Battery Tips

[imsoaks]

Hi Everyone!

Received our new baby today! Very excited to turn him on tomorrow.

2 things, my battery only took about an hour to charge. Is that right? Was it partially charged at the factory? Hope its not defective.

Also, the charger seems a bit delicate. I didnt even know it was charging because the red light shines very dim. When it blinks red when not connected properly it shines about twice as bright as when actually charging. Like i said, I didnt even know it was connected right until i turned out the lights. Is this normal behavior???

I'm sure all these little niggles will melt away once I turn "snotz" on, but I just want to make sure its not defective.

Bruce

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Hi Everyone!

Received our new baby today! Very excited to turn him on tomorrow.

2 things, my battery only took about an hour to charge. Is that right? Was it partially charged at the factory? Hope its not defective.

Also, the charger seems a bit delicate. I didnt even know it was charging because the red light shines very dim. When it blinks red when not connected properly it shines about twice as bright as when actually charging. Like i said, I didnt even know it was connected right until i turned out the lights. Is this normal behavior???

I'm sure all these little niggles will melt away once I turn "snotz" on, but I just want to make sure its not defective.

Bruce

Hi imsoaks and welcome to PleoWorld.

I don't know if that is normal but a couple of people have mentioned it. UGOBE is in the process of making a video detailing how to properly insert the battery for charging. Stay tuned. :D

[imsoaks]

Thanks and I'm glad to be here!

Ok, whew, then I'm not the only one. Cant wait to get started!

Bruce

[ugobeSarah]

Hello everyone!

In response to your questions about the battery charger, we put together a quick and dirty little battery video for you! Check it out.

<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xr707SYr9zs"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xr707SYr9zs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>

-Sarah

[going86]

the video is no longer working

[ugobeSarah]

sorry, i am reuploading to youTube right now.

[ugobeSarah]

stay tuned to http://www.youtube.com/PleoWorld for this and other little clips!

[PleofromVirginia]

Gee the video lasted as long as my battery charge.

Just Kidding Folks. I love my Pleo and UGlobe.

[going86]

thank you:D

[ugobeSarah]

Okay, the video is up!

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xr707SYr9zs&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xr707SYr9zs&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

[imsoaks]

Great, Thanks, that answers my questions.

Bruce

[Starfire]

Thanks for the video - That should help.

[arcticlotus]

That video doesn't say anything that isn't in the manual,. and it doesn't address the number of people who are having their lights turn green when their batteries aren't fully charged.

This isn't about users not reading the directions, this is about a faulty charger that thinks the battery is full after it has been completely run down for an hour of play and it has only charged for 10 minutes and mysteriously turns green. Users with less experience in new electronics may be oblivious to the fact that batteries are almost never precharged (with the exception of the new ultra rechargeable hybrids), and that if the manual says charge for 3 to 4 hours, and your light turns green after 20 minutes,. you need to put it back on and force it to charge for the full time or you battery will form a memory very quickly, you will never get more than 20 minutes play time out of the battery, and you will soon have a nice little green cube for a paperweight.

[MiamiRob]

i sent my parents Pleo. They called me and said that they can't insert the battery. The battery goes almost all the way in, but my dad says that there is about 1/32 of an inch that will not go below the battery holders. He called tech support and they thought that my dad was inserting the battery wrong, but my dad said that there is only one way the the battery can go in and tech support agreed. My parents have looked in the battery hole with a flashlight and can't see anything blocking the bottom. My mother said that she pushed really hard on the battery but it still wouldn't go all the way in. My parents are afraid of hurting Pleo so they don't want to push too hard.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how to solve this? Tech support told me dad that the battery should go in easily and they have never heard of someone having problems inserting it. I don't have a Pleo of my own so I am not much help to my parents in resolving this.

Thanks,
Rob

[PleoWorldHostSauri]

i sent my parents Pleo. They called me and said that they can't insert the battery. The battery goes almost all the way in, but my dad says that there is about 1/32 of an inch that will not go below the battery holders. He called tech support and they thought that my dad was inserting the battery wrong, but my dad said that there is only one way the the battery can go in and tech support agreed. My parents have looked in the battery hole with a flashlight and can't see anything blocking the bottom. My mother said that she pushed really hard on the battery but it still wouldn't go all the way in. My parents are afraid of hurting Pleo so they don't want to push too hard.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how to solve this? Tech support told me dad that the battery should go in easily and they have never heard of someone having problems inserting it. I don't have a Pleo of my own so I am not much help to my parents in resolving this.

Thanks,
Rob


MiamiRob I just want to be clear, are they trying to insert the battery back into Pleo?

[MiamiRob]

Yes, they are trying to insert the battery into Pleo. They charged it successfully, but can't get it to insert all the way into Pleo. They can't close whatever the things are that hold the battery in Pleo because the battery is not going in far enough. The battery inserts easily, but stops right before it would be all the way inserted.

[kchamster]

are they putting it in the right way...hehe with the holes going innnnn?? i wouldnt know if this was a common mistake though! hehe just wondering

[MiamiRob]

my dad says the battery can only be inserted on way and that it would be impossible to get the battery to insert if it weren't turned the right way. Is my dad right about that?

[PleoWorldHostSauri]

Let me see what I can find out MiamiRob. This may take a bit so hang tight, I will get back to you asap. In the meantime if anyone else has any ideas?

[MiamiRob]

Thanks PleoWorldHost

[MiamiRob]

My dad just told me that when looking at the bottom of the battery, in one of the round contact holes, the plastic intrudes slightly into the hole so that the hole is not perfectly round. (This is the hole that is nearest the + on the battery.) My dad says that the other three holes on the bottom of the battery are perfectly round. Is this normal? Is the + hole on other people's batteries not perfectly round?

[kchamster]

hmmmm that may be the problem!! o my gosh!! i would haaaate that!!!!!!!having waited and only get to see it....like PLAY WITH ME ......PLAY WITH ME!!!!!!!!! :(

[MiamiRob]

Kchamster

Are all four holes on the bottom of your battery perfectly round?

[kchamster]

I dont have mine yet...sorry rob!! i really am! i got first hatch but a cc prob backed up the ship date!!

[ugobeSarah]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all these notes. We are very on top of this issue thanks to your feedback, and will be responding to you here once our engineering department has some answers. Please rest assured that this is TOP priority here and we will respond to you soon. In the meantime, please direct your individual questions to our customer support department - it is a quicker route to us than posting in the Forums. We have a support form, live chat, an email address and a phone number posted for you on the CONTACT US page on the website: http://pleoworld.com/support/contact

Thanks so much,
Sarah

[kelley5454]

My battery was the same I discovered if I pusged on it just a bit it will go in, I think there's like a spring or something but I have done it twice and my pleo is workign he is on his third charge now, have them push on it slightly but not to hard.

[pleoguy101]

the only thing I can thik of is.. you onlock the two things projecting out of the battery, so they sort of fold in to the battery, then insert the battery into pleo, then lock it again.. hope this helps:o

[MiamiRob]

Kelley,

Do you know if it is normal for the hole on the bottom of the battery to not be perfectly round?

