WowWee Rovio
Battery Charger Fix
By Salvador Garcia
Introduction
Some WowWee Rovio robots were incorrectly assembled. As a result one of the charger circuit diodes was inserted backwards. This caused the robot to not fully charge the battery. The following is the procedure to follow to correct this assembly error.
Note: Not all Rovios have this issue. The first course of action, if your Rovio is new, is to make use of the warranty. You need to be comfortable disassembling the robot and unsoldering and soldering the diode. Seek help if not.
Procedure
| Images | Notes |
|---|---|
 | Remove the battery pack from the Rovio. My model had two screw holding the battery compartment lid closed. Remove the screws if present.
Disconnect the battery by pulling the two connectors apart by using gentle but firm force. |
 | Locate the six screws indicated in the image at left. Unscrew and remove. |
 | Once the Rovio’s cover is removed its innards are exposed. The charger circuit is located to the left of the battery compartment when the Rovio’s two wheels are positioned closest to you. |
 | Remove the two screws that hold the circuit board in place and slide out the board towards you. |
 | The circuit board’s silkscreen has the schematic symbol of the diode. The physical placement of the diode must coincide with the schematic symbol.
Although blurry, the image at left shows the diode correctly placed. The Rovio that I have did not need this fix done.
If needed, unsolder the diode, reverse its placement and resolder, making sure that the solder joint is firm and not cold. |
| Reassemble by sliding the charger circuit board, making sure that the board goes into the railings. Replace the two screws. Replace the cover making sure that no wires get pinched. Replace the six screws, making sure that they are not screwed in too tight. Finally reinstall the batteries. And this exercise is complete. |
For those that would rather have a document I've provided a PDF version that can be downloaded. The link should be just below.
 | RovioDiodeFix.pdf |