Bangle 2 button no longer works - feels soft when pressing #6347
Replies: 1 comment
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Posted at 2022-01-31 by Leer10 I'm really sorry. I hope the problem gets resolved. Posted at 2022-01-31 by @gfwilliams Hi - sorry to hear this. I guess it's possible the flex PCB has somehow lifted out of alignment with the button. I'll drop you a personal message and we'll arrange a replacement Posted at 2022-02-11 by @halemmerich Any news on possible fixes? It seems one of my two bangle2 now has the same issue. Happened during testing performance improvements on reload so several long presses in a few minutes. Suddenly no click, only soft resistance. Wiggling the button around and slight "percussive maintenance" didn't change anything. The other one is still going strong :) Posted at 2022-02-14 by @gfwilliams
I'm afraid not... Here's what it actually looks like. The button is on a tiny daughterboard, and sits in a little slot in the case (pointed to by some tweezers in the pic below). So I imagine what's happened is it has fallen out of that cup. So if you could get in easily then it'd be a trivial fix, but getting in requires removing the display, which is a pretty painful job (heat gun, suction cup, lots of patience). If someone were so inclined they could drill a small hole directly above the button and then poke a pin in and use it to fiddle the button down again I guess.
To be honest this is about the only option right now - if you imagine the PCB has risen up, I guess you need to have the Bangle face-up and then bash that edge down onto a table, and it might re-seat the button. I've got one that was returned here and I don't have any success with that though. So it might be I need to arrange a return Attachments: Posted at 2022-02-14 by UCas Hey. You asked me on kickstarter to put it here. I have the exact same issue. The button feels soft and is not responding. "Percussive Maintenance" did not help either. Posted at 2022-02-14 by @halemmerich The first image is the correct placement, or is it already lifted out of place on the picture? Is the button itself made from magnetic materials? Maybe a strong magnet could pull it back in place. I only have tiny neodymium magnets, those seem to do nothing. Posted at 2022-02-14 by Alessandro My wife's watch button has always been a bit mushy but for now it works fine. She uses it more often now, should we start worrying? :( Posted at 2022-02-15 by @gfwilliams Hi @ucas thanks - KickStarter comments are really useless (I couldn't get from your post there back to your user easily). I'll drop you an email now about sorting out a return. @halemmerich it's already a bit out of place in that picture (it's a watch I disassembled and hastily re-assembled for the pic). It doesn't seem to be magnetic either I'm afraid. I'll get you a replacement out too. @alessandro I really wouldn't worry! It always seems worse when you see stuff together on the forum but there are over 3000 watches out there now, and I think this makes 4 button issues - so it's like a 0.1% failure rate for the button, which really isn't such an issue. Posted at 2022-02-18 by Nikita.Avan @gfwilliams hi. It seems like the button on my watch is gone also. It was strange behavior the last couple of days when I had to click twice to unlock the watch then this morning it stopped reacting to press at all. There is no clicking sound. Is it possible to replace the button by myself? I have some small experience and quite straight hands lol. Posted at 2022-02-18 by @gfwilliams Sorry to hear that - are you a KickStarter backer, or did you buy yours through the shop? As shown in the pictures above, if you can get inside the watch it's trivial to fix. The problem is getting inside - I believe it's much like replacing an iPhone screen - you have to heat the screen up for quite a while and then use a suction cup to pull it up and off. Posted at 2022-02-18 by Nikita.Avan @gfwilliams I am a kickstarter backer. Well, I thought the back panel should be removed not the screen. I feel less certain at the moment. The whole button with a small board and ribbon cable should be replaced? Do you know how to find exactly the same model? Just thinking about options if I can find the replacement button here. Posted at 2022-02-18 by @gfwilliams