My dad dais that he pushed firmly on the battery, but he is afraid to push harder because he might hurt Pleo.

Rob

[kelley5454]

I have one hole on the bottom that looks like a circle with a small portion like a corner covered up, I have to push pretty hard with Pleo upside down on my lap, I understand how your dad feels wish I could see it to help him out.

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Kelley,

Do you know if it is normal for the hole on the bottom of the battery to not be perfectly round?

My dad dais that he pushed firmly on the battery, but he is afraid to push harder because he might hurt Pleo.

Rob

Hi MiamiRob,

I just looked at the bottom of my battery and yes. The bottom of one of the holes, is not perfectly round.

Please tell your parents to carefully study the Companion Guide but this is how I did it.

First pull up the semi-circle ring on the bottom of the battery
Turn the ring clockwise (shows a picture of an unlocked lock)
This makes sure that the two prongs that hold the battery in pleo are not protruding.
Align the battery correctly in Pleo's belly.
If you just let it slide down your parents are correct in saying there is about 1/32 protruding.
Push gently to seat the battery firmly and hold
Turn the ring counter-clockwise (This will engage the tabs that hold the battery)
Close the ring flat against the battery.
Turn Pleo on and enjoy!

The pressure should be firm but not hard. The previous post was correct when they likened it to having to push on a spring.

Hope that helps and tell you parents we hope they are having a great time with Pleo. :D

[MiamiRob]

Cami,

My parents are concerned that they will push to hard and damage Pleo. However, I will ask them to try again.

Robert

[arcticlotus]

THE GOOD NEWS

After I have forced my battery to charge for more than 3 hours by popping it off and on the charger, it seams to charge for quite a few hours without any errors or overheating,. I'm very pleased,. it's kind of like the battery just needed to be broken in - like the energy wasn't transferring from one cell to the next without being forced and now it's going smoothly

[imsoaks]

Can you please explain in more detail what you did?

I've tried 3 times so far to charge this and it turns green only after 10 minutes. I have not hatched Pleo yet because I dont want him to die 5 minutes into hatching........Does anyone know if this happens, will he pick up where the battery died or will i miss out on the hatch?

[PleofromVirginia]

Thank you Sarah!

[dotyj]

Strangely enough I had the same issue with my gel cell powerchair batteries when I'd let them run sit unused for a year. The voltage was so low that the battery charger kept falsely stating that the batteries had fully charged.

I wonder some of the batteries being shipped are at such a low voltage that the smart charger is confused about the charge state and reporting the pack as charged?

I solved my powerchair battery problem by unplugging the batteries from the charger then plugging them in again. Would this work on the Pleo batteries?

[farmerpig]

I would just like to say, I am having the same problems as others above....Bummer.:(
I have done several things, the one that seams to work the best and charge the battery for 2 hours was charging it upside down...Funny, but I am going on 3 hours with only having to restart twice before...

I'll wait for the post to really correct this.....

[PleofromVirginia]

My second charging allowed Pleo to explore for 1:45 before I asked him to go to bed (past his bed time). Followed suggestions, but no added weight, just a direct seating of the battery and letting it charge. The little fellow did a head stand or two, went out and got the mail and picked up milk at the grocery store. Amazing little creature.

One observation... He makes me appreciate my two cats more.

[imsoaks]

ok, since i tried at least times to charge the battery and it would turn green after about 10 minutes, I figured I would slap it in Pleo and see how long the battery lasts......what can it hurt, right?

Well, that battery lasted 1 hour of hatching and playing with pleo!! After that, I put the battery on the charger and its been charging ever since (about an hour so far).

So it seems like everything is working ok now. The battery must have shipped mostly charged, I cant think of any other explainations for this!

Oh, the Pleo experience? All I have to say is WOW! Cant wait to play with him tomorrow.

If his battery lasts an hour again tomorrow, i will be totally happy. I hope this experience helps someone else here that is having probelms and I'll post back to let you all know...........

[cmadmacs]

Are any of you having problems with the chargers greenlight coming on early? I put my batteries on to charge for the first time and after only 30 minutes the green light came on. Any help would be apprieciated.

[MiamiRob]

Thank you everyone for your help. I told my dad to do as kelley5454 suggested and put Pleo upside down in his lap and, doing that, my dad was able to get the battery to push all the way down. Last night, my parents played with Pleo for an hour and fifteen minutes. At that point, he was out of battery power.

Thanks Again. My parents said that Pleo is great.

Rob

[PleoWorldHostSauri]

Fantastic News Rob, thanks for updating us on your parents experience. :)

[Rich]

I found my battery was difficult to put in as well. A bit of extra strength is required to get it all the way in.

[BauerMECH]

Do you have a multi-tester laying around or one you could borrow from somebody? I'd check the DC voltage on your battery before and after the charge cycle. If it was the first time you've charged, I'm sure it is nothing to worry about. Did Pleo "fall sleep" before his battery was put on the charger? Are you getting approx 1 hour of play-time out of him after a charge cycle?

[GreySquirrel]

Is it OK to leave the battery in the charger once it has fully charged, or should the fully charged battery be removed from the charger and put back in to your Pleo?

Thanks

[cmadmacs]

I went ahead put the batteries in the pleos and they worked fine. Batteries seem to be charging fine now. Thanks man. Yeah I've been to your website for rooks pawn. That is one awsome robot.

[cmadmacs]

very good question.

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Is it OK to leave the battery in the charger once it has fully charged, or should the fully charged battery be removed from the charger and put back in to your Pleo?

Thanks

Hi GreySquirrel,

I do believe it's a trickle charger and should be OK but I'll ask just to be safe. :D

[PleoWorldHostSauri]

Hey everyone, this is the answer Cami and I got back on the charger.

There is no trickle charge. Once the green LEDs are on, charge is complete and the battery is electrically disconnected from the charger. You can leave the battery in the cradle forever.

However, if the power is cycled (meaning you take a fully charged battery), and you remove and reinstall the battery, the charge cycle will repeat… meaning you will see solid red LEDs indicating the battery is being charged again.

[imsoaks]

ok, since i tried at least times to charge the battery and it would turn green after about 10 minutes, I figured I would slap it in Pleo and see how long the battery lasts......what can it hurt, right?

Well, that battery lasted 1 hour of hatching and playing with pleo!! After that, I put the battery on the charger and its been charging ever since (about an hour so far).

So it seems like everything is working ok now. The battery must have shipped mostly charged, I cant think of any other explainations for this!

Oh, the Pleo experience? All I have to say is WOW! Cant wait to play with him tomorrow.

If his battery lasts an hour again tomorrow, i will be totally happy. I hope this experience helps someone else here that is having probelms and I'll post back to let you all know...........


Ok, got another hour out of him tonite! He was very rambunctious today!! A lot more animated. I expecially like when the leaf is in his mouth too long and it sounds like he's ready to puke. Too funny!

[BauerMECH]

Thanks man.
You're welcome. Glad it all worked out for you. :)
Yeah I've been to your website for rooks pawn. That is one awsome robot.
Thank you! It took some time to get him right.

