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[PinkPleo]

Hey all,
I am looking to buy a Ugobe Pleo, but I know I'll need a new battery. PleoWorld doesn't appear to sell them anymore. There are a couple on eBay for $70 (plus International shipping) or $100. This is basically 1-2x the price of the used Pleo itself... just wondering if that's a typical price or if there is another source.

Thanks!

[aibo7m3]

Unfortunately, I don't know of another source at the moment. They were on Pleo World for $50 not too long ago, but seem to have been taken down recently and it doesn't seem super likely they'll be coming back since Pleo World removed all mention of the 2009 Pleo from their online store. The $70 batteries from eBay are repacked, so they should have a good run time, but I don't know of anyone who has bought one and could give a review of it. The $100 battery does come with a charging cradle for the battery, but I'd be a bit wary since it's an off-brand one and I've heard a few cases of some of these batteries failing out of the blue after under a year of use.

The white egg battery/chargers that used to be available for the Ugobes from an off-brand company were great, but they're no longer available now and don't come up for sale super often used. I have two that I share between my Ugobes, but finding one for sale is a waiting game and they won't necessarily be cheap (though they work great, they hold a 2+ hour run time and seem to last many years).

[PinkPleo]

The repacked $100 looks great but both these seem so sketchy, I was wondering if they are really legit. I really would prefer a Ugobe Pleo because the RB seems too high maintenance, but the battery issue is really a pain..,

I keep hearing about the egg batteries, but yeah, I've not seen any for sale. How much do they usually cost? More than $100?

[aibo7m3]

I believe the $70 repacked batteries from the seller in Italy are alright, but I have heard that neither battery has the capacity or run time that is claimed of it and there haven't been a huge amount of reviews of either. I believe the $100 battery/cradle set gives about a 2 hour run time and the repacked battery from the Italian seller gives somewhere in the 1.5+ hour range. The only review I remember of the repacked battery said that it had a much lower capacity than advertised, although this was still significantly higher than that of a new Ugobe battery. (I also noticed this listing is not currently up on eBay, but I think that the seller just sold their current stock and should be relisting it soon.) My concern with the $100 new battery listing is know that in a few cases these batteries have just died completely with no warning well before they should, so I'm a little wary of that (though I don't think this has happened with all of them).

While it is a real pain to find batteries for the Ugobes, RBs do have other issues. Replacement supplies are easily available for them, but the quality control isn't great and I've had to return over half of the RBs that I've bought new for a replacement.

The egg battery/charger combo originally sold for about $70, but now they mostly only sell along with Pleos and almost never come up for sale alone, so I'm not sure what one would go for. I don't think it would be much more than the other battery options cost, but it still wouldn't be cheap.

[PinkPleo]

Wow, really? I had heard there were some issues with the RB but I didn't realize they were that bad. Honestly, it's been quite some time now, I keep hoping they'll update the RB..

Thanks for your help! Gives me something to think about.

Seems like after a few years, a $50 Ugobe Pleo will end up costing as much as an RB, what is replacing $70-$100 batteries constantly...I was reading about making your own batteries, but I don't have a soldering iron or know how to use one, unfortunately. 

[mweed]

I did a reasonable check on the internet and former battery sellers, and it does appear we're pretty much down to DIY if you want/need a new battery for your Ugobe/2009 pleo.

I've always had a hankering for a 3D printer . . .  this may be the excuse I needed . . . 

[PinkPleo]

Yeah, I am thinking of just biting the bullet and buying a new RB. Paying more for batteries than for my Pleo is not very appealing...

I did contact PleoWorld and asked them to confirm if they are no longer going to supply Ugobe batteries, but so far, no response...

[PinkPleo]

Just thought I would post an update since I made this thread, but I was able to find a UGOBE with an egg battery! So, problem solved.

Also finally got a response from PleoWorld and they confirmed they "phased out" batteries for Ugobe...so that's that

[PleoAibo29]

Oh no, this is horrible news... I never got to buy a new battery for Suse. I guess this means that I'll be repacking it myself.

