[stavros]

I used Valetudo on my early Roborock model and it worked great for many years. Unfortunately, the battery gave out and it's somehow DRMed, so even though everything else works fine, the vacuum refuses to work because it doesn't like the new battery.

It's the worst kind of e-waste, it's only waste because someone decided I should buy a whole new vacuum when the battery dies, but Valetudo is otherwise good. Just never try to look for support at all.

[meindnoch]

Did you look inside the old battery? It may well be just a bunch of 18650 cells with some electronics in a plastic case. Just desolder the old cells and solder on new ones.

I did the same for my wife's cordless vacuum, and it works better than new, because the new cells are about 2x the capacity of the originals.

[Epskampie]

This is only good advice if you're good at soldering and know details about cells like which ones have in-built protection.

Otherwise you're just creating a fire hazard.

[stavros]

Luckily, I do happen to know that stuff, so I used the existing board with brand new 18650 cells. Unfortunately, the board seemed to brick itself when it lost power, so the vacuum kept complaining the battery wasn't kosher.

[meindnoch]

>This is only good advice if you're good at soldering

I meant soldering onto the pre-welded tabs that come with the new cell (unless you have a spot welder). You don't need much soldering experience for that.

>and know details about cells like which ones have in-built protection.

It's highly unlikely that the individual cells would be protected ones. Manufacturers are not stupid to pay N times the cost of a management circuit.

[Bayart]

I don't think you'll ever find a battery pack using cells with integrated low-voltage protection, if that's what you're referring to. All that stuff is managed by the BMS. What you should be on the look-out for is the cell's operating range, continuous and max power. Personally I use buy VT6's in bulk and never think about any of that.

[miniwark]

Lets go with the usual reminder: de-soldering / soldering Li-ion cells can be super dangerous. With a bit too much of heat it can fire or even explode...

[meindnoch]

Hobbyists should buy cells with pre-welded tabs. You solder onto the tabs, not the cell terminals.

[cogman10]

It doesn't quite explode. Instead it shoots out a super hot flame that is nearly impossible to put out.

Imagine having a blowtouch that you can't extinguish or touch which is likely rolling around.

[ssl-3]

That sounds exactly like one of the kinds of deflagration (aka low-speed explosion) that seems worthwhile to discourage people from invoking.

"Hey, the worst case is that you get jets of super-hot flames that are impossible to extinguish!"

[stavros]

Don't solder lithium cells, even if it goes well you'll ruin them. You need a spot welder.

[stavros]

I did. Still, DRM.

[djmips]

DRM feels like conjecture. You admitted to working on it, it's also possible you broke it / didn't hook it up correctly?

[stavros]

Maybe, but I also know how to measure voltages, and everything was fine.

[ssl-3]

Except, I guess: It didn't work, so it wasn't fine.

[stavros]

I mean, if you want to think I broke it, you're free to. The fact remains that my battery connections were correct, the voltages were right, but the vacuum didn't work with either the battery I made or the new one I bought.

[KeplerBoy]

Oh boy the creator of valetudo sure has an abrasive writing style. Whatever works for him, I guess.

[ghostpepper]

It's too bad because it's such a great project otherwise. He puts a ton of free labour into the system and I'm sure he's dealt with some entitled users but it's really a huge reason I don't recommend it to more people. Actively telling people they must learn to solder and making the only support channel on telegram are two big turn-offs for a lot of people.

This is absolutely his right and perhaps his intention to keep the project small, but in that case I wish there was another alternative vacuum firmware project.

[gspr]

This stuff should flat-out be illegal.

[stavros]

I think it now is, in the EU. Still trying to figure out whether I can salvage this vacuum...

[batisteo]

Please blog about it if you can, success or not!Also, I hope John Deer won't succeed with their attacks on the Right to Repair in US nor EU