tmatui.htm
Reference Web Sites: Robot Pets:

PETS VIRTUAL . . . www.virtualpet : - - Virtual Pet Information Center (U.S.A.)
PETS VIRTUAL . . . www.virtualpet.com : - - Robot Dogs Page (U.S.A.)

Robots and Computers Repair Web Sites:

ROBOTS AND COMPUTERS REPAIR . . . Robots and Computers : - - A new and growing web site for robots repairs. (U.S.A.)
Reference Web Sites: R.A.D. Robot:
R.A.D. . . Retro Thing - - R.A.D. Robots (Repairs) (U.S.A.)
R.A.D. . . http://radhack.blogspot.com/    RAD Robot Hacks & Mods
R.A.D. . . https://youtu.be/f8i1DPGdDdc    Randi Rain - RAD 2.0 Breakdown And Refurbish
R.A.D. . . R.A.D. Robot Internals - - [ [ Repair Pictures of the R.A.D. Family ] ]
Reference Web Sites: Poo Chi :

POO-CHI . . . ( Deutsche )    Poo-Chi.html - - Deutsche How Poo-Chi Work Instructions (U.S.A.)

Reference Web Sites: Rumble Robots:

RUMBLE . . . HowStuffWorks : - - How Rumble Robots Work (U.S.A.)
RUMBLE . . . HowStuffWorks : - - Autopsy: Rumble Robot (U.S.A.)
RUMBLE . . . PageWise Inc. : - - Electronic Devices: How Rumble Robots Work. (U.S.A.)

Reference Web Sites: Wowwee Tribot

WOWWEE . . . Wowwee Tribot ® Robot Repairs - - Wowwee Tribot ® Robotics Platform

Reference Web Sites: Wowwee Roboquad

WOWWEE . . . Robocommunity.com - - Airomee Wind, Published on Jul 31, 2010 (Repairs). (U.S.A.)
WOWWEE . . . Starborne Works - -WowWee Classics (Repairs) (U.S.A.)
WOWWEE . . . Robo News Articles - - Robo News Articles (Repairs) (U.S.A.)

WOWWEE . . . Wowwee Roboquad Complete Rebuild - Airomee Wind , Jul 31, 2010 (Repairs) (U.S.A.)

Reference Web Sites: Wowwee Robosapien

WOWWEE . . . Robocommunity.com - - Robocommunity - Robosapien v2 Wire Repairs (Repairs). (U.S.A.)
WOWWEE . . . Robosapien Repairs - - Robosapien Repairs Google Video (Repairs) (U.S.A.)
Reference Web Sites: Tekno Robot Dog:

TEKNO . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekno_the_Robotic_Puppy - - Wikipedia.org : Tekno_the_Robotic_Puppy (U.S.)
TEKNO . . . http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/tekno/tekno.htm - - Tekno Robot (U.S.)
TEKNO . . . http://orionrobots.co.uk/Tekno+Robot+Dog - - Tekno Dog Facts and History (U.S.)

Reference Web Sites : Robot Parts Cleaning:

CLEANING . . . Clean & Whiten Yellowed Plastics - - How To Clean & Whiten Yellowed Plastics Reference Page (U.S.A.)


HERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO REPAIR THEIR ROBOTS.
TheOldRobots.Com TheOldRobots.Com TheOldRobots.Com TheOldRobots.Com
EXAMPLES ONLY - USE YOUR COMPUTER FOR EXPANDING YOUR PICTURES ON REASSEMBLY

Robots - Repairs Information & Tips - The most disheartening thing to see is getting a robot (your) robot and finding that it does not work or is broken. The first thing is: Oh ????. Then! what do I do? The answer is, "GET IT FIXED or FIX IT". I have worked on, and have seen what passes for repairs on a lot of robots and my answer is: If you can get someone else (a professional) to work on it, do that. Send it out for repair before you break something else that is irreplaceable. Remember leave it alone.

Warning: you proceed at your own risk! With that in mind if you have to work on the robot, here are several suggestions that is listed as rules in repairing robots;

Rule 1: If you can get someone else (a professional) to work on it, do that. Listed above are individuals that can help you!

Rule 2: Don't open the robot - If you can possibly avoid it. Put in strong, fresh batteries, do not use cheap batteries. Rechargeable are ideal because they guarantee a good current. Fiddle with the switch; you'll be surprised how often a toy burst in to life when the switch is in an in-between position.

Rule 3: Make a note of how it goes together. - Look carefully at the robot. Take pictures, lots of pictures, there is never enough. Make a written note of the wiring. You have no idea how difficult it can be to work out where a loose wire belongs. The information will also come in useful at a later date. You'll find that more wires come loose as you repair a toy and you'll soon forget where they go. The connections to the battery box. These frequently break loose, or the solder joints dry up with age. Repairs are simple: a good clean up of the contacts and loose wires elsewhere with a light touch of a soldering iron. Wires might be loose, but more likely is the problem of poor a contact between the switch components. A careful cleaning of accessible contacts can solve things. Don't reassemble the toy if further repair is required.

Rule 4: Robot + Water - Disaster Above all, don't immerse a robot in water, no matter how dirty it may be and how thoroughly you may intend to dry it. Water ruins the circuit board, card insulators that hold the battery contacts and various internal switching devices. You'd be amazed at how many people dunk the whole robot in bowl of hot soapy water.

Rule 5: Take your time and work slowly replacing what parts that is needed with similar parts, don't drill holes in the plastic or metal. Remember you have time to find or make the right parts. The robot has twenty three years (23) of waiting a few weeks would not hurt.

Rule 6: For Circuit Board Repairs use Rule 1. If you have completed the above and have been successful,
Congratulations! if not go to Rule 1.

For the Tinkers and Hobbyist:

Now that I have given you some rules that is necessary when repairing your robot I will take you to the real world.

The complete robots that has been in the family for years and in pristine condition is rare, and will cost you a great deal of money. Even then remember it is old and will have problems.

For most of the robots when you buy, trade, get one, nine out of ten times it will be dirty, corroded and missing parts. I will focus on, and I am referring to, the larger robots including the plastic robots that need attention.

You will need several things to repair and rebuild your robot: A Multimeter, Digital Camera, Computer, Information, Tools, patience and the ability and dexterity (manual skills) to fix things electronically and mechanically and the time to find parts.

Or if you are extremely good, a small knife, screwdriver, pliers, file, chisel, small hammer, sandpaper, pencil and paper. Myself, I need all of the above, for I also use the camera and computer for other things. Remember there are no parts readily available for old robots.

Step 1. The first thing you must do if you can is to temporary get it working. Once you do that then you can start.

Step 2. Disassemble the robot completely, recording every step, and put the electronics in a separate place.

Step 3. Clean all of the parts with the proper cleaners. (Remember plastic and metals need different cleaners.)

Step 4. Clean the electronics and circuit boards. ( There are many processes in cleaning electronics and you should look up the procedures and cleaners.)

Step 5. Reassemble the robot reversing the recorded steps.

Step 6. At this stage you are ready to troubleshoot the robot to get it working.

Step 7. Listed above are several procedures for disassembly and assembly.


Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot
Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot
     Shown above are some examples of contacts that are in the robots and controllers. This is one reason that they do not power up.
Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot
     The above pictures are from the Mobile Armatron. 
Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot
     The above pictures are from the Armatron or the Super Armatron.
Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot Omnibot Robot
     The above pictures are for the Iron Claw Z-707.
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Source: My Collection - Updated 11-14-2019