http://www.ectaco.com/posts/list/185.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net
yesterday my Jetbook Lite went freezed in a page while reading after that the device cannot pass the JetBook Lite Logo screen.

I've searched this forum for advice and tested several procedures like reseting the device twice with removal of the batteries, pluging the device on an USB port after reseting it, but the devices still does not pass the JetBook Lite Logo screen.

Currently what the device does on start is.

After the On button is pressed for few seconds the Logo screens is showed and the green led is off. After few seconds the green led goes on, and stays on for one or two seconds. Then the green led goes off and on and it seems that the screen is refreshed showing the logo screen.
The green led stays on for several minutes and then it goes then off and the logo screen stays.

The only thing I have not done is to upgrade the device's firmware.

What can I do next?

Regards.

]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84434.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84434.page GMT
yesterday my Jetbook Lite went freezed in a page while reading after that the device cannot pass the JetBook Lite Logo screen.

I've searched this forum for advice and tested several procedures like reseting the device twice with removal of the batteries, pluging the device on an USB port after reseting it, but the devices still does not pass the JetBook Lite Logo screen.

Currently what the device does on start is.

After the On button is pressed for few seconds the Logo screens is showed and the green led is off. After few seconds the green led goes on, and stays on for one or two seconds. Then the green led goes off and on and it seems that the screen is refreshed showing the logo screen.
The green led stays on for several minutes and then it goes then off and the logo screen stays.

The only thing I have not done is to upgrade the device's firmware.

What can I do next?

Regards.

[/quote]

Hey,

Thanks for the message. Did you try to enter the diagnostics screen? If not let me know and i can give you instructions on it.

Also, do you happen to know which version you have? (if it does not start up all the way now it would be difficult to tell).
]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84441.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84441.page GMT Hey,

Thanks for the message. Did you try to enter the diagnostics screen? If not let me know and i can give you instructions on it.

Also, do you happen to know which version you have? (if it does not start up all the way now it would be difficult to tell).
[/quote]
Hi Jerry,

Well, the device uses version 0.14i.

Currently I'm not able to access the diagnostic screen, the device freezes after two minutes and stays on the logo screen.

Regards.]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84443.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84443.page GMT
I ask this because I own several venerable PDA devices, some of them has an internal capacitor that powers the device's RAM in order to prevent data loss during battery change (this device uses AAA batteries). In some cases the capacitor is not in good shape and RAM content gets corrupted needing to do a hardreset of the device (erasing all RAM content) in order to start the operating system. I some cases it is needed to let the capacitor completely discharge before installing new batteries in order to ensure that the RAM content has been erased and is initialized like a brand new device.

Regards.



]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84649.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84649.page GMT
The update process boots up before the normal startup and uses a different key sequence.

Get a regular SD card (not an SDHC card, with that old firmware) 2GB or less.
Format it to FAT or FAT16. Then follow the instructions provided by the download site link.

If your PC can see your JBL's internal memory, when you connect it with the USB cable,
(It should show up as a drive letter) you can also format the internal memory before updating
the firmware. (I have mine formatted to FAT32)

Luck;
Ken
]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84651.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84651.page GMT
The update process boots up before the normal startup and uses a different key sequence.

Get a regular SD card (not an SDHC card, with that old firmware) 2GB or less.
Format it to FAT or FAT16. Then follow the instructions provided by the download site link.

If your PC can see your JBL's internal memory, when you connect it with the USB cable,
(It should show up as a drive letter) you can also format the internal memory before updating
the firmware. (I have mine formatted to FAT32)

Luck;
Ken
[/quote]
Thanks but no luck for the moment, only usable as paperweight. ]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84652.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84652.page GMT [/quote]

At what point did you run into problems with the steps I mentioned and the update?

Luck;
Ken
]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84653.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84653.page GMT
I followed the Ectaco's information regarding the firmware update process but the device doesn't shows up any update screen and is stuck/freezed in the jetBook Lite logo screen.

My wife owns a jetBook Lite too running the same firmware version, past weekend I tried to update it to version 0.16e with success, in this case after pressing two keys (as mentioned in Ectaco's documentation) during the bootup process a firmware update screen is showed after 30 seconds or less.

I another forum I read that completely discharging the battery helped to resurrect a bricked device. Because of this I ask if the jetBook Lite has a capacitor or something like that.

