flashing grey screen

[AGR-13]

Hi everybody (just a copy / paste of a reddit post - I know you know this is a overheating problem)

I think I know the problem. I struggled with this 100% same issue now for days and I "tried everything" ... nothing helped.
But a few hours ago I checked my cables on the Vive side (not the box) and: they are extremely hot! You can bearely touch them.
So I simply went to my freezer, took a frozen coolpad (for injuries) and put it directly on the black front of the Vive. All issues went away immediately and they didn't return as long as I used the pad.
After around 15-30min without pad, the issue returns. And it immediatly disappears when you mount the ice pad.
To be sure it's not a (by the pad) covered sensor I tested it also with something the same size as the pad - then no effect to the issue. Use the icepad - no issue immediately.

This da** thing just turns too hot!! It's not the base stations, it loses. It seems to go nuts by overheating!

Not acceptable workaround:

Reduce overheating

Why it happens in seating postion? - no answer to that. But maybe the seating position games like Elite or EVE: Valkyrie have extremely heavy graphics to render and maybe this affects overheating more...

But it is obviously an overheating issue. Not sure, if this is a HW defect or a design problem. 

Could you guys do me a favor and test it, too? 

@jagibson- what can we do? Change the headset? Or has it to be repaired?

[jagibson]

Thank you to those that have responded to the information requests.  I'm putting all of the responses together and will follow up with next steps.  If others experiencing similar issues have not yet posted the info request, please do so!

Thank you,

John

[alubaking]

@AGR-13

I am in the seating position too but like I replied in the previous comment, I have no such problem . I turned on AC tho. (Room temp was 26~28 degrees I believe)

[MartinMarty]

---

...

Could you guys do me a favor and test it, too? 

I reported a similar discovery recently.

[AGR-13]

@jagibson

@jagibson

Option

HMD Serial and date of purchase:

HMD S/N: FA6BXJJ00060 - purchased on 2017-01-11

Grey Screen: does  it flicker or stay solid grey?

- after 15-30min it first starts flickering more and more and sometimes it stays grey for 5 to 10 seconds. 

- in the SteamVR it shows that the basestations are grey - sometimes one, then the other, sometimes both. Even when both are grey it sometimes keep on tracking (witch is impossible). this happens only without controllers are online.

- If the controllers are online, everything keep green in the SteamVR, even the tracking problem starts the same time after 15-30min

When problem began (more or less):

- around start of July 2017 when I finished my new PC build the issue started. Could have happened also before, but I'm not sure, because I didn't play a lot of Elite. What I know is, that in the beginning after the purchase on the older computer (ASUS Maximus VI Extreme / GTX 980 Ti) I was able to play EVE: Valkyrie for hours without any issues. But then it was January and room temp was around 22-25 degrees. Not sure if this had an effect. 

actual PC: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57uL6v-BXLY 

Your location:

- Bern, Switzerland

OS Version: please provide actual version (build etc) by typing "winver" in the run command

- Win 10 Pro Version 1703 (Build 15063, 483)

Computer Make/Model or Motherboard if homebuilt:

- ASUS Maximus IX APEX

RAM:

- G.SKILL Trident Z RGB, 32GB (F4-3600C17D-32GTZR)
2x 16GB, DDR4-DIMM, PC4-28800 (3600MHz), CL17-19-19-39-2N, Kühlkörper • Low Voltage (1.35V)/Intel XMP 2.0/LED

Networking or other cards plugged in to motherboard: 

- Bluetooth ASUS BT400 Adapter

Graphics Card: make/model any addtional built in graphics as well. Current driver version.

- ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
- Driver Version 382.53

- Monitor lg 34um95 3440x1440 

General Computing Environment and Set up: 

- Exsys 7x USB 3.0 Hub (USB ext.)

- 2x Farbwerk LED Control (USB int)

- 1x USB 2.0 x7 Aquacomputer Hubby7 internal USB Hub

- 1x Aquacomputer Aquaero 6 PRO

Steam Version: beta or public release

- beta (also tested with public - same result)

VR Home Beta enabled/disabled:

- enabled (also tested with disabled - same result)

Viveport installed/not installed: state which version if installed by going to 

- installed, Ver. 1.0.8889 (r1076)

Oculus or revive or other VR environment installed:

- Oculus revive was installed on the old computer, but not on this one

Photo of the room your vive is in: If you can it would be good for us to see how the physical layout of the room your vive is in is set up. You can post publicly if you wish or send via PM to myself or @Synthesis or @VibrantNebula.

(Foto will send directly)

-> this is a screenshot taken when the issue is not happening. When it happens, then there is one or both base stations not visible. 

