Troubleshooting Strange problem with K3 display

Darkitow · 07-07-2013, 11:54 AM

Hey there! I come again, this time with an issue that just occured to me while reading on my Kindle and that I don't really know how to handle.

Some hours ago, while reading (Dresden Files omnibus 1, mobipocket format, for more details), suddenly the device froze. Passed a page, read it, pressed the button for another page and didn't do it. The lighted case was still working, and after I restarted the device by holding the power slider for some time, everything seemed more or less fine. I say more or less because there are some details a bit odd and I'm not sure if any of those are an indication of the problem.

First of all, the screensaver showed almost no "color" (or grayscale, more correctly). I use the screensaver hack, and the picture looked almost blank except for some particular shades working that would outline more or less the image but with lots of empty shades inside.

When I went into the book I was reading I noticed that it hadn't frozen at the page I was reading, it was a couple pages forward already, as if the times I pressed the button to advance page when it froze had registered but didn't show on the screen.

I also noticed that the font looked odd. More crispy, more pixelated. I suppose this has to do with the issue with the screensaver, it's as if some shades of gray weren't being applied, including the ones around the fonts that make them look smother. There are some grays showing, for example in the main home menu everything looks fine, as if there was no problem. Another indicator of the "color" issue is, that when I plugged it to the computer, in the information screen that pops at that time the icon for the USB plug wasn't showing except for some lines in gray (again, not as if it was broken but more like the main gray color used for the icon was missing but other shades were fine).

The device froze a second time and recovered in the same way.

While I can still read, I suppose my concern is understandable. I'm worried that the screen is about to die on me, which would be unfortunate as they'd catch me on vacations out of my home and unable to replace it quickly. My Kindle has already a couple years (4 or so), and has lived its somehow rough life. I've smacked it around accidentally more times than I'd like to admit, although I've always kept the case on so the damage was minimized, and I've even dropped water on it. In fact, last time I dropped it was months ago and it was working just fine until today, while I was reading on it on a pillow on my bed, so unless the problem is something that has built over time, there's no real reason for it to fail on this precise time.

I should also mention that I updated the firmware and re-applied the jailbreak and hacks (screensaver and keyboard localization) two or three days ago. Not sure if that should have caused the issue as well.

Anybody could cast some light on this issue, I hope at least my Kindle survives the summer. =(

hawhill · 07-08-2013, 02:46 AM

That should not have caused the issue, however, I have a feeling that we start seeing more and more such behaviour for K3s recently. I think the consensus for now was that the e-ink controller is failing in such cases. Not a lot you can do there, unfortunately. I guess corrosion damage might be a plausible scenario given what you tell about the stressed life of your device ;-) - note that water damage, especially for small amounts, might show up pretty late, when the minerals from the water trigger/catalyze corrosion.

Darkitow · 07-08-2013, 05:51 AM

Well, it's not like I've dropped it in a swimming pool, more like a glass of water fell near and splashed it a couple times. But I understand then that there's not much to be done? I guess I should be grateful that the "colors" failing are some grays and not plain black, so I still can read books even if the illustrations don't show well.

I hope it endures a month at least so I can get me a Paperwhite when I'm back home from vacations. I could buy it already, but that'd cost me over 100$ since I'm not in a place with a local Amazon shop.

It had to croak now, of all times. =(

07-07-2013, 11:54 AM	#1
Darkitow Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 230 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Strange problem with K3 display Hey there! I come again, this time with an issue that just occured to me while reading on my Kindle and that I don't really know how to handle. Some hours ago, while reading (Dresden Files omnibus 1, mobipocket format, for more details), suddenly the device froze. Passed a page, read it, pressed the button for another page and didn't do it. The lighted case was still working, and after I restarted the device by holding the power slider for some time, everything seemed more or less fine. I say more or less because there are some details a bit odd and I'm not sure if any of those are an indication of the problem. First of all, the screensaver showed almost no "color" (or grayscale, more correctly). I use the screensaver hack, and the picture looked almost blank except for some particular shades working that would outline more or less the image but with lots of empty shades inside. When I went into the book I was reading I noticed that it hadn't frozen at the page I was reading, it was a couple pages forward already, as if the times I pressed the button to advance page when it froze had registered but didn't show on the screen. I also noticed that the font looked odd. More crispy, more pixelated. I suppose this has to do with the issue with the screensaver, it's as if some shades of gray weren't being applied, including the ones around the fonts that make them look smother. There are some grays showing, for example in the main home menu everything looks fine, as if there was no problem. Another indicator of the "color" issue is, that when I plugged it to the computer, in the information screen that pops at that time the icon for the USB plug wasn't showing except for some lines in gray (again, not as if it was broken but more like the main gray color used for the icon was missing but other shades were fine). The device froze a second time and recovered in the same way. While I can still read, I suppose my concern is understandable. I'm worried that the screen is about to die on me, which would be unfortunate as they'd catch me on vacations out of my home and unable to replace it quickly. My Kindle has already a couple years (4 or so), and has lived its somehow rough life. I've smacked it around accidentally more times than I'd like to admit, although I've always kept the case on so the damage was minimized, and I've even dropped water on it. In fact, last time I dropped it was months ago and it was working just fine until today, while I was reading on it on a pillow on my bed, so unless the problem is something that has built over time, there's no real reason for it to fail on this precise time. I should also mention that I updated the firmware and re-applied the jailbreak and hacks (screensaver and keyboard localization) two or three days ago. Not sure if that should have caused the issue as well. Anybody could cast some light on this issue, I hope at least my Kindle survives the summer. =(

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07-08-2013, 02:46 AM	#2
hawhill Wizard Posts: 1,379 Karma: 2155307 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Goettingen, Germany Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Mini	That should not have caused the issue, however, I have a feeling that we start seeing more and more such behaviour for K3s recently. I think the consensus for now was that the e-ink controller is failing in such cases. Not a lot you can do there, unfortunately. I guess corrosion damage might be a plausible scenario given what you tell about the stressed life of your device ;-) - note that water damage, especially for small amounts, might show up pretty late, when the minerals from the water trigger/catalyze corrosion.

07-08-2013, 05:51 AM	#3
Darkitow Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 230 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Well, it's not like I've dropped it in a swimming pool, more like a glass of water fell near and splashed it a couple times. But I understand then that there's not much to be done? I guess I should be grateful that the "colors" failing are some grays and not plain black, so I still can read books even if the illustrations don't show well. I hope it endures a month at least so I can get me a Paperwhite when I'm back home from vacations. I could buy it already, but that'd cost me over 100$ since I'm not in a place with a local Amazon shop. It had to croak now, of all times. =(

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