This FAQ has been made and compiled by Z (Thanks!)

HOW LONG DO I CHARGE MY BATTERY?
The 10 hour initial charge stated in the manual is a mistake.
According to Tiger Toys, the initial charge should be no longer than 4 hours.
Recharges after playing with I-Cybie are between 2-4 hours.
Remember, always check your battery and stop charging it when it is warm. Tip, use a $5 light timer to automatically shut your charger off after 3 hours so you don't need to baby-sit it.

WHY DOES THE NECK, LEG, OR JOINT MAKE A CLICKING NOISE?
Inside of each joint is a "clutch" which is just a gear with radial bumps on it. The clutch is held under pressure to stay in place when the joint's moving.
To protect the motors and joints from wear when there is excess pressure, the clutch gives before there's any damage done to the joint or the motor moving it. When that happens, you hear a "pOp" while the gear moves. You might hear these when I-Cybie gets up from sitting, turns it's head, or makes extended movements. You'll also notice that after several normal starts I-Cybie will go through the I-Cybie stretch that resets and recalibrates all the joints, minimizing the popping noise and protecting I-Cybie so it will last longer.

HOW DO I MAKE VOICE RECOGNITION WORK?
I-Cybie needs to learn how you speak to understand your commands. It's very important to speak in a normal tone, in a quiet room when training I-Cybie, and give those commands in the same tone and out of a noisy environment. Voice recognition also seems to be based on it's overall health and mood, like a real dog, I-Cybie may not be in the mood to listen so make sure your I-Cybie is happy and has a full battery charge when giving voice commands.

HOW MANY VOICE COMMANDS CAN I USE?
I-Cybie recognizes 8 commands, including it's Name, Bow, Sit, Stay, Guard and more. The voice chip in I-Cybie is a Sensory RSC-300 and is very advanced, supporting unlimited recognition, playing musical tones, and other advanced features that Tiger says they may add later. Since I-Cybie has built in upgrade capabilities, these features and more can be included in a new version of I-Cybie's OS that you can download and upgrade when ready.

WHAT MAKES I-CYBIE WALK AROUND MORE?
If you want I-Cybie to walk more, praise it when it does. Be sure to reward I-Cybie for any action you like, including walking around. I-Cybie does remember these actions, and is more likely to do things you've encouraged it to do by petting it or praising it. The more you encourage walking, exploring, or any tricks you enjoy, the more you'll see these in action.

WHAT HELPS GUARD DOG MODE WORK?
To be a good guard dog, I-Cybie needs 2 things, to be well fed and have enough light to see any intruders, so start I-Cybie's watch on a fully charged battery, and in a normally lit room. I-Cybie should guard it's turf by looking around for any intruders with it's red eyes and will growl at any who approach. Push it's rear button when it's watch is over. If left as a Guard Dog for a while, I-Cybie will watch in different positions, from crouched on alert, to sitting, looking around for any Aibo's who dare approach! :)

HOW DO I TRAIN I-CYBIE?
I-Cybie already comes from the electronic dogpound trained and ready to play.
Press 9 on the remote to teach it to react to your voice. Say a command once, then wait until I-Cybie's eyes turn green again and repeat that command.
I-Cybie will bark when it understand each command. Train I-Cybie in a quiet room, in a normal voice. To teach it the tricks you like best, just be sure to encourage it when it does something you like, such as walking around, sitting, doing certain tricks or anything you want it to do again. You can also "train" it to do new tricks using the downloader which will let you download new tricks and personalities onto a cartridge from the I-Cybie website when this is released.

WHAT DOES I-CYBIE FEEL?
Like you, I-Cybie has different emotions, and reacts in different ways when in different moods. It's emotions are Happy, Sad, Hyper, and Tired.
Happiness is affected by petting I-Cybie, patting it on the head and playing with it.
Sadness is affected by giving I-Cybie attention and petting it.
Hyperactivity is affected by loud, cramped rooms with little space to roam and play.
Tiredness is affected by dark quiet rooms and being bored or alone.

