Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

Arrgh. The power light on my Visor Prism is not coming on any more. (Well, the fact that I dropped it this morning may have something to do with it, but it wasn't a high drop and nothing else stopped working... -- maybe 3 feet at most it fell, but it landed right on the bottom of the unit).

I got it at CompUSA a while ago, didn't get the extended warranty (at the time it seemed useless). What do I do now?

I noticed that Handspring's policy says they guarantee their products for 1 year no matter where you bought it... perhaps I should tell them the power light stopped working and ask for a replacement? Or, since the paint is coming off as well, ask for a replacement and not mention the light...?

I also can't find my receipt... but, I mean, they'd have to accept that I've had it less than a year, right? I mean, it's not even been on the market a year... ah, crap.

I'm just so glad I didn't have my eyemodule2 in when it fell...


Thanks.

Last edited by CaptainCaveman on 02-19-2001 at 08:21 PM

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 5

Same thing happened to me, the light just went dead!
called Handspring, and they sent me a replacement, next day air!

Charles Nash

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Posts: 9

Dead light

Mine went dead, too, after about 2 days. But it seems to be recharging just fine, there's a lightning bolt on the battery in the cradle, and the SysInfo utility I downloaded from the McAfee site says the battery is plugged in. Must be the LED itself. I'm too lazy to take it back to Best Buy as long as it's working--I have the 3-year store warranty, so I figure I'll use the broken LED as an excuse to trade it in when they come out with a newer version. I wonder why this is happening, though.

Liz

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

Next day air, huh? What do you do, send the old one back in the same box?

That's good to know. I'll have to give 'em a call tomorrow. Thanks for the hinkfo.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

This is creepy, same exact thing happened to me, in almost the exact same way, I got a replacement unit from handspring the next day..

(I was one of those lucky folks who got a contrast challenged replacement Prism, used the date fix trick to change the contrast, all is well now..)

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

Well, then, it is settled. Tomorrow I give 'em a call. If they don't ask, I don't mention the, uh, ... percussive maintenance that happened. Thanks guys.

Registered: Jan 2001
Location:
Posts: 8

same thing, dead charge light.

I just got my replacement Friday. LED went dead, but kept charging. Handspring replaced with no problem. I think there is a problem here.

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 80

The charging LED on mine went "lights out" some time ago. I suppose if it were used for something else I might try to get it replaced.

=Dave=

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I do NOT look wierd! I just look ... "different".

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

Well, I called today. After being bounced back and forth from the 1-888 Customer Care number to the Technical Support number, I got a helpful guy named Brian. He asked me a few questions, had me do a soft reset ("Yeah, I already tried that." "Well, can we do it again just to check?" -- but I guess they have a script to follow).

The system for logging replacements was down, however, so he took my info and said they'll call me back as soon as they enter it and get me an RMA#. If I don't hear from 'em by tomorrow, I get to call back and complain

Not too bad. He offered to give me a case number to call the 888 number and get a RMA that way, but I'd been bounced back and forth between the two numbers a couple times already, so I just gave him the info.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 64

Mine Too!

Mine went dead too. I ignored for about a month when the whole Prism stopped working. I used the return policy at CompUSA and got a new one.

My new one has a light that works but cracks in the case and paint rubbing off. Grrrr!

Kamalot

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

Huh? I thought CompUSA only took returns/etc for 14 days?

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 64

CompUSA

I bought the extended warranty from CompUSA for $99. For up to two years, if my Visor stops working I walk in and get a new one, no questions asked. It covers cracked screens too.

Kamalot

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: London, UK
Posts: 6

Light Fail and Not Charging

Plugged my Prism in to charge last night, as normal and nothing! Are the Replacement Prism's that Handspring send out new or Repaired? if they are repaired I will take it back to the store and get a new one.

btw: I am in the UK do I get my replacement from Handspring or there European Distributors.

Thanks,

Chris.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 60

Finally!

Well, the replacement finally came this week.

FedEx tried to deliver it on Wednesday, but of course, I was at work and nobody else was home. They tried again Thursday, so we went down Thursday night to pick it up.

Got it home, tried to hot sync via IR from the old to the new. They sat there, flashing "Waiting for Sender" and nothing else.

So, I hotsynced (to my PC) my old, switched Custom settings to "Desktop -> Handheld" put the new one in, pushed the button, waited.

It finished. Works beautifully. Awesome deal, I like this company much better now

Packed up the old one and sent it back.

Only thing is I'm having a little trouble (a few letters here and there) in my Grafitti. Probably since I was using Write Rights on my old Prism and haven't put one on yet. I want to try the idea of putting clear vinyl on it, since I have the crummy Write Rights that are textured. I forgot how good the Prism screen is until I looked at one with that thing off.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 64

Deja Vu

My green charging light stopped working on my second prism. It isn't a problem and does not affect my using it but still, why do these things fail so quickly?

I saw an article somewhere explaining how to replace the LED with a blue one. I think it was in Japanese. i would LOVE to do something like this.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 54

My charge LED has also failed... I opened up the prism and checked the diode with a voltmeter (diode check function) and the diode is good (I could see the LED light up while checking it)... there-fore the problem is up stream... probably a control transistor or current limit resistor...

I always thought the LED was very bright for its size and purpose. Anyway I suspect most failures are the same... diode is ok, something else controling the led, broke.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

In my case it was the (surface mounted) led control transistor, I found it in the case a week after I sent the old unit back.. I found a tiny black "chip" and gave it to a friend to figureout what it was.. Said it probably fell off the circuit board due to a bad/cold solder job.

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"One of the most important things you learn from the internet is that there is no �them� out there. It�s just an awful lot of �us�." -- Douglas Adams

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 64

Where to look

I am really interested in replacing this now. Where should I look? I have no real experience with electonics and have used a meter only to theck the outlets in my house.

Can someone document what the best way to check the power light in the prism would be? I really want this fized now, or replaced with a BLUE one!

Kamalot

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

Maybe I missed something, Can't you just send it back to handspring? That's what I did.

I called them, the had me do the "standard" "obligatory" hard reset, which obviously did nothing, after that they then the shipped out a replacement unit. Once I got the replacement, after backing up my old unit with the backup module, doing a hard reset on the new unit, restoring the backup module to the new Prism, tested to make sure all was well, I then did a hard reset on my old unit (to clear personal data) and packed it up in the box per the instructions that came with the replacement, dropped it off at the nearest FedEx office. End of story.

-Eric

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"One of the most important things you learn from the internet is that there is no �them� out there. It�s just an awful lot of �us�." -- Douglas Adams

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 64

I got mine from CompUSA. Will Handspring still ship me a new one?

Kamalot