Kobo H2O Display or Software damage?

Ratz_Fatz · 05-06-2016, 06:43 AM

Hi,
I used my Kobo H2O for about 1 year and 3 months now without any problems. For me it's still the best ebook reader on the market. Unfortunately, since yesterday - out of the blue - the display seems to be damaged(?): it shows the cover of my last ebook plus some strange graphical debris/lines in the upper left corner (see picture) that were not part of the book cover.
No matter what I do - reboot, reset, factory reset, the display doesn't change any more. When I attach the reader to a computer via USB it doesn't show up in the explorer (i.e. the computer doesn't recognize it any longer), but this might be due to the fact that I already did a factory reset and now cannot go through the initialization procedure (kobo account etc.).
As I can tell from the activity of the power LED and the display LEDs, the software somehow seems to work: it behaves "as normal" when I switch it on/off. Also, after the factory reset, the display LEDs are now at full brightness, while before the f.r., I had them at only approx. 5% brightness - in other words: the f.r. seems to have done its job.
I already took the reader apart, but saw no obvious "wrong things" inside (loose cables or whatever).
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also I would like to try reformatting the internal SD, if anyone would be so kind and give me a link to an SD card image. I already googled, but couldn't find a working link.
Peace!

meeera · 05-06-2016, 06:46 AM

I suspect your picture will be deleted very soon for being oversize.

Either way, though, see that diagonal line and the curved line amongst the other artefacts? You've broken the thin glass substrate of the e-ink screen. No amount of fiddling with the rest of the device will bring it back.

HarryT · 05-06-2016, 06:49 AM

Classic picture of a fractured screen substrate. It's toast.

Ratz_Fatz · 05-06-2016, 07:04 AM

Sad to hear that. But how could this happen ? I really didn't drop it.

HarryT · 05-06-2016, 07:08 AM

The most likely cause is something applying a bending force to the device. It's a very, very thin layer of glass. Doesn't take much to fracture it. I would recommend that you always keep the device in a rigid case.

meeera · 05-06-2016, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratz_Fatz

Sad to hear that. But how could this happen ? I really didn't drop it.

Dropped, something dropped onto it, leaned on, flexed, jammed into a bag, left in extreme temperature (eg a car outside). All sorts of ways people break them.

Ratz_Fatz · 05-06-2016, 07:19 AM

Shouldn't be the device's own chassis itself be rigid enough? I'll now have to think about a successor. Maybe I should buy a cheaper one, but I really preferred the sheer size of the 6.8" display over that of the normal 6" competitors. But maybe the additional size makes it more susceptible to that kind of damage? I could get a Pocketbook Touch 3 for 95 €; the Kobo H2O still costs 179 € (actually I bought it for 169€ in January 2015).
Anyway, thank you very much for your answers!

JSWolf · 05-06-2016, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meeera

I suspect your picture will be deleted very soon for being oversize.

The image is inline with the size rule.

HarryT · 05-06-2016, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The image is inline with the size rule.

The one that's there now is

.

JSWolf · 05-06-2016, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratz_Fatz

Shouldn't be the device's own chassis itself be rigid enough? I'll now have to think about a successor. Maybe I should buy a cheaper one, but I really preferred the sheer size of the 6.8" display over that of the normal 6" competitors. But maybe the additional size makes it more susceptible to that kind of damage? I could get a Pocketbook Touch 3 for 95 €; the Kobo H2O still costs 179 € (actually I bought it for 169€ in January 2015).
Anyway, thank you very much for your answers!

The problem is that no matter the chassis, the screen can still be broken. All eInk Readers use a screen with a glass substrate and if they glass breaks, the screen is toast. So in order to minimize the risk, keep the Reader is a good case and treat it with care. Don't put it in a bag when it's possible that something can bash it enough or put undo stress on it. Also, don't put anything on top of it. You don't know what weight is too much to cause damage.

robko · 05-06-2016, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ratz_Fatz

Shouldn't be the device's own chassis itself be rigid enough?

