Dead spots on CR200

  • 14 November 2009
  • 312 replies
  • 107019 views

Userlevel 2
Hi there,

Since upgrading to 3.1 my cr200 has become unresponsive in certain parts of the scree. For example if i try and adjust the treble in the music equalisation screen I cant move the slider. If I try and slide up and down using the A-Z slider at the RHS of my music index it stutters at E and jumps to M. I have contacted Sonos who suggested that I reset the controller but to know avail. Any ideas?

Frazer

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312 replies

My replacement has shipped!

GREAT SERVICE FROM SONOS!

I'm impressed by the speed and ease - and it will cost me less than 100 bucks. Has shipped 4 hours after starting the process. A cardboard box with the return label is already waiting for the replacement to be delivered.

Looking forward to a fixed controller.
As promised back with the update:

Support contacted me about the replacement. Will see what the cost will be.
If replaceable within a reasonable price I'll have my controller fixed.

For the issue:

I HAVE BEEN WRONGLY ASSUMING A SOFTWARE PROBLEM!

Apologies to SONOS - more in depth analysis with a grid on the touchscreen would have discovered the issue.

Some 2 hours later I'm a bit smarter. The capacitative screens used can fail because of delamination of the various layers.
This can be a suble process and may be undetected for quite a while as some tapping or swiping can get some clusters going.

The puzzle was that touching some rows would make another row activate but it seems to be a boundary problem on pages which can scroll. Moving the page by only a little bit (0.5 - 1.0 mm) makes it react correctly. Therefore the broken screen is triggering when just barely touching a good cluster while the dead one will obviously not activate.

Found an excellent blog post about the issue:
http://www.setfirelabs.com/sonos/sonos-cr200-dead-spot-fault-is-it-home-repairable

Hence now looking forward to get the screen replaced - hopefully within reasonable cost.
Looking forward to the support.
Hopefully I can just get a new screen - having the controller back working would be great. Has been a pricy item and a couple weeks after buing, SONOS stopped selling it. Hopefully replacement will last a bit. I like the size of the controller and that it can last 3 days off the charging station. A plus also the convenient keys on the front.
It is just funny that the behaviour of broken touchscreens "normally" is quite different.
They have "dead spots" and the dead spots remain dead regardless of what page is displayed.
They do not change behaviour and in one instance tapping (again consistently) cannot be used but a swipe does the job while the same underlying software button (arrow) on another page (again consistently) does accept a tap.
IMHO - Not the behaviour of a broken touchscreen.

I had multiple "dead spot" failures. The spot was consistently dead in all panels. Sometimes, at some places, I could get it to fire, but it took great patience. Over time, the amount of patience and tapping and smearing was increasing.
I was told that the failure related to inability to handle changes in humidly.
We have a couple of months of high humidity each year. My CR200 died, with a dead spot, each year, and each was replaced by Sonos. It happened 3 times I think.

At the time of the last replacement they told me that they were confident that they had completely fixed the problem, and that the new units had been tested in a barometric chamber. ... That last unit has been working without issue for several years now.

A month or two after that, they withdrew the unit from sale due to its function and price point being swamped (pun unintended :)) by smart phones & tablets.

I was quite impressed by Sonos' integrity, in addressing this issue for affected customers, even though they were in the process of phasing the unit out due to unrelated reasons.
Userlevel 1
Badge +4
Like others, my CR200 was replaced by Sonos when the trouble was found and reported. I have not had any more problems with it since. It is still functioning even after multiple updates. If and when it dies, it will likely have its functionality replaced by my iPad Touch gen 5 which is now "unsupported" by Apple -- it does not run iOS 10 but as long as Sonos developers can and do port the controller app to iOS 9, I'm good to go.

I'm not sure what is meant when the word software is used. Are we talking about the firmware or the application. I'm assuming the CR200 is, at least from the 30,000 foot elevation perspective, the same an an iDevice -- there's a low level programmable interface which interfaces with the actual hardware and then there is the level of the OS and/or user app.
I'll post back.
Yes, please do!
My replacement is at least three (or maybe four?) years old now.
And is used so much every day, the silicon padding on the back is peeling off..
I'm not suggesting that software might not be involved. But this is clearly an issue triggered by a hardware failure.

If it was such a simple software fix (a) why would Sonos have not dealt with it and (b) why would they have taken the trouble to replace units in the field?
Glad you had your's fixed thou!
How long has it held up?

It is just funny that the behaviour of broken touchscreens "normally" is quite different.
They have "dead spots" and the dead spots remain dead regardless of what page is displayed.
They do not change behaviour and in one instance tapping (again consistently) cannot be used but a swipe does the job while the same underlying software button (arrow) on another page (again consistently) does accept a tap.
IMHO - Not the behaviour of a broken touchscreen.

Again, why would the touchscreen on the exact same spot be responsive on one page and not on another?
Why would this be "consistently" so?

Going through support now - let's see what the engineers say to this behaviour. I'll post back.

BTW: I'm looking forward to get another PLAY1 so I love my SONOS.
Well, please explain then why my (already replaced) CR200 still works without issues.
Can't imagine the software works on my CR200 and doesn't on others.
Entirely different story on a PC, of course, because you won't find two identical computers in the wild.
But the CR200 doesn't come in many different flavours, only two: intact and defective.
Then please explain:

Why did the issue start within the 6 minutes from before to after a controller software update.

Please also explain: Why does the exact same spot within 0.1" (2.5 mm) "CONSISTENTLY" behave differently depending on the software page you are on.

