Unresponsive controls

[Mr.Confuzed]

The people who got working Pandoras love their device. Sometimes it goes so far that they don't want to send it for an RMA because they don't want to part with it.

You nailed it! I should've reported this earlier but wth, here goes:

I have what appears to be a hardware problem, which just started a while ago. The controls are completely unresponsive in the boot menu as well as when I boot into a fresh install via SD card. When I boot to NAND, all of the controls work except for the down button on the dpad. It seems to press (and hold) itself at random, causing repeated keystrokes. Also, I can interrupt the repeated downward keystokes by pressing up on the dpad.

Obviously, this was very annoying especially where the down key caused scrolling. As a workaround, I use:

xmodmap -e "keycode 116 = NoSymbol"

in a startup script on the desktop, which works well.

That being said, I have little over a month before I join the armed forces, and I would prefer to spend that time with a Pandora, rather than without. So, I'm not going to send it back, until then at least.

 

[EvilDragon]

The people who got working Pandoras love their device. Sometimes it goes so far that they don't want to send it for an RMA because they don't want to part with it.

You nailed it! I should've reported this earlier but wth, here goes:

I have what appears to be a hardware problem, which just started a while ago. The controls are completely unresponsive in the boot menu as well as when I boot into a fresh install via SD card. When I boot to NAND, all of the controls work except for the down button on the dpad. It seems to press (and hold) itself at random, causing repeated keystrokes. Also, I can interrupt the repeated downward keystokes by pressing up on the dpad.

Obviously, this was very annoying especially where the down key caused scrolling. As a workaround, I use:

xmodmap -e "keycode 116 = NoSymbol"

in a startup script on the desktop, which works well.

That being said, I have little over a month before I join the armed forces, and I would prefer to spend that time with a Pandora, rather than without. So, I'm not going to send it back, until then at least.

That sounds like a broken keymat - in case you're brave enough to exchange it yourself (not too hard), either me or craig can send you a new, tested and working one

 

[NickLoTurco]

I did it today, was quite stressful but it's in and it worked!

 

[Mr.Confuzed]

Do you think that would fix the unresponsive boot menu too?

Could I check if this is the problem without having a replacement keymat?

 

[EvilDragon]

Do you think that would fix the unresponsive boot menu too?

Could I check if this is the problem without having a replacement keymat?

I'm pretty sure it's the keymat.

Yes, you can check it out.
First, boot your unit.
Then open an terminal and type:

op_test_inputs

Then you can test each key and see if it works fine.

Now you said your DPad sometimes moves in a direction without you pressing there.
You can see when it does that with that tool.

When that happens, carefully try to LIFT the DPad from that direction (you can also use a fingernail).

Does it stop moving into that direction? Good. Let it go. Does it start to move there eventually again?
Then you surely have a broken keymat.

It could be that the rubber that makes the contact is too thick and therefore closing the contacts when it shouldn't.

To exit the tool, press L + R at the same time.

 

[Mr.Confuzed]

That's a very helpful program. At first when I tried it, the button was stuck on, lifting didn't change it. Then I rebooted, which should clear my xmodmap modification. (Don't know if that matters.) And I haven't seen the button turn on yet.

After that I decided that if I was brave/stupid enough to change the keymat, I might as well take a look inside now:

Hmm...

 

[EvilDragon]

That's a very helpful program. At first when I tried it, the button was stuck on, lifting didn't change it. Then I rebooted, which should clear my xmodmap modification. (Don't know if that matters.) And I haven't seen the button turn on yet.

After that I decided that if I was brave/stupid enough to change the keymat, I might as well take a look inside now:

Hmm...

Oh, what's that green thing?
Shouldn't be there!

Could you try to careful scratch it off (at least inbetween the connections)?

I guess those are your problem.
Never seen that before.

 

[gruso]

Looks like corrosion/oxidisation. Suggest using some contact cleaner on that (eg Electrolube, NOT WD40 or whatever else looks like it might do the job). Clean gently with an eraser.

