Jetbook lite froze. WTD?

GrouchoM · 12-10-2010, 04:36 AM

I bought my Jetbook lite about 5 to 6 months ago from this forum. I froze on me today and wouldn't even move past the initial screen at startup with Jetbook Lite by Ectato. It froze once or twice before this but all I had to do was reset the batteries and it was back to normal but now I'm scared. This is the only reader I have and I'm in Pakistan. Is this a known issue and if so any way to rectify this? I can send this back to the US as my cousin who brought it for me leaves on Sunday for the US. But what would I need to do? I don't even know if its in warranty and niether do I have the box.

I know this was cheap but this is the first time anything died on me this quick(I never bought the 360). I mean, I barely used it. Read all in all about 2000 pages on it since I got it.

Help please.

I've uploaded a pic for reference.

jorlando · 12-10-2010, 06:43 AM

You could:

- try to remove the batteries and the SD card, then replace the batteries without the SD card. If the problem is due some error on the SD card you will get your ereader back to life

- use the maintenace menu and make some tests

- reflash the firmware

Ken Maltby · 12-10-2010, 01:28 PM

Make sure you have a fresh set of batteries in your JBL then:

The thing is, you can fairly easily reset the JBL to factory settings and install the current
firmware on the device.

You should remove any SD card from your JBL and connect the USB cable to backup your
JBL's internal memory, to a folder on your PC's hard drive. There should be a new drive
letter for your JBL's internal memory on your PC now. (If you had an SD card in the JBL,
there would also be a new drive letter for that, as well.)

It is much better to have a USB 2.0 SD/Media Card reader/writer connected to your PC
and work with your SD cards using that, but if all you have is the JBL it is possible
to use it to make your update/repair SD card.

Reformatting the JBL's internal memory to FAT32 is a good idea and running ChkDsk on it
while you have the JBL connected to your PC with the USB cable is a good idea as well.

If you can get to the logo screen then you should be able to do this:

First if you only have one SD card then you will want to back it up to a folder on your
PC's hard drive.

Format an SD card for use during the update of the firmware. (I still use FAT16 for this
although I understand that FAT32 works as well.) The formatting will insure a clean card
and root directory into which the three update folders go.

Be sure to use a firmware update with all three folders to make the SD card. Insert the
SD card into the JBL.

Make sure the USB cable is not connected at this point.

Then you go to the Diagnostics Menu built into the JBL, it is here that you can do the
#13 - Reflash NOR and the #7 - restore factory defaults

To enter the diagnostics screen:
Reset the device. Then hold down three buttons. They are: "on/off" "zoom" and "menu". When you see the jetBook screen let go of "on.off". Keep holding the "zoom" and "menu" keys until you see a 16 item screen. It's tricky, so it may take a couple of tries.

Then you can reflash the NOR Memory and reset the JBL to factory defaults.

After that is done reset the JBL.

Now you can update the firmware as you normally would.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70171

Follow all directions and don't play with any settings you don't understand.

This procedure should fix any firmware related problem. If you have a valid download
of valid firmware and this doesn't fix the problem then it is a hardware issue.

Luck;
Ken

bookwarm · 12-10-2010, 03:48 PM

I know this sounds silly but have you tried to charge the batteries (or use new ones)... my JBL's bettery display doesn't work right (it shows that there is still bettery when in fact the battery need charging) so it "suddenly" turns off and like in your case when i try to turn it on it starts then it turns off again.

I was confused at first but i tried charging the batteries and everything is fine now.... I don't know whats causing the battery display problem (it used to work, i did flash the firmware but not sure if this is the cause)

GrouchoM · 12-10-2010, 06:53 PM

I might do the battery change. Also I never used the SD card, I only used the memory on the device itself.
Does anyone know if I could still send it back to replacement?

Ken Maltby · 12-10-2010, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrouchoM

I might do the battery change. Also I never used the SD card, I only used the memory on the device itself.
Does anyone know if I could still send it back to replacement?

