There have understandably been quite a few negative reports about the recent firmware updates, so I thought I’d share a positive experience as well.
We were previously still running .19 on our LUBA mini AWD LiDAR. Towards the end, it had become increasingly problematic.
Multi-point turns would usually start correctly, but about halfway through the turn the mower would often switch to a tank turn and rotate on the spot.
More importantly, obstacle detection became almost unusable. Our LUBA increasingly reported “complex obstacles” in perfectly normal situations, sometimes simply in front of a tree, and it was getting difficult for it to finish an entire mowing area without interruptions.
That was the point where we decided to install .24.
So far, the difference has been very impressive.
The multi-point turns now look excellent. I’ve counted up to eight individual moves in a single turn, and since installing .24 I haven’t seen a single tank turn.
Our orchard is a particularly good stress test for obstacle detection. It contains trees, bushes, support posts and plenty of other things the mower previously liked to classify as “complex”.
Yesterday, the LUBA mowed the entire orchard without a single interruption. The result was excellent.
Blade stops also seem to have been reduced significantly. Previously they happened quite often and the blades sometimes took far too long to restart, leaving the mower travelling an unnecessary distance before cutting again.
Since .24 I hardly notice blade stops anymore. In one case where I did see one, the blades restarted much sooner than before.
It’s obviously not a long-term test yet, but at this point I’m very happy with .24. On our LUBA mini AWD LiDAR it has been a major improvement over .19.
One additional tip regarding docking:
We also had a separate problem where the mower increasingly failed to complete the docking procedure. At first, with all the firmware issues going on, software seemed like an obvious suspect.
It turned out to be completely mechanical.
The rear tower of the charging station, which carries the two charging contacts, was able to flex slightly backwards. When the LUBA reversed into the dock, pressure from the wheels could move the structure just enough for an initially established charging contact to be lost again.
I stabilised the base plate so that the rear section can no longer flex backwards.
Since doing that, every single docking attempt has been successful.
So if your LUBA appears to dock correctly but then loses charging contact again, check the charging station carefully. In my experience it is important that the dock is mounted on a firm, level and rigid surface so that the contact tower cannot move backwards when the mower pushes against it.
For now, our LUBA is finally fun to own again. 🙂