[pqrs]

mine has always done this too.... super annoying! it doesnt happen too often, so i can live with it... id love to hear a fix tho!

[karlkarloffs]

I don't know if it helps, but mine only seems to do it if the battery is at 50% or less. If I wake it when the battery is below half and then try to play a game, or anything that has audio it will sometimes randomly hiss at me. Doesn't seem to happen that often at all, in fact until it did it today, it had been a good month or more hiss free. The silent issue also happens randomly, but with less frequency. I've never been able to reproduce the silence issue, it generally happened after i left my tablet with my 5 year old all day. I assumed that it was something she was doing.

[div]

As an engineer at a major electronics repair depot (not VS) - you need call them and send that thing back ASAP. Pretty much all repair depots now day are third parties, and they have a contract with the manufacturer to perform the repairs. One of the things they're graded on is repeat returns (units that are shipped out and come right back within a certain timeframe). MOST manufacturers/vendors keep a very close eye on repeat return issues, as it's a sign of either poor workmanship at the depot or an issue that needs real attention from the engineers for a possible EC.

The faster you get it back in their hands the more attention it's going to get. For me, repeats within 5 days for the same issue involve a lengthy phone call with the manufacturer's engineering staff.

[Phoenix84]

div, on 11 May 2011 - 08:22 AM, said:

As an engineer at a major electronics repair depot (not VS) - you need call them and send that thing back ASAP. Pretty much all repair depots now day are third parties, and they have a contract with the manufacturer to perform the repairs. One of the things they're graded on is repeat returns (units that are shipped out and come right back within a certain timeframe). MOST manufacturers/vendors keep a very close eye on repeat return issues, as it's a sign of either poor workmanship at the depot or an issue that needs real attention from the engineers for a possible EC.

The faster you get it back in their hands the more attention it's going to get. For me, repeats within 5 days for the same issue involve a lengthy phone call with the manufacturer's engineering staff.

Thanks for the information. In fact I called them today and they are having me send it in again, to the specific engineer I spoke to over the phone. It seems what happened was the last guy who looked at it only checked general playback (they said Youtube playback for hours), and since it worked fine they sent it back. However I clarified that it happens in SLEEP mode, and the guy this time told me to leave a note in there describing that. He said they are already preparing a new one for me.
So I will backup and wipe the unit again and sent it back in the next several days.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, when we verified it was a sleep issue, he mentioned it was a motherboard problem, so that sounds promising.

Off-topic: Interestingly, he said the unit was reflashed to 1.1-3588. Also he asked several times what my version was, I told him 3588, and he said ok. He didn't mention the 4349 update at all. I even told him I had updated to that version when it was available, and he didn't say anything. I guess they really did pull the 1.2 update for the time being.

This post has been edited by Phoenix84: 11 May 2011 - 05:17 PM

[misterminkz]

I'm having the audio static as well but it doesn't bother me that much. I just ignored it

[Phoenix84]

Alright. I've gotten my tablet back. So far, so good.
I don't know just yet if it's a different unit. This unit came with 1.2-4349, as well as a different tegra partition structure (with 14 partitions instead of 12, SOS on 11, not 9). If anyone wants the image, I uploaded here: nvflash-4349.7z. I'll keep testing to see if the audio issue remains, but I haven't been able to trigger it yet.

[atakapa]

Phoenix84, on 25 May 2011 - 03:49 PM, said:

Alright. I've gotten my tablet back. So far, so good.
I don't know just yet if it's a different unit. This unit came with 1.2-4349, as well as a different tegra partition structure (with 14 partitions instead of 12, SOS on 11, not 9). If anyone wants the image, I uploaded here: nvflash-4349.7z. I'll keep testing to see if the audio issue remains, but I haven't been able to trigger it yet.

Thank you for the images!! Could you also grab the bct for the configuration and post it. I would really appreciate it.

nvflash.exe --bl bootloader.bin --getbct --bct backup.bct --go

Also, the bootloader doesn't match the 4349 1.2 bootloader size (yours is ~12KB smaller), but does match the size of the 1.1 bootloader. Are you positive this is 4349, does it have the blue CWM-style recovery?

[Phoenix84]

atakapa, on 25 May 2011 - 05:31 PM, said:

Thank you for the images!! Could you also grab the bct for the configuration and post it. I would really appreciate it.

nvflash.exe --bl bootloader.bin --getbct --bct backup.bct --go

Also, the bootloader doesn't match the 4349 1.2 bootloader size (yours is ~12KB smaller), but does match the size of the 1.1 bootloader. Are you positive this is 4349, does it have the blue CWM-style recovery?

You're welcome.

I don't know how to grab the bootloader with nvflash. I just used the one from the nvflash kit. I actually shouldn't have included it.
Here's the bct: http://www.mediafire...xko94podz66xpjt
I'm also reuploading the original zip file to include it. But just grab the individual file for now.
EDIT: I updated the original file. Same link as previous post.

