While I’m running a movement script using Python Body, Stretch turns the computer off often when it’s not plugged in. This is also associated with the lift dropping fairly quickly when the computer turns off.
When I plug in the charger after the restart and look at the battery voltage using stretch_robot_battery_check.py, I get [Pass] Voltage with 12.43309497833252 [Pass] Current with 3.6345167414230457 [Pass] CPU Temp with 59.0
, which seem like reasonable voltages and currents to be running at.
Any particular ways I can resolve the robot turning off fairly often when not plugged in?
The most likely answer for the robot shutting down quickly when untethered is that the battery capacity has deteriorated over time. This can be tricky to pin down, as the most common issues (battery sulfation and stratification) will artificially raise the open circuit voltage of the battery, causing the battery to appear fully charged, while providing low capacity when the robot is in use.
The first thing we would recommend trying is the Repair function on the NOCO Genius 10 battery charger. To use this function, first turn off the robot, and bring the battery to a full charge state (Supply mode for 2-3 hours should be sufficient). Next, hold the Mode button on the charger for a few seconds, and click it until the “12V Repair” option is selected. Leave the robot attached for up to 4 hours while the Repair runs, and don’t turn it on or attempt to use it during this process. The charger will return to its Standby state when this has been completed. If the battery condition is poor you may need to repeat this procedure 2-3 times.
If the above instructions do not result in restored battery capacity, then a battery replacement might be appropriate. New batteries are easy to get and can be installed in an hour or two on Stretch RE1, or a few minutes on Stretch 2. Please ping us at support@hello-robot.com for further support if you decide to pursue this.