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After owning the Touch HD for a full month I just noticed that down the middle of the screen there is something which I can best describe as an oil stain. It looks as if there is a liquid in between the glass/plastic screen and the resistive layer that lays on top of it.
The screen works normally and this "stain" can only be observed if I look at how the light reflects of it.
Any idea what happened?
Hi,
I have a small idear. The TFT-Monitor ist touching your Touchscreen. Probeply you pressed something on your HD, that the two Monitor touch each other, that is why it looks like a Water or Oil spot.
This can happen for example, if you are carrying your HD in your trouser pocket.
If you want to try to remove this spot, you have to turn with your both hand the hd, like the right hand turn with the clock and the left hand turn to the other way.
Sorry, my english is not very good for such a discribing. What I mean is like "to contort" or "to skew (up)". But you have to be very carefully. Before you start, remove the Battery
(I'll be incorporating a clearer explanation along the lines of what Dude10 was trying to say)
The effect you're seeing is IDENTICAL to what causes the colours to appear on an oil film actually!
The way the Touch HD screen works is to have the hard glass (polycarbonate plastic actually as far as I'm aware, but that's not important here!) with a squashy resistive sensor layer on the top.
This resistive layer detects touch as an increase in resistance at the spot that's compressed - be that by a finger or a stylus. Because the upper layer can be compressed, it can also be malformed by stronger than normal pressure, such as an object in a pocket. The effect can be more pronounced if your body heat warms up the screen surface making the screen "set" in position rather than spring back as it should do...
The "oil" effect is cause by the reflections of light from the outermost plastic layer and the outermost surface of the hard screen. When the gap is small enough, these reflections can interfere with each other, cancelling and re-inforcing different wavelengths depending on the thickness - hence the tapering of the screen from thinnest to thickest results in a "rainbow"
Now, why explain all this you may ask? Partly because I like science and it fascinated me in school to learn what caused that effect so wanted to share this! (And this also explains why it only presents itself when you look at the light reflections)
Anyway, more importantly, the solution to your problem is to restore the thickness of that part of the touch layer to it's original uncompressed state.
I'd firstly start trying to hold your finger flat against the top of the phone screen (on flat surface, portraint orientation, finger "left to right") then pressing resonably hard (the hard screen should protect the device - if not you're pressing too hard!) slide your finger down the screen from top to bottom trying to keep an even pressure. This should hopefully even out the surface.
Failing this, as Dude10 suggests, take the battery out and use your thumbs (holding with fingers in the battery well) to press and "smear" around the problem area.
Unfortunately, other than this I don't think there's a particular way to remove the effect totally if it doesn't work...
Obviously it's speculation given that you didn't mention how it happened in the first place, but it does sound like it got knocked or pressed by something either in bag or pocket - maybe even a fold in the pouch
Hope you manage to smooth it out!
WhO_KnOwS said:
After owning the Touch HD for a full month I just noticed that down the middle of the screen there is something which I can best describe as an oil stain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a long shot, but:
Sometimes a similar effect can be caused when some moisture has got between the layers of a display.
Have you used the phone anywhere damp or very humid ?
Keeping it somewhere warm and dry might be worth a try?
- Steve
Thanks for all the tips. The issue happened when I had the Touch HD in the pouch and in my pocket - so the idea that it was a fold in the pouch holds water.
The funny thing however is that before I saw all of your replies I was already out the door (with the Touch HD back in the pouch and pocket). 5 minutes later when I pulled it out the issue was gone. I am guessing that I reapplied the exact amount of pressure needed or something like that.
Thanks again for the tips and especially to chaosdefinesorder for the nice explanation.
Thx for helping explanation
5 minutes later when I pulled it out the issue was gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, i don't think it was gone. check again under a fluorescent light....
i have this on my diamond. my HD is flawless (till now...)
i phoned to a technician and explain the phenomena and he invited me to replace the screen. when i got there, to my complete amazement and embarrassment the stain was gone. only later i discovered that the stain is visible under fluorescent light only.
chaosdefinesorder said:
Unfortunately, other than this I don't think there's a particular way to remove the effect totally if it doesn't work...
Hope you manage to smooth it out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks m8, already tried this (on my diamond) and tried now again with both yr methods. no results. the stain is still there...i think only a replacement can solve it.
here u have the paralel thread in diamond forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=439410&highlight=oily+stain
you can not do it yourself. the best way will be to go to your seller or straight to HTC, because I think you HD still have warranty.
