Topic: Pleo rb problems and solutions (Read 18952 times)

kat · « **on:** December 17, 2010, 07:14:47 AM »

Now that we are seeing more pleo rb's showing up on the forum I think it is time to share with you all the problems I have experienced with my Kermit and Kermy,Pleo rb's. I hope that this will be helpful to any of you who may experience similar issues and be looking for a solution. It seems that many things I first thought were problems were just a pleo rb thing or were easily solved. So just remember don't panic!

If any of you with Pleo rbs have experienced problems than feel free to share and if anyone has suggestions or solutions then we would love to hear them.
I hope this is helpful.
I do hope by posting this I don't frighten off any potential pleo rb owners as this is not my intention. I only mean for this to be a helpful thread. I love my Kermy very much and would not give her up for the world. Also I have ordered a second rb even after all my issues so don't be deterred. Pleo rb is worth it.

Problems I had:
Paint loss - Kermit lost paint off her back in the first two battery cycles, while she was hatching.

More details...

So far Kermy has only lost a little paint off her tail where she rubs it against the ground sometimes. Both Kermit and Kermy lost paint off their toenails very quickly from walking around.
This can be easily prevented by only stroking your pleo rb with your finger tips gently. Also I recommend you use pledge furniture polish (suggested in the pleo rb user guide) on your pleo rb before you first turn him/her on to hatch and then about once a week after that. Also clothes are a good idea to help with this. I have not had any luck preventing the wearing off of the toenail paint. I have had much less paint wear on Kermy by using the pledge and stroking her more carefully.

Paint splitting - Kermy has 3 spots on the left side of her neck in the dark pink stripes where the paint has split.

More details...

I think this has occurred because of the sleep position she goes into when she switches off. The right side of her neck is stretched and the left is bunched up. I think being like this over night is making the paint less able to flex properly with the skin and so when she is switched back on the paint has split.
Maybe an OS upgrade will be made to make pleo rb go into the packing position when you switch it off which might help prevent this problem. Currently ther is no solution to this so we will just have to wait and see.

The "noon" clock battery problem. If you don't have the "noon" battery installed into your pleo rb's foot, or you install it upside down or it is flat then your pleo will not work. It will switch on, go into a standing position and freeze and beep every few seconds. If this happens you just need to replace or reinstall the "noon" battery and then your pleo rb should work normally.
If your pleo rb is switching it's self off after 5mins of play or less then you may need to set/reset the "noon" time for pleo. Your pleo will not play if it thinks it is the middle of the night.
You do this by using a paperclip to press the button, a small pin sized hole on the bottom of the pleos foot, next to the battery cover. You need to press this button at the time of day you want your pleo to be most active. Pleo rb will then think that this time is noon and will play happily. Pleo rb's get tired and grumpy the closer it gets to their night time and they become less responsive and less willing to play.

On Off button and Mute issues. Kermy seems to have a dodgy on off button. It often takes 3 or 4 presses of the button before she will turn off and I usually have to hold it down for about 10 seconds to get it to work. This button is also used to control pleos volume and make him/her go mute. Sometimes Kermy will just go mute without pressing the button and I will have to switch her off and back on again to fix it. And of course when I want to get her to mute she just switches off. This may be a software problem that can be fixed with an upgrade to the OS as it seems Pleakly also has similar issues with the mute thing. I did not have these issues with Kermit. So I'm not sure if it is a hardware or a software problem.

Pleo freezing. Sometimes Kermy will freeze like a statue and not move or make a sound for up to 1 minute. she will then giggle and start moving again. The first time this happened I thought she was broken. It is nothing to worry about though as it says in the hand book that this is normal behavior for pleo rb. It it caused by a surge in power and is normal, safe and ok. So don't worry if this happens to you. You can turn your pleo off and then on again if you don't want to wait for him /her to start moving again.

