132

Anyone using a FOSS-friendly robot vacuum? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 5 days ago by Shatur@lemmy.ml to c/opensource@lemmy.ml

21 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm considering buying a robot vacuum cleaner, but I'm not a fan of the idea that it would scan my apartment and send data to the cloud.

I came across the Valetudo project, and it looks promising. It doesn’t replace the firmware - just replaces the cloud connection with local automation systems instead. Has anyone here used it? Or are you using something else for local control? I'd love to hear your experience 🙂

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] isolatedscotch@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 5 days ago

wasnt the whole point to be able to solder one yourself?

[-] sxan@midwest.social 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

~~solder one~~ destroy a PCB yourself

FTFY.

In my hands, a soldering iron is not a finely tuned instrument, it's a hand grenade. The US government classifies me with a soldering iron as a WMD. Physicists are trying to determine commercial applications for my ability to instantly coat a PCB in a layer of solder with a single drop. The ATF added a special rule requiring a background check for me to purchase a soldering iron.

I can paint eyelashes on D&D miniatures, but I bear some ancient curse when it comes to solder. In all seriousness, I've literally destroyed hundreds of dollars of equipment attempting the most simple soldering task; it's cheaper for me to find someone competent selling already soldered solutions than to ruin them myself. I no longer try.

[-] isolatedscotch@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 days ago

Damn, made me chuckle

Anyways, going by

, i have had multiple people (2, which is not a lot but it's weird it happened more then once) say that they couldnt solder just to discover that they were using their soldering iron wrong.

When you press the solder against the iron's tip, it should get wicked by the tip, and remain there until you press it on some wire/component leads.

If the solder beads up and slips away from the iron, or beads up and forms a blob at the end of the solder wire, it's oxidised and you probably need to get a new tip. It needs to be shiny and metallic.

The tip needs to be regularely cleaned while soldering by brushing it on a wet sponge, and never let the iron cool down without some solder on the tip to prevent oxidation.

also, FLUX FLUX FLUX

[-] Lemmchen@feddit.org 6 points 5 days ago

You can if you have the parts (and the skills). I've just recently learned that technically you don't even need the PCB and can use a USB UART directly on the vacuum's pins.
However, I don't plan to become part of a community where the only place to discuss issues is a centralized walled garden which I got banned from and I can't recommend anyone else does either.

[-] relaymoth@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

Do you have a link to any docs showing this? I've been looking at supported vacs but want to avoid the pcbs if at all possible.

[-] Lemmchen@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago

https://valetudo.cloud/pages/installation/dreame.html

Click on "If you know what you're doing, here's the relevant pinout for you (click me)" and you'll see the pinout. Keep in mind:

If you don't know what you're doing and start bothering the support chat with questions on what to do with this pinout, I will send you pictures of sad kittens. You have been warned.