I repaired ones an Diamond and I can tell you, it wasn´t an easy way.
Hi,
I think I may have made a mistake, but was wondering if anyone else has / has not had a similar experience.
I got my Touch HD a couple of weeks ago, and although I was completely knocked out with its amazingness ( new word, patented by me! ), something bothered me about the amount of pressure I was having to use, particularly in the centre of the screen when touching.
I know there have been tweaks and hacks posted and the pressure required on the touchscreen is variable, so I fiddled and tweaked and carried on. It was only after I started using FingerKeyboard2 (which also warrants "amazingness" status.) that I noticed that when holding keys down and releasing for special characters and numbers, my HD was registering a second press upon release. So when holding for number "5" I got a letter "t" too when I released. This really annoyed me.
I've had a look from a varry shallow angle at the screen, with the device turned off and pressed in the middle and compared to the edges, and it seems as though the digitizer "domes" over the screen. There's a large void in the middle that's not present at the edges, which means that to register touches in the middle, I have to press the digitizer against the screen. I think this is causing the double presses, and having to apply extra pressure in the middle.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I've taken it to CPW today and they've sent off for a replacement, which will arrive on Monday
Has anyone else noticed this, is it normal and I've sent a perfectly good Touch HD away? Have a look for me please, and spare an old(ish) man his sanity!
I can only speak for myself but, specially after tweaking, the hd screen is VERY sensible to touch, no need for hard presses at all. I think you actually had a faulty machine...
My touch screen is very good, shame the wifi has died on it and it's doing strange things. Mine will be back to CPW as well
My touchscreen works very well, without tweaking I think it does the job and recognizes my presses easily and accurately. However, my problem is that I can see the touch sensors even when the screen is turned on... I see small green-coloured dots, in a regular grid, specially when I have a white background. Annoying, but I think I can live with it... Better than send it to the service and wait a long time, with the risk of getting a new screen which may have dead pixels (I don't have any now).
Thanks for your replies everyone, makes me feel better about not having my Touch HD over the weekend. I pick up my replacement tomorrow and I think I'm suffering from withdrawal already.
sometimes my phones touchscreen becomes unresponsive when its flat on its back on a table for example. I unlock the screen with the trackpad or power button so that the screen comes on. Then when i try to slide the lockscreen it doesnt do anything. When i begin sliding the bar from the total edge of the screen it sometimes works.
Usually i just have to pick up the phone to get the touchscreen working again. actually, when i even lift up the phone the slightest bit, it works again.
Weird right?
anyone else experiences this issue ?
I assumed it was designed to work like this. Makes me move my phone rather than just slide to snooze the alarm then go back to sleep.
Same here. I think it has to do with the capacative toucscreen.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
wileykat said:
I assumed it was designed to work like this. Makes me move my phone rather than just slide to snooze the alarm then go back to sleep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're saying you move your phone to snooze the alarm? didnt know it could do that, gonna try that out tomorrow morning
forgot to mention the issue is not ROM specific. I have witnessed it on virtuous, CM, MIUI, stock
Ive had this problem as well. Slightly annoying!
I don't think its a design issue..
you don't have to lift your phone to get the screen to respond.
notice that it is enough just to touch the body of the phone to make the screen responsive again..
for me its very annoying, especially not being able to snooze the alarm in the morning
Let me point out that this happens with my G1 also so its not just the G2.
Yeah, there are a few discussions about this on the forums already. It's most likely a capacitance issue. When your phone is just sitting on a table and you touch the display, you may not create enough capacitance with the touchscreen for it to register as a touch (as opposed to resistive touchscreens which needed only physical contact but were less accurate as a result). Touching the body of the phone basically creates a common ground or voltage reference point for the phone, allowing your finger to create the needed amount of capacitance (in technical terms, no longer a floating ground). Whenever I touch the screen while the phone is lying on a table, I just always make sure to rest either my thumb or ring finger on one of the edges.