[imsoaks]

Hi Everyone,

While my charger is working now and charging the battery fully, when I take the charged battery off the charger, the red light will blink constantly. Do I have a defective charger?

When I unplug the power from the charger for a few minutes the light will go off when I plug it back in.

Anyone else have this problem?

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Hi Everyone,

While my charger is working now and charging the battery fully, when I take the charged battery off the charger, the red light will blink constantly. Do I have a defective charger?

When I unplug the power from the charger for a few minutes the light will go off when I plug it back in.

Anyone else have this problem?

hi imsoaks,

I'll see if I can get any information on this issue.

[follypony]

My battery charger takes quite a high voltage to turn the light to green.
I just tested the voltage on my battery after charging for a few hours. The light was still red and the battery is hot. Not warm-HOT.
The voltage on the battery read 8.47 volts.
I have a good Fluke meter that is calibrated. I know when you charge a battery at a high amperage rate you can shorten the charge time but you also shorten the lifespan of the battery.

[zoso67]

Well I did some experimenting with the battery and there is certainly a problem with it or the charger.

I attempted to get a total charge time of 4 hours by charging the battery for 10 minutes at a time. This is all it will charge before the light turns green. After 9 of these 10 minute charges (90min) the charger started flashing red on the 10th charge and the battery was hot. After allowing the battery to cool for 30min I continued with the 10min charges.

Finally after reaching the 24th charge (240min - 4hrs) the charger flashed red on the 25th charge and battery was again hot.

Let battery cool and put it in Morgan. Waiting to see how long her runtime is now, hopefully an hour. But needless to say I don't have time to pop the battery in and out for 6 hours (counting battery cool down time) just to get an hours life out of her.

Also since her 2nd day of life my Pleos tail no longer moves left or right. Tail stil curls up and down, wags up and down, and sticks out straight but no left to right wagging. Her rear still shakes like shes wagging but her tail isn't.

Also I have to say after reading about UGOBEs return policy I'm a little dismayed at the thought of having to ship my baby back three days after getting her. It would be nice for a $350 robot for them to have a return policy similar to i-Robots policy. They will send you a new robot first and then you ship your old one back to them. UGOBE apparently makes you send it to them for problem determination and then you wait for status and then you get a repaired or replaced Pleo. Considering I'm also having a battery issue along with others, the thought of sending her back multiple times instead of them issuing replacements is not the best way to support a long-awaited product at holiday launch time for something with a $350 pricetag. Impressive to be sure but the return policy isn't.

[imsoaks]

ok, thank you

[BauerMECH]

I have a good Fluke meter that is calibrated. I know when you charge a battery at a high amperage rate you can shorten the charge time but you also shorten the lifespan of the battery.
You're right, the packs do get hot (though I could not tell until I charged it externally on a different system DISCLAIMER: Only use the charger UGOBE suplied w/ Pleo!). However, the heat didn't seem any higher than any other NiMH pack I've charged having the same number of cells. I'm sure there is an auto-shuddown in your charger to keep the battery temp from getting critically high. ???

Hmmm. I have the older charger, where the adapter is plugged directly into Pleo rather than into an external battery charger. I won't know how much these systems differ until I get the newer Pleo. What is the output on your charger? My wall adapter that plugs into Pleo says 12V at 800mA.

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Here's an update.

The problem is related to the switch in the bottom of the charger. Sometimes the switch sticks for awhile after the battery is removed. Since the switch doesn't turn off, the charger thinks a battery is still there. Since there is no thermistor (inside the battery) connected, the red LED's flash.

In most cases, if the charger is left alone the switch will turn off within a few minutes.

This is a known problem and is being corrected by the factory.

[imsoaks]

ok, i will check to see if my light shuts off a few minutes after I take the battery out. What if it continues to stay on? Do I get a new one?

Will post back in a day or two........

[brian55127]

That video doesn't say anything that isn't in the manual,. and it doesn't address the number of people who are having their lights turn green when their batteries aren't fully charged.

This isn't about users not reading the directions, this is about a faulty charger that thinks the battery is full after it has been completely run down for an hour of play and it has only charged for 10 minutes and mysteriously turns green. Users with less experience in new electronics may be oblivious to the fact that batteries are almost never precharged (with the exception of the new ultra rechargeable hybrids), and that if the manual says charge for 3 to 4 hours, and your light turns green after 20 minutes,. you need to put it back on and force it to charge for the full time or you battery will form a memory very quickly, you will never get more than 20 minutes play time out of the battery, and you will soon have a nice little green cube for a paperweight.

Thanks for the tips articlotus! I just got my pleo today, was anticipating the battery issue, and sure enough after 20 minutes of charging the charger turned green, so I popped it out and back in again over a couple hour period. After I felt that the battery had been charged enough, I popped it into pleo and amazingly he lasted for 1 hour 40 minutes of play time. Whoohoo!

[imsoaks]

looks like it shut off after a few minutes......

Does this problem jeopardize the normal charging of the battery?

[vlbrown]

Same for me. First charge was less time than expected. hen I first dock the battery, the red light is faint and difficult to see in a well-lit room. About 10 minutes later the red light is very strong. Video shows that this is "normal" (if unexpected :)

[CM-Longneck]

:( Ok, I am no stranger to battery chargers (camcorder, dig camera, pc's, etc.) and I actually read the manual before I unpacked Pleo - something I have never done with any other electronics I have purchaed [that must be the problem]. Anyway, plugged the charger in and popped the battery in and NADA! No lights. It locks into the charger (though loosely) and no lights, no warmth, nothing - I'm dead in the water for Christmas Morning?

Any thoughts? Anyone else resolve this issue? My first hatch is not going to hatch without power!

I did notice that the positive battery terminal does have some green plastic "encroaching" on it, but not covering it. Are the battery holes on functioning batteries completely round around the terminals, or do others see the plastic cover almost touching the positive terminal?

Anyone?

[kchamster]

I have noooo idea!! uggggggg i'm soooo sorry

[CM-Longneck]

I have noooo idea!! uggggggg i'm soooo sorry

Thanks... Hopefully I can get a hold of someone tomorrow at technical support.... I think I see the issue with the battery they sent me. it appears that the "cells" of the battery aren't aligned completely level and the plastic "sheath" that holds the cells together seems to have pushed the positve terminal away from the bottom so that it probably is not making a solid contact with the positive terminal on the charger. It's the type of defect they would have to test with a charger to verify prior to shipping. I could possibly wedge it towards alignment with something, but I'm not going to try anything until I get some sort of response from UGOBE.

thanks for your concern, there is still hope for my daughter's christmas.

[Siren]

If nothing else, look in the thread about quick charging it with an RC charger, if the Pleo charger is the problem, at least you can give the battery a charge for Christmas till they get you a new one.

IMO, even if you do this and thus void the warranty on your battery, it should not void the warranty on the charger and they should replace it. But I am no expert.

[PleoWorldHostSauri]

CM-longneck, you should hear two distinct clicks when putting the battery in the charger, also check out this thread: http://forums.pleoworld.com/showthread.php?t=577 which has some FAQs about charging the battery.

