Taking care of your Edison V3 robot and USB cable
Edison robots are designed to be very robust. However, like any electronic device, they naturally have some limit of rough handling that they can withstand. Here is our advice to keep your Edison robots in great condition for a long time.
How to remove your Edison robot from a device
The best practice to remove Edison’s USB cable is to remove the robot by gently pulling on the USB plug, not the robot’s body. We kindly suggest that any students not following this cable handling best practice be reminded of this.
TIP: If this message is difficult to communicate, using a USB extension cable is an alternative way to remove Edison from USB connection that can reduce strain on the robot’s cable.
The Edison robot’s USB connection is reinforced, but like any cable, repeatedly disconnecting the device by pulling the cord rather than gripping the plug, may eventually damage the cable.
Repeatedly pulling any USB cable from a USB port can over time put strain on the computer’s USB port. Over enough time, this can cause the USB port to become widened and USB devices may struggle to maintain a secure connection. This is general advice, applying to using any USB connection, but does also apply to Edison robots.
How to charge multiple Edison robots
One easy way to safely charge Edison is to use an EdCharger, which provide secure charging and storage of Edison robots. EdCharger charges using dedicated charging pins, so the robot is simply placed into a slot and will begin charging immediately, with no plugging in or disconnecting the Edison required.
Edison robots can also be charged on standard USB hubs. For safe care of the Edison robots, ensure the USB hub has a flat surface that Edison can rest on while charging, so that robots do not put strain on each other.
When multiple robots are plugged into a shared USB hub, it’s important to ensure the cables are not being pushed, bent, or crowded, as this can lead to premature wear. We recommend not charging multiple Edison robots on a shared hub that causes the robots to be balancing precariously pulling on their USB port cable.
How to program Edison robots
In most situations, the Edison can be placed well by ensuring the computer’s USB port is next to a flat surface that Edison can rest on. If the computer’s USB ports are all away from flat surfaces, then consider a short USB extension cable so the Edison can rest on a flat surface while connected to USB.
TIP: For younger students, there are several options to use Edison without using any USB connection. iPads may be a good choice as they are programmed cordlessly on the iPad screen, or Edison card coding, which uses barcodes, and requires no computer at all.
The Edison robot is not designed to support its own weight or external pressure through the USB cable. Please avoid leaving Edison hanging from a connection by its USB socket.
How to use a wall charger
Where an Edison robot is being charged from a USB wall charger, we recommend it be connected through a USB extension cable, so that the Edison robot can rest at ease while charging.
It’s important to avoid situations where Edison is left hanging or suspended by the USB cable during charging or programming, as this puts additional stress on the connection point.
