3 My FixHub does not turn on reliably
I have had my FixHub for a couple of weeks, trying to get through its issues. When it works, I am thrilled to have it. But when it doesn't, it's very frustrating. My FixHub was basically hopeless at first. Very erratic and random repeatability of many problems. Then I updated from FW 1.0.3 to 1.1.2. Seems better and most of the random issues are gone.
But one remains. The unit does not turn on reliably. Sometimes it turns on as it should with a 3 sec push of the blue button. Most of the time it does not.
- Sometimes the introductory splash screen will start, then stop and go away.
- Sometimes repeating the attempt a few more times, it may eventually come on.
- Sometimes pushing the blue and silver buttons for ten seconds to reset, then it will power up, but not always.
- Sometimes nothing I do will bring it alive, so I just walk away, only to have it work the next day.
This behavior seems to be independent of room temperature (55-70F) and battery status (40-100%).
The FixHub is a very cool concept and I want to love it, but I can't until it works reliably. I was hoping to be able to use it for remote repairs, but the last thing I need is to be on a mountain top in the field and not have the FixHub perform.
I have tried all the advice I can find on your website, but no joy yet. Help please! Thanks!
crwdns2934109:0crwdne2934109:0
@mountainplayer, I'm really sorry to hear about this. This isn't the kind of experience we want you to have at all. I'm connecting with our product development team now to see if there are any other troubleshooting steps we can try to get your unit back on track. Myself (or someone from the team) will follow-up soon.
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 Kris Rodriguez crwdne2934271:0
Hi Tomr, not turning on reliably is definitely not the expected behavior! It sounds like you might have an issue with an onboard capacitor, can you please reach out to support@ifixit.com so we can keep track of your case?
In the meantime, I'll explain a little bit how the on/off functions work. There is a capacitor that charges up when the blue button is held down, and when that capacitor is "full", it either turns on or off the Power Station. The 3 seconds that it takes to turn on or 5 seconds that it takes to turn off is governed by those capacitors charging up. Once the Power Station turns on or off, it takes some time for those capacitors to discharge (~10 seconds). If you try to turn the station on or off while there is charge still in the boot capacitors, you'll get some erratic behavior.
Given that your Power Station doesn't boot reliably (assumedly after being off for a while), makes me think you'll need a replacement unit. In the meantime, try waiting a few seconds before attempting a reboot.
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 Brett Hartt crwdne2934271:0
Thank you for the description, Brett, of the role of capacitors in the turn on/off process. I will keep this in mind as I try to use the FixHub, as it may help move me towards success and shed further light on what's going on.
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 Tomr crwdne2934271:0
I tried your recommendations, Brett, but still no improvement. After sitting all night, all went well after turning the unit on, I waited a minute or so then turned it on again. Still OK. Then repeated but would not come back on. Waited about 10 min, still no action. After waiting all night, then tried, and it came on OK, but not the third time as before. Figuring that the capacitors needed 10 sec to do their thing, I waited more than a minute, then more than 10 min with no action.
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 Tomr crwdne2934271:0
@mountainplayer, Thanks for giving the troubleshooting a shot! We’re sorry it didn’t solve the issue, but we’ve got you covered. The best next step is to send you a replacement unit.
To get that started, just email support@ifixit.com and let them know you spoke with @brett and me. You can even link to this thread for reference.
Does that work for you?
crwdns2934271:0crwdnd2934271:0 Kris Rodriguez crwdne2934271:0
crwdns2934273:01crwdne2934273:0