If you bought it within a year then contact Ectaco for RTM instructions.
They have a forum from whom you can find the current support email
address. Or use the contact info from the regular site.

(Stolen from one of Jerry's posts on the official jetbook forum:
"The number is 718-728-3605 or you can email abe@ectaco.com")

Luck;
Ken

GrouchoM · 12-11-2010, 01:59 AM

thank you so much. I really appreciate it!

GhostHawk · 12-11-2010, 07:39 AM

Mine did the same exact thing about a month ago Groucho, filled out a contact form on the ectaco site and finally got back a phone number. Was busy this week will call them monday about sending mine back for replacement.

Like yours it was about 6 months old. And I was in the middle of a book went to turn the page and it just stopped responding. Nothing works, fresh batterys, reset, nada.

GA Russell · 12-11-2010, 10:54 PM

Bill, I didn't know that happened to you.

I think it's unusual that it should happen after six months' use. I think that for most people (including me) it happens fairly soon after you get the device.

Ectaco replaced mine promptly, and I've got no complaints.

Ken Maltby · 12-12-2010, 12:10 AM

Next Saturday it'll be one year since I ordered my first JBL. No major problems yet.
Maybe it's waiting for the warranty to run out?

Luck;
Ken

GA Russell · 12-12-2010, 12:28 AM

Ken, you got me to go to my daytimer to check. I ordered mine on Tuesday the 15th and it arrived on Thursday the 17th. $117 with free three-day shipping, wasn't it?

Ron46 · 12-13-2010, 07:41 PM

Mine went 11 1/2 months and finally froze on the initial screen with no USB connectivity and no ability to do any of the fixes Ken describes. I called 718-728-3605, talked to a tech, quickly got an RMA and returned the reader with proof of purchase. I received a brand new one a week later, with new batteries and cable and an invoice that listed $10 shipping "paid by Ectaco". You can't beat that! I only had 2 weeks left on my warranty.

Ron46 · 12-13-2010, 08:27 PM

I use rechargeable NIMH batteries, and when my reader froze as described in the last post, it happened after the unit died while reading a book.

The battery meter is calibrated for alkalines (unlike some MP3 players or Palm Pilots where you can TELL the unit what type of battery you have in it). I have found that when the battery meter reaches 1/2 with NIMHs, the batteries are just about dead and should be immediately replaced. Apparently a reader that suddenly dies can shut off in the middle of a software routine that causes problems when you go to restart it, unless it was just a coincidence.

When my NIMH batteries were new, the reader would run about an hour after the meter got to 1/2- now it will only go 5-10 minutes, so I watch it and replace them right away.

BTY- This could be an easy fix for Ectaco. All battery meters, including the one in the JBL, operate on a detected voltage or current reading. A few lines of code in the firmware could set the threshold levels according to what type of battery the user selects in User Settings. I should think it would be a lot cheaper to do this than to be replacing units that go bad due to uncontrolled shutdowns.

Ken Maltby · 12-13-2010, 11:01 PM

Hmm... "11 1/2 months" does make me a little more nervous about this mysterious freeze
up. Especially since one of mine is at 11 3/4 months, and that one in use every day.

Such a fix to the battery monitor should be on their list by now.

Whatever the cause of this problem, you would think that Ectaco would have tracked
it down by now, if only to make a claim against the hardware manufacturer. I don't
really expect them to let us know what the real problem is, but they could let us know
that they have a handle on it and are working on a some remedy.

If I ever do run into this problem, I'll expend some extra effort to try and find the cause.
I'll be sure to make a thread about such efforts, if it comes about.

Luck;
Ken

Ron46 · 12-14-2010, 07:16 PM

Mine froze up like this on a couple of previous occasions and did not recover with new batteries. But when I hooked up the USB, the function change triggered a recovery- that's one of the reasons I think it is a software error rather than a hardware failure. It almost seems like the reset function (button) does not reset to a low enough level. I should think Ectaco would figure this out- replacement units must be undermining their profits.

