Nook Color Keyboard Sensitivity?

[rmktherapy]

Hello,

Is there any way to adjust the nook color's keyboard sensitivity?

I seem to be constantly double or even triple tapping while I type. This is especially frustrating when entering passwords. I may just have fat fingers, but I don't have this issue on my iPhone or Cruz Tablet (also Android).

Thank you

[Nook_Engineer]

No, we don't have any way to calibrate the keyboard sensitivity.  Did you ever try using the keyboard on a demo unit at the store?  If so, did you have problems there?

If you are connected to the power charger, see if disconnecting helps the situation.  Regardless, you should probably contact our Customer Service Team at 1-800-THE-BOOK (1-800-843-2665) and choose option 2 for Digital Support.  Please let us know if your issue was resolved.

-Jeffrey

[rmktherapy]

Hi Jeffery,

Your hunch was correct. The double and triple keyboard taps only happen when connected to the wall charger.

To experiment I also tried when connected to the USB (I left it connected after ejecting the device). This significantly slowed down the typing experience. It appears the charging circuit is laid out too close to the keyboard, and\or the charging thread is messing with the keyboard priority.

In any case this is likely the major source for WEP connection issues. I was doing my initial charge, trying to connect to my WEP router. It said it was connected, but would not let me register until I corrected the password. It took some careful debugging to see that I was entering more characters than anticipated. This seems like a common use model for anxious new users who know that Li batteries should get their full charge first.

Thank you for the work-around, I guess I will unplug when I need to type. Hopefully it is a firmware issue which can be fixed in a future release. I will call support to officially log the issue.

Thanks, Ken

[ActuallyZero]

I just got my Nookcolor today (eee!!!) and have the same issue.  The key presses are repeated two or three times when plugged in.  I didn't notice the problem unplugged. 

On a side note, EVERYTHING is a lot slower to respond when the power is connected.  The welcome video was choppy playing until I unplugged the power.  Same goes for scrolling.  I have faith B&N and fix this with a software update.  *fingers crossed*

[jugglingjon]

I have the same issue, touchscreen is just about unusable while plugged in.

[ecarmody]

had the same issue keyboard is not usable when on charge

this should be explained to folks

[rickrich]

Yep!  Keyboard is unusable when plugged in.  I was trying to type WEP password and then BN.com password.  Success after 30 min!!!! I even did a google search for capacitive stylus because I thought my hand (I only have one hand) was too big.  Don't know how it is when unplugged.

1)  Make it show the password!!!

2)  Expand the keyboard so ABC and 123 are on the same screen!!!!

[Deliverance]

I had the same problem, soooo frustrating. Glad to hear it only happens when plugged in. I hope to see the new software will show the wifi password and also allow the screen sensitivity to be adjusted.

[jballz0682]

I just got my nook color too and it is impossible to type using the on-screen keyboard. Is there some fix for the fact that it is practically unusable when charged charging? This seems like a huge oversight if this is an issue that seemingly everyone is encountering.

[phoneboy]

Kudos to rmktherapy

"In any case this is likely the major source for WEP connection issues. I was doing my initial charge, trying to connect to my WEP router. It said it was connected, but would not let me register until I corrected the password"

This is probably the answer to why alot of people had trbl setting up WIFI when they got the Nook. (I'm sure all of us where excited and tried to get online while we plugged in for the initial charge)

Does not explain dropping the internet connection. Still waiting on a good answer/solution for that  

I so want to eat crow on that issue 

[jballz0682]

Ok guys and gals out there, I think I have a temporary fix some insight on the problem. After a little more digging and researching the NC Tech Support boards I found out that the problem seems to be that the USB housing is pushing up on the touch screen. When this happens, it is pushed up in a way to throw the touch screen sensitivity out of whack.

Once I found this out, I did a little experimenting with the USB plug and GENTLY pushed it in the direction away from the screen and I was able to unlock my NC. For the most, I was able to use my NC but the keyboard was still way off while the USB was plugged in. I also still noticed some of the random page turning issues that others report on the Tech Support boards while the NC was plugged in.

It could just be that some of the NC's ended up with a faulty USB hub during production. The plus side is that some people are reporting that the issue goes away with some normal use of the hub.

Now, don't go and start messing around with your USB hubs just because of what I said. I don't want to be held responsible for some over zealous person pushing down to hard and thereby breaking their NC. I am merely trying to help by informing others of what I have just found out by doing a little research; since Cust. Serv. Is of no use right now.

Me, personally, I'm gonna wait a few days and if this issue doesn't go away I'm gonna ask for a replacement. Hope this helps.

[laurieb52]

@jbalz,

That kind of makes sense. Iv'e never hand any typing issues when my charger is plugged in, but my hub slants slightly downward. However, many posters with the slight downward slant have noted it's hard to get the USB hub in, myself included.