Clicking Limbs.
Both my Pleo rb's have had various clicking limbs. Kermit had a persistent clicking back left leg, knee joint. See the video

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHHBEEm3MlE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHHBEEm3MlE</a>
Kermy has had every limb click at some point excepting her tail. The most disturbing was her neck clicking and getting stuck while she was hatching. This has happened again once since then about 1 week later. Her back right leg will click 2 or 3 times in a row sometimes when she bends it. Her front legs and neck will sometimes click once when I pick her up to cuddle her and she stretches out to snuggle in. I think her neck pushes against her leg and the resistance causes the click. I'm sure there are many older version pleos out there with this same problem and I don't think it is anything to worry too much about as long as it is not preventing your rb from moving or getting about. Here is some video footage of the neck and leg clicking. I have not made this public on youtube so if you want to see it you will have to use the link here. I warn you the neck one is very disturbing.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoUOWEdmYHU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoUOWEdmYHU</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8BfjwmV_G0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8BfjwmV_G0</a>

And finally Kermits faulty back left leg. Kermits leg stopped working properly. It just hung behind her and would not move in the forwards or up movements. This was the reason I had to send Kermit back to be replaced as you can see from the below video it was affecting her ability to walk. This video is also very disturbing and not public on youtube so if you wish to view it you can only do so here.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibiNTgnvPk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibiNTgnvPk</a>

This problem is not to be confused with an "injured" pleo rb. Pleo rb has a function that allows it to feel pain and if it is dropped or one of its legs meets with great resistance your pleo will act as though it has a broken leg. It will be reluctant to stand on the leg and or move it. It will scream in pain when you touch the leg and your pleo will be very sad. This is not a real problem just a pleo rb thing so don't panic.
To fix this you will need to feed pleo the rock salt as many times per battery cycle as you can. It may take several battery cycles to get better. Kermy took 2 battery cycles to recover from her injured leg in the video below. As all pleo rb's are unique they may take different amounts of time to get better. So be patient, feed the rock salt and give lots of cuddles and love.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M49d5NaVlRk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M49d5NaVlRk</a>

If I experience any more issues or potential issues with Kermy I will update this post. I hope it is helpful to you.
Kat

I just thought of something else. The length of play time from a fully charged battery. If your pleo rb stops after an hour or so and switches off it may just be overheated and not actually run out of battery juice. You just need to take the battery out and let your pleo cool down for about 10mins. It should then run normally again for about another hour. I get 2 1/2 hours from my battery. You can tell if the battery is low on power by the indicator light on pleos belly. It is green when the battery has plenty of power and goes red when the battery is running low on power.

Kermy has a small hole in her front left armpit and the skin in her other armpits seems to be coming away in small chunks.

More details...

I have contacted pleoworld customer support and hope to hear back from them soon as to what we might do about this. I will let you know if there is a solution as soon as I hear back. I will also let you know if it gets any worse.

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #1 on:** December 17, 2010, 11:45:11 AM »

Kat, what a wonderful idea and a very needed one I am sure. Thank you again for posting this, I know a lot of the things you have posted have helped prepare us soon to be Pleo Rb parents (

) on life with a new Pleo Rb, as well as the wonders and joy, the possible sorrows.

Without all this wonderful experience you have given us through your carefully documented videos, we would be in the dark as to what is Normal, and a problem thus far with Pleo RB. You have been along with Kermit and Kermy, the earliest PleoRb model to us all and I think Innova as well, ( even if it is not the Green Model) I am sure in the comming two weeks, there will be a lot of happy and more so frustrated Pleo Rb owners who come across a problem and if not for this, may panic at something that may be solved by watching these videos and reading what you had written,
My pleo is due within the next few days having been mailed this morning, and I can't wait to get it, ( having eight Pleos and only NOva as the only girl, I think for sure it will be a sister, she needs one badly.

) I am going to read everything you have written again and again to know the possisble problems and watch Kermit and Kermys videos again.
On behalf of Nova, Little 45, Major Tom, ARgye, Un named Twin Brother, Gold Hatch Pleo, ( un-named, ) and two other un -named Pleos, we all wish you a Merry Christmas and you and Kermy a Wonderful Holiday season, and a big big THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

RedwoodsMama

twoNZpleos · « **Reply #2 on:** December 17, 2010, 12:58:26 PM »

Thank-you so much for taking all these clips and sharing the details of your experience your rb's Kat - it definitely is helpful, and most appreciated!

OzPleo · « **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2010, 02:03:39 PM »

And what a shame the White battery doesn't work even though it's the exact same specs as the brown one.