This post has been edited by Phoenix84: 25 May 2011 - 06:24 PM

[atakapa]

Oh, OK. That makes more sense.
Thanks again, I've been hoping to get this set for some time. Don't know if I'm going to be brave enough to flash it or not. Had to guess at the 2 different partition attributes in the config file. Also, 2 other partitions are half the size of their counterparts. That's a lot to leave to chance.

Also, could you verify the version # of tapntap? --> settings >> about tablet >> Tap UI Version

This post has been edited by atakapa: 25 May 2011 - 07:45 PM

[Phoenix84]

atakapa, on 25 May 2011 - 06:44 PM, said:

Oh, OK. That makes more sense.
Thanks again, I've been hoping to get this set for some time. Don't know if I'm going to be brave enough to flash it or not. Had to guess at the 2 different partition attributes in the config file. Also, 2 other partitions are half the size of their counterparts. That's a lot to leave to chance.

Also, could you verify the version # of tapntap? --> settings >> about tablet >> Tap UI Version

Pulled from build.prop:
fingerprint.ro.build.description=harmony-user 2.2 FRF91 hudson-20110325-2032_4349 test-keys
ro.tapntap.version.release=1.2-4349

EDIT:
I've been trying to restore the system image, but am not having any luck. It seems like nvflash doesn't pull a valid image. I tried to nvflash the entire backup, and it is stuck at the gtablet logo (I tried repartitioning the SD-card). If I restore a CWM backup from 4349, it then boots. However even if I try to CWM restore that particular system image, it doesn't work. CWM says "checking md5" (I updated nandroid.md5 with the correct checksum), then spends about 3 seconds 'restoring' before returning to the menu. No errors are displayed, and the system fails to boot after that. Any ideas?
EDIT2:
I pulled the system.img from update-smb_a1002-4349-user.zip, and I was able to flash that perfectly fine in both CWM and nvflash. Comparing the two files, the first difference is at byte offset 800. Not sure what's there, but it looks like a filesystem entry (for build.prop). It looks like 40 bytes are missing at that point. In fact, those same 40 bytes are missing throughout the image (every 420 bytes or so). Not sure what that means.

This post has been edited by Phoenix84: 25 May 2011 - 10:46 PM

[novalkar]

i'm gonna check this as soon as i download it

[novalkar]

I nvflashed mine using the provided image and a different system.img (the one in the pack got me stuck when booting at the gTablet screen)

For now it seems to work with sound and all... i'm not with to much time in my hands to run extensive tests, but i'll post if sound breaks during my daily use

[novalkar]

Left it playing music through the night and audio died ...

[novalkar]

O____O OMG my bluetooth phones work even if the sound on the tablet fails XDDD i can't believe i didn't thought of using them before...

[Phoenix84]

An update:
Good news: I can't trigger the static/silence at will anymore.
Bad news: I've heard the static twice. Once I was listening to music, and I paused it and turned the screen off. When I came back a minute later, it deafened me as soon as I turned the screen back on (with power button). This was in the BOS ROM though. The second time, with stock ROM, I had my tablet plugged into my computer, and it went to 'low power' mode, and blew out again, and I wasn't even touching it this time. A coworker of mine said his did the same thing when plugged into the computer. Unfortunately I can't reproduce it. It seems to be some flaw in the chipset design or something. If it is reduced to a rare occurrence, I may be able to live with it. Although I'm regretting the purchase. Especially since I saw the Galaxy Tab on Woot recently (and the transformer looks slick). We'll see how it goes.

[TEK112]

Has anyone got theirs back from Viewsonic and still had it hiss? I am contemplating sending my unit in for service, but I spent 3hrs getting HC how I like it and would hate to have to start over if this isn't a sure thing.

[mike ekim]

I had a different but similar issue that cropped up after my daughter was using the tablet, so I can't be sure what lead up to the problem but I'll describe as best as I can:

1) she used 'sound recorder' to record and play back her voice.
2) she might have heard the static at that point but I can't really get a clear answer.
3) she played angry birds with the sound muted in the app and the tablet volume turned off
4) she put it asleep (power button --> sleep)
5) I woke up the tablet and when I turned up the volume I was met with static. I 'suspect' there was static before she put the tablet to sleep because angry birds and tablet volume were both set to mute.

settings/applications force close on sound recorder did not fix the problem, but a reboot cleared it up. Stock 3588 + CW. My problem is cleared up (for now) but this can possibly be a bit of information for someone else.

[TEK112]

mike ekim, on 13 June 2011 - 12:06 PM, said:

I had a different but similar issue that cropped up after my daughter was using the tablet, so I can't be sure what lead up to the problem but I'll describe as best as I can:

1) she used 'sound recorder' to record and play back her voice.
2) she might have heard the static at that point but I can't really get a clear answer.
3) she played angry birds with the sound muted in the app and the tablet volume turned off
4) she put it asleep (power button --> sleep)
5) I woke up the tablet and when I turned up the volume I was met with static. I 'suspect' there was static before she put the tablet to sleep because angry birds and tablet volume were both set to mute.

settings/applications force close on sound recorder did not fix the problem, but a reboot cleared it up. Stock 3588 + CW. My problem is cleared up (for now) but this can possibly be a bit of information for someone else.

