I encountered an issue with my Yarbo Pro robotic lawnmower this week during high ambient temperatures approaching 100°F in Michigan. The battery exceeded its high-temperature limit and refused to charge while exposed to direct sunlight.
As an immediate solution, I covered the battery enclosure with aluminum tape. The reflective surface remained cool to the touch in full sun, whereas the original black plastic became uncomfortably hot upon brief contact. This modification effectively reduced heat absorption and restored charging capability.
I would appreciate insights from other Yarbo users regarding:
Long-term suitability of reflective coverings on the battery or mower components.
Recommended permanent mitigations, such as improved shading, ventilation modifications, or manufacturer guidance for high-temperature operation.
Experiences with temperature performance in hot summer conditions, particularly in the Midwest.
Thank you for any shared experiences or recommendations. This community’s practical knowledge is invaluable for optimizing robotic mower reliability.
So far white vinyl wrap on the battery cover and shading of the dock seem extremely effective. I would not use anything reflective like metal just to make sure it doesn’t interfere with GPS.
I’m in Michigan as well. For me, the best solution was a couple of fairly simple things.
First, I installed Yarbo’s dock where there is some natural shading from the afternoon sun.
Second, I bought a fabric dog shelter from Amazon that shields and protects Yarbo and the dock from the elements.
These measures have allowed my Yarbo to work without suffering from high battery temperature issues, even during the recent heat wave.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll have to give that a try. Just got my Yarbo back from repair on Friday and it’s spent a good chunk of the last few days waiting for the battery to cool to resume charging, which surprised me when it was only 80 degrees outside.
I installed an outdoor fan that hits the back of Yarbo while it’s charging and it helps a lot
This is only solution that that has reliably worked for me. An industrial fan blowing on the core rear coupled with with a doghouse shelter for shade. With this combo I can charge without throttling in 95F ambient - It’s right on the thermal edge, but it works.
With the frequency this issue appears all over Yarbo discussions, why hasn’t Yarbo fixed it themselves? It could be as simple as shipping white vinyl tape with the core.
They have state recently in the FB groups that they are working on some solutions.
The solutions that many/most are using are not expensive or difficult fixes. Honestly, they could/should be offered as an optional add-on. For the price of a set of straight blades, they could package a 4’x4’ dog shelter and white vinyl sheet for the battery cover.
Little things like this could really accelerate the ownership journey for new owners instead of everyone having to find out the hard way. The lack of things like this is part of why everyone feels like beta testers.
I hear you, but from a business standpoint they have to engineer a solution, test it, iterate it, test it again, commit to producing it, packaging, cataloging, pricing, shipping, warehousing, etc. that stuff takes a while. Especially when you have a small staff and dealing with other higher priority items. I hope they get something figured out soon though. Until then, it certainly is easy to wrap the cover in white vinyl and shade your Yarbo. That works extremely well.
Mine just started going over 105 after the firmware update. Last night, HA showed battery at 122 and charging longer than usual. I stopped the charging and checked temp later… for some reason charging had restarted on its own and still at 120. HA history showed that charge started at 111 and rose to 122 during 5 hr charge. Outside temp was 90 at start then dropped to 77 due to rain. After firmware update, did soft reboot. Guess I’ll have to unplug battery.
How is it possible Yarbo’s testing doesn’t uncover these big issues. I also wonder if related issues only show with cores with same circuit board batch.
Curious if a heat sink for battery would help. Maybe a lid with heat extractor and / or fan.
If the core is on the pad for 10 mins and not charging and charge is 90% or lower, it will auto start charging. The battery is allowed to charge but is throttled when it hits 45C and will stop charging completely at 51C. The machine will auto power off at 60C.
What a lot of people have found is that if you wrap the battery cover in white vinyl and shade the core on the docking station, it will stay much cooler during operation and recharges. Thermal throttling is never reached or if it is, its very minimal. A fan or heat sink would definitely help.
100% get a shade for the Yarbo’s docking area. That solved the overheating issue for me last year.
I also had success removing the battery cover when Yarbo is charging. But I don’t like that as a solution for a variety of reasons.
It shot up to 122 degrees during the night. Not sure how shade or vinyl helps that. I also have a shade cover for daytime. The heat sink, heat extractor vent, and fan were hints for the yarbo accessory team since they are ok with the hot battery.
That doesn’t sound right. How hot was it that evening?