12-10-2010, 01:28 PM	#3
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,466 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	Make sure you have a fresh set of batteries in your JBL then: The thing is, you can fairly easily reset the JBL to factory settings and install the current firmware on the device. You should remove any SD card from your JBL and connect the USB cable to backup your JBL's internal memory, to a folder on your PC's hard drive. There should be a new drive letter for your JBL's internal memory on your PC now. (If you had an SD card in the JBL, there would also be a new drive letter for that, as well.) It is much better to have a USB 2.0 SD/Media Card reader/writer connected to your PC and work with your SD cards using that, but if all you have is the JBL it is possible to use it to make your update/repair SD card. Reformatting the JBL's internal memory to FAT32 is a good idea and running ChkDsk on it while you have the JBL connected to your PC with the USB cable is a good idea as well. If you can get to the logo screen then you should be able to do this: First if you only have one SD card then you will want to back it up to a folder on your PC's hard drive. Format an SD card for use during the update of the firmware. (I still use FAT16 for this although I understand that FAT32 works as well.) The formatting will insure a clean card and root directory into which the three update folders go. Be sure to use a firmware update with all three folders to make the SD card. Insert the SD card into the JBL. Make sure the USB cable is not connected at this point. Then you go to the Diagnostics Menu built into the JBL, it is here that you can do the #13 - Reflash NOR and the #7 - restore factory defaults To enter the diagnostics screen: Reset the device. Then hold down three buttons. They are: "on/off" "zoom" and "menu". When you see the jetBook screen let go of "on.off". Keep holding the "zoom" and "menu" keys until you see a 16 item screen. It's tricky, so it may take a couple of tries. Then you can reflash the NOR Memory and reset the JBL to factory defaults. After that is done reset the JBL. Now you can update the firmware as you normally would. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70171 Follow all directions and don't play with any settings you don't understand. This procedure should fix any firmware related problem. If you have a valid download of valid firmware and this doesn't fix the problem then it is a hardware issue. Luck; Ken Last edited by Ken Maltby; 12-10-2010 at 01:56 PM.

12-13-2010, 07:41 PM	#12
Ron46 Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 110 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: JetbookLite, EB-1150, PalmIIIXE	warranty kudos Mine went 11 1/2 months and finally froze on the initial screen with no USB connectivity and no ability to do any of the fixes Ken describes. I called 718-728-3605, talked to a tech, quickly got an RMA and returned the reader with proof of purchase. I received a brand new one a week later, with new batteries and cable and an invoice that listed $10 shipping "paid by Ectaco". You can't beat that! I only had 2 weeks left on my warranty.

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12-10-2010, 04:36 AM	#1
GrouchoM Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: none	Jetbook lite froze. WTD? I bought my Jetbook lite about 5 to 6 months ago from this forum. I froze on me today and wouldn't even move past the initial screen at startup with Jetbook Lite by Ectato. It froze once or twice before this but all I had to do was reset the batteries and it was back to normal but now I'm scared. This is the only reader I have and I'm in Pakistan. Is this a known issue and if so any way to rectify this? I can send this back to the US as my cousin who brought it for me leaves on Sunday for the US. But what would I need to do? I don't even know if its in warranty and niether do I have the box. I know this was cheap but this is the first time anything died on me this quick(I never bought the 360). I mean, I barely used it. Read all in all about 2000 pages on it since I got it. Help please. I've uploaded a pic for reference. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by GrouchoM; 12-10-2010 at 04:38 AM.

12-10-2010, 06:43 AM	#2
jorlando Member Posts: 24 Karma: 50 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Brazil Device: jetbook lite (RIP), Sony PRS-350	You could: - try to remove the batteries and the SD card, then replace the batteries without the SD card. If the problem is due some error on the SD card you will get your ereader back to life - use the maintenace menu and make some tests - reflash the firmware

12-10-2010, 03:48 PM	#4
bookwarm Member Posts: 22 Karma: 360 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: none	I know this sounds silly but have you tried to charge the batteries (or use new ones)... my JBL's bettery display doesn't work right (it shows that there is still bettery when in fact the battery need charging) so it "suddenly" turns off and like in your case when i try to turn it on it starts then it turns off again. I was confused at first but i tried charging the batteries and everything is fine now.... I don't know whats causing the battery display problem (it used to work, i did flash the firmware but not sure if this is the cause)

12-10-2010, 06:53 PM	#5
GrouchoM Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: none	I might do the battery change. Also I never used the SD card, I only used the memory on the device itself. Does anyone know if I could still send it back to replacement?

