Kobo problem

StationeryNomad · 10-10-2023, 07:24 PM

Hello, I was sent here from the Kobo community on reddit.
I've owned two Kobos (plus my daughter's). The first was a gift about 2015. It was a basic one. I'm not sure the model but I'll put a pic below. I use my Kobos every month or so depending on if I'm reading a physical book or ebook.

One day I pull my Kobo out of the drawer (where it was safe, temperature controlled, and had been put away in working order) and the screen was "frozen" or burned onto the Kobo and the device wouldn't work in anyway no matter how much troubleshooting I attempted. I contacted customer support and they said the warranty was up so they offered me $20 off a new Kobo, which I didn't take.

After a year or two I decided to replace it with another Kobo even though I hadn't had good luck. I figured it was a fluke. Last week I pull my Kobo (Aura H20 Edition 2) out of the drawer after about a month of inactivity and the same thing had happened. The screen was "frozen" with half of the last display embedded? burned? onto the screen. It said it needed to be charged, but I have been charging it for five days using different cords as well as trying my computer and directly to the wall and no luck.

Again I called customer support and they said I was out of luck because my warranty was up and they offered me $20 off a new Kobo.

On Reddit, loads of people have functional Kobos after a decade and I am trying to figure out if it's something I'm doing or if I've been unlucky. Neither time did Kobo seem surprised when I described what had happened they just said it couldn't be fixed and seemed to understand what was going on, although they didn't explain it to me.

So I'm trying to figure out if it's something I'm doing or if I've been unlucky or a third option that I don't know of? Do you smart people know what is happening here?

I promise you as broken as the screens look, they are fully intact and smooth, not even a scratch.

ETA I will update as soon as I figure out what kind of images I can upload.

Aleron Ives · 10-10-2023, 08:50 PM

An e-paper screen is not the same as LCD: once an image is displayed on the screen, it can stay there forever, even when the power is off. Having an image frozen on the screen is normal; usually, the cover image of the last book you read will be displayed when the device is sleeping or off.

The Aura H2O is 9 years old, so it's quite possible that it died, but there are other steps you can take, such as checking to see if the battery is dead (which you could possibly replace) and whether the SD card is still working (which you could also replace). Have you opened the device yet?

StationeryNomad · 10-10-2023, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

An e-paper screen is not the same as LCD: once an image is displayed on the screen, it can stay there forever, even when the power is off. Having an image frozen on the screen is normal; usually, the cover image of the last book you read will be displayed when the device is sleeping or off.

The Aura H2O is 9 years old, so it's quite possible that it died, but there are other steps you can take, such as checking to see if the battery is dead (which you could possibly replace) and whether the SD card is still working (which you could also replace). Have you opened the device yet?

My Aura H20 Edition 2 was purchased new two years ago and is a later model of the Aura. I don't think this is just old.

I'm aware that it always has the previous image/page displayed when its off, even when it's dead, but this isn't that. I also would expect some signs of the battery declining before it gave out, but I suppose that's not a requirement.

I've attached a picture of the older Kobo. I'll have to get a picture of the newer one tomorrow.

I have not opened it up but I might as well. What's it going to hurt, right? I'm not sure if this model has an SD card, but if it does, it's not external.

Thanks for your thoughts

DNSB · 10-10-2023, 11:27 PM

Looking at the image you posted, the substrate of your display is broken. It's dead, Jim.

StationeryNomad · 10-12-2023, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

Looking at the image you posted, the substrate of your display is broken. It's dead, Jim.

Ok great, not for my Kobo, but at least I can better describe it. My other Kobo is similar. They both had cases and were working when I put them in my desk drawer and then when I brought them out they were like this. I can't understand it and really want to figure it out so I don't end up wasting more money.

If they just aren't durable enough for me (???) are there any ereaders that are more resilient? I bought the H20 because I thought that it being waterproof would make it less likely to get damaged (at least water damaged), but apparently not.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Aleron Ives · 10-12-2023, 03:23 AM

The original Aura H2O is nine years old, which is pretty old by electronics standards. The v2 is from 2017, so it's not exactly new, either. Do you expose your devices to large temperature changes? It's possible that even though you're not using them as frisbees, the expansion and contraction of large temperature variations could be causing the screen to flex and crack, I suppose. E-ink screens are quite fragile compared to LCD.

