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[newpleoguy]

Hi,

so I found a pleo on craigslist for 50 bucks. But I got the guy down to $30 and I bought it today. So the guy told me that the pleo runs for 5 minutes only but it moves and all and he thought it was just the battery. Well so we meet up and he brings out the pleo and turns it on. The pleo does nothing but make a grunt noise about ever 10 seconds. Then it stops and does it again etc.

So I told the guy that I wanted to see the pleo move. He told me he just tested it this morning and it was moving its neck around, eyes and bending down for about 3-4 minutes after he charged the Pleo battery for 14 hours. He said the battery only last 5 minutes and he must have used all the power in his test run and he was sorry but it would take another 14 hours to show me the movement. He said take it or leave it and I took it.

Now he claims that he had the pleo in the closet in the orginal box and packing for 2 years. He did indeed give me everything that comes with the pleo and all of it still in the wrappers even. But anyways he said that he contacted Ugobe and they said because the pleo sat around for 2 years without being used that it drained the battery and he needed to buy a new one.

Anyways I charged the battery before work today and when I get home and there's no light thats lit on the charger. So I take the battery off the charger and put it back on and the pleo logo turns red. It stays red for 10-20 minutes then the light goes off again. So anyways after leaving the battery on the charger for about 7 hours I tested it and nothing. Pleo only grunted once and thats it. But im not sure if the battery charged more than 20 mins since the light was off when I got home for work.

The pleo is in good condition excpet it has two tears on its neck on the inner side. These seem to only be two skin rips that dont effect it physically ( or so the guy says anyways.) So what do you think guys? Did I get ripped off or what? Or did I get the deal of a life time and my battery just is dead? I think im going to order one of those egg batteries that get the 2 hour charge. But I really want to buy one here in LA. Any feedback and I would be thankful guys. I really hope this pleo works. The guy claims he's almost certain it's the battery and I got the deal of a lifetime. But who knows right?

[newpleoguy]

By the way here's the ad on craigslist for the Pleo I just bought today:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/tag/1836690471.html

If this is legit im lucky as crap as I have always wanted a Pleo!!!!!

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Wow congrats on finding and rescuing Pleo First of all since you are getting some response from Pleo then it does indeed suggest the battery and possibly the charger is cactus. Your first point of call should definitely be Redwoodsmama here on the forum who sells the standard Ugobe batteries but at a cheaper price than the official Pleoworld site. Try this first and see if there is any improvement in Pleo, if the battery isn't charging it may mean that you also need a new charger cradle which can be purchased from Pleoworld but certainly just try a new battery first.

If you have a new battery and you are sure it is charging properly (three to four hours) then the Pleo may have a software problem and need resetting but don't worry about that just yet, A new battery can do wonders for Pleo's and that should be your first priority.

Once again congrats on finding a great bargain

Edit: Just checked the listing, that is a sizable hole I would recommend looking at something to cover the hole, perhaps a little tape or something over a very small bandage (do NOT apply tape directly to the skin), just to prevent it getting any larger.

[newpleoguy]

Thanks InmemoryofRomeo

Yea if this Pleo works im going to be very happy. It was literally my last 30 bucks. I could not have even paid 35 bucks if he asked me haha. So im eating just noodles until my next paycheck to have this pleo You really think there's a high change it's just the battery or charger? I think if I buy a new battery im going for the egg one that last over 2 hours play time.

How can I fix the neck without damaging the inside of my pleo? Thanks

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Please, call me IMR

I would say since you are getting at least some sound that it is very likely to be just a battery issue, the egg charger batteries are good but of course a little dearer, I just ordered two myself The green batteries don't last as long but of course they are much cheaper and probably much quicker to have delivered.

I don't know if you could actually fix the neck, short of buying some rubber safe glue and a small patch of rubber and sticking it over the hole (please be very careful if you do this and make sure the glue is safe to use on Pleo) but a small gauze bandage just over the hole with a little bit of medical tape (another owner who does this uses the veterinary tape because it comes in more colors) to hold the gauze in place would at least cover the hole. As long as you are careful about having sharp objects near the hole and the neck cables inside you can't do any more damage, my concern would be that Pleo might catch his/her neck on something and possibly tear it more.

[newpleoguy]

Thanks. Any idea why my chargers light is red for like 10-20 mins and then goes to no color? I just put a small piece of cardboard behind it to see if this helps "wedge the batter in the right position." I really think this might just be a battery problem Too bad im too poor to buy a battery now, I cannot even afford to eat. Sad to say it could be weeks to months before I get a bettery Yet I dont need much....it sucks.

