Cracked Screen due to cold temp?

[exstatica]

Before everyone hops on the "you dropped it" train. Let me first say that I've been a member here for a long time. If I drop a device its on me. I wouldn't even be posting here if that was the case.

Now let me explain.

I work in Datacenters where the temperature is somewhere between 60-70 fahrenheit. I bought my Xoom from Verizon around February. I've been using it every day. Never dropped, never abused. I even have that rubber back from Motorola and put it across the front when I put it in my backpack, in its own little sleeve.

Yesterday I was at the Datacenter doing some early morning emergency work. The tablet was on the floor, not over a vented tile, but just on the floor with its rubber back.

I then looked down and noticed a crack formed from about the middle left, to the upper right. I picked it up, ran my finger across it, and noticed its not all the way to the surface. I turned it on, the LCD works perfect, touch screen also works fine.

Set it down very carefully, and then I watched, and I mean watched a crack form from the bottom straight up to the top, and push through where the cracks meet. I even heard the glass cracking as it happened.

I can't imagine that a 65F temp would cause the screen to crack.

This morning I got on the horn with support, and this is the just of what motorola had to say.

Motorola's support response was as follows.

Physical damage voids the tablet’s warranty. You may opt to send the phone in for evaluation so the technician can determine if the issue can still be fixed. If it’s fixable, the repair cost of $199 plus applicable taxes will apply. However, if the tablet can’t anymore be fixed, it will be returned unrepaired and no charge will be made on your account.

The Lens Only Replacement covers damage to the display (such as a crack) and the LCD is not damaged. If there is damage to both the lens and the LCD the full Out-of-Warranty fee will apply. The out of warranty repair costs Out-of-Warranty $369 plus applicable taxes

There are no dents, chips, or scratches on the outside of the case. I've also never dropped, banged, or abused the device.

 

[joshndroid]

Before everyone hops on the "you dropped it" train. Let me first say that I've been a member here for a long time. If I drop a device its on me. I wouldn't even be posting here if that was the case.

Now let me explain.

I work in Datacenters where the temperature is somewhere between 60-70 fahrenheit. I bought my Xoom from Verizon around February. I've been using it every day. Never dropped, never abused. I even have that rubber back from Motorola and put it across the front when I put it in my backpack, in its own little sleeve.

Yesterday I was at the Datacenter doing some early morning emergency work. The tablet was on the floor, not over a vented tile, but just on the floor with its rubber back.

I then looked down and noticed a crack formed from about the middle left, to the upper right. I picked it up, ran my finger across it, and noticed its not all the way to the surface. I turned it on, the LCD works perfect, touch screen also works fine.

Set it down very carefully, and then I watched, and I mean watched a crack form from the bottom straight up to the top, and push through where the cracks meet. I even heard the glass cracking as it happened.

I can't imagine that a 65F temp would cause the screen to crack.

This morning I got on the horn with support, and this is the just of what motorola had to say.

Motorola's support response was as follows.



There are no dents, chips, or scratches on the outside of the case. I've also never dropped, banged, or abused the device.

You know exactly what they will say if it still under warranty.. They will say u dropped it

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App

 

[okantomi]

I live in Boston, and believe me, my Xoom has been colder than 65 degrees far Are you sure that the floor wasn't way colder? Anyway, that really stinks!

 

[cheetah2k]

You know exactly what they will say if it still under warranty.. They will say u dropped it

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App

Looks like something was dropped on it while it was on the floor. At those temperatures, normal glass may experience some shrinkage, but not enough to crack.

The temperatures mentioned are well within specs of Gorilla Glass BTW

http://www.corninggorillaglass.com/sites/all/files/COR_GG_ProdSheet.pdf

 

[willverduzco]

To my extremely untrained eye, the damage does not look like what would happen if it fell or if something fell onto it. It looks like what would happen with a constant strain caused by a singular, slow-acting stress. I'd assume either REALLY cold temperatures on the floor or strain from objects inside your backpack using it as a lever.