I think most likely the button board is fine, but has just become dislodged such that it's no longer being pressed in the right place by the button. Posted at 2022-02-21 by Nikita.Avan @gfwilliams could you please check PM regarding the button issue. Thank you Posted at 2022-02-22 by @gfwilliams Yes, I'll get back to you shortly. I don't generally work at the weekend and it took me pretty much all of yesterday to catch up with messages, so I didn't get around to replying Posted at 2022-02-26 by ChrisS Since a few days my Kickstarter Bangle 2 has the same problem. The button doesn't work anymore and feels soft when pressing. Wiggling the button didn't help. Posted at 2022-02-28 by @gfwilliams Hi, sorry to hear that. I'll send you a PM Posted at 2022-02-28 by @gfwilliams Just a note on this: I just dismantled one of the Bangles with a dead button that I got back, and at least in that case the button PCB had not come out of the 'pocket'. It looks like the actual button itself had come to pieces. Fixing it would still be possible - the button could be unsoldered and replaced - but it's some way from being as easy as pushing the PCB back into the hole. Attachments: Posted at 2022-02-28 by user138781 Mine has had a kinda flimsy button as well, it seems I need to press it at an angle for it to register. It's been doing this since I got it from the Kickstarter but otherwise works as advertised, maybe I got a lemon :) Posted at 2022-03-05 by m2c_n3e Same problem here with my Kickstarter Bangle 2. The button worked fine until a few minutes ago. Then suddenly out of the blue there was no longer any perceptible pressure point and the button stopped working. 😟 Posted at 2022-03-06 by Alessandro Sorry @gfwilliams, I have bad news from my bangle :-(
Same here. The button worked fine until last night. Suddenly no click, button dead :-( My wife's bangle seems ok although its button is a bit mushy (seldom her bangle still freezes but at least the button works (for now)) Posted at 2022-03-06 by Aracnoss Hate to add onto this, but I'm having the same problem @gfwilliams (and mine's a kickstarter banglejs 2 if it helps), went to click the button this morning and no click, just a soft press. I also ended up with the contacts problem, but that was manageable. Definitely need a replacement/fix for this though since I'm not tempted to try and open the thing up, and it's not really usable in it's current state. Posted at 2022-03-07 by @gfwilliams Ok, thanks - I'll message you later today and we'll sort something out. Got to say I'm a bit surprised to see so many failing in just a 48 hour period though. Posted at 2022-03-08 by Alessandro Thank you @gfwilliams Posted at 2022-03-10 by ChrisS @gfwilliams Did you see my PMs? Posted at 2022-03-10 by fparri Would it be possible to use a swipe gesture on the watchfaces, so that you can access the launcher menu without having to click the physical button, in order to save its life? Just an idea :) Posted at 2022-03-10 by myownself You could put something into a widget to do that generally, or if you have a personal watchface that you use you could put code right on there. I just tested putting this at the bottom of 93dub to go to the launcher with a tap at the top of the watch:
Posted at 2022-03-10 by ChrisS I had that idea, too :) Posted at 2022-03-10 by @gfwilliams Hi @chriss - sorry, no, I didn't see those. Will reply now.
Yes, it exists right now - it's called Needing a button press to boot was an attempt at ensuring the Bangle could always be powered on even if the battery was completely flattened, but yes, if your button is totally dead it effectively bricks the watch (unless it's rebooted with the SWD pins which isn't an option for most people). Posted at 2022-03-10 by Alessandro Out of curiosity: is there a reason for having "Hold BTN to reload" instead of "Touch to reload"? Posted at 2022-03-10 by @gfwilliams Well, the button to reload bit is in the firmware. It reloads everything when you hold the button. Some code could be added in addition to the Posted at 2022-03-10 by ChrisS Using the button less often may prevent it from damage. Posted at 2022-03-10 by myownself While it may make the watch somewhat usable if the button has already gone, I feel it is unlikely to make a difference to overall longevity if the buttons really are prone to failure (hopefully it is just an unlucky few). I for one (button thankfully still fine) don't consider reloading after using the app loader to be anywhere near my main use of the button. Posted at 2022-03-16 by m2c_n3e I received the replacement for my broken watch (Kickstarter edition) today. One thing I noticed is that the button of the new watch feels different when pressed and it is also considerably less noisy. It feels much more similar to my Amazfit Bip now. Nevertheless, I will try to use the button less by unlocking the screen with a wrist movement and using "Swiper Clock Launch". Also kudos to Espruino support (Christine) for the swift and professional handling of my issue! Posted at 2022-03-17 by lawern Sorry @gfwilliams, but I now also have this problem with my Kickstarter Bangle 2. Posted at 2022-03-17 by @gfwilliams Can you still feel a 'click' when you press it? Or is there now no feeling to it? And just to rule out a software issue, is the clock on the watch still updating? And if you hold down the button for ~30 seconds, does nothing happen at all? Posted at 2022-03-17 by lawern Yes, I can still feel a click, but it is much softer than yesterday and I have to press the button deeply with the tip of my fingernail for it