Re: NTLK Pen sensing drift

From: John Mark Davis (backlot@swbell.net)
Date: Tue Aug 22 2000 - 21:20:41 CDT


I definitely was suffering from heavy duty jaggies, too. So much, I sent in
my Newton for a screen replacement. I've had it back for several months
with no problems, but just this past few weeks, the "drift" has returned.

I'm trying to figure out why it is coming back.

On my previous screen, I had a WriteRight on there for a LONG TIME. So I've
been wondering if that had been causing the problem. Now I'm back to The
Barrier. I've replaced the Barrier again, but I've had it happen recently
again. It's in its early stages now, so it's not so frequent. But I had
full-fledge jaggie-fever before and I'm dreading that's what's to come.
Now, to troubleshoot, when this drift occurs, I immediately remove my
Barrier and try to write in the same spot again and its okay. I have yet to
get the drift with my pen touching the screen directly. I've also noticed
that if I start to get the drift, if I start writing lighter, the drift
stops.

Is it possibly some funkiness with the screen protector? Or am I writing
with too much pressure on the screen?

Also I've wondered if leaving it in the hot car can cause damage to the
screen and as a result, the jaggies.

Before sending in my Newton for screen replacement, Apple had me do a hard
reset, but not this restore-everything-except-for-the-system-soup procedure.
Sounds interesting and I'd like to try it.

I definitely don't believe the repair fixes it for good. Especially after
being back for a good six months or so, the problem has returned. Unless I
am somehow damaging my Newton . . .

-- 
John Mark Davis
backlot@swbell.net 

> You seem to suffer of what we call "the jaggies", or something like > that, in an early stage. Many 2100 owners (myself included) did suffer > of this. Initially, the pen is always off, no matter what you do. Then, > at some point, when you start writing, you'll see some kind of > 'squiggle' lines appearing around the pen tip, depending on the > pressure. This obviously affects handwriting recognition. > > There have been 2 theories to explain that. One says that, over time, > after trying a few packages that leave some information in the system > soup, the soup can becomes corrupted and generate this erratic behavior. > Some people reported the problem completely cured after making a full > backup, doing a hard reset and then restoring everything from the > backup, except the system soup. > > The other theory is that over the time, the touch screen on the 2x00 > starts to wear off, and some contacts between the touchpad and the > screen become loose. As a result, the touchpad is no longer able to > track the pen correctly. The only fix for this problem is to return your > MP to Apple that will fix everything that is wrong with it, including > screen replacement, for about $185 USD. > > Nobody ever comes to a definite solution, although the repair seems to > fix it for good, and you get back a backlight that is brand new.

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