General:

- connected by HDMI

- room temp is around 28-30 degrees Celcius

- I tested with different USB ports - same issue

- Disabled every software and service, that could affect the system - same issue

- tested a lot of options in the SteamVR - same issue

Workaround:

- the ONLY workaround I found - and it is 100% reliable is put a cold ice pack directly on the Vive. (a not-cold thing with the same size didn't change the issue - tested this to be sure it's not the covering of the sensors)

Reproducing the error: 

- see the following thread on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/6e5jne/base_stations_losing_connection_while_playing/ 

-> it describes it very well and suits also my experience. Vive in seated position, playing Elite Dangerous, beeing always on the border of the chaperone.  But repositioning of the lighthouses didn't help. 

Last thing: it IS a overheating problem. no matter how it's happening. It's obvious. 

[#6]

HMD Serial and date of purchase:

HMD S/N: FA6BXJJ00060 - purchased on 2017-01-11

Grey Screen: does  it flicker or stay solid grey?

- after 15-30min it first starts flickering more and more and sometimes it stays grey for 5 to 10 seconds. 

- in the SteamVR it shows that the basestations are grey - sometimes one, then the other, sometimes both. Even when both are grey it sometimes keep on tracking (witch is impossible). this happens only without controllers are online.

- If the controllers are online, everything keep green in the SteamVR, even the tracking problem starts the same time after 15-30min

When problem began (more or less):

- around start of July 2017 when I finished my new PC build the issue started. Could have happened also before, but I'm not sure, because I didn't play a lot of Elite. What I know is, that in the beginning after the purchase on the older computer (ASUS Maximus VI Extreme / GTX 980 Ti) I was able to play EVE: Valkyrie for hours without any issues. But then it was January and room temp was around 22-25 degrees. Not sure if this had an effect. 

actual PC: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57uL6v-BXLY 

Your location:

- Bern, Switzerland

OS Version: please provide actual version (build etc) by typing "winver" in the run command

- Win 10 Pro Version 1703 (Build 15063, 483)

Computer Make/Model or Motherboard if homebuilt:

- ASUS Maximus IX APEX

RAM:

- G.SKILL Trident Z RGB, 32GB (F4-3600C17D-32GTZR)
2x 16GB, DDR4-DIMM, PC4-28800 (3600MHz), CL17-19-19-39-2N, Kühlkörper • Low Voltage (1.35V)/Intel XMP 2.0/LED

Networking or other cards plugged in to motherboard: 

- Bluetooth ASUS BT400 Adapter

Graphics Card: make/model any addtional built in graphics as well. Current driver version.

- ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
- Driver Version 382.53

- Monitor lg 34um95 3440x1440 

General Computing Environment and Set up: 

- Exsys 7x USB 3.0 Hub (USB ext.)

- 2x Farbwerk LED Control (USB int)

- 1x USB 2.0 x7 Aquacomputer Hubby7 internal USB Hub

- 1x Aquacomputer Aquaero 6 PRO

Steam Version: beta or public release

- beta (also tested with public - same result)

VR Home Beta enabled/disabled:

- enabled (also tested with disabled - same result)

Viveport installed/not installed: state which version if installed by going to 

- installed, Ver. 1.0.8889 (r1076)

Oculus or revive or other VR environment installed:

- Oculus revive was installed on the old computer, but not on this one

Photo of the room your vive is in: If you can it would be good for us to see how the physical layout of the room your vive is in is set up. You can post publicly if you wish or send via PM to myself or @Synthesis or @VibrantNebula.

(Foto will send directly)

-> this is a screenshot taken when the issue is not happening. When it happens, then there is one or both base stations not visible. 

General:

- connected by HDMI

- room temp is around 28-30 degrees Celcius

- I tested with different USB ports - same issue

- Disabled every software and service, that could affect the system - same issue

- tested a lot of options in the SteamVR - same issue

Workaround:

- the ONLY workaround I found - and it is 100% reliable is put a cold ice pack directly on the Vive. (a not-cold thing with the same size didn't change the issue - tested this to be sure it's not the covering of the sensors)

Reproducing the error: 

- see the following thread on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/6e5jne/base_stations_losing_connection_while_playing/ 

-> it describes it very well and suits also my experience. Vive in seated position, playing Elite Dangerous, beeing always on the border of the chaperone.  But repositioning of the lighthouses didn't help. 

Last thing: it IS a overheating problem. no matter how it's happening. It's obvious. 

[AGR-13]

---

@MartinMarty wrote:

---

...

Could you guys do me a favor and test it, too? 

I reported a similar discovery recently.

---

Thanks MartinMarty - Just wanted to know if the issue also immediately disappears if you put cold on the Vive.

[OutpostVFX]

I've been troubleshooting the same issue for the past 3 months. After ruling out environmental or software issues (by cross-checking with a problem-free headset and problem-free environment), I sent my headset to repair. Twice. Both times it came back, it started flashing gray after 20-40 minutes of first use.

In the meanwhile we got another vive headset which works perfectly, so I doubt it's a software/environment issue... I just want both headsets to be reliably used for our technical development needs.

1) Faulty vive was manufactured 2016/11. New vive manufactured 2017/2.