Another member had to change outlets in their house, you might try that as well.

The positive terminal is not supposed to be perfectly round.

I hope this helps.

[CM-Longneck]

If nothing else, look in the thread about quick charging it with an RC charger, if the Pleo charger is the problem, at least you can give the battery a charge for Christmas till they get you a new one.

IMO, even if you do this and thus void the warranty on your battery, it should not void the warranty on the charger and they should replace it. But I am no expert.

I think it's actually the terminals on the battery that are the issue - but I don't really have a charger I would attempt to charge this with. If UGOBE fails me I may start searching some profiles to possibly find someone local that I could try a different charger, but after closer review I think it's the actual battery. I've read through the other threads and it doesn't seem to be a common problem from what i've seen.

[CM-Longneck]

CM-longneck, you should hear two distinct clicks when putting the battery in the charger, also check out this thread: http://forums.pleoworld.com/showthread.php?t=577 which has some FAQs about charging the battery.

Another member had to change outlets in their house, you might try that as well.

The positive terminal is not supposed to be perfectly round.

I hope this helps.

I have two distinct clicks, I've tried it in three different outlets, but still nothing. I viewed the video about battery charging. the charger cord does seem a little loose when connecting to the charger, but I think that's just the nature of the quality of the charger itself, not a problem getting a connection.

Can you tell me if there should be any plastic showing in the circle surrounding the positive terminal of the battery on working batteries? I have taken a picture of the battery if I can figure out how to upload anything here.

[kchamster]

i'd send u my charger.....

[PleoWorldHostSauri]

The plastic you are seeing inside the charger sounds right. CM_Longneck contact customer service at: http://www.pleoworld.com/support there is a live support link on that page where you can chat with someone, I am sure they will help you get this worked out.

[cmadmacs]

I hope you get it fixed.

[CM-Longneck]

The plastic you are seeing inside the charger sounds right. CM_Longneck contact customer service at: http://www.pleoworld.com/support there is a live support link on that page where you can chat with someone, I am sure they will help you get this worked out.

Thanks. I planned on contacting them as soon as I can - just waiting for a time when support is available.

[CM-Longneck]

Thanks. I planned on contacting them as soon as I can - just waiting for a time when support is available.

In case UGOBE wants to know whether Customer Support is working... read my problem ticket exchange I got this afternoon after leaving a voicemail and contacting them via email - their chat is still not open even though they are supposed to be open right now and my call into support just dropped to voicemail after I waited online for 10 or so minutes - Short Answer: No - this is NOT customer service.

"Thank you for contacting us regarding " PLEO BATTERY/CHARGER FIRST HATCH DOA " as reported in Case number [0000xxxx] on 12/23/2007.

As you described in your message: "I opened my first hatch pleo yesterday to charge the battery for the holiday only to find that the battery charger or battery are DOA and I cannot get any lights on the charger/battery at all. I hadn't had time to get online recently since receiving it - so I didn't know all the problems you were having until yesterday evening. I have reviewed all the FAQs and forums - wathed the you-tube video, but this thing needs replaced - it's DOA. PLEASE HELP ME ASAP - This is my daughters Christmas Present and right now it's about as good as trash!"

Here is the answer to your inquiry:

Please go to this link: http://www.pleoworld.com/connect/view/id/63

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) "Battery Life"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pleo's battery needs to be charged for up to three hours for every one hour of play. We understand that this may be discouraging information but Pleo is a highly complex product and requires a large amount of energy to operate all of his sensors, IR, camera, sound device, and motors.

Pleo uses a specially designed Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery which is included and is rechargeable. We will continue to work on extending the life of Pleo's battery.

[Tastentier]

Can you tell me if there should be any plastic showing in the circle surrounding the positive terminal of the battery on working batteries? I have taken a picture of the battery if I can figure out how to upload anything here.

The moon-shaped green plastic bit near the positive terminal seems to be standard. Here's how my battery looks: http://www.succubuscoven.com/temp/pleo_battery.jpg

First I had problems too. You already hear a click when the battery arrests on one side of the charger, but that doesn't provide enough contact. I have to press the battery into the charger with quite some force to get both sides to arrest.

Perhaps you could try another 12 Volts power adapter? (I have the European version, but i guess the US version also needs 12 V input).

[CM-Longneck]

Thanks. Yes indeed, it appears that it is the power charger cord, not even the charging base that is the problem. That doesn't stop their customer service from issuing an RMA and telling me to ship the ENTIRE PLEO back to them in the original packaging, at my cost. They have got to be kidding! Shipping it back and then getting it returned will cost more than the new charger I need.

[Ypan]

When I plug my battery in, I start off with a dim steady red light. then, after about 10 minutes, the light brightens, but starts to flash and flicker with an audible humming sound, mind you, this is not the normal flashing red as shown in the instructional video, If I put pressure on the battery as if to push it back, I will get a steady red light. Obviously there is a connection issue here, and I assure you the battery is placed in the cradle properly. After several failed charges, I now wiggle the battery around until I get a steady light, and now I'm getting complete charges. The Unique design of the battery, might prove be to complex for its own good, as all these issues would seem to demonstrate. I think the battery should connect to the charger and to the Pleo with some type of power connector like a JST plug that R/C hobbyist use. But all that aside I am really impressed with Pleo as a whole.

[ZED]

I may just do that.. switch pleo over to a deans .. i guess I need 3 prongs.. anyway..
RUBBER BAND!
just strap it down for now.
Then customer support it.

[pleoman]

First time that i've had a bad connection with the dock. I 've just checked the battery whilst it was charging and the battery 'pleo' indicator light was not on the battery has been charging for about 2 hours. I firmly pressed down on the battery to make sure it was locked in to the charging dock then the red light came back on. i'm waiting for the light to turn green now!

[pleohacker]

My battery often does not seat right. it takes extra force to get it to snap in right.

[pleohacker]

So I got tired of the flaky charger and decided to see what I could see inside it. Now kids, I have a fully equipped electronics lab, with professional tools, so don't try this with at your home.

I was very surprised to find an analog design, very low tech, like a charger from 10 years ago. One of my problems was that the negative contact was twisted a bit and did not flex properly. The design of these pads looks to be a bit iffy. I was able to bend it enough that it freed up and then moved correct.

I looked at the board with my stereo microscope and was not impressed with the quality of the solder. In the second photo you can see that the LM339 is sitting on the pads without the solder even wetting the pins. Also there were several electrolytic caps attached "through hole" and these holes had no solder in them. I have a very nice Metcal rework station, so I re-soldered the suspect connections, and now it works fine.

I hope this is not typical of the build quality of the chargers out there, or Ugobe is going to have a real mess of warranty problems.

[ZED]

But you can't beat the price of chinese labor..

Its a real shame. I hope its not the practice of UGOBE..

I have worked with chinese imports in the past. Needless to say the poison pet food didn't surprise me at all.

