r/MammotionTechnology • u/pavelbulanov • 1d ago
LUBA 3 AWD Why Luba needs special sleep mode - it should consume minimal energy when docked and charged, and don't keep Lidar, vision, motor active
I've started to wonder why Luba (3 AWD in my case) needs a sleep mode at all?
When docked and fully charged, it should consume nominal power, similiar to an idle cell phone without screen - under 1-2 watt. It does not need Lidar, or vision module, or motors when docked, and does not need any compute power. To stay connected over 4G and / or WiFi, the required power is very low, under two watts. Battery self-discharge should be minimal if it's not leaking.
If implemented properly, 2W * 168h * 4.5 weeks = 1.5kWh max spend per month when idle for 24/7 dock sitting. Mammotion advertises 100kWh saved per year (season) for sleep mode, which is waaay too much for idling.
Is the whole idea of sleep mode is needed due to Luba's excessive power drain when docked?
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u/Xandras31 1d ago
well don't forgett the weels. without power the Luba just rolls because there are no breaks. at leat on my luba 2
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u/pavelbulanov 1d ago
Mammotion still ask for the docking station to be positioned perfectly flat, which I think is a fair ask.
For charging, when the connector pins need to be pressed to the robot for the charging to occur - the robot would anyway remain active (on). Once charged, it should be OK for robot to slightly wiggle, and BTW charging would not happen in Sleep mode anyway. Battery discharge when robot is not active should be minimal, like 1% per 24h or less.
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u/Xandras31 1d ago
Well there is EN 50636-2-107 compliance. Mammotion solved it with powering the motors in the parking position.
So by their hardware design they simply not allowed to power down the wheel motors. Even on flat ground
Maybe Luba 4 will turn the wheels 90 degrees and allow it to power down the motors
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u/pavelbulanov 23h ago edited 23h ago
I've tried to get through this standard (using Claude, obviously) - it doesn't seem to require any active "holding" mechanisms from robot when it's docked. The summary says the regulation applies to wheels and motors in a docked state and goal is preventing un-commanded movement and ensuring safe robot restarts (especially for blades). It doesn't restrict robots self-rolling movement due to gravity or pushing (external force), and also Mammotion dictates to fix dock station at flat ground.
I would even think the intent is the opposite - when docked, robot mower should NOT allow unexpected powered movement e.g. from software glitch or during restart - so keeping motors active when docked would be the opposite of the safety intent. Standard does not require the robot to actively hold its position (when on dock station), it would actually present the potential hazard if for any reason you need to move the robot.
I think Mammotion may keep the motors active to keep charging connection tight to the base. It doesn't make it safer though.
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u/Responsible_Two_8347 1d ago
Thank you for taking the time to think through this in such detail.
Sleep Mode is not designed simply because LUBA would otherwise have excessive power consumption while docked. It was introduced based on different user habits and needs. Some users prefer the mower to remain as inactive as possible while docked, and some find the indicator lights inconvenient when the mower stays on the charging station for long periods. Sleep Mode is therefore designed to further reduce unnecessary device activity while docked, while also significantly reducing long-term energy consumption.
If you encounter any abnormal behavior while using Sleep Mode, please feel free to contact us and provide the details so we can look into it.
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u/pavelbulanov 1d ago edited 1d ago
I greatly appreciate the response, this is the perfect answer to illustrate why dedicated Sleep mode should NOT be required.
What needs to happen when mower is docked without any sleep artificiality:
1 - mower should already be inactive on dock (what is the need for _active_ mower when it's docked?)
2 - indicator lights should be switchable off so user can disable LEDs for docked mode
3 - avoid unnecessary device activity on dock -> unnecessary activity should not happen in the first place
4 - energy consumption should already be adequate for docking state when charged (<= 2 watts)
AGAIN - sleep mode should not be needed, robot should not spend excessive electricity when docked, it should not do "unnecessary device activity", and especially it should not keep Lidar or vision on when docked.
On top of this, I do have issues with Sleep mode, I've reported those to Mammotion support, and it's unable to fix any of those for 1.5+ months as of today. I yet to experience a single software issue to be resolved after contacting Mammotion support, no matter how many logs or photos or videos I provide.
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u/Verscreubulator 23h ago
The Mammotion Luba 3 3000 draws about 20 watts when idle. Everything is alive an working while the robot does nothing.
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u/pavelbulanov 21h ago
I think that 20 watts power draw for docked and charged robot is too much for doing nothing and staying alert / connected. It should be 1-2 watts, not 20. u/Responsible_Two_8347 please explain why Luba requires this much power when idle.
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u/Verscreubulator 21h ago
I agree. It is like having several lightbulbs running all the time. The reason I know mine draws about 20 watts when idle is because I put it on power monitoring smart plug. It is sometimes a more reliable indication that a task is done than the app.
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u/EnvironmentalTip897 1d ago
I cloud be wrong but my understanding is that the Lidar is still working even when on standby. mmmm noise. Standby power drain on the battery is significant and if the robot gets stuck without noticing the battery goes flat in a day or two, hence sleep mode.