2) Started experiencing problems May 5th 2017.

3) Environmental factors - have some reflective surfaces in play area that don't cause issues to the second vive.

4) N/A

5) N/A

[Aidarpro]

HTC, what news? Something have you done for solved or searching it?

[Aidarpro]

Outpost, Thank you, for your post. It's very valuable information! What are you going to do with Faulty vive?

[Dave0590]

Hey everyone,
I usually never post on forums but I had to create an account just to discuss the problem. I'm having exactly the same issue as those saying that their headset could be overheating. After 30-40 minutes of playtime, I would gradually begin to lose tracking (grey screen) until it is unplayable.

Like others mentioned, blocking the front sensors of the headset (where it is the hottest) does indeed prevent it from losing tracking. I also tried cooling the headset for about 25-30 sec near my AC and the problem went away for 15-20 minutes. With that said, I'm experiencing pretty much the same thing as most of you guys. I purchased my Vive in February of this year and the problem started around May.

I'm on the fence about what I should do and this is why I'm reaching out to all of you. I chatted with the Vive support. After going through the troubleshooting, they decided I should send the headset for repair so they opened a ticket number for my case. All I have left to do is send away the headset. I'm taking the weekend to think about it. I read OutpostVFX's experience a few posts above and this tells me that sending my headset away for repair could be a waste of time. I told Vive support that the problem doesn't seem to have been resolved by HTC themselves. He assured me that they would do a thorough diagnosic and repair for my headset, though I fear it will come back with the same problem a few weeks later. I don't understand why we are not offered to have a brand new headset through RMA in the first place.

Sorry for the long post, I just had to share my experience which is pretty much the same as everyone else on this thread. If anyone could shed some light on what I should do (send the headset for repair or wait for HTC to come up with a solution?), it would be appreciated.

[Synthesis]

@Dave0590
Please provide answers to the questions asked earlier by @jagibson in this thread. It will be very helpful if we can get as much information as possible about your issue and the circumstances surrounding it. 

Thank you!

-John C

[Dave0590]

HMD Serial and date of purchase: FA6C3JJ01359, February 17 2017

Grey Screen: it flickers after about 30-40 minutes (variable) and can stay grey after a while.

When problem began (more or less): Around May 2017

Your location: Quebec, Canada

OS Version: Version 1703 OS build 15063.483

Computer Make/Model or Motherboard if homebuilt: AMD Ryzen 1700, MSI X370 Gaming Pro Carbon

RAM: 16 GB DDR4

Networking or other cards plugged in to motherboard: None

Graphics Card:  Zotac GTX 1080 AMP! Version: 384.76

General Computing Environment and Set up: 1 monitor via DP only

Steam Version: beta 

VR Home Beta enabled/disabled: enabled

Viveport installed/not installed: not installed

Oculus or revive or other VR environment installed:  not installed.

Might take a picture later.

[Vildan]

HTC, how close you to win this grey issue? Write here the progress please twise in a week at least

[AGR-13]

@Synthesis

Please give us daily reports in this thread (situation, news, next steps, possible workarounds, root cause analysis information). I would really appreciate this very much. Thank you.

To everybody who is interested in how the Vive looks inside - with very hi res pictures!:

https://ifixit-pwa.appspot.com/guide/62213 

best,

AGR-13

[MartinMarty]

---

---

@AGR-13 wrote:
Thanks MartinMarty - Just wanted to know if the issue also immediately disappears if you put cold on the Vive.

Sorry, AGR, I had not intended to ignore your request.

Wednesday night I attended a party in theWaveVR, which is a wonderful experience but mine has been marred by grey-outs diminishing the immersion. Anyway, I had been in there a while, maybe close to an hour, and thought I was doing pretty good when the grey-outs started. This time it really got me at bad moment when I was running the light show for everybody to see. So there I was totally blind and I just kept pulling controls even though I couldn't see if I had ahold of the control, let alone the results.

Anyway, in a pinch I started covering up sensors with my hands and it was helping a lot. I got it isolated to the one nearest my right eye, level with the camera. So I grabbed a post-it note and stuck it over that sensor. The results were good but the post-it was not covering the sensor thoroughly, so I cut the sticky parts from two post-its and almost cured the problem. Finally I stuck electrical tape over the post-it material, that way no light can get through and no tape adhesive gets on the sensor lens.

Knock-on-wood, the occlusion solution seems to be working great for me. I have not had a single episode of grey-outs since I covered the sensor. I am leaving it on all the time and I will see how long the success continues. If and when it fails, I will try the cool-down solution but I don't want to mess with success since this is the most I've been able to enjoy my Vive in a couple months.

I am posting a picture. I know it's not pretty but cut me a break - the repair was made during gameplay. 

I had dabbled with this before with mixed results, but I never actually isolated a single sensor and I never taped over it/them good. Now I just hope that this fix keeps working, as some others have not.