to work at all. That I can still press the button with my fingernail, I just found out. Posted at 2022-03-18 by @gfwilliams Ok, thanks. Do you think it's too hard to press now to be easily usable? I wouldn't want to have to replace a watch just because the feel of the button changed from what you were used to, but if it's just not usable any more then I'll get a replacement sorted out Posted at 2022-03-18 by lawern Hi @gfwilliams, I've almost gotten used to it. Posted at 2022-03-21 by @gfwilliams Thanks! Posted at 2022-04-01 by Ronin Unfortunately, but my button stopped working today as well. (Kickstarter Bangle.js 2) Is there any way to get a replacement? Posted at 2022-04-04 by @gfwilliams Ok, sending you an email... Posted at 2022-04-12 by CountMurphy Mine is starting to have issues. I have to push it much further in for the button hit to register. I think it might have gotten dislodged. Is there any documentation on how to open it for repair? Posted at 2022-04-13 by Christine @CountMurphy it is probably best to send you a replacement. Could you send me an email to contact@espruino.com with your details? Posted at 2022-07-02 by nicoboss Hi, sad day today as it 's SpringBroken for me too Not sure if it s (still) possible to get a replacement, but i miss already my favorite watch It s a kickstarter one (can't even use the past) Posted at 2022-07-04 by @gfwilliams Ok, I'll ask @christine to sort out a replacement - it'd be good if you can send the old one back though. Posted at 2022-07-04 by nicoboss sure thing ! and thank you Posted at 2022-09-15 by @halemmerich My second button (v2.1) just went, this time I could actually feel/hear movement inside the watch and the "springyness" of the button was gone. Will try to fix it myself this time. How hard can it be ;) Posted at 2022-09-15 by @thyttan Just a tip on a way to lessen the wear on the button: Light Switch Widget has a feature for tapping a side of the Bangle to unlock. Personally I prefer this to the other standard alternatives to pressing the button to unlock. The app is really neat in other regards as well! I also use Quick Launch for opening the launcher with swipes to save some button presses there. Another alternative is of course Pattern Launcher. Posted at 2022-09-18 by @halemmerich I got the screen removed and the button was about 2/10 of a mm out of position. Moved it back and for now its working again. Not exactly as clicky as before, but usable. Posted at 2022-09-21 by @gfwilliams Sorry to hear that... Thanks for the update, and glad you got the watch apart fine @halemmerich. After the first batch, we haven't had many reports of issues with the buttons at all. Is it possible you're pressing the button in a slightly odd way (like pressing it in but also rocking it to the back of the watch) and that is somehow managing to lever the button out of position over time? Posted at 2022-09-21 by @halemmerich That is quite possible, both buttons went while the watch wasn't on my wrist. The first defective button was on a watch that was mainly on my wrist, but it was an early bangle. The v2.1 defective button was on a watch used practically exclusively off my wrist for developing and testing, so a lot of handling it in different ways. Posted at 2022-09-23 by user149670 I seem to have hit the button failure problem on a Kickstarter edition bangle.js2. Thought it might have been a software bug, so I updated firmware and apps, which lands it in the "Hold button to reload". Whoops :-( How feasible is removing the screen to fix it? What sort of adhesive should be used to reattach it? Posted at 2022-09-23 by @gfwilliams @halemmerich it's still surprising if it was one you're not wearing - it feels like you wouldn't have been using the button that much. @user149670 can you still feel a 'click' when you press the button? It's definitely doable to dismantle the Bangle.js 2 - someone posted up their experience here: http://forum.espruino.com/conversations/373434/#comment16674380 The most important thing is to not overheat the LCD (which means being really patient) - if you do heat it just a bit too much, this happens: http://forum.espruino.com/conversations/379510/#16683325 And it's really easy to overheat - I've messed up two so far by being too impatient! After the first post I tried here with a SMD reflow plate set to 100-degrees C (ideally it'd be less but that's the minimum mine would do) and I've had great success... But reflow plates are quite specialised :) Posted at 2022-09-24 by user149670 I don't think I feel the click; it's hard to tell because I didn't pay enough attention to what it's supposed to feel like when it was working, but I'm leaning towards no click. I don't think I have the tools to remove the screen readily available, so I'll look into getting a new one. The post-Kickstarter batches are much less prone to this? Posted at 2022-09-26 by @gfwilliams