Please also explain why the unresponsive shape changes in size and location depending on the page I'm on.
THIS IS A SOFTWARE ISSUE AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A BAD TOUCHSCREEN
So... this is a 6 year old thread, and for many of those years Sonos were replacing the hardware for those users who encountered the problem.

Yet despite all that history you now insist that it's a simple software fix? Well, I guess you must know better that all the Sonos engineers....
FYI

I no longer believe it being a hardware failure.

Some pages and menu entries show that particular spot working on the touchscreen.
I suspect a software issue.

E.g.
On the "ACTUAL TITLE" page you can touch the album logo on any mm from top to bottom and it works flawless.

THIS IS A SOFTWARE ISSUE AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A BAD TOUCHSCREEN
Userlevel 2
Spl23'

If the original retailer is still around that should be the first port of call, you are covered by the sale of goods act even if out of warranty. If you paid by credit card the card company is libel and you can claim any repair costs, the only thing is this is up to 6 years for any liability
Userlevel 2
Spl23'

Do you live in the uk, if so you do have options


Yes, I'm in the UK - on seeing this thread last night, I've emailed Sonos CS with the details of my original returns thread and asked why I was charged when others weren't. I'll see what they say...
Userlevel 2
Spl23'

Do you live in the uk, if so you do have options
Userlevel 2
Hmmm - I'm not delighted about this! I had one CR200 fail with the notorious touch screen problem while it was within warranty, and it was replaced FoC.

My second CR200 failed in October last year with the same touchscreen problem; this one was around 3.5 years old. Sonos wanted £101 to replace it, and like a mug, I paid up. And I now find they are replacing them for free even that long out of warranty?

I wonder if there is any chance of claiming the money I paid back - it seems unfair to have been charged when others have had (quite rightly) free replacements.
Userlevel 2
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It should be mentioned that the replacements seem to be manufacturer refurbished items rather than brand new. Myself and 2 other guys all received this type of product when the CR200s have had this issue.

My previous replacements were all new. No complaints from me except that I had to sell this one as such on ebay.
Userlevel 1
Badge +8
Same for me, got my CR200 replaced two weeks ago for the third time - it must be more than three years over warranty.
I saw the RMA link almost by accident, gave it try and almost couldn't believe that it will be replaced.
The new one is working fine until now...
I agree that this is really exemplar customer service.
Userlevel 3
Badge +1
I discovered one of my five CR100s was showing the reported screen issue while trying to update it to v5.1. I immediately recognised the symptoms, this being my third to go. Dating back to 2011, an RMA for repair under warranty was immediately sent to me.

I cannot say enough how well Sonos as a company has handled problem products over the years I have owned them. Mainly CR200s it has to be said.

My point is that Sonos is a model for after sales service that many others should emulate!
Userlevel 2
I'm pleased that SONOS appear to be doing the honourable thing now - and replacing units well out of warranty via their RMA process :-)

I can't post the link - but one of the SONOS reps links to the RMA process online - and you get a UPS label emailed to you after answering some basic questions.

Well done SONOS - should not have taken so long - but at least they did the right thing in the end..
Userlevel 2
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UK based as well and I am on my 4th CR200. All have failed in the same way.

All have been replaced FOC even when out of warranty,

I've had it with this piece of kit now and my latest one is still boxed and I'm going to sell it.
Userlevel 2
A question for any UK users. I got my forst CR200 in December 2009 and in August 2010 had to get a replacement due to dead spots. The replacement has now gone the same way - had been dying for a bit before I got around to reporting it.

Sonos want to charge me £95 for a replacement (incl shipping and VAT). Quite frankly I don't think this is on for something that is clearly a product that has had such a troubled history - and is being withdrawn. Has anyone else been asked to pay towards a replacement - and did you pay it?

Thanks.


I'm also in the UK and mine died after three years. They tried to get me to pay and I argued that a premium brand would apply goodwill after the warranty had run out and that I expected Sonos to do the same. I got a free one via RMA.
Userlevel 2
Can you buy a replacement screen and replace it yourself?
I've had 10 or 11 replacements - and so far, touch wood, these 2 units I now have are working OK.

But if they fail, then any charge is not going to fly I'm afraid. Sonos knows, in advance, that they have a manufacturing defect. I'm no lawyer, but I'd bet that you'd have a strong legal right to a refund or replacement beyond the warranty period if there was a known defect.

They could have recalled them and offered a refund at the time, but they chose not to.
Userlevel 2
My controller had started to exhibit dead zones in the middle of the right hand side and I assumed that it was a software fault and would probably be remedied with an update. Needless to say, that didn't happen.

I began digging around on the internet and found this thread and was pleased to see that there was a problem but horrified that it was so wide spread.

My unit is well outside of warranty. Never the less I decided to approach Sonos and was offered an RMA once I had gone through the battery reset procedure. I was offered the £74 replacement service but wrote back saying that I didn't expect a premium product to fail after three years and that, with most premium products good will would be applied and that I was expecting the same in this situation too.

Sonos explained that the £74 service was a subsidised one give the relative age of my controller but that, on this occasion, they would waive the cost and provide me with an RMA as if it were a warranty.

Of course, I realise that I may simply be buying myself a little time by having a different unit but I feel that by having a refurbished (or otherwise) unit, it gives me a fighting chance to get a longer term resolution - it being easier to return an refurbished unit if it dies or becomes crippled than fighting to replace something which is well outside of warranty.

So, if you don't ask, you don't get. If you do ask, firmly, you may be surprised.