iRobot 500 User Manual

500 Series

www.irobot.com

Dear iRobot Roomba owner,

Welcome to the world of iRobot! As an owner of an iRobot
Roomba Vacuum Cleaning Robot, you join a world-wide
community of people who enjoy more free time. Roomba cleans
routinely, so you don’t have to. Now you can spend your time on
more enjoyable and important tasks.

The Roomba 500 series is the 5th generation of our award­winning iRobot Roomba Vacuum Cleaning Robot. In developing
this newest version, we incorporated feedback and suggestions
from Roomba owners across the globe to make this robot more
efficient and easier to use than its predecessors.

• Many advancements are made to our products based on
suggestions and feedback from home robot owners like you.
To share your feedback, stories or ask questions about your
new home robot, please visit our Service and Support site at
www.irobot.com.

• We encourage you to register your robot, either online or by
mail. As a registered home robot owner, you’ll receive information
and updates personalized to your robot and you can save helpful
tips and product information in your account. To register online,
go to www.irobot.com.

Thank you for joining the iRobot community. We look forward
to your valued input as we continue to deliver groundbreaking
products to change and improve your world.

On behalf of the entire iRobot team,

Colin Angle
Co-Founder and CEO
iRobot Corporation

4 iRobot Roomba 500 Series

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Important Tips

Before you use Roomba the

first time, you need to activate
Roomba by removing the battery
pull tab.

Remove battery tab

Turning Roomba on and off

•Roomba does not have a power button.

•To turn Roomba ON, press CLEAN once.

•To start a cleaning cycle, press CLEAN again. Roomba will start a
cleaning cycle.

•To pause Roomba, press CLEAN while Roomba is cleaning.

•To turn Roomba OFF, press and hold the CLEAN button until
Roomba’s lights turn OFF.

For Best Performance

•Roomba® is very effective at picking up hair. Remove and clean
Roomba’s brushes after every 3 uses.

•Empty Roomba’s bin and clean its filter after every 3 uses.

•Use the Virtual Walls® or Virtual Wall® Lighthouses ™ to keep
Roomba cleaning where you want it.

Battery Life

•To extend the battery life, iRobot recommends always storing Roomba
plugged in.

Voice Demonstration

•Roomba® features a voice demonstration to walk you through
using Roomba.

•To start the voice demonstration, push and hold the DOCK/
DEMO button.

•To abort the voice demonstration, press and hold the CLEAN button
until the robot shuts down.

Table of Contents

Anatomy ..................................................................... 6

Cleaning Pattern .......................................................... 7

Cleaning System ......................................................... 8

Cleaning Modes .......................................................... 9

Battery Storage and Charging ............................... 10 - 11

Virtual Walls® ............................................................. 12

Virtual Wall® Lighthouses™ ................................. 13 -- 15

Scheduling Roomba ............................................ 16 -- 17

Home Base® .............................................................. 18

Wireless Command Center ........................................... 19

Maintenance ............................................................... 20

Replaceable Modules .................................................. 21

Troubleshooting .................................................. 22 -- 23

iRobot Customer Care ................................................. 24

Important Safety Instructions ....................................... 25

Roomba contains electronic parts. Do NOT submerge Roomba or spray it

with water. Clean with a dry cloth only.

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iRobot Roomba Anatomy Cleaning Pattern

Roomba is a robot that cleans differently than the way most people clean

Virtual Wall
Sensor

Handle

Bin Release

Buttons and Lights

Buttons and Lights

Battery Charger
Socket

(Models 510 - 545) (Models 550 and above)

their floors. Roomba uses its robot intelligence to efficiently clean the whole
floor, under and around furniture and along walls.

Roomba calculates the optimal cleaning path as it cleans and determines
when to use its various cleaning behaviors:

Spiraling: Roomba uses

a spiral motion to clean a
concentrated area.

Wall Following: Roomba
uses this technique to clean
the full perimeter of the
room and navigate around
furniture and obstacles.

Spot

Cleaning

Button

Bottom View

Cliff Sensor

Openings

Edge-Cleaning

Side Brush

Replaceable

Squeegee

Dock/Demo

Button

Dirt Detect™

Clean/Power
Button

Contact
Points for
Home Base

Removable
Caster Wheel

Dirt Detect
Sensor

Scheduling
interface

Flexible

Brush

Main

Brush

Brush
Guard

Brush Guard Release Tabs

(yellow)

Brush
Bearings

Brush

Caps

Room Crossing: Roomba
criss-crosses the room
to ensure full cleaning
coverage.

Dirt Detection: When
Roomba senses dirt, the
blue Dirt Detect™ light is lit
and Roomba cleans more
intensely in that area.

Cleaning Modes: While cleaning, Roomba automatically calculates the room
size and adjusts its cleaning time appropriately.

Spot Mode: Roomba will spiral approximately 3 feet in diameter and then
spiral back to where it started, intensely cleaning a localized area.

TIP: Roomba takes approximately 45 minutes to clean an average room and

will pass over the same area of the floor multiple times to ensure total
floor coverage.

TIP: For fastest cleaning and best performance, clear your floor of clutter and

use a Virtual Wall to confine Roomba to one room.

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Cleaning System

Roomba features a patented 3-stage cleaning system.

Filter

Side brush sweeps

1

along edge of walls
and into corners.

Two counter-

2

rotating brushes
scoop up dirt,
hair and debris
into the bin.

Floor Surfaces

Roomba works on wood, carpet, tile, vinyl and linoleum, and will automatically
adjust to different floor types.

Powerful vacuum picks up the

3

remaining fine particles, dirt, and
hair. The filter traps dust and
small particles.

Cleaning Modes

Roomba will clean based on the cleaning mode you select. Roomba has three
cleaning modes.

Clean Mode (all models)

Roomba automatically calculates the room size and adjusts its cleaning time
appropriately.

Spot Mode (all models)

Roomba will spiral approximately 3 feet in diameter and then spiral back to
where it started, intensely cleaning a localized area.

Scheduled Cleaning Mode (Models 550 and above)

When a cleaning time is programmed, Roomba enters scheduled cleaning
mode. When Roomba is scheduled to clean, it will occasionally flash its next
scheduled cleaning time to indicate it is scheduled. At the specified time,
Roobma leaves its Home Base, cleans, and then returns to the Home Base to
recharge when its done.

TIP: When using Roomba With Virtual Wall Lighthouses, Roomba will clean

for approximately 35 minutes per room.