I would get a product in for testing... There would be a large package of product and .. oh how nice.. a sample for me to test nicely packaged on the side. I can not recall ever finding a case where their sample.. either the salesman's sample OR the sample on the side of the container tested anything like the actual product once it was run through the lab. Once a granulated product ended up being full of small stones. When confronted.. they said.. "soak them longer.. they'll dissolve"


In a way, I hope Ugobe just learned to not trust their manufacturing partner.. and not that their consumer is more savvy than they expected.

[pleohacker]

You could always try cleaning the contacts of the pack with a pencil eraser. Sometimes a (very) little grease or dirt can block the contact from working.

[dagor]

I have a non-first hatch Pleo and the battery is no good.
I get about 20 mins of play time before he runs out of power. The battery has shown green as being fully charged only to go back red if I unseat it and reset it in the charger. The pleo seems sluggish and the charge dies quickly. I have charged it 3-5 times now and the play time seems to be less each time.
How are we to know when the charge is complete when it shows green but the charge is incomplete.
Can I get a new battery and charger?

[Ypan]

I've been practicing how to insert the battery, it does take a few tries to get the feel for it. I know for sure its in correctly, now after 10 minutes of charging, the red light will go out completly, so there will be no indication of charging at all... but I decided to leave it alone.....and after 2 hours the green came on. now several cycles like this, conferms that even with no indicator lights, or the red light flickering, the battery is being charged properly. I'm getting very good run times with the pleo, so its a little goofy, but no big deal I guess :cool:

[Ypan]

I took mine apart, and Lord help us, I found 2 small globs of LOOSE SOLDER, on the baseplate. I don't think they were touching anything yet, my charger does seem to charge the pack properly, I just get a flickering or no indicator light.

[PleoWorldHostCami]

I have a non-first hatch Pleo and the battery is no good.
I get about 20 mins of play time before he runs out of power. The battery has shown green as being fully charged only to go back red if I unseat it and reset it in the charger. The pleo seems sluggish and the charge dies quickly. I have charged it 3-5 times now and the play time seems to be less each time.
How are we to know when the charge is complete when it shows green but the charge is incomplete.
Can I get a new battery and charger?

Hi dagor,

Please contact Customer Support and explain to them exactly what is happening.

http://pleoworld.com/support

[eric]

ye guys i agree the charging pins are loose on my charger

i find the charger kinda cheap from the start & i didn't even open mine


UGOBE INVEST IN A DIGITAL CHARGER / SMART CHARGER & ADD IT TO THE STORE


owners keep saying its what you pay for, i wonder the the actually cost price of a pleo is.

Apple's ipod is half the price they sell at in the USA .

[PleoPet]

Remember the charger was rushed in at the last minute. If they picked a tried-and-true analog design used in other Chinese made toys (quality aside), I'd prefer that to an untested design. In any case, I applaud them for using standard NiMHd packs (give or take the themistor) since there are easy replacement charging solutions.

A lot of tradeoffs to get the Pleo into your hands by Xmas (software/firmware, battery design, no charging station, ...). A first step on the path.

[cmadmacs]

Nicely said PleoPet.

[pleohacker]

It does not matter how mature the design is, if the solder is bad you get a flaky charger.
A newer design would have a lot fewer parts, fewer places to fail...

[ZED]

A lot of tradeoffs to get the Pleo into your hands by Xmas (software/firmware, battery design, no charging station, ...). A first step on the path.

Not ready is not ready.. they could have shipped crap a year ago. Its not rocket science. Just another toy.. in this case another charger.. probably modified (or straight copped) from another product.

[PleoPet]

Slightly OT:
> A newer design would have a lot fewer parts, fewer places to fail...
True, but newer designs with more digital components require higher precision manufacturing. Tooling time goes up. Costs go up.
FWIW: I took apart a pre-production Pleo and it had some dodgey soldering inside as well. I haven't taken apart a production unit (yet).
http://www.aibohack.com/pleo/helpme1.jpg

Commentary: When you have a large work-force, you can afford a little time to patch up a bad soldering job instead of scrapping an expensive toy. Compare the insides of any electronic Xmas toy with the insides of an iPod/Zune/AIBO and you will see night-and-day. Pleo probably falls somewhere in the middle (and perhaps the charger on the cheaper end).

[cmadmacs]

I support you pleopet.

[AlaskanPLEO01]

I have two PLEO's and the chargers work slightly differently. One immediately lights up bright red when the battery is inserted, the other is only dimly lit for a time before becoming bright. Switching the batteries around makes no difference, the behavior is charger specific.

Is one charger working correctly and the other not? Does anyone know which behavior is correct? I thought that the dim charger just may be slower is recognizing that battery is ready to be charged, but the above posts suggest it's not that "smart".

[dschenekl]

I tend to agree, the charger and battery are not acceptable !

This is old technology with no flexability to use common batteries and charging solutions.

I have suggested and called Ugobe a few times asking if Lithium Polymer or Lithium Ion technologies were considered, no response back.

I would suggest that we continue to keep calling Ugobe with our concerns.

[Ypan]

A lipo pack in the 2200mah range would probably bumped Pleo price well past the $400 range, It would have to be at least three cell pack(in series) or 4 in parallel), and have a saftey cut off the prevent discharge below 2.8-3v per cell otherwise the pack is toast, so with a three cell pack Pleo would still seem to have a full charge, but you would have to start charging when the pack drops below 9 volts. I've been using Li-po's in my R/C Helicopters for years, and I only use them because they are a huge weight savings over a nimh pack, otherwise I would prefer the consistincy and reliability of a nimh, or nicad pack. I think the Battery Pleo comes with is perfect for the job.

[brian55127]

Slightly OT:
> A newer design would have a lot fewer parts, fewer places to fail...
True, but newer designs with more digital components require higher precision manufacturing. Tooling time goes up. Costs go up.
FWIW: I took apart a pre-production Pleo and it had some dodgey soldering inside as well. I haven't taken apart a production unit (yet).
http://www.aibohack.com/pleo/helpme1.jpg

Commentary: When you have a large work-force, you can afford a little time to patch up a bad soldering job instead of scrapping an expensive toy. Compare the insides of any electronic Xmas toy with the insides of an iPod/Zune/AIBO and you will see night-and-day. Pleo probably falls somewhere in the middle (and perhaps the charger on the cheaper end).

This is sorta off-topic for battery & charging, but I presume this is what the 'natural' color of pleo's skin is before it's painted? Is this what pleo would look like if all his paint was entirely wore off (minus the aibo of course)?
http://www.aibohack.com/pleo/
(website courtesy of pleopet)

[ryane]

yup, that is the skin unpainted.

[brian55127]

yup, that is the skin unpainted.

