PRS-650 Colors reverse and battery loses charge

onebadhank · 02-26-2011, 04:50 AM

My PRS-650 has given me problems since I got it in late December. I have only gotten more than 2 days on a charge twice. Both of those times the battery went from half charge to no charge in the blink of an eye. Also the reader swaps colors. The words turn white and the background turns black. It then prints the pages on top of each other instead of wiping for page turns. I called Sony and they said I wasn't charging it properly as if you need a physics degree to charge one of these. They neglected to log the call so when I called back again it was past 30 days and they claimed it was my first contact. Because of this they replaced the unit with a Refurbished unit instead of a new one. And to top it off the refurb has the message "Test Mode Available" in the upper left corner all the time except in sleep mode. This makes it difficult to read the first few words.
Anyone else experiencing any of this?

elcreative · 02-26-2011, 09:42 AM

A little more info would help like how are you charging it and no, you don't need a physics degree but you do need to do it correctly and if you get the same results from two different machines then it's less likely to be the reader and more likely to be something else like faulty cable, underpowered USB port, incorrect PSU if using wall charger... as far as test mode available is concerned, contact Sony again as it sounds like they've left the testing software on your refurb...

onebadhank · 02-26-2011, 08:56 PM

First off, I initially charged it with the supplied usb cable plugged into my desktop. I was using the computer the whole time so it did not hibernate or shut off and I disconnected the reader when the message said charging complete. Not very complicated. After that I used the AC adapter that I purchased from Sony along with my reader and yes it is the correct one. I followed the directions that were in the users guide on the reader. This was not my first Sony Reader. I had the PRS-700 for almost 2 years and sold it to upgrade to the new one.
Secondly, if you read my post it does not say that I am having the same problems with the second PRS-650 that they sent as a replacement. That one has the message "Test Mode Available" in the upper left corner all the time except starting up and sleep mode.
I did contact Sony about the test mode and they had me do a soft reset and when that did not work they said it was a hardware issue and I would have to call the Laredo office to ask for another replacement.

elcreative · 02-26-2011, 09:58 PM

Terribly sorry for my misunderstanding of your post and trying to help... you said in your OP, "Both of those times the battery went from half charge to no charge in the blink of an eye. Also the reader swaps colors. The words turn white and the background turns black. It then prints the pages on top of each other instead of wiping for page turns." and then, "And to top it off the refurb has the message "Test Mode Available" in the upper left corner all the time except in sleep mode." all of which leads to the conclusion that both had the color swap problem with the refurb additionally having the "Test Mode Available" showing...

quotequad · 05-13-2011, 07:15 PM

I hope you have already found a solution for the "Test Mode Available" issue and have not been stuck with it for the past months, but on the off chance you have not, or to add closure to the request for the benefit of anyone else googling the same issue, here's the story.

I recently bought a refurbished PRS-950 and had the same annoying message at the top of the screen. However, it turns out that this is a good thing and not a bad one. It suggests (I'm not naive enough to think it confirms) that these units were actually tested prior to being shipped out.

Doing a little searching on the web, I was able to find a copy of the service manual for my reader. I also came across the manual for your 650, so you might want to search and get a copy. In it, it explains this mysterious test mode.

First, you can enter test mode by pressing "{+} {home} {+} {home}". This will give you a menu of various diagnostics you might want to try on your reader, but of course, be careful -- I have no idea if any of the options may cause potential damage to the reader.

The availability of test mode is triggered by the existence of a weirdly named file on the reader. Connect your reader to your computer and open its main memory device (if it doesn't automatically open). Notice a strangely named file (you can't miss it -- looks like random line-noise). I wouldn't delete this file just yet -- copy it somewhere on your computer so that you will have it if you ever want to enable test mode in the future. Now that you have a copy of this file (note that the file itself is empty -- it's simply the name that is significant), delete it from your reader and disconnect from your computer. When your reader restarts, the message will be gone (as will the availability of test mode).

elizilla · 05-16-2011, 02:50 PM

Wow, that's fascinating! What is the name of the weird file? Did you save it?

quotequad · 05-20-2011, 08:48 AM

ccE$F_h^fGs#=-M]PphW8[Ap4$%]e@Zo!.v9!S9{a)Rt8kN-Wk{2jZJ=^nPZqA@3e

This is from my 950. It's possible that the other models use different funny names, but I sort of doubt it.