They appear to be, yes. It looks like @halemmerich has had issues with his new one, but it was one of the things I specifically told the manufacturer to look into and I haven't seen anywhere near the amount of failures. Posted at 2022-10-14 by Raik @gfwilliams Today was my day. I can no longer press the button. It used to not work sporadically, but now it does not work at all anymore. My Bangle2 was also a Kickstarter one. Can we please find a solution for this together? Thanks in advance! Posted at 2022-10-14 by @gfwilliams @raik can you still feel a 'click'? Or is there no feeling there at all? About all I can do is what I've offered for others: I can send a replacement watch body to you if you send the old one back after? While you may be able to fix it yourself, there's a very high likelihood of completely destroying the watch LCD in the process and it's not something I can really suggest. However I should add a warning here: I can only offer a full replacement for this kind of thing for the first year's worth of ownership (which you're within). It seems pretty much every manufacturer only offers 6 months for issues like this (after 6 months, legally, it's up to the buyer to prove the issue wasn't due to wear and tear). I'm doubling that at 12 months, but as a small company I can't afford to go completely above and beyond. If someone does have issues with the button between 12-24 months of ownership I'll offer a pretty decent (almost 50%) discount on a new Bangle though. Posted at 2022-10-14 by Raik
No feeling at all. The button now is very light to press and does not click at all anymore. It used to work sometimes to press "at an angle" but that doesn't work either anymore. By new watch body you mean the watch without straps right? I'll be happy to send back the old one even in advance and I am willing to compensate for shipping costs and other expenses, just name a reasonable price. :-) Maybe we'll continue via PM? Many thanks! Posted at 2022-10-17 by @gfwilliams
Yes, that's right. But yes - Christine usually handles sending out replacements - I'll ask her to get in touch with you over email Posted at 2022-11-21 by Raik @gfwilliams I hate to bother you again. The replacement of my Bangle2 through @christine worked just fine. But now I got another issue with the new Bangle2. It does not seem to charge anymore. I only had to charge it about three times until now, which worked fine. I checked the pins on the cable, it shows 5.09 volts across the outer two pins. But the watch does not vibrate upon connecting the cable. Also Bangle.isCharging() shows false. I updated to 2v16 before it completely drains. I turned it off so to save some juice. Is there anything else I could be checking? Posted at 2022-11-21 by @thyttan I guess you might've tried already, but what happens if you install a battery widget and leave the bangle with charger connected? Posted at 2022-11-22 by Raik I left it plugged in over night, nothing happened. Battery widget still low and E.getBattery() still shows 7% Posted at 2022-11-23 by Max_S Gordon, Posted at 2022-11-23 by @gfwilliams @raik sorry to hear that - do you still have the tap over the middle two pads? Also, have you tried a different USB charger? I've had a few cases where users have had problems like that then they changed their charger and it was fine (I think some chargers require some resistance across the middle two pins or they never provide any real current). @Max_S I've contacted the manufacturer and they've added extra testing steps during watch assembly to ensure that the button PCB is seated properly and that the gromits for waterproofing are in there and lubricated. After the initial KickStarter batch there really haven't been many button failures at all - most of the rest appear to be water damage. The issue is that 90% of all failures I come across get reported publicly on the forum. Around 6000 watches have shipped so far, and regardless of how good quality a device is there will always be some failures especially on a device that is worn every day. Right now we're seeing well under 2% failure rate, which as far as I can tell is actually quite good for something like this (of course someone like Apple would never publish any stats). The problem is you go to a thread like this and see a bunch of reports, and because I'm trying to be open with what I do, I don't delete them :) Posted at 2022-11-24 by Raik
I pealed off the sticker for testing purposes but to no avail. I tried several charges, all of which worked just fine with the previous Bangle2. Still no luck. I probed the outer pins with my bench power supply, the watch does not draw any current. :-( The battery has completely drained now and I can't get the watch running again. I even tried the jump start method mentioned here. I guess luck is not on my side... Posted at 2022-11-24 by @gfwilliams I guess I'll have to arrange another replacement then :( Did you ever force the charger onto the pins the wrong way round? (against the magnet's force). There isn't reverse voltage protection on the pins (because the manufacturer assume the charger would never go that way unless it was deliberately pressed on) so that could have broken the charge IC I guess. Posted at 2022-11-24 by Raik