Really, really horrible... I guess we have another endangered species on our hands...

There is a 3D printer at my school. I would be completely willing to make prints for the battery packs.

[pnhicks]

Hello All,

After following the tail of the "Ugobe battery" issue and the ensuing drama, the evolving cottage industry of 3D printing of battery cases, etc, etc,

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE drama, but really there is a simpler solution!

I also love entrepreneurs, but if I had a dollar for every time I heard some say, "I'm going to start 3D printing xyz parts for Pleo and its going to be so cool!" I'd have have a Pleo with red eyes and a bird face and wings and.. anyway...

First, this may void your warranty and you might destroy your Pleo if you don't know which way the battery goes in, but if you have half a brain...

There is no Ugobe or RB battery per se, INNVO changed the polarity key (ie the little rectangular blob on the bottom of the battery so you have to put the battery in right way around so that the positive terminal of the battery meets positive terminal of the Pleo and negative terminal of the battery meets negative terminal of the Pleo) orientation on their batteries to prohibit their use in UGOBE Pleos but included two cutouts in their Pleos to allow EITHER battery to fit in PleoRBs.If you cut the polarity key flush to the bottom of the battery case (in one piece and keep it so you can use it in the battery charger), you can use either battery in either Pleo.  Charging is another story, you might have li-poly or  NiMH batteries and they have different chargers (the charger also needs the small key piece placed into the base before inserting the battery for charging.I have used batteries like this for two years without problems.

Cheers!Peter

PS

Should the little blob key get destroyed in removal its no big deal, a wad of paper , chewing gum, or any such thing can be used to "trick the Charger" that the battery is installed.  The same caveat applies as when inserting the modified battery in the Pleo, if the battery polarity is reversed in the charger its not a good day.

[Piggy]

Hello All,

After following the tail of the "Ugobe battery" issue and the ensuing drama, the evolving cottage industry of 3D printing of battery cases, etc, etc,

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE drama, but really there is a simpler solution!

I also love entrepreneurs, but if I had a dollar for every time I heard some say, "I'm going to start 3D printing xyz parts for Pleo and its going to be so cool!" I'd have have a Pleo with red eyes and a bird face and wings and.. anyway...

First, this may void your warranty and you might destroy your Pleo if you don't know which way the battery goes in, but if you have half a brain...

There is no Ugobe or RB battery per se, INNVO changed the polarity key (ie the little rectangular blob on the bottom of the battery so you have to put the battery in right way around so that the positive terminal of the battery meets positive terminal of the Pleo and negative terminal of the battery meets negative terminal of the Pleo) orientation on their batteries to prohibit their use in UGOBE Pleos but included two cutouts in their Pleos to allow EITHER battery to fit in PleoRBs.If you cut the polarity key flush to the bottom of the battery case (in one piece and keep it so you can use it in the battery charger), you can use either battery in either Pleo.  Charging is another story, you might have li-poly or  NiMH batteries and they have different chargers (the charger also needs the small key piece placed into the base before inserting the battery for charging.I have used batteries like this for two years without problems.  ,   thank you for the great tip ! i have a spare rb battery lying around that I am not using at the moment so I am deffenitly going to try this 

Cheers!Peter

PS

Should the little blob key get destroyed in removal its no big deal, a wad of paper , chewing gum, or any such thing can be used to "trick the Charger" that the battery is installed.  The same caveat applies as when inserting the modified battery in the Pleo, if the battery polarity is reversed in the charger its not a good day.

[PleoAibo29]

I did end up printing a new battery case for my PLEO and it works great. I found a print online that I had to tool around with a bit at schoolbut Suse can run well with it. I still use the original as I managed to revive it by shaving off a little bit of corrosion under the lid... so does that mean I get a dollar from you?

RB batts are expensive and you can easily make your own for half the price. I like this idea, though!

[Piggy]

I tryd phonics idea and it works ! I had a reborn battery lying around that did not run longer than a hour and new I can use it in my ugobe . But you can also  buy a refurbished one from eBay or the green lipo battery from China that works in both the pleo RB and the ugobe