Hmm then his natural state IS to be Goldfinger! :p

[PleoPet]

Several topics:
re: unpainted skin. Yes the skin is from a prototype Pleo, no painting. If/when/after the paint wears out, you can paint it yourself to make it unique.

re: battery and charger
The charger is way too complex for what it needs to do. It should be simpler or smarter or both. FWIW: My charger doesn't look as sloppy as the one in the photos, but soldering quality will vary.
I suspect a future release will include a better design (especially if the chargers aren't consistently charging the batteries)

re: NiMHd vs. other technologies
Personally I recommend against against Lithium Polymer or Lithium Ion technologies. Forgetting about capacity and runtime, and possibility of explosion - batteries do wear out. If the battery is proprietary, it can be difficult and expensive to buy replacements batteries. It is much easier to rebuilt a NiMHd battery from standardly available cells.
FWIW: AIBO uses Lithium Ion batteries, and replacement batteries have always been an issue. Even when buying "new" batteries from the parts department, they were manufactured years ago (LiIon batteries degrade with time, even when not used)

Check other discussion threads on building your own batteries. Once spare NiMHd battery packs are for sale, I suspect many people will rip them apart and try placing LiIon or LiPoly standard "AA" sized cells instead (ie. reusing the plastic parts, and the thermistor). Recharging outside the Pleo body for safety of course.

[agoltz]

Hi,

I am on my 5 or 6th battery charge and when I seat the batter (two clicks) - it blinks green.

When I put it in Pleo - I cant wake him up.

Seems like the battery has no charge but I dont know why it only flashes green, no red blink.

HELP!

[degers]

Hi Guys,
Is there any difference between having a bright or dim orange light on the charger?
Sometimes for me it is bright and other times it is dim.
Many Thanks

[latinvixen]

Mine did the same but tilted the charger forward and back with the battery on it , then the battery turned red again and charged normally. Not sure if it means that it was somewhat loosely placed. But worked for me :).

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Hi Guys,
Is there any difference between having a bright or dim orange light on the charger?
Sometimes for me it is bright and other times it is dim.
Many Thanks

Some people have mentioned their charger starts dim, and then gets brighter. Mine appears to be the same the whole time.

[charlie95667]

i had a problem get the battery to set in pleo's belly correctly to i could lock it in. what works for me is i also hold pleo in my lap upside down and just let the battery "drop in" then a slight nudge helps seat it all the way in to lock. no worries of excessive force. it may take a couple of tries the first time but i soon got the feel for it - piece of cake!

[Nasb]

Put the back in carefully, then put the front bit in carefully press it in, and hear the 'click' sound :)

[tellus]

We cannot get our office Pleo to come alive since the battery won't charge properly.

We assume it is the rather poor quality of the charger being the problem since in our case when we seat the battery "properly" all the indicator light in front do is blinking green.

I put the problem forward to the offical support department from Ugobe, but the more or less gave me a standard email back:

"As you described in your message: "We seem to never get the battery charger to work properly. The green light keeps on blinking and thus we cannot charge the batttery properly and wake our Pleo :("

Here is the answer to your inquiry:

BATTERY ISSUE:

For a Battery charge of 3-4 hours produces 1 hour of playtime.

If you have a battery issue please go to this link: http://www.pleoworld.com/connect/view/id/63
On the battery cradle there is a small lip in front of the cradle and the front of the battery.
Make sure the battery is placed correctly. You will also hear two clicks to confirm that the battery has been placed correctly.

Some batteries might come pre-partially charged when you received your Pleo. It’s still recommended that you still charge the battery 3-4 hours even if the battery light turns green.
To determine if it's a charger problem: The battery charges less than 30 minutes
or only plays for 30 minutes.



Charging Pleo's Battery

As a new Pleo owner, please charge Pleo’s battery right away.
Plug AC adaptor jack into charger cradle and plug into the wall.
Securely place battery into charger cradle.


Low Battery:

Sleep:

Pleo will exhibit the sleep animation when the battery level is at a low percentage.
Sleep Animation – Pleo goes into a sleep animation and makes a snoring sound at a battery level of around 30%.



Indicator Light:

Status Red: Actively charging

Status Green: Charging complete

Status no light: Check power to charger cradle

Status: Flashing/Blinking- Battery not seated properly. Make sure it is securely
placed in charger.

Battery temperature too hot and needs to cool down.
Leave as is. Check back in a few minutes.

Pleo's battery needs to be charged for up to three hours for every one hour of play.
We understand that this may be discouraging information but Pleo is a highly complex
product and requires a large amount of energy to operate all of his sensors, IR, camera,
sound device, and motors.



ADDITIONAL BATTERIES:

You can buy additional rechargeable battery packs from www.UGOBE.com
by February 2008. Visit http://ugobestore.ugobe.com in January for the latest
pricing and availability information.

If this answer does not properly address your inquiry or if you need additional assistance, please feel free to contact us anytime!


Thank You and Warm Regards,

Customer Support Team

UGOBE, Inc."

Any clue what we can do, and can we maybe use a third party charger to resolve the issue?

Being situated in the Netherlands and having ordered our Pleo states-side i am afraid that just waiting until official support resolves the issue/sends a replacement charger/battery pack seems like it might take a bit too long.

Atm, our office is distraught over having our dino mascotte in a permanent state of slumber.

Anyone have any more ideas we can try?

[Caaahl]

My charger gives me wrong lights, too (turns green after 10 minutes).

Anyway, mine works, i just ignore the lights and let the battery in for 3 hours. MAybe you should try the same? Put in the battery properly (click in front/back) and let it in there for 3 hours and just try, if pleo works.

[tellus]

Well we had the battery in it overnight on the first day... didn't help...

The whole office is getting antsy over it, we all think the little snore our pleo gives just after switching it on and petting it, is cute, but it doesn't really satisfy our curiosity over what more he can do. :(

[tellus]

It just seems the contact points of the charger are not doing what they should be doing. If you push down hard on the battery the red light sometimes comes on for a bit so you almost think it might be starting to charge, but letting go of the battery makes the light go off again, so that isn't a real solution either.

Some of the contact poitns on the battery are even showing signs of being pressed down too hard already so we don't wanna push it further.

[eric]

Mine flashed alot when i first got it ,

seems the battery temperature gets too hot i had to let mine cool before doing it again.

[tellus]

Temperature of our battery seems fine actually. Don't think it actually gets the power to cause overheating. :(

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Temperature of our battery seems fine actually. Don't think it actually gets the power to cause overheating. :(

Hi tellus,

I'm going to escalate your messages, hopefully someone can tell us something soon. :D

[agoltz]

Im having the same problem and contacting support has been nothing short of dissapointing.

Ive tried seating the battery hard (but also you can see the contact points making a dent on the battery)

Ive tried reseating one thousand times - no luck

The battery is at room temperature (74 degrees in an airconditioned apt) so its not overheating.

Honestly - the charger and or the battery are not working. Why is it so hard to get help when you spend what I would consider a lot of money on a toy for your child?

Also - the online support link wont work on my mac or on my vista laptop...... Are you trying to make yourselves unreachable.

Great support makes for loyal customers, Cmon Guys - lets get the act together.

Alex (not a very happy camper)
Boston Capital Ventures

[tellus]

Sounds like you have the exact same thing as we do then Alex.
Frustrating :(

Cami, thanks for the reply, i hope your bumping it up the support chain will get us to a solution soon.

[InNM]

Ugobe should request the charger and battery back for failure analysis. It could show a production issue. Mine works fine so I think the design is ok.

