PRS-600 PRS-600 - frozen dead??

magnusl · 10-21-2011, 04:05 PM

Hi!

I have a Sony PRS-600, that has worked nicely for a rather long time. But a few days ago, it just froze. I was reading an epub book, and the screen just froze, and has stayed that way since then. Displaying the text. I get no reaction whatsoever whichever button I press. I cannot turn it off. I've tried the Reset button on the bottom, pressing for a minute or more with the pin in the stylus - no reaction.

So I thought, let the battery run dry and then it'll shutdown and I can reboot. But still, after 4 days, it keeps showing the same page.

The only reaction I get is if I plug in the USB-cable to the computer, the red light goes on, indicating that it charges the battery. But the computer does not react, I mean, it does not identify the reader as a USB device at all, does not even give any error msgs (running Linux, I've checked the syslog - nothing).

Any ideas at all what I can do with it (excpet use it as a mousepad....)?

Best,

Magnus L

pidgeon92 · 10-21-2011, 04:44 PM

Can you post a pic?

Kiwimick · 10-21-2011, 04:51 PM

You might need to use a wall charger as sometimes in situations like this charging from the computer by USB does not work. If you have a PSP that charger should fit the 600.
It does sound like a the battery is flat. I used to have a 600 and when on this forum I remember a number of people saying that these sort of problems were better after a wall charge

magnusl · 10-21-2011, 06:44 PM

Hi!

Here's a pic (attached). Unfortunately I have nothing better than the webcam om my laptop..

But the problem is NOT that I cannot charge it. As you see, there's is text on the screen - it displays a page and has done so for the last 4 days. If I plug in the usb-cable, the red light goes on, indicating that it does charge. But that is not what I want. I want it to reboot, and get out of this frozen stage. I don't want to keep reading this one page for ages.

See? It has frozen in a state where it displays one page of text, and I cannot get it to react, not even shut it down.

Magnus

elcreative · 10-21-2011, 06:59 PM

The fact that a page is showing doesn't mean anything... it takes no power to show a page, only to change it... it is entirely possible to have a page showing like that on a machine with a flat battery and it can only be changed when the machine is charged. The usual fix is to give a long charge, preferably on an external charger overnight but, if you have to charge from a computer then it needs to be left at least overnight whilst ensuring that the computer is not going into sleep mode...

JSWolf · 10-21-2011, 07:07 PM

Did you try a reset by pushing the button with the stylus?

You unscrew the stylus and can then put it in the hole.

ScalyFreak · 10-21-2011, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Did you try a reset by pushing the button with the stylus?

You unscrew the stylus and can then put it in the hole.

If you try this, keep in mind that the screen on an eReader does not auto-refresh, so to find out if the reset worked or not, you need to make it change the screen somehow. On my 950 I just move the power slider to activate the screensaver, and if the screen changes, then I know the soft reset worked.

If the reset button fails, try a hard reset next. WARNING: This will delete all content on your reader!!

JSWolf · 10-21-2011, 08:36 PM

After pressing the reset button slide the power switch to reboot the 600. I suggest doing this while the AC adapter is plugged into a power socket in case it is a drained battery as well as something else.

pidgeon92 · 10-21-2011, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcreative

The fact that a page is showing doesn't mean anything...

To me it means that the screen is not broken. Always my first concern when an ereader is reportedly "frozen."

magnusl · 10-21-2011, 11:28 PM

Hi again!

Wow, thanks!! Now it's working again.

What I did: plugged it itnto a usb 3-port, that as I understand it provides more power. After a few minutes it began reacting. So it seems the battery was flat.

I had abosulutely no idea that it could display a page without any battery. And what contributed to that confusion was that it did freeze while I was reading, and by then the battery was charged, so my hunch was that when the battery died, it would shut down the page. But that was not the fact. Interesting..

So, it's up and running, or rather, charging through the night. I've learned something, hopefully others can find it useful too.

Thanks a lot, guys!!

Magnus

ScalyFreak · 10-21-2011, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magnusl

What I did: plugged it itnto a usb 3-port, that as I understand it provides more power.

It does. One of the changes in the USB standard from 2.0 to 3.0 is in the voltage provided by the port.

Quote:

Originally Posted by magnusl

I had abosulutely no idea that it could display a page without any battery. And what contributed to that confusion was that it did freeze while I was reading, and by then the battery was charged, so my hunch was that when the battery died, it would shut down the page. But that was not the fact. Interesting..

The way an eInk display works, it needs to reach over and grab power from the battery only when it changes the page. Displaying a page doesn't actually use up any power. Think of it as kinetics or physics: Moving an object requires a certain amount of force. Once said object is firmly in place, you don't need to use any force to keep it there. You do however need to apply force to move it back to the original spot. Same principle. (Sort of, and vastly over simplified.

)

Ashjuk · 10-23-2011, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

It does. One of the changes in the USB standard from 2.0 to 3.0 is in the voltage provided by the port.

Not so.

The voltage of USB 3.0 is still the same at 5v otherwise you could end up damaging USB 2.0 devices by plugging them in. What has changed is the total power available which is a combination of both voltage and current.

