Possible Relief for Several A500 ICS Related Symptoms/Problems

[paulej]

Folks,

After suffering with the screen rotation problem for a few months now, I decided to contact Acer. The bottom line this this:

• They know lots of tablets screens will not rotate properly after the ICS update
• They have a software fix for it
• They have no plans to do an OTHA update to fix it
• If you want it fixed, you can send the tablet to them for "repair" on your dime

Now, the last bit is what really surprised me. Acer broke the screen rotation with ICS and expect owners to pay Acer to fix what they broke. Somehow, that sounds like extortion to me.

By the way, for those interested in reading exactly what Acer wrote to me, see my blog entry here:
http://www.packetizer.com/people/paulej/blog/33

Paul

 

[CydeFX]

Thanks for all the info Mrhelper. I join this (my first) forum because of the rotation issue after I upgraded my A500 to ICS 2 days ago. I got the same answer from Acer support. "send it in for repair" This is NOT an option as I NEED my tab always. My question to them was "How could you allow this to happen, and when are you going to send out the patch to fix it?" as you can imagine , I received no answer. So far I removed the task killer and have done some resets. No change. I also tried one of the rotation switches. Did not work. In the end I really like ICS and will wait for Acer to release a patch. Again thanks for all the great info.

 

[CydeFX]

Folks,

After suffering with the screen rotation problem for a few months now, I decided to contact Acer. The bottom line this this:

• They know lots of tablets screens will not rotate properly after the ICS update
• They have a software fix for it
• They have no plans to do an OTHA update to fix it
• If you want it fixed, you can send the tablet to them for "repair" on your dime

Now, the last bit is what really surprised me. Acer broke the screen rotation with ICS and expect owners to pay Acer to fix what they broke. Somehow, that sounds like extortion to me.

By the way, for those interested in reading exactly what Acer wrote to me, see my blog entry here:
Acer Broke My Tablet

Paul

Now I'm ticked off. this is just bloody outrageous. Acer MUST do the right thing. Now how do we make them see the light?

 

[Mrhelper]

Thanks for all the info Mrhelper. I join this (my first) forum because of the rotation issue after I upgraded my A500 to ICS 2 days ago. I got the same answer from Acer support. "send it in for repair" This is NOT an option as I NEED my tab always. My question to them was "How could you allow this to happen, and when are you going to send out the patch to fix it?" as you can imagine , I received no answer. So far I removed the task killer and have done some resets. No change. I also tried one of the rotation switches. Did not work. In the end I really like ICS and will wait for Acer to release a patch. Again thanks for all the great info.

This one may work for you because of the apparent design: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.fameit.rotate&hl=en.

It won't fix the automatic rotation, but you can at least rotate manually, which may be better than nothing.

I installed and tested while my tablet sensors were in the nonfunctional state. When you tap the shortcut, it brings up a menu. Just select portrait or landscape as needed.

I suggest that you keep the screen orientation switch on the locked position to prevent performance problems caused by the continuous sensor service error logging.

Update: I looked at some of the other features after posting. You can also set the orientation that you want to persist for specific apps. That may be useful also.

 

[CydeFX]

This one may work for you because of the apparent design: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.fameit.rotate&hl=en.

It won't fix the automatic rotation, but you can at least rotate manually, which may be better than nothing.

I installed and tested while my tablet sensors were in the nonfunctional state. When you tap the shortcut, it brings up a menu. Just select portrait or landscape as needed.

I suggest that you keep the screen orientation switch on the locked position to prevent performance problems caused by the continuous sensor service error logging.

Update: I looked at some of the other features after posting. You can also set the orientation that you want to persist for specific apps. That may be useful also.

Big time thanks Mrhelper! This will do just fine until Acer (if they do) releases a fix. Once again many thanks.

 

[cryptonym]

Version 1.041.00 of the OTA ROM was flat busted on my A500.
I've updated to a v1.054.00 based ROM and have not had any rotation issues since. The ROM is called FlexReaper-Relix_rev5 and is at [ROM]ICS 4.0.3 FLEXREAPER-RELIX / 4.0.4 ICS RE-FLEXxx / MODS(17-Jul-2012) - xda-developers If you do not want a custom ROM then Civato on XDA has also placed a stock OTA of 1.054.00 (with Root) at [ROMS] Acer OTA ICS roms/STOCK & DEODEXED versions -FULL-ROOT(7-Jul-2012) civato - xda-developers

I am thinking that perhaps 1.054 is the fabled fix that Acer is putting on devices sent into them for "repair"?

It would be good to know if someone who has received one back from Acer repair can say what specific ROM version is installed when they got it back. Go to Settings -> About Tablet, then report back the Build number and similar info.

Knock on wood, hopefully my tablet will remain sane.

Good luck!

 

[Mrhelper]

I am thinking that perhaps 1.054 is the fabled fix that Acer is putting on devices sent into them for "repair"?

It would be good to know if someone who has received one back from Acer repair can say what specific ROM version is installed when they got it back. Go to Settings -> About Tablet, then report back the Build number and similar info.

Knock on wood, hopefully my tablet will remain sane.

Good luck!

Thanks for this very useful post. Your suspicion is right on the mark. I have since asked and now seen confirmation from at least one user who sent his tablet into Acer to repair this problem, and the repair order stated that the techs there installed "version 4.0.3 ICS image RV17RC03 build 1.054.00."

 

[IanWright83]

Thanks for this very useful post. Your suspicion is right on the mark. I have since asked and now seen confirmation from at least one user who sent his tablet into Acer to repair this problem, and the repair order stated that the techs there installed "version 4.0.3 ICS image RV17RC03 build 1.054.00."

