servo sound and trembling

[stamanol offline]

Hi,

Im not sure if this is a defect or just poor factory alignment,but my i-sobot when standing makes a sound like if one of the servos is being stressed.However sometimes this sound stops completely and the robot seems normal.When i hold it in my hands,the sound stops always.I suspect that one of the leg servos is under stress for some reason.What is it? Faulty servo? Or just poor alignment,and if so how will I identify the stressed servo and fix it? In several motions the robot doesnt seem to fall unexpectedly or have strange behaviour.Its only this sound that makes me worry.Also when standing still and the sound is heard the robot trembles a bit,when the sound disappears,the trembling disappears as well. Im open to any suggestions.Thanks.

[RobotServicesGroup offline]

It sounds like one of your servos is out of alignment. If the noise stops when you pick up the robot, it is likely one of the leg servos. Unfortunately, the I-Sobot does not come with any software to help you find the problem. On each servo, there is a small triangle which should match up with another triangle on the frame. Take a few minutes and examine each servo to make sure they match. The I-Sobot comes with an allen wrench you can use to loosen and tighten the joints to re-align the servos. The instruction manual has some diagrams to help you out. After any adjustment, you should try some basic movements like walking to make sure the robot doesn't fall down.

[Humanoido offline]

The servo can be under stress by being out of alignment. For example, a slight push on the legs or arms may result in the sound you describe. There may be some sound if the robot is trying to stand and balance, and is out of alignment. As mentioned, the tic marks are what to look for, and see if they line up. Even on new iSobots, some alignment may be required. Mine required a head alignment and it's overall perfect now. You will also want to check the power of the batteries, as sometimes the gyros will struggle to keep balance as the batteries become depleted.

humanoido

[stamanol offline]

You wouldnt believe it but when the isobot was fully aligned (done in alignment posture) it made those weird servo sounds and when lying down it could never stand up and kept falling on its face. However when misaligning the knees and the hips while its standing waiting for a command then the sounds only keep for 2-3 seconds and then disappear as it has found its balancing point. Moreover it always gets up when lying down!
So a misaligned isobot functions much better than a perfectly aligned one. Weird huh?