Ohm's Law gives the equation P(power) = V(voltage) X I(current). Therefore total power can be increased in two ways, either by increasing the voltage or by increasing the current. In the case of USB 3.0 the voltage has remained at 5v so the only difference is the current that is available to a device.

As a device plugged into a USB port will only ever draw the maximum current it was designed to take from a USB port it was designed for, the advantage of using a USB 3.0 port for a USB 2.0 device is nil. The only devices that will get a benefit from USB 3.0 are those designed to the USB 3.0 standard.

Seems to me that all Magnus needed to do was charge the device, and that could have been from any source.

elcreative · 10-23-2011, 07:34 AM

Ohm's Law refers to resistance not power and is different from this rule but what you said is spot on of course...

Ashjuk · 10-23-2011, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elcreative

Ohm's Law refers to resistance not power and is different from this rule but what you said is spot on of course...

In the strict sense of the law you are right in that it is the ratio of voltage/resistance/current. But as power is a factor of voltage and current it can be loosely referred to in the same vein as it also can be related to Joule's Law.

Anyway, hopefully, everyone got the point I was trying to make.

ScalyFreak · 10-23-2011, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashjuk

The voltage of USB 3.0 is still the same at 5v otherwise you could end up damaging USB 2.0 devices by plugging them in. What has changed is the total power available which is a combination of both voltage and current.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why we should not post without paying attention to what we're posting and the question we are being asked.

I really should have remembered that.

10-21-2011, 04:05 PM	#1
magnusl Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 4010 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Sony PRS600	PRS-600 - frozen dead?? Hi! I have a Sony PRS-600, that has worked nicely for a rather long time. But a few days ago, it just froze. I was reading an epub book, and the screen just froze, and has stayed that way since then. Displaying the text. I get no reaction whatsoever whichever button I press. I cannot turn it off. I've tried the Reset button on the bottom, pressing for a minute or more with the pin in the stylus - no reaction. So I thought, let the battery run dry and then it'll shutdown and I can reboot. But still, after 4 days, it keeps showing the same page. The only reaction I get is if I plug in the USB-cable to the computer, the red light goes on, indicating that it charges the battery. But the computer does not react, I mean, it does not identify the reader as a USB device at all, does not even give any error msgs (running Linux, I've checked the syslog - nothing). Any ideas at all what I can do with it (excpet use it as a mousepad....)? Best, Magnus L

10-21-2011, 06:44 PM	#4
magnusl Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 4010 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Sony PRS600	Hi! Here's a pic (attached). Unfortunately I have nothing better than the webcam om my laptop.. But the problem is NOT that I cannot charge it. As you see, there's is text on the screen - it displays a page and has done so for the last 4 days. If I plug in the usb-cable, the red light goes on, indicating that it does charge. But that is not what I want. I want it to reboot, and get out of this frozen stage. I don't want to keep reading this one page for ages. See? It has frozen in a state where it displays one page of text, and I cannot get it to react, not even shut it down. Magnus Attached Thumbnails

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10-21-2011, 04:44 PM	#2
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	Can you post a pic?

10-21-2011, 04:51 PM	#3
Kiwimick Addict Posts: 211 Karma: 37308 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: London UK Device: Sony PRS650	You might need to use a wall charger as sometimes in situations like this charging from the computer by USB does not work. If you have a PSP that charger should fit the 600. It does sound like a the battery is flat. I used to have a 600 and when on this forum I remember a number of people saying that these sort of problems were better after a wall charge

10-21-2011, 06:59 PM	#5
elcreative Wizard Posts: 2,888 Karma: 5875940 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: PRS505, 600, 350, 650, Nexus 7, Note III, iPad 4 etc	The fact that a page is showing doesn't mean anything... it takes no power to show a page, only to change it... it is entirely possible to have a page showing like that on a machine with a flat battery and it can only be changed when the machine is charged. The usual fix is to give a long charge, preferably on an external charger overnight but, if you have to charge from a computer then it needs to be left at least overnight whilst ensuring that the computer is not going into sleep mode...

10-21-2011, 07:07 PM	#6
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,983 Karma: 128903378 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Did you try a reset by pushing the button with the stylus? You unscrew the stylus and can then put it in the hole.

10-21-2011, 08:36 PM	#8
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,983 Karma: 128903378 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	After pressing the reset button slide the power switch to reboot the 600. I suggest doing this while the AC adapter is plugged into a power socket in case it is a drained battery as well as something else.

10-21-2011, 11:28 PM	#10
magnusl Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 4010 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Sony PRS600	Hi again! Wow, thanks!! Now it's working again. What I did: plugged it itnto a usb 3-port, that as I understand it provides more power. After a few minutes it began reacting. So it seems the battery was flat. I had abosulutely no idea that it could display a page without any battery. And what contributed to that confusion was that it did freeze while I was reading, and by then the battery was charged, so my hunch was that when the battery died, it would shut down the page. But that was not the fact. Interesting.. So, it's up and running, or rather, charging through the night. I've learned something, hopefully others can find it useful too. Thanks a lot, guys!! Magnus

10-23-2011, 07:34 AM	#13
elcreative Wizard Posts: 2,888 Karma: 5875940 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: PRS505, 600, 350, 650, Nexus 7, Note III, iPad 4 etc	Ohm's Law refers to resistance not power and is different from this rule but what you said is spot on of course...

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