Corrupt display on the V3

[Trono]

I've seen some postings here at MR about broken screens, but can't remember any (or at least not many) complaints about broken V3s. Now - sadly - mine is not working anymore. At first I assumed that it was a physical breakage of the screen - due to the screens appearance (see attached picture of the screen), but considering it for a while I now believe it could be a fabrication weakness. I can't see that the handling of the unit could have damaged it, and - thinking back - there was quite a few indications that the unit was having some sort of screen related problems. The indications consisted of occurrences of flickering and unfocused display when turning on the device. This happened several times over the last few weeks, and indicates possibly that the breakage is caused by some sort of weakness in either the screen itself, or - rather - the underlying structure/hardware?

Anyway - the lack of physical impact causing the breakage and the signs of gradual deterioration, is in my opinion of great importance regarding who's responsible for the damage. Therefor, I have contacted Hanlin - asking for a repair or a replacement unit. As usual the people handling the support are quick to respond, but has not been able to give me the answer I'm hoping for (the responce of course beeing: "We will send you a replacement unit as soon as possible!!").

I'm not sure about the liability/warranty issues in a case like this, but I'd like to hear from other V3 owners - previous or present - who has encountered similar problems. Has anybody encountered this kind of damage to the V3? Is it fixable? And is it possible/realistic to hope for a replacement?

Trono

[hpkeong]

Originally Posted by Trono

I've seen some postings here at MR about broken screens, but can't remember any (or at least not many) complaints about broken V3s. Now - sadly - mine is not working anymore. At first I assumed that it was a physical breakage of the screen - due to the screens appearance (see attached picture of the screen), but considering it for a while I now believe it could be a fabrication weakness. I can't see that the handling of the unit could have damaged it, and - thinking back - there was quite a few indications that the unit was having some sort of screen related problems. The indications consisted of occurrences of flickering and unfocused display when turning on the device. This happened several times over the last few weeks, and indicates possibly that the breakage is caused by some sort of weakness in either the screen itself, or - rather - the underlying structure/hardware?

Anyway - the lack of physical impact causing the breakage and the signs of gradual deterioration, is in my opinion of great importance regarding who's responsible for the damage. Therefor, I have contacted Hanlin - asking for a repair or a replacement unit. As usual the people handling the support are quick to respond, but has not been able to give me the answer I'm hoping for (the responce of course beeing: "We will send you a replacement unit as soon as possible!!").

I'm not sure about the liability/warranty issues in a case like this, but I'd like to hear from other V3 owners - previous or present - who has encountered similar problems. Has anybody encountered this kind of damage to the V3? Is it fixable? And is it possible/realistic to hope for a replacement?

Trono

Hi

I am Hanlin user, too, starting with V8 for 4 years and now selling Hanlin V3 (due to my personal interest and confidence in E-ink technology). Well, I have never encountered before but I guess may due to some kind of "hairline" (technical terms in moulding industry) during manufacturing and apparently becomes more serious after using due to chemical reaction and heat transfer on the screen and finally - broken!
Anyway, there is advice from a site from Shanghai on how to protect e-ink as it is somekind of fragile display if not properly handled - that;s why leather cover is provided to protect screen from any strong impact.

Hong

[Patricia]

It looks like a broken substrate to me. There are pictures of similar damage to other e-ink devices if you search the forums.

This can be caused by stress on the screen, either because a user has accidentally dropped or knocked the device, or possibly as a manufacturing fault.
Since you have ruled out the former, then it is certainly worth claiming on the warranty.

[Gudy]

That does indeed look like a broken substrate. If I had to guess, the impact/pressure point was probably in the center of the lower right quadrant of the screen (what is the upper right in the image), right on the oval area from which all the cracks radiate.

And for the record, I've also had a broken substrate on my V3.

[T-bag]

My friend has the same problem as yours. He has paid $92 for a new screen.

[Trono]

Hi again - and thanks to all for responding!

Originally Posted by hpkeong

Anyway, there is advice from a site from Shanghai on how to protect e-ink as it is somekind of fragile display if not properly handled - that;s why leather cover is provided to protect screen from any strong impact

Originally Posted by Patricia

… This can be caused by stress on the screen, either because a user has accidentally dropped or knocked the device, or possibly as a manufacturing fault.
Since you have ruled out the former, then it is certainly worth claiming on the warranty.

--> Leather cover has been used from day one, and - as I said - I believe I've treated it with much care :-) Fingers crossed about the warranty, but, as you will see in the response from Jinke, its apparently only valid for one year…

Originally Posted by Gudy

That does indeed look like a broken substrate. If I had to guess, the impact/pressure point was probably in the center of the lower right quadrant of the screen (what is the upper right in the image), right on the oval area from which all the cracks radiate.

And for the record, I've also had a broken substrate on my V3.

--> Broken substrate means physical damage, right? Did you get the screen repaired or replaced? Or maybe you bought a new device entirely?

Originally Posted by T-bag

My friend has the same problem as yours. He has paid $92 for a new screen.

--> I assume it was Jinke who replaced the screen? Did he have to mail it all the way to China, or do they have agents within shorter distances? Who paid for shipping back and forth?

----------------------

For my own part - here's the recent developement: The people at Jinke are - as usual - extremely service minded, and have responded several times allready on my requests - here's the latest:

Our engineers have double check the picture again. According their experience, the screen looks like broken. Please check the attachment; I have made a red circle on the picture. The circle part looks like broken.
We can not 100% sure that is not broken. If you can refresh the screen, and the circle park became blank. It will much easier to make the estimation

I just talk to my boss about your device. Even though the warranty is one year, we still like to do the free repair for you. If the screen is broken, there get be $85 for screen replacement. We will replace viplex screen, new case and latest firmware.

I think this is an offer worth considering of course - especially when I see that the price has dropped $ 7 compared to T-bags friend . When I bought the V3 I paid $ 67 for shipping one way, and assuming we split the cost - one way each - the repair will cost me $ 152.

Considering my options:
- Not having a usable eReading device anymore - is NOT an alternative
- If forced to buy a new one (no fix and no replacement) - I would probably buy the same device all over again.

Therefor, although unforeseen costs never are welcome, this offer from Jinke is absolutely preferable.

Trono

[Gudy]

Originally Posted by Trono

--> Broken substrate means physical damage, right? Did you get the screen repaired or replaced? Or maybe you bought a new device entirely?

Yup, physical damage. AFAIK, the only way to fix it is to replace either the screen or the whole unit. I bought mine from www.apoloxxi.com in Spain, so I sent the unit back to them, paid up the costs for replacing the screen (EUR 120, the same amount Bookeen asks for the same repair on their Gen 3's), and got the unit back.

Originally Posted by Trono

Therefor, although unforeseen costs never are welcome, this offer from Jinke is absolutely preferable.

Considering the high shipping charges to China and back, I'd make sure that you indeed split the shipping costs before sending it off, lest you end up paying 220$ instead of 150$ - it'll still be cheaper than getting a new unit, but it never hurts to check.

[HarryT]

Check to see whether accidental damage is covered by your house contents insurance policy. At least here in the UK, it is generally covered.