02-26-2011, 04:50 AM	#1
onebadhank Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Sony PRS-650BC	Colors reverse and battery loses charge My PRS-650 has given me problems since I got it in late December. I have only gotten more than 2 days on a charge twice. Both of those times the battery went from half charge to no charge in the blink of an eye. Also the reader swaps colors. The words turn white and the background turns black. It then prints the pages on top of each other instead of wiping for page turns. I called Sony and they said I wasn't charging it properly as if you need a physics degree to charge one of these. They neglected to log the call so when I called back again it was past 30 days and they claimed it was my first contact. Because of this they replaced the unit with a Refurbished unit instead of a new one. And to top it off the refurb has the message "Test Mode Available" in the upper left corner all the time except in sleep mode. This makes it difficult to read the first few words. Anyone else experiencing any of this?

02-26-2011, 08:56 PM	#3
onebadhank Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Sony PRS-650BC	First off, I initially charged it with the supplied usb cable plugged into my desktop. I was using the computer the whole time so it did not hibernate or shut off and I disconnected the reader when the message said charging complete. Not very complicated. After that I used the AC adapter that I purchased from Sony along with my reader and yes it is the correct one. I followed the directions that were in the users guide on the reader. This was not my first Sony Reader. I had the PRS-700 for almost 2 years and sold it to upgrade to the new one. Secondly, if you read my post it does not say that I am having the same problems with the second PRS-650 that they sent as a replacement. That one has the message "Test Mode Available" in the upper left corner all the time except starting up and sleep mode. I did contact Sony about the test mode and they had me do a soft reset and when that did not work they said it was a hardware issue and I would have to call the Laredo office to ask for another replacement. Last edited by onebadhank; 02-26-2011 at 08:59 PM.

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02-26-2011, 09:42 AM	#2
elcreative Wizard Posts: 2,888 Karma: 5875940 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: PRS505, 600, 350, 650, Nexus 7, Note III, iPad 4 etc	A little more info would help like how are you charging it and no, you don't need a physics degree but you do need to do it correctly and if you get the same results from two different machines then it's less likely to be the reader and more likely to be something else like faulty cable, underpowered USB port, incorrect PSU if using wall charger... as far as test mode available is concerned, contact Sony again as it sounds like they've left the testing software on your refurb...

02-26-2011, 09:58 PM	#4
elcreative Wizard Posts: 2,888 Karma: 5875940 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: PRS505, 600, 350, 650, Nexus 7, Note III, iPad 4 etc	Terribly sorry for my misunderstanding of your post and trying to help... you said in your OP, "Both of those times the battery went from half charge to no charge in the blink of an eye. Also the reader swaps colors. The words turn white and the background turns black. It then prints the pages on top of each other instead of wiping for page turns." and then, "And to top it off the refurb has the message "Test Mode Available" in the upper left corner all the time except in sleep mode." all of which leads to the conclusion that both had the color swap problem with the refurb additionally having the "Test Mode Available" showing...

05-13-2011, 07:15 PM	#5
quotequad Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 264 Join Date: May 2011 Device: PRS-950, PRS-505	I hope you have already found a solution for the "Test Mode Available" issue and have not been stuck with it for the past months, but on the off chance you have not, or to add closure to the request for the benefit of anyone else googling the same issue, here's the story. I recently bought a refurbished PRS-950 and had the same annoying message at the top of the screen. However, it turns out that this is a good thing and not a bad one. It suggests (I'm not naive enough to think it confirms) that these units were actually tested prior to being shipped out. Doing a little searching on the web, I was able to find a copy of the service manual for my reader. I also came across the manual for your 650, so you might want to search and get a copy. In it, it explains this mysterious test mode. First, you can enter test mode by pressing "{+} {home} {+} {home}". This will give you a menu of various diagnostics you might want to try on your reader, but of course, be careful -- I have no idea if any of the options may cause potential damage to the reader. The availability of test mode is triggered by the existence of a weirdly named file on the reader. Connect your reader to your computer and open its main memory device (if it doesn't automatically open). Notice a strangely named file (you can't miss it -- looks like random line-noise). I wouldn't delete this file just yet -- copy it somewhere on your computer so that you will have it if you ever want to enable test mode in the future. Now that you have a copy of this file (note that the file itself is empty -- it's simply the name that is significant), delete it from your reader and disconnect from your computer. When your reader restarts, the message will be gone (as will the availability of test mode).

05-16-2011, 02:50 PM	#6
elizilla Addict Posts: 271 Karma: 610286 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Sage, others	Wow, that's fascinating! What is the name of the weird file? Did you save it?

05-20-2011, 08:48 AM	#7
quotequad Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 264 Join Date: May 2011 Device: PRS-950, PRS-505	ccE$F_h^fGs#=-M]PphW8[Ap4$%]e@Zo!.v9!S9{a)Rt8kN-Wk{2jZJ=^nPZqA@3e This is from my 950. It's possible that the other models use different funny names, but I sort of doubt it.

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