The sudden appearance of extraneous sounds when working smart equipment is always a signal that can not be ignored. If your robot vacuum cleaner Xiaomi began to crack, creak or make intermittent horns, it indicates a mechanical obstacle or wear of parts. Unlike normal motor noise, crackling often indicates that something is disturbing the rotating elements.
Modern models like the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum or Roborock S5 have sophisticated sensors that can block work when anomalies are detected. However, it’s worth doing self-diagnosis before carrying the device into the service. Smart tech owners often find that the problem is solved by simply cleaning or replacing consumables.
In this article, we will discuss the main causes of cod, methods of their elimination and prevention. You will learn to distinguish the sounds of malfunction and understand when professional repair is required. Timely maintenance will prolong the life of your gadget and maintain the quality of cleaning.
Stucking of foreign objects in the main brush
The most common reason why Xiaomi's robot vacuum cleaner makes a crack or a knock is because of the main suction module, the rotating brush at the bottom of the body is in constant contact with the floor, and it's wound with hair, animal hair and thread, which eventually compact and end up in bearings.
When too much debris is wound on the axle, the engine starts to overload, trying to turn the jammed shaft, which causes a characteristic crack and can lead to the combustion of the motor, you need to turn the device over, remove the protective grille and thoroughly clean the shaft of all contamination.
Special attention should be paid to the ends of the brush, where often accumulated dirt, invisible on a cursory examination. Use tweezers or scissors to carefully remove the pile. If the brush is deformed or its bristles are badly worn, it should be replaced with a new one.
- 🧶 Frequent long hair in the house accelerates the wear of brush bearings.
- 🔧 To clean, use a complete knife that enters the module cover.
- ⚙️ Regular lubrication of the ends of the shaft (silicone lubrication) reduces friction.
⚠️ Warning: Never try to pull out the wound hair while the robot is on or charging.This can lead to short circuit or injury to the fingers.
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Periodically remove the side cover of the main brush and check the space under it - it is there that the compressed dust most often accumulates, causing distortion.
Problems with the side brush and its fastening
The side brush (turbobrush) is responsible for sweeping debris from the corners under the main suction part. If the Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner cracks in one of the corners of the body, the problem is most likely in this node. A common situation is the hair winding on the axis of the attachment, which causes the brush to squash and touch the plastic body.
And then the brush itself wears out over time, the bristles become stiff or break, which upsets the balance, and at high speeds, the imbalance causes vibration and knock, and check if the brush is sitting tightly in its place and there is no backlash.
Sometimes cracking occurs because a large object, such as a piece of Lego or a pebble, is stuck between the body and the rotating part. A mechanical obstacle prevents the brush from rotating freely, and the motor makes a discontinuous sound. Carefully scrolling the brush with your finger - it should rotate easily and soundlessly.
If the sound is still intact after cleaning, the side brush motor may have failed. In Xiaomi Vacuum Mop models, this is a common problem after a year of active use. Replacing the motor requires disassembling the body and having soldering skills.
Wear of bearings and wheelbase
When the main brushes are clean and the crackling continues as you move, you should listen to the wheels. The robot vacuum cleaner's wheel module is under tremendous stress. Over time, fine dust enters the wheel bearings, which acts as an abrasive, destroying lubrication and metal parts.
The characteristic metal crunch or crackling when a robot tries to get on a doorstep or carpet often indicates a chassis problem. If the wheel is squeezing with difficulty or makes sounds of "rolling stones", it must be serviced. In some models, the wheel can be removed, cleaned axle and lubricated.
However, in modern Xiaomi and Roborock models, the wheels are often made in the form of a non-collapsible module, in which case the solution will be only a complete replacement of the node, ignoring the problem will lead to the robot “scouring” the map and worse to build a route.
| Symptoms. | Probable cause | Method of decision |
|---|---|---|
| Screaming at the turn | Dust in the wheel bearing | Cleaning, lubricating or replacing the wheel |
| Knocking on the doorstep | Luft wheel suspension | Checking the module mounting, replacing springs |
| Squeaking in motion | Friction of plastic on the axis | Pile removal, silicone lubrication |
| Crack on the carpet | Wheel slippage | Cleaning the tread of the wheels from hair |
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If the wheel only makes sound when loaded (hitting an obstacle), this is a sign of wear on the bearing assembly, which requires replacement.
Flooding of ducts and turbines
The turbine is the heart of the vacuum cleaner, which creates a powerful traction, and if a dense lump of dust accumulates inside the duct or on the blades of the fan, there is an imbalance, and spinning at a high speed (thousands of revolutions per minute) turns this lump into a source of strong vibration and cod.
Often users forget to clean the HEPA filter and sponge in front of the turbine. When the filter is clogged, the airflow is disrupted, the engine is choking, overheats and starts buzzing with extraneous sounds. Regularly changing the filters is the key to quiet operation.
Check the channel connecting the main module to the dust container, and there are often large debris fractions (wool lumps, paper) stuck there, which, when passing through the turbine, create a characteristic crackling sound, blow out the channel or use a long brush for cleaning.
- 🌪️ Vibrational buzzing often indicates turbine imbalance.
- 🧹 The filter increases the load on the engine. 2-3 once.
- 🔇 The tightness of the container connection affects the noise level.
⚠️ Warning: Don't wash the turbine motor with water! This will corrosion the bearings and cause the electronics to fail. Use only dry cleaning or compressed air.
How do you check the leaks?
Sensor and navigation malfunctions
Sometimes the crackling that the user hears is actually the sound of mechanical sensors. Xiaomi's robot vacuum cleaners use a laser rangefinder (LDS) And the wheeled encoder, if you're up there. LDS-the module is jammed with dust, it can emit rhythmic snapping or crackling when trying to spin.
It's also worth checking the bumper sensors, and if there's dust or hair under the bumper tongue, the mechanism sticks, and the robot can think it's hitting the wall, and it can make a beep, or it can try to come back abruptly, which is accompanied by a mechanical click.
To diagnose a laser module, carefully remove the top cover (if the design permits) and check if the turret rotates freely. If it moves in jerks or makes a grind, you need to lubricate the axis or replace the entire navigation module.
☑️ Sensor diagnostics
Program failures and calibration of the gyroscope
Sometimes, the Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner makes strange sounds due to software errors, when the motors twitch because of the wrong controller commands, this can happen after a failed firmware update or a failure in the construction of the map.
If the gyroscope or accelerometer is not working properly, the robot can randomly pull the wheels as it tries to align itself, giving the impression of mechanical knocking, in which case it helps to completely reset the settings and recreate the map of the room.
Try calibrating through the Mi Home app, go to your device settings, find the service section, and start calibrating the sensors, which often eliminates the chaotic behavior of the motors.
If the software methods don't work and the crackling persists, there's probably a problem with the control board that sends the wrong signals to the motor drivers, and you'll need a diagnostic at the service center.
The secret to quiet work
When professional repairs are needed
There are a number of symptoms where self-repairing can only hurt, and if you hear the smell of burning, or if you see sparks or crackling accompanied by smoke, turn off the device immediately, and these are signs of an electrical malfunction in the windings of the motor or on the board.
Also, the wizard should be consulted if after cleaning all the components and replacing the consumables, the nature of the sound has not changed, it may be necessary to replace the bearings in the engine, which can not be done at home without special equipment.
Remember that opening the case can lead to loss of warranty. If the device is warranty service, it is better not to risk and contact an authorized Xiaomi center.