 

[Mr.Confuzed]

Actually, I think it was some of whatever material the board is made of. It scribed off easier than corrosion would have.

Anyway, controls work from boot menu/NAND install, but curiously not in SD image. Must be a software issue.

Thanks, Rainbow Dragon!

 

[SoleGrave]

Why not WD40? Would Ronsonol lighter fluid be better?


EDIT: sorry, a little late here.
.

 

[mali]

WD40 is oily. Lighter fluid works well.

 

[gruso]

WD40 is designed for mechanical parts, not circuit boards. Not sure I'd want to put any kind of fuel on there either These things might appear effective in the short term (add saliva to that list) but aren't the best thing for the long term life of electronics.

Anyway, good to hear MrConfuzed.

 

[mali]

WD40 can weaken plastics and other things over time. I applied it to a distributor cap once, which had problems with condensate and the inner coating disintegrated from it.

 

[EvilDragon]

Great to hear you fixed it

 

[cosam]

Academic now, but a little isopropyl alcohol usually cleans that kind of stuff off nicely and leaves practically no residue.

 

[torpor]

I have the same problem on my second Pandora, which doesn't get as much love as my first .. so I'm going to do this too. Shall I report if I see the same corrosion on the pad?

 

[EvilDragon]

I have the same problem on my second Pandora, which doesn't get as much love as my first .. so I'm going to do this too. Shall I report if I see the same corrosion on the pad?

Would be great yes, because we will tell the board company to be more careful here.

 

[mitosis]

I have the same problem on my second Pandora, which doesn't get as much love as my first .. so I'm going to do this too. Shall I report if I see the same corrosion on the pad?

Would be great yes, because we will tell the board company to be more careful here.

Some things I'd like to point out:

OK, first of all what is a printed circuit board? Well it's a bunch of layers of fiberglass sheets with layers of copper patterns (the printed circuit) sandwiched in between them, then a final layer gets added to the top and bottom called the solder mask... this solder mask is the green stuff that makes the PCB (printed circuit board) look green. The solder mask doesn't allow for solder to stick to it and is supposed to have holes in it where all the "pads" (the spots you solder to and the contacts for the buttons) are located. So that green stuff you're seeing in the photo is NOT corrosion (haha you guys make me laugh) but actually some of the solder mask got smeared during the manufacturing of the PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD itself.

Now, it is imperative to understand that what the "board company", as we so often call them, in Texas is POPULATING the boards but not manufacturing the actual printed circuit board itself. So, the actual PCBs were manufactured by some company, but then they get shipped to the Texas based "board company" to have all the parts soldered on, aka "populating" the board.

The green layer, the solder mask, is designed to prevent MOLTEN SOLDER from sticking to parts of the board that it shouldn't... that means it can withstand UBER FUCKING HOT temperatures an not melt or smear. In fact, you're more likely to see the solder mask start to blister and crack if you get it too hot, it doesn't really ever go back to a liquid state after it's been applied to the board... and I mean by the time the solder mask even starts to turn brown you've gotten your board WAY too hot.

So you see... it's not really the Texas "board factory's" fault that the solder mask is smeared over the pad there. Sure they could have caught it in visual inspection, but these aren't 50,000+ dollar broadcast video routers... these are 350 dollar toy computers

In my professional opinion, solder mask over a pad is best dealt with by scraping it off gently with a razor blade. Very gently as to not mar the soft copper, you don't wanna cut anything here just gently scrape with the back edge of the blade. So clean your circuit boards, you pretty much wanna stick with isopropyl alcohol. Solder mask won't rub off with any kind of solvent though... or at least if you had a solvent that was powerful enough to eat away solder mask you would NOT want that on your board

 

[mvickers03]

I would personally use a fibre glass pen, there great for cleaning PCBs

 

[tristan.clark]

Take care if your using WD40 on electrical/electronic equipment it leaves a electrically insulating film that can be tough to remove. Possible troublesome if some WD40 got under the key mat for example.