No, I have a charging cradle and the watch only goes in one way. I did not touch that when switching from the old Bangle to the replaced one. I am really sorry for bothering you again with this. Maybe third time's the charm... :-/ Posted at 2022-11-25 by @gfwilliams Ok - Christine will be in touch. It would be interesting to get the broken one back and see what's wrong with it though :) Posted at 2023-06-06 by @halemmerich Removed double post. Posted at 2023-06-06 by @halemmerich I'm sorry to report that the button mentioned in https://forum.espruino.com/comments/16686848/ has just now disintegrated completely. I have some tiny buttons that might just fit after filing them down a little bit. Are there currently replacements available for the button daughterboard? Attachments:
Posted at 2023-06-07 by @halemmerich Filing down my 4*4mm Buttons gets me very close, but there is about 0.2mm left before I can completely close the watch. I found https://www.ebay.de/itm/134591795596, those seem to match the original footprint nicely. Lets see how long those take to get here :) Posted at 2023-06-08 by @gfwilliams I did finally manage to get some replacement button PCBs - please can you email me your address, and I'll get one in the post to you. Posted at 2023-06-26 by @gfwilliams Just a note that there are now some disassembly instructions at http://www.espruino.com/Bangle.js2+Disassembly Posted at 2023-10-13 by user156751 My button stopped working today. I don't have the right repair tools and will break my watch most likely. It's sad :( Posted at 2023-10-13 by @gfwilliams Hi - I'm really sorry to hear that. Is it permanently stuck on, or just not working? If it's not working, as long as you don't let the watch power off I could probably cope up with some code that would fake a button press using something like accelerometer tap detection so at least you could keep using it Posted at 2023-10-13 by user156751 Hi Gordon, it just stopped working and has no feedback anymore. Was never perfect and I had to press 2 oder 3 times until it clicked since I bought it. I'm thinking about asking a local smartphone repair shop if they could remove the screen. How can I install new software without pressing the button to reload? If there is a soft alternative for the button I have to bring it on the watch first. Posted at 2023-10-13 by @gfwilliams I've literally just added this because someone else was complaining about having to press their button... If you try the development app loader, then More... -> Advanced Options -> Automatically reload watch after app App Loader actions it'll do it A smartphone repair shop might do it, yes - they'd just have to be aware they shouldn't get the PCB too hot, and they'd need a way to stick the LCD back on. Or, you could order a replacement LCD (https://shop.espruino.com/banglejs2-lcd) and if you let us know I'll chuck in a new button PCB. In that case you can just use a hair dryer to get the LCD off and not care about the temperature. All you really need are some thin tweezers for the button PCB and maybe a knife to help pry the LCD off, and some glue to hold it back on - it doesn't require much in the way of specialist tools. Glue is a bit more tricky - ideally you'd use black "Neutral cure"silicone/instant gasket that doesn't have the strong acetic acid smell when curing. I believe something like https://www.amazon.co.uk/Visbella-Black-Temperature-Gasket-Silicone/dp/B0751HQTBL should do it - the magic word you're after is "Neutral" Posted at 2023-10-13 by ccchan hi, as you said you want a temperature of 90-100oC, so for my town in which water boiling point is really 100oC, my swd tools' delivery is delayed so i have not tried if the p8 LCD is still ok. but i will test later, and other people may try and report here too. thanks Posted at 2023-10-13 by ccchan ps by the law of thermodynamics and entropy, nothing in this system will be higher than 100oC, and practically, you know that there is heat loss, so the watch is at max 9x oC. Posted at 2023-10-31 by user156751 I'll try the print bed of my 3D printer. |
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Posted at 2022-01-28 by krytten
I've had my Bangle 2 since November and all as been working fine up until now.
But I've just noticed that when pressing the button, the watch no longer responds to button presses any more (so I can't access the menu/apps etc). The button also feels much softer when pressing now, and no longer has a tactile feel.
I have tried wiggling the button a little as suggested in the following thread, which has had no effect:
http://forum.espruino.com/conversations/370487/#comment16290141
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