If I connect the device to the PC through an USB cable I get only errors from the operating system (I use LiNUX).

Regards.]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84654.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84654.page GMT I have one, that another user sent me that is stuck on the logo like you describe and that
one has resisted every attempt of mine to get it working again.

If you are in the states, it might be worth it to contact the tech people at Ectaco and see
if they can fix or replace it. If it is still in the warranty period, there should be no problem.

Luck;
Ken
]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84655.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84655.page GMT I have one, that another user sent me that is stuck on the logo like you describe and that
one has resisted every attempt of mine to get it working again.

If you are in the states, it might be worth it to contact the tech people at Ectaco and see
if they can fix or replace it. If it is still in the warranty period, there should be no problem.

Luck;
Ken
[/quote]

Thank you Ken.

No Ken, no luck.

I live and bought the item in Europe. Sending this brick to the USA is a bad and expensive solution for me and Ectaco. For sure Ectaco is present in Europe (Russia is still in Europe) meanwhile there is no response from Ectaco about if it is possible to send the item to an European Ectaco office.

I hoped to find advice from Ectaco technical crew in the forum, not per mail. As far as I've seen in other forums this is not an so uncommon "feature" of this device.
As Engineer, I attempt to solve all problems that arise. For sure the device is ok and only needs to be reflashed completly (two cables, a computer, the right sofware and half an hour). No need to send the brick around the world.

If finally I got the right solutions I'll post it here.

Regards.

]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84656.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84656.page GMT
Is Ectaco a reliable company? Is this the normal procedure to ignore end users with broken devices?

]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84834.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84834.page GMT It is odd, but many devices that are running under an embedded version of Linux, seem
to be setup to work primarily with a Windows PC. I have read a number of posts where
the PC USB connection and file handling operations worked in Windows after they would
not with a Linux PC. That said, FAT16 should be the same for Linux as it is for Windows.

I wonder why you would not have some recourse through the retailer who sold you the
device. Not that Ectaco isn't also obligated to fulfill the terms of its warranty.

There seems to be other rare problems (but still more common than the one that actually
does "brick" the device) that mimic these same symptoms but have been ones that you
can recover from. Too bad you got one that fell victim to whatever this problem is, the
JBL is a great little eReader, when it works, and I have three that have been working
fine with no problems for some time now. I hope Ectaco can find a way to get your's
working or replaced.

Luck;
Ken
]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84835.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84835.page GMT It is odd, but many devices that are running under an embedded version of Linux, seem
to be setup to work primarily with a Windows PC. I have read a number of posts where
the PC USB connection and file handling operations worked in Windows after they would
not with a Linux PC. That said, FAT16 should be the same for Linux as it is for Windows.
[/quote]

Currently the Linux USB driver stack throws out only errors when I connect this device, before the problem I didn't get any errors.

[quote=Ken Maltby]
I wonder why you would not have some recourse through the retailer who sold you the
device. Not that Ectaco isn't also obligated to fulfill the terms of its warranty.
[/quote]

In Spain as in most countries in Europe the retailer is not the holder of the warranty, the manufacturer is who is responsible for the warranty. The only responsibility of the retailer is to refund/exchange the item in some cases and under a period counted in days or some weeks. After the mentioned period the 1 year standard warranty that a good has in Spain is given by the manufacturer. Of course in the European Community the manufacturer can be in any country of Europe.

The same applies if we talk about end user technical support that is given by the manufacturer not the retailer. In this case Ectaco.

In any case, Ectaco in the last mail told me to contact the NY Ectaco's office for RMA. I asked per mail for an Ectaco office in Europe (Moscow is still in Europe for example). And no response since then, they only have to say NO or YES, I suppose that the person who read my mails has better knowledge in English than me. They only have to click my mail, type a short answer that every child under 6 years can write and then push the send button. Giving no response as an answer is a bad practice, bad image of the company for the end user, in short, a shame.

What if I cannot speak English? Who will give me support? The retailer? And the people of Poland? Should the send their broken JetBooks Color to NY in order to get them back repaired too? And the scholars of Russia, for sure they do not have enough money in Khabarovsk in order to send Jetbooks around the world under RMA.