 

[Psychokitty]

I would start with researching Corning's Gorilla Glass. I think I read that it was developed in the 60s, and I always thought it a bit odd that it never found a marketable application until recently, especially given Corning's history of ups and downs as a business.
There are videos on the net demonstrating how unbelievably forgiving this glass is, but they were made to show it off for the smart phone application. I'm wondering what kind of crazy temper it must have, and if such a large size as a tablet lens just lends itself to a greater chance of getting an imperfection that might cause this.
Unfortunately, I also think you're screwed no matter what your research turns up. Your story (particularly about actually watching and even hearing the second crack form) reads like a complete nightmare. I really feel for ya!
In an effort to offer something more than just a condolence, my dad told me about some place in California that he sent his PDA to replace the capacitive touch screen. This was a couple years ago. I forget how much it was, but it was little more than half of what Blackberry (our whoever he bought it from) wanted to fix it. Point is, you may be able to get it fixed cheaper.

 

[tritran18518]

I would start with researching Corning's Gorilla Glass. I think I read that it was developed in the 60s, and I always thought it a bit odd that it never found a marketable application until recently, especially given Corning's history of ups and downs as a business.
There are videos on the net demonstrating how unbelievably forgiving this glass is, but they were made to show it off for the smart phone application. I'm wondering what kind of crazy temper it must have, and if such a large size as a tablet lens just lends itself to a greater chance of getting an imperfection that might cause this.
Unfortunately, I also think you're screwed no matter what your research turns up. Your story (particularly about actually watching and even hearing the second crack form) reads like a complete nightmare. I really feel for ya!
In an effort to offer something more than just a condolence, my dad told me about some place in California that he sent his PDA to replace the capacitive touch screen. This was a couple years ago. I forget how much it was, but it was little more than half of what Blackberry (our whoever he bought it from) wanted to fix it. Point is, you may be able to get it fixed cheaper.

If I were him, I would like to take a video what was happening by my phone. So it could help to proof a a little bit.

 

[DToX69]

Someone throw a xoom in a freezer and find out if it happens

 

[willverduzco]

Someone throw a xoom in a freezer and find out if it happens

Haha! .

 

[exstatica]

I can assure you that nothing was dropped on it, and I can't imagine the floor was that cold. I tried to pull out my phone while the second crack was happening, but it went too fast. I'm going to send it into Motorola and hope they just fix it.

 

[okantomi]

I can assure you that nothing was dropped on it, and I can't imagine the floor was that cold. I tried to pull out my phone while the second crack was happening, but it went too fast. I'm going to send it into Motorola and hope they just fix it.

I sincerely wish you good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[elcap373]

If gorilla glass is a Corning product you may also want to contact them. Get to a product engineer and tell them what happened. They may provide insight into the issue and help with your efforts to get Moto to replace it at no cost.

Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

 

[Lolento]

I'm a mechanical design engineer by training and by trade. I currently do mechanical designs for a medical company.

Let me just tell you what is wrong with the picture.

1. Given the material combination. The gorilla glass has the lowest coefficient of expansion in this device. If you dont understand what this means, it basically just means that damage due to a sudden change of temperature should never happen by design.

2. There are assembly mitigations to help the design even further. One common technique is simply doing the assembly at a stress-free temperature.

3. Common industry practice to qualify a device to production is temperature cycling exposure. Consumer test spec for this is 55C to -20C within 30min for up to 1000 cycles.

4. Looking at your picture, it looks like the crack began with a defect which is on the external side of the tablet. Furthermore, compression of the glass due to rapid temp change would yield the failure along the short side of the glass but not the length; once the glass fails on the short side it would not continue to crack on the long side because the stress is already relieved.

 

[Psychokitty]

I'm a mechanical design engineer by training and by trade. I currently do mechanical designs for a medical company.

Let me just tell you what is wrong with the picture.

1. Given the material combination. The gorilla glass has the lowest coefficient of expansion in this device. If you dont understand what this means, it basically just means that damage due to a sudden change of temperature should never happen by design.

2. There are assembly mitigations to help the design even further. One common technique is simply doing the assembly at a stress-free temperature.

