How many is too much: Dead Pixels / Wonky Left Nub

[liveunderwater]

Finally just sent my first Pandora to Link for a broken right nub. Now it's time to tackle Pandora number two's issues. I received a unit with about 7 dead pixels all connected to one another, and a left nub that consistently falls out of calibration in less than a minutes time.


Here is pictures of pixels and video of nub.


You can see the dead pixel block in the lower left corner. In the video I show the Input test screen gradualy diminish the values of the right side of the nub. Then, again using the desktop and the nub configuration utility to show the very fast change in calibration values. I am using only the extreme positions of the nub.


I need to know if OP thinks it is acceptable to ship a unit with shown amount of dead pixels and also if anyone has seen this nub problem before.


I have tried many screen flashing gifs and movies and games and whatnot to no avail. Even tried massaging the screen several times. As for the nub, well, if it's software related either I don't know what to search for or what I'm looking for does not exist. Otherwise, I have another unit with a faulty nub.


Is this RMA time?


Help in this situation would be greatly appreciated.


I need more Robotron, and Robotron needs nubs. Plural.

 

[EvilDragon]

Regarding the left nub:


I haven't checked your video, but if starts to move slowly in one direction, then it is a software issue.


I've encountered this myself on my unit and I know some people report they only had this problem with the new kernel, not when using the old one, so it's not hardware related.


We haven't found out what causes this, as it's not easy to reproduce and even the fix for it is weird:


So far, reflashing to the latest firmware, removing the battery for a few minutes and then booting it up seems to permanently fix it.


About the display:


Displays with that high number of bad pixels don't pass our quality test, but maybe it got stuck on transport too you (temperature related, who knows)


Link should have some replacement LCDs, he can fix that and send this display back to me, as we'll get it replaced ourselves.


Sorry for these issues.

 

[notaz]

I've encountered this myself on my unit and I know some people report they only had this problem with the new kernel, not when using the old one, so it's not hardware related.

Does this happen on the latest release, that has voltage tweaks?

 

[EvilDragon]

I've encountered this myself on my unit and I know some people report they only had this problem with the new kernel, not when using the old one, so it's not hardware related.

Does this happen on the latest release, that has voltage tweaks?

That's the issue - I really don't know.


GC has the latest version on their Test/Flash-SD Cards (the same that can be downloaded), and it still sometimes seems to happen.


Reflashing fixes this though.


It's pretty weird...


Maybe these are still some units that were flashed with an older version - we had a couple of updates within a few weeks and shipping also takes a few weeks.


It only seems to happen with the left nub though.

 

[liveunderwater]

Thank you for your reply ED. Very relieved to hear that the left nub problem is software related. I will put some troubleshooting into it tonight and tomorrow. I will have to talk to Link about LCD replacement. (After getting the other back, and having returned from vacation)


Again, thanks so much for your help.

 

[levi]

Does your video even show the problem? All I can see if you trying to make the nub fail but it consistently returning to center. Am I looking for the wrong thing? Perhaps you could tell us where in the video it happens, as it's quite a long video.


Also, I can't see any dead pixels in those google plus images. Is there a way to zoom in on google plus images, cos at their current resolution I guess any dead pixels are likely to be subsumed into JPEG compression artifacts. Are they actually dead, or rather stuck, given two of your photos seem to have mostly black in the area you've highlighted.


I'm not saying I don't trust you, of course, and I'm glad you've got a solution for your LCD problem. Just saying I can't see anything in your link.

 

[liveunderwater]

I shot on a Nikon D7000... you're totally right. I couldn't figure out another way to post the images. I just dropped the jpegs straight from the camera into an album and shared via link. If you would like I can share the files with you, just pm me. I was being lazy and using an online image processor to put the circle in, probably has a lot to do with a distortion that high. They are very clear to me in the originals. I suppose I should spend the time to install Adobe CS2. (Recent Rebuild)


The video: In the input test screen watch for the values of the right side of the nub. They gradually reach a maximum of 11-22, never a full 32. While on the desktop I am trying to show that I am constantly pushing up and to the left while the cursor lays burried in the lower right corner. I then reset the nubs through nub configuration and show that after about one minutes time(had to preserve the time for this... I apologize) while pressing extreme right or anywhere there abouts results in a sluggish under valued cursor movement. I think it has something to do with where the nub is centered when reset because I either get sluggish right or burried right corner without any other reason.