A lot of factors will also come into play---whether or not your phone is in a case, type of material the phone is resting on, the level of humidity in the air, even potentially the type of shoes you are wearing. This is why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
ianmcquinn said:
(...) Touching the body of the phone basically creates a common ground or voltage reference point for the phone, allowing your finger to create the needed amount of capacitance (in technical terms, no longer a floating ground). (...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes! I just figured this out myself. merely touching the body of the phone makes the screen respond to my fingers.
well in that case its not really a big problem. from now on i just touch teh body with my middle finger while sliding with my index finger =D
liory said:
notice that it is enough just to touch the body of the phone to make the screen responsive again..
for me its very annoying, especially not being able to snooze the alarm in the morning
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will give this a go tomorrow, I hope it doesn't work!!!.... I'm gonna be forever snoozing with 2 fingers now!!!
This seems to be temperature related (and it doesn't happen on a mytouch 3g)
I live in Minnesota and I deliver pizza. When I would need to call a customer to get into an apartment building, I would set the phone on top of the pizza bag and dial with one hand.
When I first got my G2 (early november) I had no problems doing this, then one day it wouldn't respond at all to touch. I still had my old mytouch 3g with me because the old number wasn't ported yet, and I was able to use that to make the call. It wasn't until later that I realized that the problem was caused by the cold and that I needed to touch the metal part to make it work, so I thought that the touchscreen on my 2 week old G2 had just died.
At room temperature the touch screen always works (I can silence the alarm while it's sitting on the table), but temperatures below 50F cause problems
I started noticing this as well. Sometimes I'll hit the power button to turn my phone on from idle-state and then I'll drag the unlock button with to no avail! But then again, I do use my thumb to do it so maybe the capacitance by using the thumb isn't good enough to unlock it.
I use my phone at work a lot so in order to text while being discreet, I usually have the phone in my right hand and text / unlock the phone using my thumb. I doubt it is a defect but it had me worried too. Guess I'm not the only one experiencing this. (Although I must say, dragging my thumb to swype and using the side of my thumb probably is the reason why it sometimes doesn't work)
Back when I had my g1 it did the same thing and experience this on my g2....if its laying down its like it thinks its just on in your pocket so the touch seems limited
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Elegy said:
sometimes my phones touchscreen becomes unresponsive when its flat on its back on a table for example. I unlock the screen with the trackpad or power button so that the screen comes on. Then when i try to slide the lockscreen it doesnt do anything. When i begin sliding the bar from the total edge of the screen it sometimes works.
Usually i just have to pick up the phone to get the touchscreen working again. actually, when i even lift up the phone the slightest bit, it works again.
Weird right?
anyone else experiences this issue ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not weird. TOTALLY normal and expected.
It is because it has a CAPACITIVE TOUCHSCREEN.
This means that when you touch the screen, your finger is actually COMPLETING AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.
When the phone is lying on a table and you touch it, you are NOT completing the circuit since you are NOT touching the phone's body.
When the sensor is on, there is an electrical difference between the surface of the screen and the body of the phone. When you touch BOTH, you alter the electric field in that localized area of the screen. The sensor detects the change in voltage and determines the location of the contact.
dhkr123 said:
Not weird. TOTALLY normal and expected.
It is because it has a CAPACITIVE TOUCHSCREEN.
This means that when you touch the screen, your finger is actually COMPLETING AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.
When the phone is lying on a table and you touch it, you are NOT completing the circuit since you are NOT touching the phone's body.
When the sensor is on, there is an electrical difference between the surface of the screen and the body of the phone. When you touch BOTH, you alter the electric field in that localized area of the screen. The sensor detects the change in voltage and determines the location of the contact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how do I adjust the sensitivity? As I understand it I could increase the voltage to the screen making it easier to complete the circuit...such as through thin gloves.....
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
dhkr123 said:
Not weird. TOTALLY normal and expected.
It is because it has a CAPACITIVE TOUCHSCREEN.
This means that when you touch the screen, your finger is actually COMPLETING AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.
When the phone is lying on a table and you touch it, you are NOT completing the circuit since you are NOT touching the phone's body.
When the sensor is on, there is an electrical difference between the surface of the screen and the body of the phone. When you touch BOTH, you alter the electric field in that localized area of the screen. The sensor detects the change in voltage and determines the location of the contact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is mostly true.
Put the phone on the table and dont touch it and try to swipe to unlock.
No touch a finger on the phone body and do it again, itll work.
Doesn't seem to always fit that behavior, but more often than not.
