LawnBott LB3500 Interior
LawnBott LB3500 Love the oustide, love the inside
The first thing that you notice with the LB3500 is the WOW factor. It looks like a Formula 1 race car. This robot lawn mower looks like something that belongs on your driveway, not your lawn! And just wait until you see what is under the hood- WOW factor times 2!
There is a lot going on under the hood!
Working guts of the LawnBott LB3500
What is under the underside of the hood?
The LawnBott LB3500 has a rubber seal on the chassis that interlocks with the hood to ensure a nice water tight fit. This does not mean it can float! As with the LawnBott Evolution and Robomower RL1000, they make better single-use submarines than canoes.
Drive Motors
The drive motors are not stock items. They were custom designed by IMS specifically to meet the heavy stresses put on by rapid stopping and starting. These motors were also designed for easy removal and replacement as well as repair.
The mowing motor is also a custom design that gives feedback to the software on the level of resistance at specific RPM speeds. LawnBott calls this Blade Modulation, we will discuss this later.
Theft Alarm System
One of the really nice things is the theft alarm system. It is loud enough to be noticed but not so loud as to be annoying. If anyone tries to pick up the mower it starts screaming. There is a menu on the control panel to put in the 4 digit PIN code to turn it off.
Make sure your neighbors know how to deactivate theft alarm if you plan to be gone!
Batteries and Coverage
Prototype li-on battery for LB3500 for hills
The smart chips extend battery life dramatically
Oh my! The LawnBott LB3500 comes with 2 lithium ion batteries, the manufacturer says it can cover 38,000 sq ft. Our tests show it can cover well over an acre. With a 2nd set of batteries it can cover 2 acres comfortably. A special battery is being made to go over the back wheels, with the 3rd set it will probably go over 3 acres! The battery over the back wheels will give it added traction and stability on hills.
When I asked the manufacturer why the stated coverage is only 38,000 ft. with 1 set of batteries they said they were being conservative. Not really the scientific answer I was looking for. Maybe marketing uses these numbers to sell more batteries?
Lithium ion batteries are the best batteries on the mass market right now. LawnBott spared no expense at making the customized, absolute best performance batteries. These batteries are specifically designed for LawnBott mowers.
They may seem expensive at first blush, but there are 1,000's that have been in operation for 4 or more years without a major run on replacement!
LawnBott uses smart chips in the li-on batteries that control and monitor the charging and discharging, this extends the life of the batteries a great deal. However, they use a little bit of energy so if you plan to put up your robotic lawnmower all winter be sure and charge it up occasionally.
Li-on batteries do not have the memory effect of lead acid batteries and storage requirements are different. Please follow the manufacturer's direction carefully.
By the way, you are going to want to check back regularly for battery updates. There are new designs on the drawing board for custom batteries to meet specialized yards.
For two years I have preached lithium ion batteries were expensive because they were a high-tech item. I said then lead acid batteries would dramatically increase in price because of lead and environmental concerns while li-on battery prices would be stable or even drop.
True to my prediction, Robomower announced a price increase for 2008 of over 25% on lead acid batteries. Robomower and LawnBott increased accessory prices by 20-40% across the board. The one item that did not go up? Lithium ion batteries.
As LawnBott likes to tell me, I am not right all the time, but I am right enough to say I am right all the time. (Huh?)
True 360 degree bump detection
Floating Bumper Sensors
The shell lays atop 3 floating bumper sensors that gives true 360 degree bump detection. Each sensor is monitored by the software so the the mower knows the exact displacement of the shell to the surrounding environment.
The bumper sensors are housed between the shell and the hood top. I have a feeling they did this on purpose to keep the dust and dirt to a minimum on these very sensitive switches. I'd recommend not exposing them to the elements any more than necessary.
The software can now detect and react to backing into something. I imagine the software designers are going to have lots of fun exploiting the potential of this feature.
This floating bumper sensor system is a dramatic improvement over the LawnBott Evolution and much more reliable than the system used on the Robomower.
So there it is, the external and internal workings of the LawnBott LB3500. The next thing we need to cover is the Bluetooth functions.
- First Impressions of the LawnBott LB3500
- What's on the Outside of the LawnBott LB3500?
- What's on the inside of the LawnBott LB3500?
- Software Features of the LawnBott LB3500?
- Bluetooth and programming the LawnBott LB3500
- Wire laying and initial set up of the LawnBott LB3500
- Accessories and maintenance of the LawnBott LB3500
- Performance and Conclusion of the LawnBott LB3500
| Technical Information | ||
| Coverage | 38,000 sq/ft | |
| Coverage Per Hour | 3,100 sq/ft | |
| Mower Size (Length x Width x Height) | 26x19x11 | |
| Weight with Battery | 28 lbs. | |
| Cutting Disc | 4 blade | |
| Cutting Width | 14 | |
| Cutting Height | 1-3 | |
| Cutting Speed | 65 feet/minute | |
| Average Working Time | 3 hours | |
| Charging Time | 2.5 hours | |
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion x 2 | |
| Hill Capability | 30 degrees | |
| Auto Recharge | YES | |
| Auto Programming | YES | |
| Rain Sensor | YES | |
| Remote Control | Bluetooth | |
| Drive System | 2WD | |
| Software Update by Internet | YES |
 LawnBott LB3500   |  LawnBott Evolution  |  LawnBott Super Evolution  |
