Professional Installation Guide: More than just a Robot Mower User Manual!

Regular readers will remember my post on Paradise Robotics, a while back. Now, they have released a new edition of their installation guide for the mowers that they stock - namely Ambrogio and LawnBott models from Zucchetti Centri Sistemi (ZCS).

Written by Kathy Moseler, and first published in 2011, it covers pretty much all the Ambrogio, LawnBott and other ZCS mowers that have been on the market since the early 2000s.

Due to this extensive coverage, it also serves as an excellent getting started guide for anyone interested in buying a robotic lawn mower. In fact, it would be a great accompaniment to any of the manufacturer's official robot mower user manual.

For example, because Ambrogio has followed trends in robot lawn mower design, it discusses models with and without return wires (known as Follow Wire, or On Wire) in a section entitled "Base Return Methods".

The guide has both diagrams (annotated examples from various user guides) as well as photos of real-life gardens, helping to solve the various boundary wire design challenges that lawn mower owners will face.

Given that most mowers have the same basic requirements (except those with GPS), the section covering the installation of a boundary wire would be useful to everyone, and well worth the £20 price tag.

For those who can't afford, or can't find Ambrogio lawn mowers, it also helps to build a picture of the kind of mower that you need -- some of the advanced features of the mowers such as the ability to cross asphalt paths are also covered. In conjunction with our own free Buyer's Guide FAQ, a comprehensive question and answer session can be conducted in-store to make sure you get the most appropriate model.

Not to forget, of course, that online deals can quite often yield huge savings; but as always, it's better to enter into a large online purchase from a reputable store armed wit the right information. Paradise Robotic's "Professional Installation Guide" for robot lawn mowers would make a great starting point!

Robot Mowing in Paradise

Recently, I received a request from Paradise Robotics' owner to mention Ambrogio (formerly LawnBott) mowers on the blog. You'll find them listed on the Robotic Lawn Mower Brand and Model Page, but they definitely deserve a closer look in the future.

Being of a curious nature, I also decided to check out Paradise Robotics and uncovered a treasure trove of listings relate to all kinds of robotic products. They have stuff for hobbyists who like to build their own robots, and products for doing everything from cutting grass to cleaning pools.

One thing that the Paradise Robotics site has is a comprehensive set of LawnBott / Ambrogio mower upgrade guides, ideas, and products.

What I found especially interesting was the software update guide for older LawnBotts, giving users access to features that were built into mowers up to 2009, not to mention an expensive - but probably worth it - upgrade package to take your LawnBott and give it a complete overhaul.

They'll change motors, bump sensors, fit better wheels, replace the chassis and probably even do a software upgrade if they can!

Regular readers will know that of the various things that can go wrong, wheels and bump sensors are the two things I've had to replace, so I'd encourage you to at least consider using such a service.

For those of you who have yet to take the plunge, then check out the Buyer's Guide FAQ for help on deciding if a robot mower is right for you, and how to choose the best one!