Libra 2 phantom touches render device unusable

[MintBanana]

Got a new Libra 2, and straight out of the box it started to touch itself – sensor is registering touches without my input. Text is being selected, books are closed, etc.
I wiped the screen with alcohol and reflashed the latest firmware version (which was already installed and clearly isn't the issue here). It didn't solve anything, but later that night I read for an hour without any problems. The next morning the touches returned. They are easy to spot in Sketchpad (attached photo). The most obnoxious is top left spot, which is being triggered 10 to 100 times per minute. There's also a cluster of 4-7 spots in the center.

Searching the forum I have found a few threads from 2018 about Aura
1st – disassemble and clean everything
2nd – USB connection / PSU issue (not applicable)
3rd – return to seller (I'm not from NA, so shipping is costly).

What should I do about these touches?

The tragic thing is that this is the 4th Libra 2 I've bought and 3rd to have issues/defects. Previous two had spots on the left side where backlight was shining through (attached photo). And one was seemingly fine.
Is this the quality one can expect from Kobo? I wouldn't really care had I lived in US with the access to easy returns, but it's a bit more expensive where I'm from.

[Sirtel]

No idea what to do about the ghost touches, but as to the quality... I've bought 3 Kobos in the past 3 years and didn't have to return any of them. All were ordered from another country sight unseen. Fortunately none of them had any defects beyond the usual software glitches which come and go with updates.

I'd say you having to return 4 Kobos is unusual for sure.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by MintBanana

Got a new Libra 2, and straight out of the box it started to touch itself – sensor is registering touches without my input. Text is being selected, books are closed, etc.
I wiped the screen with alcohol and reflashed the latest firmware version (which was already installed and clearly isn't the issue here). It didn't solve anything, but later that night I read for an hour without any problems. The next morning the touches returned. They are easy to spot in Sketchpad (attached photo). The most obnoxious is top left spot, which is being triggered 10 to 100 times per minute. There's also a cluster of 4-7 spots in the center.

Searching the forum I have found a few threads from 2018 about Aura
1st – disassemble and clean everything
2nd – USB connection / PSU issue (not applicable)
3rd – return to seller (I'm not from NA, so shipping is costly).

What should I do about these touches?

The tragic thing is that this is the 4th Libra 2 I've bought and 3rd to have issues/defects. Previous two had spots on the left side where backlight was shining through (attached photo). And one was seemingly fine.
Is this the quality one can expect from Kobo? I wouldn't really care had I lived in US with the access to easy returns, but it's a bit more expensive where I'm from.

Try a microfiber cloth to wipe the screen. If that doesn't work, try a manual firmware update.

The link for the Libra 2 firmware can be found at https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html
Once you have the firmware ZIP file, uncompress all the files into the .kobo directory on your Libra 2. Once you eject the Libra 2 from the computer, it will begin to update the firmware.

[MintBanana]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Try a microfiber cloth to wipe the screen. If that doesn't work, try a manual firmware update.

Microfiber didn't help. There's nothing on the screen. Perhaps some dust got under the bezels?

4.35.20400 was what I had installed initially (or after autoupdates). Then I manually reflashed it like you said, thinking it fix the touch bug. Reflashed it again now, nothing changed. Top left corner is keeps being "touched".

Should I try a previous version? The procedure for downgrade is the same – unzip and unplug?

I'm not afraid to open it up, but couldn't find a disassembly video anywhere. And don't have much confidence that it'll fix the issue, although it did for the Aura guy.
Libra2 should be similar to Clara https://youtu.be/sxqVLnosNTI?t=697
But what about that "waterproof" thing? Is there a glue seal between the front cover and the screen, what happens when I open it and how do I put it back? On double-sided tape?

[DNSB]

Yes, unzip and place in the .kobo directory to upgrade or downgrade the firmware.

The only Kobo that had sticky tape and a physical seal was the Kobo Aura H2O. Since then Kobo has used a HZO conformal coating to protect the electronics without having to physically seal the device.

The issue with opening it up is that there is some of the coating around the internal storage which makes it a pain to remove.

[MintBanana]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The issue with opening it up is that there is some of the coating around the internal storage which makes it a pain to remove.

thanks, will try downgrading, but I can't imagine this being a software issue.

So the screen isn't glued anywhere and I can easily detach/reattach it to the front cover? Everything holds on screws and plastic clips as far as I understand.

[MintBanana]

I've tried various FW versions coupled with factory resets, nothing helps.
The touchscreen can work fine for an hour, but leave the device to rest for some time and the issue comes back immediately after waking up.

[frostschutz]

What could maybe be done, is a software hack that disables the touch screen entirely while you read a book using the pageflip buttons exclusively. Or, if the touches happen in very specific coordinates only, a hack that filters touch inputs for these specific coordinates.

But in terms of hardware, you need a replacement. I doubt this can be fixed by opening the device, the front is not reachable anyway unless you disconnect all cables, all of which are glued/waterproofed/messy. And even then the frontlight, touch layer, display are more or less laminated into one unit.

The see-through issue wouldn't bother me, since I don't read in the dark and my brightness setting is quite low. That said when you open the device there is some black tape that is probably specifically meant to deal with this issue. But I don't know if opening could help with this at all...

[Quoth]

In some countries Internet sellers have to give 1 year warranty and pay all shipping costs.

[MintBanana]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

I doubt this can be fixed by opening the device, the front is not reachable anyway unless you disconnect all cables, all of which are glued/waterproofed/messy.

Yeah, my confidence in manually repairing the touchscreen was already low.

Originally Posted by Quoth

In some countries Internet sellers have to give 1 year warranty and pay all shipping costs.

It does have 1 year warranty, but no service in my country.
Skype called Kobo support, they're going to send me a return label, and I have no idea how to it. They wouldn't tell me anything except vague "just wait for an email".
As far as I understood them, Kobo wants me to ship the defected device from US, which I can't do. They wouldn't give me an address, despite my offer to make a direct international shipment, paid by myself.
I have an address in US that can accept parcels and forward them to me, but they can't deliver stuff to Kobo HQ on my behalf.
The whole interaction with customer service left me utterly confused.

[Quoth]

They might send a courier to your house. There is no service in Ireland. They send them to Amsterdam.
Also the Irish postal service won't accept anything with a battery in it, hence they send a courier.

[MintBanana]

nah, they told me that my country is unserviceable, although it took them 6 minutes to figure that out. No couriers for me.
Will have to bug them for the exact address? Then send it overseas myself and hope they receive and accept it.
It's obvious that the return system is automated and they only autoaccept parcels with track numbers that were provided by Kobo (that's what return label is for I guess). Is there a chance they'll register MY track number of the return shipment instead?