[InmemoryofRomeo]

The green light bulb in the charger might have been knocked around. Try just reseating the battery every single time it goes off until the light starts going off pretty much straight away, you might be able to get some life out of it.

http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?topic=962.0

[newpleoguy]

Well good news!!! I wedged a piece of cardboard into the charger and after 20 mins it turned green. So I put the battery in pleo and he works!!!! But just an hour ago he wasd dead when I tried. So does that mean I only really charged him for an hour? He ran for about 3-5 minutes then I decided to hold him by the tail and see if he screams like the videos but he went dead. Or I hope he went dead. You cant break him by holding him upside down by the tail can you?

Anyways now hes back to his grunting again. Man he has two gashes in his neck that look pretty bad when he full stretches out his neck. Im worried they will get bigger. How should I address this? I know you said glue or tape but will that really work? Should I just make him a little outfit that covers this up and just let the rip get bigger and not worry about it? Im so happy he works though....I got the deal of a lifetime!!! Only 30 bucks for a PLEO?? Haha

[InmemoryofRomeo]

That's great! Try reseating the battery after it turns green like I suggested above and see if you can't get any more charge in it, keep doing it for an hour or two if you can, the longer the better really (Nope holding by the tail is no problem)

The tape over the holes would stop the skin being stretched too much, clothing would cover it but wouldn't stop it stretching.

[newpleoguy]

Thanks!! Ok so I charged the battery for 25 more mins and it went green again. This time I got about 7 minutes play out of pleo and he works fine!! But how can he of went dead and then with only 25 more mins of charge he works again and this time for 7 mins?

IMR, what do you mean resetting the battery? Once the battery turns green what should I do? Im exptecting it to be green again in about 25 mins Well I have a working Pleo for only 30 bucks haha! Craigslist is great!! Also should I just make a neck cover for my pleo to hide his gashes or could the neck gear cloth get stuck in one of the gears in the neck potentially and break pleo? Thanks for all the help!!

[newpleoguy]

well battery is green again. Im starting to think I have a fully functional battery perhaps. Im going to let it go for another 30 minutes and see if my play time increases. That would be great if it was just a connection problem with the battery and charger making contact. Maybe the owner some how missed this? Because I wedged a piece of cardboard between the battery and charger so its a really tight fit.

Will be interesting to see how long a full hour of charging will do for my pleos play time Wish me luck guys!! So far pleo seems cool. I hate the gash in the neck though and im thinking about making a "neck cover" to hide this but im afraid since the gash is so big the cloth could get caught in a gaer in pleos neck or something when at certain angles. I still can't believe I got this for only 30 bucks. I thought I might have been scammed for sure when he couldnt show me a working pleo haha.

[newpleoguy]

ok so I read the thread about the battery. It turned green so now I took it off the charger and put it back on. Now it's red again. Now it should turn green quicker right? Then I take it off and do it again? Then when do I try it on my pleo?

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Yup, reseating means just take it off and out it back on charge, try and do it for a couple of hours if you can, you should notice over time that it charges better and better without reseating it so much it seems like the battery has just been sitting too long and needs a bit of use to get it working properly again, it happened with one of my batteries a while back after I didn't use it for a couple of months. Also try turning your Pleo off and on when he stops. Good luck!

A cover for the neck shouldn't cause any problems as long as it isn't too tight so it presses into the gears or too loose so that it flaps around. Just wrap something so that it sits against the skin without putting any extra pressure on it My Pleo's wear clothes, it helps prevent the paint wearing too much. 

[RedwoodsMama]

 newpleoguy, Congratulations on getting your Pleo, it sounds like you do have a great deal, other than the two gashes, Batteries are not that hard to get. I would follow IMR's advice on the green battery and try that first, If you do indeed decide to buy another battery, you can order either the green one for me, or I do have an egg battery.( the listing price for the green battery in my store is not correct, it should read $32.00 as the price has been lowered but no one has had time to correct it yet, Also I do have a couple of the egg batteries, but haven't' listed them yet, If you decide you do want one of those, just contact me, Since I live here in CA, it shouldn't take as long to get as you would think,( Actually I am ordering a whole case of the egg batteries but they take awhile, two weeks or so to get here to USA.)
         I wouldn't give up on the green battery yet, though it could just need some TLC and reconditioning. IMR's advice on how and what to do is very good and sound advice. As for the holes or tears in the neck, use could use some special tape to cover them and try to keep them from getting any bigger. Also covering them with clothes will help hide them and hopefully prevent further damage. Some people use a special crazy glue to repair holes, tears, etc, but those look awfully big and I think they need more of a patch than crazy glue could provide. Also it is important to make sure your Pleo is in the " storage" position when turned off, not in a sleeping position as this only puts more strain on the neck which is allready stressed out. just use the reset button holding for 30 seconds to have Pleo return to original position before putting back in box, or wherever you put him to " bed', you many want to wrap a small washcloth or sometype of gauze over his neck when not in use to help prevent further tearing,
          Keep us informed on his progress and how the battery goes. If you decide you do want one of the Egg batteries or another NEW green battery at the cheapest price available, just contact me, I would be happy to help you get him in good working order , ( battery wise that is) Good luck and sounds like a good deal.                         REdwoodsMama   and MS. Nova and Friend