In theory yes, but it becomes a tradeoff between weight and cost of having a really rigid chassis and a light and "cheap" device. A bigger screen size probably gives you more leverage to bend it but I've had mine since they came out and never had a problem yet.

xtine · 05-07-2016, 05:36 AM

Same thing happened to me last year, only I dropped my H2O. I'd been using it for two months without a cover (only a sleeve for the times it wasn't in use). I was pretty unhappy but since I really liked the size, I had no choice but to cough up the money for another one. This time I got one with the sleep cover. I'm happy to report the replacement is now a little over a year old and still going strong.

frostschutz · 05-07-2016, 10:51 AM

eInk screens are extremely fragile. You can break it with very little pressure using only one finger. If you read horror novels and get bitten by a mummified minotauros and you hold your reader in a death grip while doing so ... crack.

It's the major downside of the technology and with every new generation of readers I'm hoping for them to gain unbreakable (flexible) displays, but alas, it's not happening. Probably too expensive or other issues.

If you sell it on Ebay you might get 20€-ish for it [at least they were that expensive when I tried to buy broken ones for my firmware experiments), some people buy it for replacement parts (like if you manage to damage the USB socket or whatever) or just for the electronics... or maybe they're hoping to find a large ebook collection

MGlitch · 05-07-2016, 11:50 PM

It's funny, for all I hear about how fragile the screens are, I have never experienced it myself. I've had two Nook Simpletouches (one broke but it was a battery issue, not screen issue), a Nook Simpletouch with Glowlight, a Nook Glowlight, and now a Kobo H2O. The only case I have ever used was a silicone shell for the Nooks (I have as of yet to find one for the H2O and have all but given up hope). I kept each in a jacket pocket. I'm sure I've dropped them all multiple times over the period of time I was using them.

milady133 · 05-09-2016, 05:16 AM

Same here. It all comes to bad luck and Murphy feeling naughty. I assure you, I don't treat my ereaders with extreme care. They are always in a cover, but they go everywhere with me, I sleep with them (and frecuently I fall sleep on them) and only one broke because of a spectacular fall I myself suffered (I was lucky I didn't broke myself something)
Just two weeks ago I woke up suddenly when my Kobo HD fell from the bed on the screen side. The cover was uselees because it had been open as I was reading. I thought that was it, I didn't see the screen broken, but it didn't respond to my touch and each time I shut it off, when it started on again it gave me a message of unexpected error. Fortunately, after trying sometimes and fully recharging it, it began to respond again to touch and the message disappeared, although I'm crossing my fingers, sometimes the screen cracks with the slighest bump, specially after such a big fall, but for now is with me in a four days journey and it's giving no problems.

05-06-2016, 06:43 AM	#1
Ratz_Fatz Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2016 Device: Kobo Aura H2O	Kobo H2O Display or Software damage? Hi, I used my Kobo H2O for about 1 year and 3 months now without any problems. For me it's still the best ebook reader on the market. Unfortunately, since yesterday - out of the blue - the display seems to be damaged(?): it shows the cover of my last ebook plus some strange graphical debris/lines in the upper left corner (see picture) that were not part of the book cover. No matter what I do - reboot, reset, factory reset, the display doesn't change any more. When I attach the reader to a computer via USB it doesn't show up in the explorer (i.e. the computer doesn't recognize it any longer), but this might be due to the fact that I already did a factory reset and now cannot go through the initialization procedure (kobo account etc.). As I can tell from the activity of the power LED and the display LEDs, the software somehow seems to work: it behaves "as normal" when I switch it on/off. Also, after the factory reset, the display LEDs are now at full brightness, while before the f.r., I had them at only approx. 5% brightness - in other words: the f.r. seems to have done its job. I already took the reader apart, but saw no obvious "wrong things" inside (loose cables or whatever). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also I would like to try reformatting the internal SD, if anyone would be so kind and give me a link to an SD card image. I already googled, but couldn't find a working link. Peace! Last edited by Ratz_Fatz; 05-06-2016 at 06:59 AM.

