Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

NVIDIA Recalls Shield Tablets Over Heat Risk

Posted by Soulskill on from the just-turn-them-into-the-agents-of-shield dept.

An anonymous reader writes: NVIDIA has issued a recall for 88,000 units of its 8-inch Shield tablet sold in the past year. Predictably, it's because of the battery. There have been reports of overheating, including two reports that the tablet got so hot it damaged the floor it was resting on. Oddly, the company is requiring anyone returning the tablet to update its OS to the latest release.

19 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. Nothing "odd" about the required update by Rhywden · · Score: 5, Informative

    The required update isn't "odd" because it facilitates two things:

    First, it checks whether you're a owner of a affected device or not.

    Second, if this is indeed the case it then facilitates getting the RMA number in conjunction with the website.

    Basically, you go into "System" on your device, check the battery, it tells you that you're affected. You then open the website, enter the serial number of the device. You get an RMA number, and enter that into the device. You then get another number (some kind of receipt, probably) and enter that into the website, along with your contact information.

    Sounds more complicated than it is and you're done in about 4 minutes, depending on how fast you type.

    1. Re:Nothing "odd" about the required update by isfry · · Score: 2

      If you have the old firmware you will not see the battery type you have. It is not until you update your firmware that you will see that on the about screen.

    2. Re:Nothing "odd" about the required update by Rhywden · · Score: 1

      But you can also use the serial number and that one is stenciled on the case.

    3. Re:Nothing "odd" about the required update by Dins · · Score: 1

      That's pretty poor. Why doesn't the device read it's own serial#?

      Probably a liability thing in case someone is now afraid to use their device fearing it will burn their house down if they even turn it on.

  2. Nice garden path sentence by neminem · · Score: 1

    From the title, I was wondering how NVIDIA recalls were shielding tablets over a heat risk. You would expect the opposite - a recall should, well, recall tablets, not shield them.

    1. Re:Nice garden path sentence by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 2

      From the title, I was wondering how NVIDIA recalls were shielding tablets over a heat risk. You would expect the opposite - a recall should, well, recall tablets, not shield them.

      Never heard of heat shields? ;-)

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    2. Re:Nice garden path sentence by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      I was expecting some sort of Marvel tie-in myself.
      Hey, we have the ASUS Transformer devices.

  3. Update required by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    The update is actually required so that you can get your battery model number. Without the update, the "Battery" field that they tell you to check isn't present.

  4. NVIDIA Support by st3v · · Score: 1

    NVIDIA is usually really good about support. I wouldn't worry about this. I sent in my original NVIDIA Shield with a latch problem and they sent me a brand new one pretty fast.

    1. Re:NVIDIA Support by DudemanX · · Score: 1

      Yeah they're great with support. Unless you happen to have a bump gated 6000 series gpu in a laptop and they decide not to provide your OEM with the resources to fix it.

  5. Too late for me by Lord+Crc · · Score: 2

    I just sent it back to the vendor (under warranty) because the latest OS update caused the speakers to melt.

    While browsing the net I noticed the smell of burnt plastic, and quickly noticed the edges (where the speakers are) was too hot to touch. Turned the thing off but they were cooked.

    Then I found I wasn't alone... https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/834884/shield-tablet/speakers-damaged-after-3-0-update/

    Apparently somehow the speakers got fed DC current while doing nothing in particular. Impressive if you ask me.

    1. Re:Too late for me by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      Apparently somehow the speakers got fed DC current while doing nothing in particular. Impressive if you ask me.

      I would guess a software bug that wrote inappropriate values to the DAC (possiblly straight binary vs 2's complement confusion) combined with an idiot hardware designer DC coupling the audio path.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
  6. Re:Shields are for cows. by war4peace · · Score: 1

    Have seen this popping in everywhere, still don't get it.

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
  7. Re:Shields are for cows. by jbrandv · · Score: 1

    /. administrators! Can't you block this crap from spewing across almost every article? Whoever is posting this stuff is a douche nozzle.

  8. Re:Shields are for cows. by CODiNE · · Score: 2

    MOOOOOO! Is the sound of the universe telling you to stop browsing comments at -1.

    --
    Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
  9. 8800 desktop series cards as well by dstyle5 · · Score: 1

    Or a bump gated 8800 series desktop card, I know several people with dead cards. I was following the issue pretty closely and I never heard of Nvidia setting with desktop card makers to provide them funds to replace people's dead desktop cards, I only saw them give money to companies that made laptops.

  10. Re:Shields are for cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Slashdot has only ever removed one post and that was on order of the Scientologists. Are you a Scientologist? MOOOOOOOOO say the Scientologists! YOU SCIENTOLOGIST!

  11. Modders Go MOOOOOO! by westlake · · Score: 1

    MOOOOOO! Is the sound of the universe telling you to stop browsing comments at -1.

    You need to browsing at +3 or higher to escape this nonsense. The sound your hear may be Slashdot circling around the drain.

  12. When do we get the discounted returns? by soap_and_dish · · Score: 1

    So assuming they find some kind of fix for this, that means 88,000 cheap refurbished tablets that they need to unload. Right? With my luck this'll wind up like the HP thing, but just in case: I should start looking 3-4 months from now?