TheNewGuy said:
So how do I adjust the sensitivity? As I understand it I could increase the voltage to the screen making it easier to complete the circuit...such as through thin gloves.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't. You should NOT even if you could. It would not work as you expect since it is NOT a matter of sensitivity, but of CONDUCTIVITY.
klmsu19 said:
This is mostly true.
Put the phone on the table and dont touch it and try to swipe to unlock.
No touch a finger on the phone body and do it again, itll work.
Doesn't seem to always fit that behavior, but more often than not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not "mostly" true, it is PRECISELY true.
dhkr123 said:
It is not "mostly" true, it is PRECISELY true.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No reason for the condescending tone in every post (or if it's not your intention to be condescending, you may want to restrain your constant use of caps). You had stated:
dhkr123 said:
This means that when you touch the screen, your finger is actually COMPLETING AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.
When the phone is lying on a table and you touch it, you are NOT completing the circuit since you are NOT touching the phone's body.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone was just pointing out that if this was "precisely" true as you put it, then the screen should never be responsive if you aren't touching the phone's body (since the circuit is, based on your reasoning, still broken). This isn't the case though since it does work sometimes. How could your statement be precisely true if it's known to be false sometimes (hence the "mostly true" comment)?
And it's actually not true. You are not completing an electric circuit. No current flows from your finger into the screen and no components within the phone are electrically coupled because of your touch. As you stated, you are altering the electric field when you touch the screen. This results in a change in capacitance in that area. Note, this change occurs even when you are not touching the phone's body, just to a different degree. Touching the phone will typically increase the amount of capacitance as opposed to when you are not though (since you are basically "grounding" yourself to the phone). The more capacitance there is, the easier it is to measure. If there is too little capacitance, the touchscreen's microcontroller will not register the change at all. Even if it does register the change, there will be additional filtering that occurs to that raw data either in the microcontroller itself or in software (or both).
This is why the screen works sometimes when you touch it without touching the rest of the phone. You are still causing a change in capacitance. The amount of change depends on numerous factors (this is what I stated in an earlier post). These factors effect how grounded both you and the phone are relative to earth ground (in the electrical sense, not geographical). Typically speaking though, if you are relatively close to earth ground, then you will be able to use the screen without touching the body of the phone. For example, someone stated earlier that the screen doesn't work when it's cold. Cold weather results in lower humidity/drier air and you being less grounded (basically why people see an increase in static electricity as well). Chances are that the touchscreen would work again without the touching the phone's body if you had physically been touching a large piece of metal with your other hand (to help ground you).
So in response to the other question posed, yes, technically by raising the voltage level to the touchscreen, it may result in a more sensitive screen since there will be a larger increase in capacitance when you touch it. It may also reduce the life of the touchscreen though, if not damage it completely, so not a good idea. It would be better to figure out the filtering mechanism if possible and adjust that in software. Not sure if any devs have looked into it (though my guess is that if it was simple, it would have been done already).
I am so happy I found this thread..
Lately I thought my touchscreen was broken because I was unable to snooze my alarm in the morning (just as some of you seem to have been trying to do).
I think it's temperature related as suggested by the person who mentioned pizza delivery.. and I think this because it only happens on mornings where I've left the bedroom window open and it's very cool. My phone is often on a cold wooden surface. however even picking up the phone doesn't seem to help (I'll have to pay more attention next time) but after a few moments of struggling it eventually works (probably warms up in my hand and gets a better circuit).
I can also vouch that the screen works great with just a single finger on a flat surface, provided it's room temperature. I don't need to touch the body at all, and I do this a lot without issues (aside from cold mornings waking up to my alarm).
Whoops! Anyone else experiencing this?
It's worst in person, but I think the video kinda shows how it creates a moire pattern with just light tap on the glass. I noticed it when I tried to clean/wipe the screen and seen the pattern on the right side. It only happens on the right side though.
I'm a bit dissappointed as this is my second one, and the first one don't have this even if I put pressure on the glass. I know this one happens, but only with lots of pressure on the screen, but definitely not with just a slight tap.
I'm using my wacom stylus on this one, but it's the same effect with just my fingers, just to be clear.
Yes I noticed this on my XOOM as well, when I was installing my first screen protector. It's only visible when the unit is turned off, and only on certain parts of the screen. I had long since forgotten about it, as it doesn't affect my device at all when its turned on.