Ok, so today my goals are to install CS2 and to try ED's fix.

 

[liveunderwater]

Ok, I can't get this to work. Flashed Super Zaxxon 1.51 and then left the battery out for thirty minutes before first boot. Left nub values error persists.

 

[liveunderwater]

Reflashed firmware again. Battery out for nearly two hours. This is not a fix. Help would be appreciated. Just tell me what to try next.

 

[Kumaki]

Does your video even show the problem? All I can see if you trying to make the nub fail but it consistently returning to center. Am I looking for the wrong thing? Perhaps you could tell us where in the video it happens, as it's quite a long video.


Also, I can't see any dead pixels in those google plus images. Is there a way to zoom in on google plus images, cos at their current resolution I guess any dead pixels are likely to be subsumed into JPEG compression artifacts. Are they actually dead, or rather stuck, given two of your photos seem to have mostly black in the area you've highlighted.


I'm not saying I don't trust you, of course, and I'm glad you've got a solution for your LCD problem. Just saying I can't see anything in your link.

I was gonna say the same thing about the dead pixels...I can't see them.


How can you tell if you have any dead pixels? Like I said, I see nothing wrong in the picture. My eyes aren't good, I'm nearly legally blind without my glasses, but with my glasses, I am just as good as a 20/20 person, and able to drive a car and anything else any normal person could do. My point being...my eyesight isn't good without my glasses, but, even with my glasses, I see nothing wrong with that screen.

 

[liveunderwater]

How do I post photos to the forum? Legally blind people are telling me that even they cannot see the very obvious stuck pixels, that I circled in red. Only the login photo is ambiguous and I realize I should have omitted that one for your sake. I have attached the untouched photos here. If you cannot see the sideways "L" block of stuck pixels in the lower left... yes you are legally blind. The pixel problem is real, and I will be contacting Link in this regard. More important however is the left nub issue, which I cannot solve by simply flashing firmware and pulling battery. Let's forget that blind people cannot see things and talk more about fixing left nubs that wont walk right.


OP splash screen image... the only thing out of place is stuck pixels in the lower left. Input test screen, obviously the same location but I would point you to just next to and above the word shift.

 

[Kumaki]

I'm not legally blind. I'm nearly so without my glasses. With them, I can see as good as anyone. And I don't see the pixels. Perhaps this is because I can't ENLARGE the photo enough to where they can be seen.


I'm not disputing that you have stuck pixels. I only posted here, because I'd like to know what to look for to tell me if I ever get any stuck pixels. Because I just plain saw nothing wrong in the photo that was posted. As I said, perhaps this is simply because I cannot seem to get a close-up shot.

 

[liveunderwater]

I did actually attach the photos for you to zoom in upon in whichever manner you choose and gave what I thought to be an accurate description on where to look for said stuck pixels. Please let me know if the attachments only show up to me for some reason. Yes, I took some liberty with the legally blind bit. Got anything on wonky left nubs on newest firmware other than flash and pull?

 

[Kumaki]

When I click on your pics, they come up...but no way to MAGNIFY the photos. Not even if I copy link location and open in another window.

 

[frefol]

Here I circled the spot and zoomed it in a little. You should be able to see the white spot on this one unless you are looking at it on a tiny screen.

 

[Kumaki]

Yup. I saw that one. didn't even need the circled spot to find THAT one.


I guess your other photos just didn't have the magnification to make it obvious.


Perhaps for the smaller one, I might not have noticed it without the circle...but the big spot...that was as big as life.