[slatrat]

I'm going to follow this chain. My charger worked fine for the first few weeks. However, in the past few days, Plato (my Pleo) has developed narcolepsy - there's another another thread on narcolepsy in this forum: http://forums.pleoworld.com/showthread.php?t=1039. The problem was identified as a charger issue and ugobe was sending out a new charger.

I have a feeling that I too have a charger issue. What I was wondering is if there is way to assertain whether the battery is charged. Or does one need electrical equipment.

[bologdl]

We need a new thread with a poll to track how many defective Pleos are out there. Anyone interested in creating one as I lack the skills right now to accomplish this task.
Ex. 1.) How many people had to send back Pleo for warranty work.
2.) Where you satisfied with the response of Ugobe staff in seeing you issue was resolved in a timely maner etc.

[tellus]

Well i haven't gotten any new answer from official support yet, so by now i am thinking even Cami's escalation doesn't do much.

Since the Pleo can now be ordered through some resellers in Europe as well now we tried ordering a new charger or battery pack through that channel, but got a n/a as answer.

So currently my only hope is Cami getting support to help/solve the issue.

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Well i haven't gotten any new answer from official support yet, so by now i am thinking even Cami's escalation doesn't do much.

Since the Pleo can now be ordered through some resellers in Europe as well now we tried ordering a new charger or battery pack through that channel, but got a n/a as answer.

So currently my only hope is Cami getting support to help/solve the issue.

Hi tellus,

We are truly sorry for the delay. Please know that Customer Service should be in touch with you soon. :D

[Nats]

Until I get my replacement charger, I can only tell if the battery is fully charged by touch. Can someone PLEASE tell me how warm it should be when it's ready? Should it be slightly warm, or almost hot? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

[Caaahl]

Since i got a damaged charger myself (regarding the lights; they go green after 10 minutes) I can tell you how i do it:

I put in the battery, after 10 minutes it turns green...and i dont care. ;) I just let it in.... the battery gets warmer....after maybe 2,5 hours it starts getting cooler again.... then i take it out.

Works fine for me so far.

[Nats]

Since i got a damaged charger myself (regarding the lights; the go green after 10 minutes) I can tell you how i do it:

I put in the battery, after 10 minutes it turns green...and i dont care. ;) I just let it in.... the battery gets warmer....after maybe 2,5 hours it starts getting cooler again.... then i take it out.

Works fine for me so far.

You mean you leave the battery in even though it turns green? Is it still charging and getting warm? My charger turns green after only a few minutes (I know the battery is dead too!). i have to keep taking it out and putting it back in. At this rate, it takes all day to charge :mad:

[Caaahl]

You mean you leave the battery in even though it turns green? Is it still charging and getting warm? My charger turns green after only a few minutes (I know the battery is dead too!). i have to keep taking it out and putting it back in. At this rate, it takes all day to charge :mad:

Did you already try to just letting it in (though even its green)?

[Nats]

Did you already try to just letting it in (though even its green)?

I am tring that as we speek!
I have been assumming that red means charge and green means no charge, like it's supposed to if it's working correctly. It's been green now for about 15 mins. and I felt it when it was red, it was warm. So I will just let it sit for a while on green and see if it gets warmer or colder. If you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears :D Thanks.

[Caaahl]

Be patient. It should take an hour or so, till the battery gets warmer at the bottom.

[Nats]

Be patient. It should take an hour or so, till the battery gets warmer at the bottom.

Oh I'm patient, I just want it to HURRY UP! ;)
No, really, when it's green it gets cool. I guess the only way to really know is to test it with a volt meter. So I will put that on my shopping list for the weekend.
Someone in this forum said the battery is 18V, how do I find out for sure?

P.S. Stupid me, the battery is 7.2V. It even says so right on the bottom!

[Nats]

I have had issues w/ my charger since day one. It is very wacky and unpredictible. The green light always comes on after only about 10 mins. on charge. I have to keep taking the battery out and putting it back in to get it charged. Anyway, today I noticed that the battery was very warm after only about 20 mins. (of red light charge time) so I tested it w/ a volt meter. I't was 8V. The battery is a 7.2V. The manual says it takes a full 3 hours!!!!
I always wait until my battery is completely dead before charging, so I know it had no juice when I put it in the charger. I thought that was strange :confused:
So, if you are having any issues with your charger, I strongly suggest you use a volt meter.
Another member, ORION, suggested waiting until your freshly charged battery is cold before using it in your Pleo. I have been doing this, and it does seem to make him more active. Try it, and see if it works for your Pleo.

[cmadmacs]

Thanks for the information. I will try it.

[pleoguy101]

Thanks for the information. I will try it.

I'll try it too:D!!!!!

[Nats]

OK, so yesterday I test the battery (it read 8V when I put it in) after 1hr and 20mins of Pleo playtime. It was dead! could not get Morpho to wake up no matter what!! and it read 7V!!. I put it in the charger for 20 mins., take another reading, 8V!! so, either I have a weird meter, or something is going on with the battery. If my meter is right, Pleo completely shuts down at 7V! I will try it again today w/ a bifferent meter.
So, what am I tring to prove? I dont know, I just think it's kind of interesting :o it could also explain why the green light comes on after only 10 mins. on the charger. The battery is already 7V charged ! :eek:

[PWOKristy]

Hello,

And good day.

Okay, what am I supposed to do?? I bought my Pleo. I have the battery being "charged, but it like wont stay "down"! It only stays lit (red) if I press down on it! Am I supposed to push/click something? What??

Thank you very much!

Bye.

Regards,
Kristy.

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Hello,

And good day.

Okay, what am I supposed to do?? I bought my Pleo. I have the battery being "charged, but it like wont stay "down"! It only stays lit (red) if I press down on it! Am I supposed to push/click something? What??

Thank you very much!

Bye.

Regards,
Kristy.

Hi PWOKristy,

Please check to make sure the battery has been inserted "firmly" into the charger. Hold the battery at a slight angle with the back (Away from the Pleo logo) tilted slightly down. Insert the back part of the battery, you should hear a distinct click, then push down on the front until you hear another distinct click.

[PWOKristy]

Yeah, I figured out yesterday that you have to put it down at an "angle" to get it in properly. But thank you for the reply!

[alexa]

Hello-

I was wondering whether or not it's okay to charge Pleo's battery even if it's not completly drained? Also, is it okay to charge it for an hour, and then use it, even if it's not at full charge? I can't imangine why you couldn't- but I don't want to hurt my little Poppy in any way! Thanks. :)

[fancyfont]

Great question. Thanks for asking.

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Hello-

I was wondering whether or not it's okay to charge Pleo's battery even if it's not completly drained? Also, is it okay to charge it for an hour, and then use it, even if it's not at full charge? I can't imangine why you couldn't- but I don't want to hurt my little Poppy in any way! Thanks. :)


Keep in mind that NiMH batteries exhibit a "memory" so it is best to run them completely dry and then fully recharge them. However you can get away with the occasional "partial charge" without much trouble.

[fancyfont]

thank you Cami.

[denodan]

Mine starts of dull and gets brighter. it maybe a visual clue as to how far the battery is charged. Bright means near full charge, dull low charge.