WHAT'S I-CYBIE MADE OF?
2 Years of development, and 1400 parts including 90 feet of wire, 70 sensors, 16 motors, a 12volt Ni-Cad battery, 2 AAA batteries, 1 remote, and you.

DOES I-CYBIE TALK TO OTHER ROBOT PETS?
I-Cybie communicates with all the Robo-Chi pets, other I-Cybies and even Botster. I-Cybie seems to communicate more extensively with Robo-Chi pets like Poo-Chi than it does with other I-Cybies. Interaction with other I-Cybie's involves a small song and selecting from 1 of 3 responses.

WHAT'S UP WITH THE BATTERY LIFE?
Many owners have reported that I-Cybie's battery only lasts 30 minutes. The battery should last between 1 to 2 1/2 hours. If yours is lasting a shorter period, you may have overcharged it. Leave the battery in I-Cybie the next time it assumes the recharge-position...let the eyes flash red-green all day till they stop. Take the battery out and charge it just till it's warm...About 3 hours. Play with I-Cybie as you normally would, and repeat this until your battery life returns to normal. To order spare batteries call 1-800-WHY THE HECK DIDN'T YOU INCLUDE A CHARGER THAT TURNS ITSELF OFF

HOW INDEPENDENT AND AUTONOMOUS IS I-CYBIE?
I-Cybie likes attention, and will spend some time exploring your home and walking around, but wants to interact with you most of all. To encourage more exploration, be sure to praise it when it starts to walk around on it's own.
When a walk-up charger is released I-Cybie will be even more autonomous by being able to plug itself in on it's own whenever it needs to be recharged.

WHEN DOES I-CYBIE GO TO SLEEP?
You can pause I-Cybie at any time by pushing the small circular button in the upper right of the remote. I-Cybie will also fall asleep if your not playing with it, if it's in the mood to sleep. If the room is dark, quiet and I-Cybie is sleepy it will yawn, lie down, and go to sleep within 10 to 30 minutes.
Sometimes I-Cybie just wants to play with you and explore the world around it so it will try to get your attention instead.

WHAT COLORS DOES I-CYBIE COME IN?
Metallic Blue & Metallic Gold. A 3rd color has been discussed but hasn't been produced yet.

HOW DO I GET IT TO DO TRICKS?
I-Cybie will do some tricks on it's own, but you can use clap commands to see any trick you like.

WHAT'S IT COST?
The suggested retail from Tiger Toys is $199 and the least expensive retail source is ALDI for $129, then Best Buys for $150, K-Mart at $168, Wal-Mart for $188, the price at Target is $199. Online www.wishbook.com sells I-Cybie for $149, at the high end, www.spiegle.com is asking $229. Best bet...Buy one at Aldi if you have a local one, or get one of the other retailer like K-Mart or Best Buys to match the price.

WHAT CAN YOU PROGRAM?
It's not yet known what can be programmed. The range is from entire personalities to simple tricks. Lately the programming kit has been referred to as a "downloader" which may mean it's reprogramming abilities are limited to just downloading preprogrammed actions. In any event, there is a downloader and charging station still in development and soon to be released around the first quarter of 2002.

WHAT CAN I-CYBIE WALK ON?
Wood floors, Carpeting with up to a 1/4 inch pile, and most indoor surfaces. If you find I-Cybie feet are slipping on your floor, try applying a small felt pad, rough surface contraction tape, or rubber adhesive grips to the rear legs.
I-Cybie is a determined pet, so will keep trying to walk or move on any surface, but has some trouble with tricks or movements involving sliding on thick, sculptured or heavy carpeting, so try to give I-Cybie a clear smooth area to walk in for the best results. Press the head button to stop it at any time.

WHAT IF IT BREAKS?
I-Cybie has a full 90 day warranty for any defect, and that's extended to 1 year for any defect that happens after the first 90 days, with a flat-rate $95 replacement fee. Visit the www.tigertoys.com website or call Tiger customer service for any question or to arrange a return at

WHERE CAN I FIND THE LATEST I-CYBIE INFO?
Right here at HTTP://GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/I-CYBIE from I-Cybie fans and members just like you :)

Thanks for reading our Big I-Cybie Answer Guide!

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