12-11-2010, 01:59 AM	#7
GrouchoM Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: none	thank you so much. I really appreciate it!

12-11-2010, 07:39 AM	#8
GhostHawk Data Privateer! Posts: 586 Karma: 62887 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fargo ND Device: Ectaco Jetbook& Jetbook Lite	Mine did the same exact thing about a month ago Groucho, filled out a contact form on the ectaco site and finally got back a phone number. Was busy this week will call them monday about sending mine back for replacement. Like yours it was about 6 months old. And I was in the middle of a book went to turn the page and it just stopped responding. Nothing works, fresh batterys, reset, nada.

12-11-2010, 10:54 PM	#9
GA Russell Argos win Grey Cup! Posts: 7,677 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Bill, I didn't know that happened to you. I think it's unusual that it should happen after six months' use. I think that for most people (including me) it happens fairly soon after you get the device. Ectaco replaced mine promptly, and I've got no complaints.

12-12-2010, 12:10 AM	#10
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,466 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	Next Saturday it'll be one year since I ordered my first JBL. No major problems yet. Maybe it's waiting for the warranty to run out? Luck; Ken

12-12-2010, 12:28 AM	#11
GA Russell Argos win Grey Cup! Posts: 7,677 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Ken, you got me to go to my daytimer to check. I ordered mine on Tuesday the 15th and it arrived on Thursday the 17th. $117 with free three-day shipping, wasn't it?

12-13-2010, 08:27 PM	#13
Ron46 Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 110 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: JetbookLite, EB-1150, PalmIIIXE	caution with rechargeables I use rechargeable NIMH batteries, and when my reader froze as described in the last post, it happened after the unit died while reading a book. The battery meter is calibrated for alkalines (unlike some MP3 players or Palm Pilots where you can TELL the unit what type of battery you have in it). I have found that when the battery meter reaches 1/2 with NIMHs, the batteries are just about dead and should be immediately replaced. Apparently a reader that suddenly dies can shut off in the middle of a software routine that causes problems when you go to restart it, unless it was just a coincidence. When my NIMH batteries were new, the reader would run about an hour after the meter got to 1/2- now it will only go 5-10 minutes, so I watch it and replace them right away. BTY- This could be an easy fix for Ectaco. All battery meters, including the one in the JBL, operate on a detected voltage or current reading. A few lines of code in the firmware could set the threshold levels according to what type of battery the user selects in User Settings. I should think it would be a lot cheaper to do this than to be replacing units that go bad due to uncontrolled shutdowns.

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12-13-2010, 11:01 PM	#14
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,466 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	Hmm... "11 1/2 months" does make me a little more nervous about this mysterious freeze up. Especially since one of mine is at 11 3/4 months, and that one in use every day. Such a fix to the battery monitor should be on their list by now. Whatever the cause of this problem, you would think that Ectaco would have tracked it down by now, if only to make a claim against the hardware manufacturer. I don't really expect them to let us know what the real problem is, but they could let us know that they have a handle on it and are working on a some remedy. If I ever do run into this problem, I'll expend some extra effort to try and find the cause. I'll be sure to make a thread about such efforts, if it comes about. Luck; Ken

12-14-2010, 07:16 PM	#15
Ron46 Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 110 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: JetbookLite, EB-1150, PalmIIIXE	Mine froze up like this on a couple of previous occasions and did not recover with new batteries. But when I hooked up the USB, the function change triggered a recovery- that's one of the reasons I think it is a software error rather than a hardware failure. It almost seems like the reset function (button) does not reset to a low enough level. I should think Ectaco would figure this out- replacement units must be undermining their profits.