This is a known issue. The static is not static, but a fraction of a second sound loop that will loop indefinitely if you have something that is supposed to produce sound. Notification sounds or any short sound will produce a 15sec looping sound. The tablet will either do this or kill the sound. If the sound is gone, the quick fix is to plug in headphones and unplug them and the sound will return. The only fix for the hiss is to reboot. When you rebooted, more than likely you had an email notification pop up and that triggered the loop. It probably hissed for about 15 seconds before it stopped and you manually restarted it.

I would like to know if it is faulty hardware or an unfixable issue. I have experienced it on VEGAn-TAB 5.1.1 Beta, VEGAn-TAB Ginger Edition and Illuminate a1.5.

[Phoenix84]

mike ekim, on 13 June 2011 - 12:06 PM, said:

I had a different but similar issue that cropped up after my daughter was using the tablet, so I can't be sure what lead up to the problem but I'll describe as best as I can:

1) she used 'sound recorder' to record and play back her voice.
2) she might have heard the static at that point but I can't really get a clear answer.
3) she played angry birds with the sound muted in the app and the tablet volume turned off
4) she put it asleep (power button --> sleep)
5) I woke up the tablet and when I turned up the volume I was met with static. I 'suspect' there was static before she put the tablet to sleep because angry birds and tablet volume were both set to mute.

settings/applications force close on sound recorder did not fix the problem, but a reboot cleared it up. Stock 3588 + CW. My problem is cleared up (for now) but this can possibly be a bit of information for someone else.

It's possible the static was already there, but odds are you triggered it again when you changed the volume (depending on how soon after waking it up you pressed the volume keys). I found that if you encounter the static, if you let it go back to sleep for a minute or so, it'll be gone when you wake it up again (not always though).

TEK112, on 13 June 2011 - 01:22 PM, said:

This is a known issue. The static is not static, but a fraction of a second sound loop that will loop indefinitely if you have something that is supposed to produce sound. Notification sounds or any short sound will produce a 15sec looping sound. The tablet will either do this or kill the sound. If the sound is gone, the quick fix is to plug in headphones and unplug them and the sound will return. The only fix for the hiss is to reboot. When you rebooted, more than likely you had an email notification pop up and that triggered the loop. It probably hissed for about 15 seconds before it stopped and you manually restarted it.

I would like to know if it is faulty hardware or an unfixable issue. I have experienced it on VEGAn-TAB 5.1.1 Beta, VEGAn-TAB Ginger Edition and Illuminate a1.5.

I believe it's a hardware issue. If you read one of my earlier posts, when I talked to Viewsonic, the tech said they might have to change the motherboard.
After I got it back the second time, I can't reproduce it. I had the static twice after that, but not for several weeks now. I also cannot reproduce it using the steps I listed in the first post. I think mine's actually fixed now. *crosses fingers*

Try the steps I listed in the first post. If you can reproduce the static that way, call them up, and tell them the it blasts static when in sleep mode. BE SURE TO MENTION that it's in sleep mode. Otherwise they might not look at it closely. I printed up the steps I posted here and sent that to them.

EDIT: I hope you don't mind, TEK112, but I'm going to copy your idea of a dropbox thanks link.

This post has been edited by Phoenix84: 14 June 2011 - 05:01 PM

[TEK112]

Phoenix84, on 14 June 2011 - 04:58 PM, said:

It's possible the static was already there, but odds are you triggered it again when you changed the volume (depending on how soon after waking it up you pressed the volume keys). I found that if you encounter the static, if you let it go back to sleep for a minute or so, it'll be gone when you wake it up again (not always though).



I believe it's a hardware issue. If you read one of my earlier posts, when I talked to Viewsonic, the tech said they might have to change the motherboard.
After I got it back the second time, I can't reproduce it. I had the static twice after that, but not for several weeks now. I also cannot reproduce it using the steps I listed in the first post. I think mine's actually fixed now. *crosses fingers*

Try the steps I listed in the first post. If you can reproduce the static that way, call them up, and tell them the it blasts static when in sleep mode. BE SURE TO MENTION that it's in sleep mode. Otherwise they might not look at it closely. I printed up the steps I posted here and sent that to them.

EDIT: I hope you don't mind, TEK112, but I'm going to copy your idea of a dropbox thanks link.

Hahaha! It's all good. Looks like I'll be calling viewsonic. Would you be okay providing me with your service ticket number so that I might use it as a reference. If you don't feel comfortable I completely understand.

edit: I am running a1.6 Illuminate. Unfortunately those steps do not reproduce the sound. However, I am in Linux. I'm gonna boot into W7 and try again.

edit2: No go in W7. I can't get it to static on demand.

This post has been edited by TEK112: 14 June 2011 - 08:38 PM