[denodan]

Does he run out of power or is he sleeping? I think when the battery heats up in Pleo he sleeps, or seems to have run out of power. Turn him upside down and will sceam and be fully awake and active again. Mine lasts well over an hour, almost 2 hours on a charge.

I am sure the more active he is the more load on the battery causing it to heat up, so slowing Pleo down or causing him to sleep.

[pleoWhisperer]

Mine starts dull, but then goes bright after about 5 minutes, and stays bright for the next few hours until it turns green.

[fancyfont]

mine starts dull when I get the correct klick. Turns darker in about 5 minutes, too

[pleoguy101]

Mine starts dull, but then goes bright after about 5 minutes, and stays bright for the next few hours until it turns green.

mine too!!!!

[Fubf444]

Is it possible that if UGoBE has a new pleo with a better battery life It would be compatable with old pelo's?:confused:

[Xasher]

Nimh batteries develop a memory if you charge them before they are completely discharged. One way of preventing this from happening would be to discharge the battery by attaching it to a light bulb or a small motor until the battery is completely run down. there are battery chargers on the market for Nimh batteries that will discharge the battery for you before recharging the battery. Check out your local hobby shop that carries rc cars or planes.

[luckypleo]

Hi there,

I'm having trouble with my battery base. It stays red, and brings no heat to the battery at all. Do you know what is wrong?

Thankyou,

luckypleo

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Hi there,

I'm having trouble with my battery base. It stays red, and brings no heat to the battery at all. Do you know what is wrong?

Thankyou,

luckypleo

Hi luckypleo,

The "Pleo" sign on the battery base should stay red all through charging. This could take up to 4 hours. When it's finished then it should turn to green.

[luckypleo]

Thankyou very much Cami, I appreciate your help and my Pleo will be sorted out soon.:):)

Luckypleo

[Lois]

I now have this problem....given I have 2 Pleos I am certain it is the battery and not the charger or either of my Pleos. I have switched out the defective battery in both chargers and both Pleos..... the good battery works in all combinations....the defective battery does not.

Is UGOBE replacing defective batteries YET? This is rediculous on a $350.00 purchase ( times 2 in my case $700.00 +). I want a replacement battery and I want it NOW!!!!

[PleoWorldHostCami]

I now have this problem....given I have 2 Pleos I am certain it is the battery and not the charger or either of my Pleos. I have switched out the defective battery in both chargers and both Pleos..... the good battery works in all combinations....the defective battery does not.

Is UGOBE replacing defective batteries YET? This is rediculous on a $350.00 purchase ( times 2 in my case $700.00 +). I want a replacement battery and I want it NOW!!!!

Hi Lois,

Sorry you are having problems. :( Please contact Customer Service.
<TABLE style="WIDTH: 383pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=510 border=0><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 383pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 18651" width=510><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl65 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; WIDTH: 383pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=510 height=17><a target="_new" href="http://pleoworld.com/support"><b>Customer Support</b></a></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Angelik_Fiona]

Last night I sat forever messing with the battery & charger, putting it in the charger what I thought was the correct way....but I kept getting a flashing red light :(.....I tried several times, doing it over & over again, but my battery just wouldn't charger as if I was putting it in the wrong way, but in my mind I was doing it right!

See, I'm one of these that likes to figure things out and fix things myself. I'm a very determined person like this!:D

So, I had an idea, and it worked!;)

Here's what I did, just in case anyone else has this problem, and this worked:

I took the battery and placed the front part of it in first, slipping it under the little ledge part in the bottom of the base that holds the battery down and in place in the front of it and then while holding the green button in the back, initially used to release the battery after it is charged, I slipped the back of the battery in.

For some reason, just placing the battery in straight vertically did not work, but placing the front in and then the back of it did.

The light turned a steady green afterwards and then after 2 1/2 hrs. it turned green and I was able to play with my Pleo once again! :)

[ryane]

doesn't it say that in the companion guide?

[Angelik_Fiona]

I didn't notice it in there, had to figure it out on my own!

[ryane]

i just knew that i read those instructions somewhere...

[Angelik_Fiona]

I know I read something about the lights, but not that you had to put it in exactly like that!

[ricktheshark]

Hi everybody. I am having a weird problem with pleo. Right when I first received pleo, I charged the battery for 4 hours. I then put the battery in pleo and started him up. He walked and explored my room for about an hour. He suddenly went to sleep and I couldn't wake him up. I thought his battery was probably dead so I took out his battery and set in the charger. Thing is, when I inserted the battery in the charger, a green light emmitted indicating the battery was fully charged. I took out the battery and put it back in the charger and I got a green light charge again. I then decided to charge the battery anyway for about 3 hours. When I put the battery in pleo, he made a snore and stayed asleep. The next morning, I turned on pleo not expecting him to wake up. Well, he did and moved around for about 4 minutes. Problem is he went to sleep again and I couldn't wake him up. I then left the battery in pleo and left him on for most of the day. I hope that even though he didn't move at all, maybe the battery was able to drain out completely. I am charging him again but the light stays green while charging. The first time I charged pleo, the light on the charger was red and then turned green after 4 hours of charging. How come the charger did not emitt a red light when I first drained pleo out? How come when I charge pleo, the light stays green? I am really worried that I maybe fried the battery or pleo is malfunctioning. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for your time. Regards, rick

[ryane]

it won't charge while lite green. be aware of the battery temperature. pleo won't be active if it's warm/hot. you also can not charge a warm/hot battery. it's impossible to fry it so it should be fine.

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Hi everybody. I am having a weird problem with pleo. Right when I first received pleo, I charged the battery for 4 hours. I then put the battery in pleo and started him up. He walked and explored my room for about an hour. He suddenly went to sleep and I couldn't wake him up. I thought his battery was probably dead so I took out his battery and set in the charger. Thing is, when I inserted the battery in the charger, a green light emmitted indicating the battery was fully charged. I took out the battery and put it back in the charger and I got a green light charge again. I then decided to charge the battery anyway for about 3 hours. When I put the battery in pleo, he made a snore and stayed asleep. The next morning, I turned on pleo not expecting him to wake up. Well, he did and moved around for about 4 minutes. Problem is he went to sleep again and I couldn't wake him up. I then left the battery in pleo and left him on for most of the day. I hope that even though he didn't move at all, maybe the battery was able to drain out completely. I am charging him again but the light stays green while charging. The first time I charged pleo, the light on the charger was red and then turned green after 4 hours of charging. How come the charger did not emitt a red light when I first drained pleo out? How come when I charge pleo, the light stays green? I am really worried that I maybe fried the battery or pleo is malfunctioning. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for your time. Regards, rick

Hi ricktheshark,

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 383pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=510 border=0><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 383pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 18651" width=510><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl65 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #f0f0f0; BORDER-TOP: #f0f0f0; BORDER-LEFT: #f0f0f0; WIDTH: 383pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #f0f0f0; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=510 height=17><a target="_new" href="http://pleoworld.com/support"><b>Customer Support</b></a></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>has a series of questions that they can go through with you to see if there is some sort of battery or charger issue. My suggestion would be that you contact them for help. :)