Robovac 11 sweeping brush

Great job you did,.
Many thanks to you! :heart_eyes:

These two vacuums are Not the same, they may seem similar but are different. Not sure if parts will interchange due to the differences
The Eufy RoboVac 11 is a little bit wider than the ILIFE A4. Eufy’s robot vacuum measures 13 inches in diameter while the ILIFE A4 is only 12.2 inches.
ILIFE is also 0.84 lbs. lighter than the RoboVac 11. However, the Eufy RoboVac 11 cleans more efficiently than the ILIFE A4 and it has a bigger dustbin capacity. The RoboVac 11 can clean even heavy soiling, while the ILIFE A4 struggles with it.
Source: Here

This is a great thread, I think I have the same issue with mine.

Before I start on the great dismantling, any tips on taking Malkin apart (everyone seems to have a name for their robovac)? I saw one video online for an iLife robovac and that looked rather complex. I’m hoping the main screws on the back are all that’s needed to get at the motor

Thanks

Do not hesitate to take a screwdriver.
If human “medici” would never have tried to open the human body
where our medical science would have stuck into!
Go on and let us know what you are detecting.

We are here, we are ready to help. :grin:

Mine here is little “Willi”. :joy:
Very busy since about 3/4 year, no issues as far.

Thanks for the words of encouragement… today I successfully dismantled and reassembled the robovac. Its actually easier than I expected, and I did manage to clean lots of dust out in the process. I haven’t fixed the issue yet, I was hoping it might not be the motor but it does seem that’s the issue. I have one on order from China and it should be here in a few weeks.

To help anyone else with the process, here’s a rough set of instructions

  1. Start by removing the rotating brush, dust catcher
    and the yellow rotating brushes. At this point I popped out the roller ball at the front and removed all the fur around this

  2. Unscrew battery cover and remove battery

  3. Unscrew the 6 small screws at the bottom of the bumper. This allows you to lift off the bottom of the bumper

  4. Pull the bumper away from the robovac slightly. There is a wiring attachment which can be removed with your fingers


  5. The rest of the bumper can now come out easily enough

  6. Unscrew the recessed screws holding the bottom / top together. There are 8 of these including the two just outside the wheels, plus a 9th screw just inside the left wheel as you look at it now

  7. There are two small pieces of rubber glued to the outside of the body by the wheels. I peeled these off and didn’t put them on when reassembling

  8. How the bottom can be gently lifted off and turned over. You can see the motor assembly on the right side. One screw and a wiring attachment hold this together - remove them and you’re ready to follow the instructions above

Have fun

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Great!
I love to see “real tinkers” at work. :grin:
I am one of the same.
NEVER give up.
Throwing away an item without any research is stupid.
Keep us informed if you succeeded to swap the motor.

This is a very interesting post. Thanks to all who have contributed so far. My robovac recently developed a similar fault (a few weeks out of warranty). So I am looking at doing this repair.

I managed to get the gear off mine fairly easily. I used a pair of crocodile nose pliers. I managed to get the thin end between the gear and the motor housing and with some wiggling and pushing with leverage managed to get the gear off in just a few minutes. No noticeable damage to the gear either.

Was thinking of replacing the wheel motors as well. Are these the same ones?

Fine you was sufficient.

What you could do:
Add some photos of the steps the repairs you made.
Pictures are always helpful and more worth than 1000 words.

There was a buddy who found such a motor at ebay or amazon.
Check the messages above. :wink:

EDIT: I tried this motor and it didn’t work so please don’t order this one :slight_smile: I have now ordered the one that jo.thorns posted earlier in the thread. So hopefully that one will work!

OK Now I haven’t actually tried this motor but the gear on it looks very similar (from the photos at least!)

This one also looks promising

Those tiny gears can be removed from the axis as well, if not fitting
and be replaced by a fitting one.

But you need a special tool: small puller (dict says “puller” :wink:)
And before pulling you should heat up the gear.
Same when mounting the spare gear.

Why replace a motor that is working ? Leave it. Replace it when broken.

Hi George, any updates with the motor you ordered? i have the same issue!

What is everyones thoughts on this motor?

https://www.robotshop.com/en/neato-xv-wheel-motor.html#reviewBox

Havn’t read the whole thread, but if you are interested in my constructive critics about the current brushes iof the RoboVacs, read and see pictures here:

Im going to try this motor. AUTOTOOLHOME 6-12V Mini DC Motor High Torque Gear for Traxxas R/C and Power Wheels PCB DIY Electric Drill https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M58POHF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lYX.Cb76BDQ4M

1 Like

Buy it, change it and don’t forget to tell us your experiences please.

Arrives tomorrow

If you do the dismantling you could write a short instruction. And you may add some photos please.

It worked perfectly.
Might be a little faster than the original.


Getting the gear on is easy, hold it with pliers, heat with torch for a few seconds, slide onto shaft. Cools and shrinks to a tight fit.

The only issue I had was the motor shaft was about 2mm long.

Had to drill out a little bit of the cover to make room.
Dont solder it backwards the motor is polarized, mine was running the brush backwards. Had to take it apart again and flip the circuit board around. The wires should look like this when wired correctly.

3 Likes

Super!
I like this kind of repairs so much.
Gives a lot of self confidence and contentment.

Great job, great photos.
Will be very helpful for us all.
Thank you again.

1 Like