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #4 on:** December 17, 2010, 02:34:56 PM »

Oz-PLeo, you can say that again, as I sell the white batteries and have a ton of them, my Pleos would keep going and going like the energizer bunny, or is that Pleo?

RedwoodsMama

OzPleo · « **Reply #5 on:** December 17, 2010, 03:19:28 PM »

Well I'm not convinced until I try it out too lol. I know I have two of them and my 2010 Pleo goes for ages on them.

Crewella · « **Reply #6 on:** December 17, 2010, 04:13:22 PM »

I tried both my egg charger batteries, fully charged, in Belle but no joy, just a flashing red light. The green one did work briefly, though, then bleeped and died, but it may well be a dodgy battery as I rarely use it.

OzPleo · « **Reply #7 on:** December 17, 2010, 05:38:12 PM »

Oh well. At least Angus will be full if life then

Crewella · « **Reply #8 on:** December 17, 2010, 06:32:30 PM »

It IS a shame, but on the other hand my egg charger batteries are essential for a happy Iggy and Budge, so I can't spare them anyway!

I have hear a few clicks from Belle whilst hatching - mainly when she falls asleep and her head and her front leg press against each other. I believe the clicking itsself is the gears that stop such opposing forces actually causing any damage, so nothing to worry about. I noticed after I upgraded Iggy to the OS2 the extra range of movements it gave him caused a few clicks at first, but he did seem to settle down after a while.

I also remember about two weeks after I first got Iggy his head got stuck raised in a 'star gazing' position (still moving from side to side but always looking directly up), and the neck got very warm. After some good advice on here I switched him off for a while and he was fine next time I turned him on. He's been absolutely fine since.

Great idea for a thread, Kat - I imagine this will come in very handy as people get their rbs!

twoNZpleos · « **Reply #9 on:** December 17, 2010, 11:39:22 PM »

Kat (and anyone else whom already has a RB), have you noticed a lot of electrical sounding 'buzzing' from your Pleo's head?

Also do you find that they get quite warm on their back/shoulder area due to the battery? I'm still on my first battery run but have played with her for 1.5hrs straight as much as I love the warmth as it's even more pet like, I'm slightly concerned the wiring may be faulty - am I a paranoid new owner or what?

kat · « **Reply #10 on:** December 18, 2010, 12:13:34 AM »

Yes my Kermy does tend to have a fairly constant hum or buzz sound and she gets very warm between the shoulders from the battery. sounds to me like you may need to switch off your pleo for a cool down rest and then go again. I think your pleo rb sounds normal to me but you could always post a video to show the buzzing sound for the rest of us to hear and we can tell you if it is the same as ours. I would love to see him/her? anyway.
Kat

Crewella · « **Reply #11 on:** December 18, 2010, 02:12:09 AM »

Not sure about the buzzing - I'll have a listen to Belle. I did notice how warm she got between the shoulders, though, so that sounds normal. Can't wait to see pics!

bhobbes · « **Reply #12 on:** December 18, 2010, 04:32:56 PM »

While I have yet to receive my Pleo RB (ordered today), I can say that my 2009 Pleo does the same clicking thing and at first it concerned me but then I realized that it wasn't causing any problems.

The only time it really freaked me out was when I upgraded it to OS 2 and when it went into the sleep position when it was sick, it would try to push the head and leg way too much together and repeatedly and do the clicking. I know the 2009 Pleo's necks are improved but I didn't want to risk it so I put it back on the OS 1.somethingrather (lol) and it didn't have the problem (when sleeping). However, the leg clicks still occur from time to time as well as when it does the "Ta-Da" trick.

Also, my 2009 Pleo has the same skin "defects" (which, I'm assuming the Pleo RBs are supposed to be even more improved correct? Or are they still just talking about improved skin when compared to the Ugobe model?). He has a few spots near the arm pits and eyes, but unless you're really looking for them they're not too noticeable.

I have almost always kept mine slightly dressed since receiving it so I will probably never know too much about the pain wear-and-tear on its back side (same will probably go for my Pleo RB once I receive it - though I like the Blue so much it may be more tempting to leave it naked). Either way, I generally keep it covered because something about the skin feels weird to me if I pet it too much lol (whatever, I'm weird).