Has anyone in the UK managed to get theirs fixed? I sent mine back, and didn't end up with the version that you've mentioned, and I found the problem to still be there. Seems everywhere else can fix it but the UK not so good

 

[Mrhelper]

I would call them again and report the same problem. At this point they should pay shipping both ways because they failed to fix it the first time. Updating the OS is not the only fix. A number of others have had to return once or twice to get this fixed, and in several cases they replaced the motherboard. Either solution should work, because the problem only affects some devices.

 

[gary712]

Thanks for this very useful post. Your suspicion is right on the mark. I have since asked and now seen confirmation from at least one user who sent his tablet into Acer to repair this problem, and the repair order stated that the techs there installed "version 4.0.3 ICS image RV17RC03 build 1.054.00."

I want to make sure I understand this correctly--I did not find clear instructions--to flash my A500 tablet, I load the Acer_AV041_A500_1.054.00_WW_GEN1-FULL-ROOT.zip file (compressed) onto the external SD card and then hold the volume and power buttons down while rebooting? Is that all there is to it? If there is more can someone point me to instructions.

 

[Mrhelper]

I want to make sure I understand this correctly--I did not find clear instructions--to flash my A500 tablet, I load the Acer_AV041_A500_1.054.00_WW_GEN1-FULL-ROOT.zip file (compressed) onto the external SD card and then hold the volume and power buttons down while rebooting? Is that all there is to it? If there is more can someone point me to instructions.

There are some notes on that in this post: [OTA] Full Package and Update (29/09/2011) - xda-developers. It's important to ensure that you have the correct ROM for your device, and verify that you have obtained it from a safe, reliable source. In short, make sure that you know what it is that you are installing and that you can trust where it came from.

 

[Pimpernel]

I'm new to all this so please forgive me if I thread old ground (see intro section). I've experienced the screen rotation problem last week after upgrading to ICS4.03 - pity as my warranty expired in July. I'm fully aware of the widespread problems this upgrade has caused but is there no end in sight? I've done endless resets (not factory reset), tried a few apps with no success - screen stuck in landscape. I've contacted ACER online but no reply. Are there any easy solutions apart from bining or Trading Standards?

 

[bobg1231]

I have had this problem for a while. If I completely shut down the tablet for about 5 minutes it usually corrects. But don't do this while charging or it doesn't work.

 

[Pimpernel]

Thanks bobg1231. I'm still unable to correct screen orientation problem and I'm also seeing the infamous "error 26" on sytem log so I suspect a permenent problem. What I find annoying is I contacted Acer Helpdesk online and despite their promise to respond in 24 hrs and 2 reminders from me - still no reply. I'm reluctant to call them on their premium rate line and then get no satisfaction.

 

[Wilsr]

Thanks bobg1231. I'm still unable to correct screen orientation problem and I'm also seeing the infamous "error 26" on sytem log so I suspect a permenent problem. What I find annoying is I contacted Acer Helpdesk online and despite their promise to respond in 24 hrs and 2 reminders from me - still no reply. I'm reluctant to call them on their premium rate line and then get no satisfaction.

See my post # 25.

 

[TimmyTutone]

Thank you! This thread finally helped me fix my Iconia! I never had the screen rotation bug, thank god. I was having the flashing screen and crashing of the gmail app ever since my ICS update. It was so bad that most of the time it'd take 2 or 3 "quick reboots" with this quick reboot app (I think it was basically an app killer) before I could read my gmail without it crashing. I looked everywhere on the web for a solution and could never find one. Then I found this thread. I did a factory reset before I found this thread and then setup my tablet again, but sure enough the problem came back. So I got to thinking it MUST be one of my apps not playing nicely with the update since everyone isn't having the problem. I factory reset again and instead of loading every app all at once I slowly added a couple apps a day while checking gmail for bugs. Anyway, I've been on my tablet for weeks now without a problem! I found 2 apps that cause my Iconia to crash gmail by doing it this way. The apps are: "Sketchbook Pro" (painting app) and "Vignette" paid version (Camera app) If you're having problems and have either app, try uninstalling it and see if the problems go away. It did for me!

 

[mrxclusivead]

i did everything from resetting to factory reset, and now i came to the conclusion that it is a motion censor, i downloaded alogcat, from playstore ran it and it gace me of course code26 error, have you or anyone came up with an official way of fixing this rotation problem. i have an acer a500 tablet, has the lock unlock switch turn it on and off just shows unlock icon when i switch it on and off.

 

[Mrhelper]

The issue is caused by a difference in hardware power up timing between various iconias. Some were fixed by replacing the main board, others by installing ROMs and/or bootloaders that initialized a little more slowly. I eventually learned that if I tap the volume key 3 to 5 times while the Acer splash is visible during power up, the problem appears very rarely. I'm not certain why that works, but I'm guessing that it queues up a few inputs events that when serviced slow the init enough to allow the sensor hardware power up sequence to catch up. This may or may not work for you, because iconias have been reported to be affected by this with varied severities. Prior to discvovering that volume key solution, keeping a pin handy to use the hardware reset pinhole button was the best option for me.

 

[Pimpernel]

I bought my A500 in July 2011 and experienced the orientation problem after upgrading to ICS. I know that different A500 solutions to this problem have been suggested but not all work for all A500s. However, the solution that has worked for me for nearly a year now is as follows.

Start tablet by holding down (to the left) the volume key together with the start button. As soon as the tab vibrates and text starts appearing at the top L/H of the screen, release the power button but keep the vol key pressed down until all screen graphics stop and then release vol key. Switch off and then start the tab again normally. Sometimes this procedure may require 2 or 3 attempts to work and as I pointed out this may not work for all.