Sirtel · 10-12-2023, 06:40 AM

That's weird. I have two old eink readers (10 and 12 years old) which I haven't used for reading since 2016. They are kept on a bookshelf and I charge them every few weeks. They still work and nothing is wrong with their screens.

Keeping an ereader in a drawer shouldn't damage it. Have you ever dropped your Kobo while using it? Has something pressed on its screen? Eink screens can't really take any pressure, they're fragile in that regard.

10-10-2023, 07:24 PM	#1
StationeryNomad Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2023 Device: Aura H20 Edition 2	Kobo problem Hello, I was sent here from the Kobo community on reddit. I've owned two Kobos (plus my daughter's). The first was a gift about 2015. It was a basic one. I'm not sure the model but I'll put a pic below. I use my Kobos every month or so depending on if I'm reading a physical book or ebook. One day I pull my Kobo out of the drawer (where it was safe, temperature controlled, and had been put away in working order) and the screen was "frozen" or burned onto the Kobo and the device wouldn't work in anyway no matter how much troubleshooting I attempted. I contacted customer support and they said the warranty was up so they offered me $20 off a new Kobo, which I didn't take. After a year or two I decided to replace it with another Kobo even though I hadn't had good luck. I figured it was a fluke. Last week I pull my Kobo (Aura H20 Edition 2) out of the drawer after about a month of inactivity and the same thing had happened. The screen was "frozen" with half of the last display embedded? burned? onto the screen. It said it needed to be charged, but I have been charging it for five days using different cords as well as trying my computer and directly to the wall and no luck. Again I called customer support and they said I was out of luck because my warranty was up and they offered me $20 off a new Kobo. On Reddit, loads of people have functional Kobos after a decade and I am trying to figure out if it's something I'm doing or if I've been unlucky. Neither time did Kobo seem surprised when I described what had happened they just said it couldn't be fixed and seemed to understand what was going on, although they didn't explain it to me. So I'm trying to figure out if it's something I'm doing or if I've been unlucky or a third option that I don't know of? Do you smart people know what is happening here? I promise you as broken as the screens look, they are fully intact and smooth, not even a scratch. ETA I will update as soon as I figure out what kind of images I can upload.

10-10-2023, 11:27 PM	#4
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 46,168 Karma: 168983734 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	Looking at the image you posted, the substrate of your display is broken. It's dead, Jim. Attached Thumbnails

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10-10-2023, 08:50 PM	#2
Aleron Ives Wizard Posts: 1,688 Karma: 16307824 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: Kobo Libra 2	An e-paper screen is not the same as LCD: once an image is displayed on the screen, it can stay there forever, even when the power is off. Having an image frozen on the screen is normal; usually, the cover image of the last book you read will be displayed when the device is sleeping or off. The Aura H2O is 9 years old, so it's quite possible that it died, but there are other steps you can take, such as checking to see if the battery is dead (which you could possibly replace) and whether the SD card is still working (which you could also replace). Have you opened the device yet?

10-12-2023, 03:23 AM	#6
Aleron Ives Wizard Posts: 1,688 Karma: 16307824 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: Kobo Libra 2	The original Aura H2O is nine years old, which is pretty old by electronics standards. The v2 is from 2017, so it's not exactly new, either. Do you expose your devices to large temperature changes? It's possible that even though you're not using them as frisbees, the expansion and contraction of large temperature variations could be causing the screen to flex and crack, I suppose. E-ink screens are quite fragile compared to LCD.

10-12-2023, 06:40 AM	#7
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,467 Karma: 239219543 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	That's weird. I have two old eink readers (10 and 12 years old) which I haven't used for reading since 2016. They are kept on a bookshelf and I charge them every few weeks. They still work and nothing is wrong with their screens. Keeping an ereader in a drawer shouldn't damage it. Have you ever dropped your Kobo while using it? Has something pressed on its screen? Eink screens can't really take any pressure, they're fragile in that regard.

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