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PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting

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Offline ale_gaba

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PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« on: 04 / August / 2009, 10:28:57 »
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Hi I have a powershoot S2is with the latest CHDK release installed.
I have noticed recently that after doing a couple of shoots the camera shows a black screen on the LCD (not entirely black but just like if the camera was left with the lens cap on) and only recovers after turning it off and on again.

If I disable the CHDK software the camera does not show this behavior any longer.

Any idea of what might be causing this?

B. Regards
Ale_gaba   :)
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Offline Anaglyphic

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #1 on: 04 / August / 2009, 17:37:58 »
No idea - but I'll take a shot... I'm going on not enough information. Like: Does it still take pictures, is a script running, any overrides active, etc.

Since you say the camera behaves normally w/o CHDK, then let's start there. You state you're running the most current version. So my guess is: There's no regression testing except users discovering errors... so Welcome, beta tester! :^) Seriously though, try going back to your previous CHDK version and see if that behaves properly, and report back.

And since you always must ask the "is it plugged in?" type questions too: While the screen is black after taking a picture, is the print button's LED lit up? If so, the camera is in the process of writing a RAW image, and you're too impatient.
:P
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Offline ale_gaba

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #2 on: 05 / August / 2009, 07:58:05 »
Hi. The print led was off (meaning that the camera was not writing to the SD card) the issue started on a previous version. So thinking that it might be a version related issue I updated it to the most current one.
Raw is disabled, override ISO is enabled.

Just a silly question, could it be possible that this was due to a low battery condition?. The camera was still able to extend the lens however the battery meter was showing 30%.
Now the problem is randomly appearing. I will take more test shoots and let you know.

By the way your software is amazing........................ :lol

B. Regards
Alejandro
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Offline Anaglyphic

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #3 on: 05 / August / 2009, 10:58:03 »
LOL thanks, but most of us here are CHDK geeks - the real ARM hackers that created this are VitalyB and GrAnd (& the reason we're talking in English and not translating Russian), zosim (ewavr here), and then the floodgates opened, fingalo, mx3, and at least a dozen others have stepped into the code to get us where we are today... as well as another few dozen that contribute one of two things, but it all adds up. You can probably find the whole CHDK history on the CHDK wiki.

There's even a special section on here called Hello, I'm a NEWBIE - HELP!! (Newbies assistance, User Guides and thank you notes) that is specifically for screaming THANK YOU!!! to the developers. :b

re: your problem, ahh that's not good. Intermittent trouble is worst thing to track down. re: battery strength, I don't think so. I have no experience with the S2, but of the CHDK-capable cameras I do have, they'll all run fine until the camera shuts down from low power.

This doesn't sound like a CHDK problem, but hey, more data always helps. Take a couple dozen images both with & w/o CHDK enabled, with both fast and slow shutter speeds. See if you can detect any commonality as to when this thing occurs.

Sadly there is a known condition where the screen goes black like that, the dreaded stuck shutter (aka black screen of death) but the difference here is that you wouldn't get any images from when it sticks... they would either be nearly all black or all white. And you say it never happens w/o CHDK running, and this is a hardware problem so CHDK wouldn't matter. Well, if it IS this problem, you'll know soon enough - they tend to stick permanently open/closed and require repair once they get "sticky".

If the shutter on the S2 is loud enough to hear the "click -- click!" when it fires, do you hear the 2nd click when the screen goes black?
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Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything,
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Offline ale_gaba

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #4 on: 21 / August / 2009, 07:50:14 »
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Offline Anaglyphic

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #5 on: 21 / August / 2009, 10:51:09 »
Wow! I know it's an error for you, but that's actually quite cool. :b If it happens 100% of the time we can't blame a loose wire or other electrical issue; this is software...

OK so I guess the LCD has it's own accelerometer separate from the CCD's orientation sensor... when it inverts the display, it probably changes a flag or bit of memory or shifts offset / address... whatever it does, it's doing something that the S2 port doesn't take into consideration, and goes <boom!>

Question: You say "(not entirely black but just like if the camera was left with the lens cap on)" -- implying the camera is still powered up and the LCD's backlight is lit... so at this point, do any of the camera buttons work? Can you zoom in/out, take a photo, anything? Usually when CHDK crashes, the watchdog powers down the unit.

The thing that strikes me as odd is the S2-100e was one of the original ports and is one of the oldest supported cameras, and no one else has reported this behaviour, ever? Hopefully someone better (or perhaps GrAnd) will see this thread. Actually, are you tech geek? Can you compile? It would be interesting to see if one of the oldest S2-100e ports from ~2 years ago exhibit this. [edit] Scratch that. Here: Please find attached one freshly compiled S2is-100e build from days gone by. Pre14-build176. Ooooold.

Place yer bets! I vote... nope.   :-X
« Last Edit: 21 / August / 2009, 10:54:34 by Anaglyphic »
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Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything,
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Offline ale_gaba

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #6 on: 21 / August / 2009, 12:02:09 »
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Offline whim

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #7 on: 21 / August / 2009, 12:17:54 »
@ale_gaba

Quote
Just after hearing a "click" to activate the vertical mirror, the LCD goes entirely white and losses all display

that sounds like the CHDK flashlight option is turned on

wim
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Offline ale_gaba

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #8 on: 21 / August / 2009, 12:49:48 »
Stupid myself.....

This solved the issue (which I know now never was an issue......) :haha

Cheers
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Offline Anaglyphic

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Re: PowerShoot S2Is is showing a black screen after shooting
« Reply #9 on: 21 / August / 2009, 13:23:28 »
:cackle:

WTF?! Dude. Well, learn something new... I been CHDKing for years, never heard of such a thing! I know why - it's apparently only on swivel LCD models, and I have this unnatural hatred of them. (they remind me of Hi8 camcorders?) It would make more sense on the ELPHs, pull it out of your pocket, hit the magic button combination like you do to get the "cube clock", and full brightness LCD on a white screen. You're not sticking an S series in your pocket.

Well, since I wasted 30 mintutes on this thread... let's see... so yea, seen Canon's updates today? And they decided to put a variangle LCD on the G11. Lowered the resolution too, but that's probably a good thing, pulling too many pixels off that sensor in the first place. I hope it takes stellar images because it just looks - cheap. They're turning the sexy beast digi-rangefinder into one ugly, plasticy toy. Although they compensate for that bit of stupidity with the S90... control ring around the lens?? pop-up flash for no other reason besides "because we can"?? Sweet!

Also, have you noticed all the "enthusiast" cameras are nearly identical in price? Interesting.

OK have fun with your non-flashlight, Ale.  :lol
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Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything,
 we ought to know a little about everything. -- Blaise Pascal
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