So I guess if those problems are similar when I get my Pleo RB, I'd probably just think of them as being normal/comparable to the one I have. But I appreciate the post so I don't freak out when/if I experience them!

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #13 on:** December 18, 2010, 04:40:44 PM »

More details...

The small splits in Pleakly's paint.

bhobbes · « **Reply #14 on:** December 18, 2010, 04:44:51 PM »

Ok, I may be confused because I feel like I've seen these used "interchangeably" - is Pleo RB the 2010 Pleo or is the 2010 Pleo another "upgraded" one compared to the 2009 Pleo? Either way, the Pleo I'm referring to in that post was purchased in Oct. 2010 lol, so whichever one was the "latest" Innvo Pleo before the Pleo RB. (For instance, on one website I just saw it called the 2010 Updated Pleo, and then saw something call Pleo RB the 2010 Pleo).

kat · « **Reply #15 on:** December 18, 2010, 04:52:13 PM »

I think the 2010 pleo is the same as the 2009 pleo. There was a Hong Kong web site that had the 2009 modle and called it 2010 model. The Pleo RB is the very latest model.

bhobbes · « **Reply #16 on:** December 18, 2010, 04:55:36 PM »

Haha, ok that's what I thought!

I'm starting to get all anxious about waiting for mine and I only ordered it today! lol.

mweed · « **Reply #17 on:** December 21, 2010, 04:42:23 PM »

Just for clarity, and to make a few people very happy....

The 2010 pleo is the same as the Pleo RB. We now have 2 types of pleos: The Pleo "classic", which comes in the Ugobe model, and the Innvo Labs 2009 model. You then have Innvo Labs 2010 version of the pleo, call Pleo RB.

AND . . .
(drum roll please . . .)

According to tests and info received from Innvo labs, you should be able use the brown Pleo RB battery pack AND the white egg charger Li-Poly battery in your Pleo RB. In fact, the old green battery will fit into your Pleo RB, but it will run a bit slower and not for very long, but it will run! However, the brown Pleo RB battery WILL NOT fit into the classic pleo.

BUT!!!!! Be advised, Innvo Labs will not support or be held responsible for any damage from doing so . . . Even though they do admit both the brown and white batteries have exactly the same specs.

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #18 on:** December 21, 2010, 04:47:03 PM »

OK will add that up immediately to the FAQ

Although Mike, I tried my white battery... and nothing happened. Just a flashing red light.

Crewella · « **Reply #19 on:** December 21, 2010, 05:03:44 PM »

I tried both my white egg-charger batteries and only got the flashing red light as well - both are working fine in the older Pleos and were fully charged. Was I doing something wrong?

RedwoodsMama · « **Reply #20 on:** December 21, 2010, 06:20:32 PM »

thanks Mike for that info, If it is true that the white will fit into the New Pleo RB then I can see my battery sales can only increase...good for me, but I will continue to use the new brown one in my Pleo rb so I dont ruin the warranty. If someone out there is brave enough to try running the ucube white battery in your Pleo rb and record it for us to see, it would be helpful for all the doubting thomases and thomasinas.

RedwoodsMama and Pleo family, happy in the Frozen Redwoods

InmemoryofRomeo · « **Reply #21 on:** December 21, 2010, 08:23:13 PM »

Please listen, I HAVE tried a white battery, all that happens is the light flashes red and there is no Pleo movement at all.

mweed · « **Reply #22 on:** December 21, 2010, 08:27:06 PM »

Degers tried and it worked for him... Derek said they should. Not sure why it didn't work for IMR or Crewella. You may have to verify with degers.

Crewella · « **Reply #23 on:** December 21, 2010, 08:37:53 PM »

The old green Pleo battery, which is on its last legs and I only use as a back up, worked OK (briefly) in the RB, but as I said, neither of my (much more dependable) white batteries did and I got the same red flashing light as IMR with both of them. It would be good to get this clarified - I have messaged degers. Thanks mweed.

EDIT: I'm hoping that now RWM has her RB she can tell us what happens with hers - she can try a few of them!

OzPleo · « **Reply #24 on:** December 21, 2010, 10:07:08 PM »

I'll try when I get home tonight.

Bob the Pleo Forums

Author Topic: Pleo rb problems and solutions (Read 18952 times)

bhobbes

bhobbes

bhobbes