[quote=Ken Maltby]
There seems to be other rare problems (but still more common than the one that actually
does "brick" the device) that mimic these same symptoms but have been ones that you
can recover from. Too bad you got one that fell victim to whatever this problem is, the
JBL is a great little eReader, when it works, and I have three that have been working
fine with no problems for some time now. [/quote]

Ken, do you use your three JBL every day? I used mine about five months, every day, for about one to two hours a day. Previously I used a TH55 running PalmOS 5.1 for about four years and it never went bricked.

I can only suspect that this problem is firmware related, I do not know if the 0.16e firmware has fixed this as currently.

[quote=Ken Maltby]
I hope Ectaco can find a way to get your's
working or replaced.
[/quote]

I hope so too... meanwhile I will send more mails...
]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84836.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84836.page GMT Well... I have used my original JBL everyday for the last couple of years. My second one I keep
updated for my 30 year old son, who uses his a lot less than I do mine. My third one is a backup
that hardly gets used at all. The fourth one is that "Bricked" one that I try and fix every once in
a while, if I think of something new to try. Otherwise, I keep it as Parts.

One of the reasons I originally got the JBL was because it was one of the few that could read
.pdb ebooks, at that time.

Luck;
Ken
]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84837.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84837.page GMT
Is Ectaco a reliable company? Is this the normal procedure to ignore end users with broken devices?

[/quote]

Hi,

I have been watching your every post, and as a wonderful fan Ken seems to be providing you with great advice. This is the reason i have not intervened till now.

You say you have sent emails to us, can you let me know which address you are sending them to? Have you waited 24-48 business hours?

Have you purchased the device within a year?

Did you purchase the item from us and if so did you view our warranty beforehand?

]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84838.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/84838.page GMT
I received some emails from Ectaco, if things get so slow in the 21th century I will switch to my paper books again...

According to Ectaco currently the only way to get repaired/exchanged a JetBook under warranty is to get a RMA number and send the device to Ectaco's office in NY (USA).

I'm disappointed with this solution.

I hope that Ectaco will have a wider support network in Europe in the future, currently no Ectaco presence in Europe (only comercial), so if something goes wrong and your device needs repair you can throw it to the trash (shipping costs for USA are high and repair may not worth), the same way as any other device made ​​in China.

Of course this is a personal opinion.

Thanks all for your help.


]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85037.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85037.page GMT
I received some emails from Ectaco, if things get so slow in the 21th century I will switch to my paper books again...

According to Ectaco currently the only way to get repaired/exchanged a JetBook under warranty is to get a RMA number and send the device to Ectaco's office in NY (USA).

I'm disappointed with this solution.

I hope that Ectaco will have a wider support network in Europe in the future, currently no Ectaco presence in Europe (only comercial), so if something goes wrong and your device needs repair you can throw it to the trash (shipping costs for USA are high and repair may not worth), the same way as any other device made ​​in China.

Of course this is a personal opinion.

Thanks all for your help.


[/quote]

Hey,

Thanks for the message. For international warranties we usually require shipping to be paid both ways. In this case we can pay to have the item shipped back to you all you would have to do is have it sent here. Usually your local post office can offer an affordable rate under $20.

Again, this is assuming your item is still covered under the one year warranty.

You can email wecare@ectaco.com and see if they can offer any further assistance.

Hope this helps!]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85236.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85236.page GMT Can't get it to do anything ]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85238.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85238.page GMT
Hey,

Thanks for the message. For international warranties we usually require shipping to be paid both ways. In this case we can pay to have the item shipped back to you all you would have to do is have it sent here. Usually your local post office can offer an affordable rate under $20.

Again, this is assuming your item is still covered under the one year warranty.

You can email wecare@ectaco.com and see if they can offer any further assistance.

Hope this helps![/quote]

Many thanks Jerry, the device is still under warranty (only six month used).

Regards.]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85250.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85250.page GMT Can't get it to do anything [/quote]
Search in this forum (or this thread), you can do a couple of things (resetting the device to the factory defaults or attempt to reflash the latest firmware).

Search in Mobileread forum, the same sympton are well know since 2010.

You can contact Ectaco support via mail, use the form available at their website.

]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85251.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85251.page GMT
Today arrived the new JBL, I upgraded the device's firmware to 0.16e as it cames with a prior version.

IMHO I hope that Ectacto will improve the customer service for european customers, currently such support doesn't exists or if it exists it seems to be english spoken only and through the USA support crew.]]> http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85459.page http://www.ectaco.com/posts/preList/80439/85459.page GMT