Edit: Just looked at your video - looks like you are having a problem while the unit is turned on - I don't see that much distortion with casual pressure while the unit is turned on with my XOOM.
Digital Man said:
Yes I noticed this on my XOOM as well, when I was installing my first screen protector. It's only visible when the unit is turned off, and only on certain parts of the screen. I had long since forgotten about it, as it doesn't affect my device at all when its turned on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't have mind if it's only visible when it's off, but this one is visible even when it's on (as shown on the video).
What you have is a little odd. Doesn't look right. I had a laptop that exhibited a similar pattern after it took a hit to the screen. If I would flex the screen or wipe it I would see a pattern like that. Never got any worse, but never got any better either.
Its probably a small capacitor behind the screen, if you apply too much pressure you can probably break the LCD in that spot, probably a design flaw from the screen manufacturer. You can try and return it but probably the next one will be the same.
Also Moire effect is a whole different than what you have on the video.
This is moire effect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Max5-hXkhwU
i had this, I returned my rooted xoom for one that didn't do that.
Yeah, if possible return it. Something is putting pressure on the screen right there and it could lead to it breaking at that spot in a situation that would not break a normal xoom. It's a manufacturing defect. The worst part is that nothing will likely be done about it and someone else will get the same unit with the defect still in it as a refurb since it's not a flaming obvious defect that keeps you from using the device.
I've had 3 different Xooms, and they all exhibited this effect to one degree or another. They were a 3G/4G unit I returned to get a wifi-only unit, and one I returned due to this problem. The one I have now also has it.
I first noticed it on the second wifi-only when I was cleaning the screen with the unit turned off, and then noticed it when I turned the unit on and pressed a little harder than usual. I checked the 3G unit, and it was the same. Others mentioned theirs having the issue on the Motorola forums, so it seems pretty consistent.
It seems to me that this is a design issue around screen support on the right side. It appears that there's a portion of the screen where the LCD can be bent that's different from the rest of the screen.
Just got myself a transformer today and it seemed great, however right after about 5 minutes the thing goes nuts like someone is swiping or touching the screen. Mostly just one spot on the left side and it will do it whether I'm holding it or it's sitting by itself. Can't seem to find anything posted about this wondering if thats because it's not common or I'm just not looking for the right stuff? Any help would be great, will likely return it tomorrow anyhow but if there's a fix would be nice.
Yeah, I got this as well while playing Angry Birds (F'd up my scores ! ). I don't know if it will work for you, but I just cleaned the screen really well with a cotton ball and alcohol, dried it, then used a microfiber cloth to clean it up (the ones that come with glasses, screen protectors). It worked for me, i think there was some gunk on the screen and was registering as a touch..
Try a factory reset and if it doesn't work take it back for a new one.
Thanks I can't see it being something on screen but will give it a wipe done here in a minute. Also tried the factory reset seemed to help but still getting in same frequency just not as badly. will see if the cleaning doesn't work I'll take it back and replace it.
This is the biggest annoyance that I have as of recent.
I have particularly oily fingerprints which causes smudges constantly.
I love the sensitivity of the TF, but if there is excessive smudging, the residue will register as a screen input - Wish the sensitivity could be adjusted.
Weird things happen when I need to clean the screen... I.E. I will be using a browser and use a single touch to scroll down, but it will zoom in/out instead; the long press menu will show up in a random spot persistently; -or- the screen will be completely unresponsive.
When this happens - I turn of the screen, clean it, turn the screen back on, and I'm good to go (note: sometimes I cannot even see any smudges where I am having issues).
This happens to me FREQUENTLY when i use the tab outside during humid days. I am thinking a screen protector may help, but still havent gotten one to try it out.
I had this same problem before the touch screen completely stopped responding on me.
For mine it only happened after waking it up from sleep mode though. When I turned Timeout to Never the ghost touching stopped.
Well tried as suggested the cleaning of the screen and all that but it still did it so took it back to the store got lucky and they still had one left, and exchanged it. New one hasn't had any issues at all. Thanks all.
I just took mine out of the box for fun (it was packed up for rma) and when i turned it on the touch screen worked. The ghost touching stopped to. But i still have a strip from top to bottom on the right side of the screen that registers two touches . So ill probably still send it in for a replacement.