[jeanniepep]

That DOES make sense!  I may try it.  My current work-around has been this: if I want to type something on the keypad, I'll unplug it, type, then plug it back in.  Or, wait til it's charged.  I guess it would be good to have it work right for reals though.

[djc6]

Just picked up a NOOKcolor yesterday for the wife and I've noticed how miserable the touchscreen is.  Constantly repeating letters, or using the crossword puzzle, I'd press one letter and another letter clear across the keyboard would appear on the screen.  I'd use the browser, and zooming in/out would cause it to freak out - it'd cycle between zoom in/out rapidly just causing the screen to flash.

Long story short, removed the USB cable and no more issues.  Touch screen seems to do what is expected.  We also had another problem with the USB port, it took some force to get the USB charge cable in to charge the nook before we used it for the first time.  My wife had to ask me to plug in the cable because she was uncomfortable with the amount of force required to insert it (yes, it was oriented properly).

This idea of there being something wrong with the USB port makes sense since 1) we couldn't insert the cable easily and 2) removing the cable makes the touch screen work.

However, wouldn't a replacement unit suffer from the same design flaw?  Is it a design flaw or a manufacturing issue?

I bought it at Best Buy because I'd read of B&N's horrendous return/exchange policies.  The issue is, I live in a rural area so Best Buy or B&N are both ~120 mile round trip... I'm concerned if I do an exchange through the mail of getting the 'could not reproduce' charge from B&N or ending up with a refurbished unit.  I guess a long drive into the city is in store for me!

[Nook_Mole]

Hi, I had the same problem with erratic behavior for the touch screen keyboard which only happened when the Nook Color was plugged into the wall charger. For me the cause of the problem turned out to include the wall charger itself, and not simply the USB cable or connector end.

After reading the posts here and in a couple of other threads I decided to head to the nearest B&N and ask to try a different charger. The sales associate was very kind, patient, and willing to help, despite the Christmas shopping crowd. He said he never heard of the problem, but it was easy to demonstrate in the store since I brought along the original charger and USB cable.

He was agreeable to try a different charger but he wanted to call Customer Service first. Their recommended solution was to unregister and reset the Nook Color. I informed the associate that I performed that operation a few times the night before with no improvement, so he skipped that step and tried one of their chargers. Sure enough, the problem disappeared so the associate kindly offered a new replacement charger.

I assumed the faulty part was the USB cable or the connector end, and I had one brief opportunity to troubleshoot:

1. Old USB cable + old transformer = erratic keyboard.

2. New USB cable + new transformer = works great.

3. New USB cable + old transformer = erratic keyboard.

4. Old USB cable + new transformer = (did not test)

Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to try the last combination, so I can't say whether the old USB cable was bad as well, but certainly the old transformer was causing some sort of interference with the touch screen.

One other thing I noticed. The old and new transformers are nearly identical in external appearance. The model numbers are the same "BNRP5-1900". But some codes along the bottom of the flat rectangular surface are different, for example the old transformer indicated "R1046" in the lower right corner while the new one has "R1047".

If you are having this problem my advice would be to obtain a complete replacement charger and USB cable, just to be safe.

John

[BanjoBen]

@nook_mole: They exchanged your charger in store? I went through the same thing and when they saw that my charger caused it to act up and the chargers they had didn't, they told me I would have to call customer service to get one shipped to me.

[dsa157]

same problem here with a color Nook I just bought today (12/24/2010). I also see that it works fine when unplugged from the charger. I'll try your suggestion of having BN replace the charger.

Dave

[shamrocky17]

I just wanted to thank those who were able to solve this issue.  I bought my NC a month ago and was so annoyed with the keyboard problem I didn't use it after the first day.  Now, finally, I'm ready to enjoy it.  Thanks again and Happy New Year!

[Nook_Mole]

@BanjoBen: Yes, the associate replaced the charger in store for me, but I can imagine other people's experiences will vary. Doesn't hurt to ask. Getting a replacement shipped sounds like a fair alternative too. Good luck!

[Bugeyed]

I had the eratic kbd behavior when charging & was told by the Nook kiosk person, that it was normal. He said that you can't use the NC when charging. Well, next day I put on a B&N anti glare screen & the touchscreen was unresponsive in the lower center area, evidenced by the fact that I couldn't slide the unlock button far enough to unlock it. The button would jump back to the left before it reached all the way. If I lifted the protector it was OK. BTW this was happening without the cable connected. The kbd issues when charging were also most evident near the bottom center of the screen as well. Replacement NC works fine when charging, so I may have had multiple problems, rather than just the use while charging issue.

Cheers,

kev