05-07-2016, 10:51 AM	#13
frostschutz Linux User Posts: 2,282 Karma: 6123806 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Device: none	eInk screens are extremely fragile. You can break it with very little pressure using only one finger. If you read horror novels and get bitten by a mummified minotauros and you hold your reader in a death grip while doing so ... crack. It's the major downside of the technology and with every new generation of readers I'm hoping for them to gain unbreakable (flexible) displays, but alas, it's not happening. Probably too expensive or other issues. If you sell it on Ebay you might get 20€-ish for it [at least they were that expensive when I tried to buy broken ones for my firmware experiments), some people buy it for replacement parts (like if you manage to damage the USB socket or whatever) or just for the electronics... or maybe they're hoping to find a large ebook collection Last edited by frostschutz; 05-07-2016 at 10:54 AM.

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05-06-2016, 06:46 AM	#2
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,808 Karma: 68407974 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	I suspect your picture will be deleted very soon for being oversize. Either way, though, see that diagonal line and the curved line amongst the other artefacts? You've broken the thin glass substrate of the e-ink screen. No amount of fiddling with the rest of the device will bring it back.

05-06-2016, 06:49 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Classic picture of a fractured screen substrate. It's toast.

05-06-2016, 07:04 AM	#4
Ratz_Fatz Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2016 Device: Kobo Aura H2O	Sad to hear that. But how could this happen ? I really didn't drop it.

05-06-2016, 07:08 AM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The most likely cause is something applying a bending force to the device. It's a very, very thin layer of glass. Doesn't take much to fracture it. I would recommend that you always keep the device in a rigid case.

05-06-2016, 07:19 AM	#7
Ratz_Fatz Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2016 Device: Kobo Aura H2O	Shouldn't be the device's own chassis itself be rigid enough? I'll now have to think about a successor. Maybe I should buy a cheaper one, but I really preferred the sheer size of the 6.8" display over that of the normal 6" competitors. But maybe the additional size makes it more susceptible to that kind of damage? I could get a Pocketbook Touch 3 for 95 €; the Kobo H2O still costs 179 € (actually I bought it for 169€ in January 2015). Anyway, thank you very much for your answers!

05-07-2016, 05:36 AM	#12
xtine Addict Posts: 355 Karma: 1432252 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kobo Forma	Same thing happened to me last year, only I dropped my H2O. I'd been using it for two months without a cover (only a sleeve for the times it wasn't in use). I was pretty unhappy but since I really liked the size, I had no choice but to cough up the money for another one. This time I got one with the sleep cover. I'm happy to report the replacement is now a little over a year old and still going strong.

05-07-2016, 11:50 PM	#14
MGlitch Wizard Posts: 2,855 Karma: 22003124 Join Date: Aug 2014 Device: Kobo Forma, Kobo Sage, Kobo Libra 2	It's funny, for all I hear about how fragile the screens are, I have never experienced it myself. I've had two Nook Simpletouches (one broke but it was a battery issue, not screen issue), a Nook Simpletouch with Glowlight, a Nook Glowlight, and now a Kobo H2O. The only case I have ever used was a silicone shell for the Nooks (I have as of yet to find one for the H2O and have all but given up hope). I kept each in a jacket pocket. I'm sure I've dropped them all multiple times over the period of time I was using them.

05-09-2016, 05:16 AM	#15
milady133 Groupie Posts: 188 Karma: 616200 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Spain Device: Kobo Forma, Hisense A5	Same here. It all comes to bad luck and Murphy feeling naughty. I assure you, I don't treat my ereaders with extreme care. They are always in a cover, but they go everywhere with me, I sleep with them (and frecuently I fall sleep on them) and only one broke because of a spectacular fall I myself suffered (I was lucky I didn't broke myself something) Just two weeks ago I woke up suddenly when my Kobo HD fell from the bed on the screen side. The cover was uselees because it had been open as I was reading. I thought that was it, I didn't see the screen broken, but it didn't respond to my touch and each time I shut it off, when it started on again it gave me a message of unexpected error. Fortunately, after trying sometimes and fully recharging it, it began to respond again to touch and the message disappeared, although I'm crossing my fingers, sometimes the screen cracks with the slighest bump, specially after such a big fall, but for now is with me in a four days journey and it's giving no problems.

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