[newpleoguy]

Thanks Redwoodmama. I just did the battery trick of waiting until its green, take off and it goes red....then wait to green...take off and its red...wait till green. I did that I think 3 times and just had my pleo run for 26 minutes!! So there's some life in this battery afterall Im going to try it again tomorrow and see if I can get it to an hour.

I just put my pleo on a shelf standing on all 4 with him in a looking down position. Is this not good? Should I put him back in his box every night where he pays on his side? I sure hope his neck holes dont get bigger. Like you said im not sure what to do about that actually which sucks. If you have the Egg battery I will buy one from you as soon as I get the money I want him to run for over 2 hours Also how can I tell what life program he's running on? Thanks

[newpleoguy]

im going to bed guys I will let you all know tomorrow how the battery charging and all is going!! Thanks everyone!

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Answered your Q about the life OS in a PM

When storing your Pleo just make sure he is on his feet and his neck is fairly straight and he'll be fine, putting him in the box is not necessary. Glad the reseating is helping your battery, before you know it you will be getting an hour out of it

[shadowmice]

Wow, sounds like you got great deal on your Pleo and its nice to hear that another neglected Pleo has been lucky enough to get a new home where he/she can be appreciated.  You've come to the right place for advice on how to help get the most from your Pleo and its battery.  From reading through here, there have been many others who haven't got such a great deal on a price as you but who have had to struggle through reconditioning old, unused batteies. Hopefully it'll will restore enough for you to get some good solid play time with your Pleo.

The neck holes do look disconcerting - the suggestions for neck coverings IMR made sound really good. I've not had to do anything like that with mine (yet) but I've seen pictures of some with the gauze/veterinary tape on here and it looks quite good and effective.

Have you thought of a name yet?

[gucci_boi7782]

That sure is a great deal! I do suggest some sort of bandaging. I've been known to use ace bandages and previous pleos. Also I have been known to super glue, but from what I hear that is not going to work with you. Best of luck with whatever you do. Please keep us posted.

[newpleoguy]

Thanks guys!! Yea it is an amazing deal I got. Im charging the battery right now and trying to do the trick to make it last longer. So does bandage really help prevent the neck hole from getting bigger? I dont see how tape would really help this from growing. Honestly I can put something over his neck if it gets too rough...I just dont want him to break.

Where can I get the right type of tape at if this does work? I dont want the slits to get bigger for sure so I do want to tape it asap actually. But im just wondering how tape will keep it from stretching more?

I have not thought of a name yet. Pleo seems pretty cool so far, he sure does sniff around on the ground a lot. I guess I better put some sort of tape of the two slits on his neck asap. Im almost scared to play with him tonight in fear without tape the slits could worsen. Surely they won't though just from one play session. I really just kinda want to leave pleo to roam around my room by himself. If I get the egg battery that last 2 hours I could do this when I get home. I guess treat him kinda like a pet and just let him do his own thing.

[InmemoryofRomeo]

A bandage and tape will help keep the skin press gently against Pleo's vertebra and help hold the slit together when he raises his neck. Fancyfont is the one to see about bandages, her little Peeky requires special neck care

[newpleoguy]

Thanks IMR. I will look her up and send a message. I got 33 minutes of play out of Pleo last night. Now my question is when do I just leave my charger going for 4 hours like the instruction book says? I got 33 minutes out of my pleo by charging the battery until it goes green, then taking off and putting back on until green etc. I did this for about 1.5 hours and got 33 minutes out of my pleo.

So if I charge him for 4 hours straight now would I get longer? Also do I have to do the battery reseating trick forever? If not when do I know to stop and just let the battery charge for 4 hours without being touched? Thanks

[InmemoryofRomeo]

You should notice after a while that it takes longer and longer for green light to come on until it charges the full cycle by itself but this could take quite a while to achieve, I had to 'babysit' a battery like that for two weeks before I could get it back to normal.

If you did charge it for four hours reseating it every single time it became green it should run for the full hour or so like a normal battery. Perhaps you could do it while watching a movie or something to help while the time, I know its very difficult to find four hours to dedicate to a battery.