Public Announcement From The Official Web

[codeninja]

http://www.gpx2.co.kr/support/support_noti...&page=1&part=00

They just announced recall for their Korean customers starting Dec 5th.

1. LCD brightness issue
2. LCD shaky display(?) issue (Not sure how to translate this one )
3. LCD white line on the left issue
4. LCD uneven left and right side brightness issue

Luckily enough, my unit so far doesn't show those issue.

 

[moz]

i think i'll wait and get a gp2x at easter.

 

[steven84]

so i guess the screen faults cant be repaired with firmware updates

 

[stepp]

Nope so if you have a dodgy screen i guess its time to send it back.

rest assured ill be making sure mine is perfect when i get it or its going straight back

 

[barnesy]

Meanwhile, there's finally been an update on the English site giving instructions on how to run the firmware upgrade, saying that this upgrade fixes those screen problems. Something doesn't seem to add up.

 

[torpor]

maybe they're just covering their ass. there are definitely things i've done to make sure my LCD works: use good batteries (ansmanns' rock, i get up to 3 hours depending on which emu i'm playing..), clean your battery contacts (definitely need a good scrape), loosen any screws that might be over-tightened, etc.

my v101 (second factory run) gp2x' LCD looks and works great; sure, it starts to flicker when the batteries are low, but thats as good an indicator for me as i need, and i'm not complaining.

i think GPH just have to cover their ass in their admittedly highly sensitive local consumer electronics (korea) market .. and anyway, this is good press for them. when the official release happens in january, there'll already have been a lot of word on the street about this machine.

and i, for one, am having a blast coding for it .. 'tis a very fun little box, and man it just gets more fun every day so far (only been a few, heh heh...)


{edit: which factory-run gp2x have i ..}

 

[EvilDragon]

Hm, only problem I found which isn't firmware fixable is the flickering LCD and interference lines (but they both show up on the same units, so it's just one error).

All other issues (white line, brightness) have been fixed by firmware update.

 

[x68000]

Maybe Craig might be able to clear this up with regards to the flickering screen and whether it can be firmware repaired or not.

 

[Sonic-NKT]

hmm i have a bit flickering while listening to music and in the gp2xmenu (but not in programs like frodo for example) and in some programs i see something (which isnt really seeable at all) when i move the stick to the right and left side.

 

[Eolair]

GPH mentioned earlier that they were having talks with the original screen manufacturer about the problems. IMHO, I think the firmware changes were trying to adjust some things like brightness to decrease the noticable effects.

Maybe they've now concluded that some of the problems are severe enough not to be helped consistently by firmware changes. They have to recall the affected units instead. I hope the screen manufacturer will cover some of the cost or I feel sorry for GPH <_<

Everything is just speculations ofc. It would be nice if GPH could inform their international partners about their conclusions.

 

[fomit]

http://www.gpx2.co.kr/support/support_noti...age=1∂=00

They just announced recall for their Korean customers starting Dec 5th.

1. LCD brightness issue
2. LCD shaky display(?) issue (Not sure how to translate this one )
3. LCD white line on the left issue
4. LCD uneven left and right side brightness issue

Luckily enough, my unit so far doesn't show those issue.

​

The only LCD problems I notice with the latest firmware is the dark screen and the scanline-ish looking quality of the video. I think that should be easily returned to what it was before as before the screen was very crisp and clear (I just had the LCD left and right issue and the white line issue).

I have tried posting on the gp2x.com website asking Anna if I should go in for the recall or not. I cannot post on their site for whatever reason. Firefox gives me an OLE error and IE gives me a 404 or somesuch.

Does anyone have a working e-mail for Anna? She hasn't answered the last two e-mails I've sent to her and I've read rumours that her e-mail has changed.

 

[EvilDragon]

Well, the fault which isn't fixable by firmware update is exactly the flickering you have when moving the stick, listening to MP3s or moving around your SD-Card files.

It gets worse when a SD-Card is inserted, it gets better depending on the batteries you use.

Talked to GPH yesterday about it, they will tell us soon how the international customers can exchange their faulty units.

Luckily, craig and me checked each gp2x before sending it out. Of course there might be SOME units which have such minor flickering that we didn't notice it while testing.

Hopefully though, there are not too many of those units out there - and the LCD manufacturer or GPH covers some of the shipping costs.

Otherwise, I'm blank - which would mean the end of the shop and all of the file archives. And I (nor you, I guess), would want that.

 

[Tobriand]

Mine definitely had flickering when there was a lot of change between each frame written to the screen (I wondered if it just wasn't writing quite fast enough to the screen for the software, actually), but with 1.01, it's become as unnoticable as it was on the GP32, if not slightly better than that.

And imo, that's fine . As long as the replacement units don't need different LCD settings, seeing as that would mean BLU+ all over again, (except with very very few units around that were "original") I'm happy

 

[saboteur]

I've upgraded to 1.01 and now the left and right bands on the screen have gone. But I got the 'scan' line issue now - so I guess this is a firmware thing and not a returns thing ??

 

[Eolair]

Well as long as the firmware fixes the unit I don't see any reason to return it. I think the recall is for those units that aren't helped by the current firmware (I've read that a few people still have problems after the update).

 

[barnesy]

Or maybe they've realised the firmware update is nigh on impossible to run unless they do it themselves. (he says, after reformatting and repartitioning a 128mb Sandisk SD card a few times, unsuccessfully trying to get the update to pick it up)

 

[EvilDragon]

As said: The ONLY issue not fixable by firmware is the brightness flickering noticable when moving the stick or listening to MP3s.
Scanlines issues are timing settings of the LCD which can be changed.

 

[codeninja]

From what I heard they finally found the source of the problems that I listed at the beginning of this thread. However, they have to send the unit to the factory to fix the issue. There is a rumor that it has something to do with resistance settings around LCD, but since I'm no EE major, and have no clue what that means.

 

[The2ndclory]

I have a horizontal line about a 1/6 from the bottom of my LCD that is noticeably darker than the rest. firmware update didn't solve that

 

[LordDavon]

Just talked with Dynamism to get some clearer info.

What the web site says is that the issue mostly affects preorder units. GPH wants uses to update to the latest firmware before sending in the units for repair to help speed the repair process. The latest firmware addresses some of the LCD issues, but not all. They will be releasing more information on Dec 4th.

David

Edit:

Corrected date from the 14th to the 4th. Added that this information came from Dynamism -- to my knowledge, Dynamism is a direct US reseller and created a relationship with GPH during their last visit to Korea. I will try and get some more information with Dynamism's help.