3. Common industry practice to qualify a device to production is temperature cycling exposure. Consumer test spec for this is 55C to -20C within 30min for up to 1000 cycles.

4. Looking at your picture, it looks like the crack began with a defect which is on the external side of the tablet. Furthermore, compression of the glass due to rapid temp change would yield the failure along the short side of the glass but not the length; once the glass fails on the short side it would not continue to crack on the long side because the stress is already relieved.

I disagree with point 4. It's entirely possible the defect was in the center. Even if it were not, the first crack (presumably from a defect) could cause the second one as both pieces are now effectively defective (didn't plan that wording, lol).
There are other variables/possibilities that haven't been discussed, such as the glass actually cracking from one side but splitting from the other, the actual crack not having been noticed until it split (which could have been only an instant later). The adhesive around the bezel probably holds the most potential for inconsistencies from product to product as well as how it's applied around each one.
As far as expansion, the coefficients are for materials with no detected defects. Toss a microscopic piece of debris (carbon, gas, slag...) into the part and that goes out the window, especially of anything crystalline in structure.
Regardless, as someone who treats his Xoom like a museum piece, if the OP says he didn't abuse it to the point of being downright dumbfounded about how this happened, I believe him.

 

[JanetPanic]

I think most of us agree it is very unlikely to be a temperature variance problem. 65 is not even particularly cold. If 65 were a problem a lot of the early adopters in northern climes would have had issues due to late winter temperatures. I don't remember how cold it was but I know I was still wearing my winter jacket, so below 65.

It is possible the rapid cooling played a part but assuming no physical stress was involved there must have been some flaw in your xoom that made it inevitable.

 

[Lolento]

I'm just saying thermal expansion cannot play a role in the long crack. That crack propagated from a sharp defect which I can see on the glass already.

It will be hard to convince the short crack is caused by thermal expansion either (as I mentioned first due to the TCE of the material combination) because again the initial defect is in the middle of the glass but a thermal expansion failure should fail first at the material interface.

Just saying, base on the picture it is hard to convince moto the crack did not began from an external defect. I'm not saying you caused the defect, it might have been your pet walking in the glass or whatever and you never notice it...

 

[bible.study.software]

When my xoom was delivered the outside air temperature was less than 5 C.
No tempefature related problems here.

Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

 

[Torrentula81]

If you bought it from Verizon don't you have insurance? Just say you lost it. Good luck getting csi to prove it was manufacturer defect to help build your case. I'm thinking something fell on it and you didn't notice. Maybe a coworker and you got to watch the tail end of your xooms suffering.

If it was me they had better film that cause it be good enough for oscors. Whisper it will OK. Ups return shipping label is on its way. Just hang in there. Holding it close as time slowed down and stuff. Epic

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

 

[exstatica]

After battling Motorla for the last week, I spoke to them on the 6th, my last reponse was "Fine, I'll pay for the stupid thing. I'll call tomorrow with a different credit card" (They don't take discover, and thats all I had on me at work). The 7th, when I wake up, I find that the device has been shipped.

So this morning I look out my door and there it is. Open it up, and guess what?

Your device can be repaired but with a repair fee. However because we could not reach you via phone, or email, we have sent the device back unrepaired.

Which I find even more frustrating since I had spoke to them nearly every day, and they even called me. My job requires me to answer the phone, and email. There is no way in they were not able to get a hold of me.

So now I sit here, wondering what to do next. I do know this was my first Motorola, and it will be my last.


BTW, thanks everyone for posting the tech responses. I can't imagine anything dropped on it. I was there by myself, sitting in an enclosed area, with everything bolted into racks. When I first noticed the crack, the rubber back that I bought from Moto was on the front, I could see the small crack in the upper left due to the camera opening in the rubber.

So it happened while the screen was covered.

Well I'm going to write a letter to Motorola, and then probably try Verizon, chances are I'll just buy an iPad (I know, the shame, but at least I can walk into an Apple store.)

Thanks

 

[UnidH4x0r]

Apple defiantly has better repair services