Asus UX31E Zenbook/Ultrabook Owners Lounge

[rlin]

So yours stays put even if it is at a 90 degree angle?

Yes, but not much more - 100? maybe 105? It's an angle that's smaller than what I would set it at for normal use.

[noxxle99]

Yes, but not much more - 100? maybe 105? It's an angle that's smaller than what I would set it at for normal use.

Can I convince you to youtube this?

[rlin]

What are you planning to do if these issues cannot be resolved by driver updates. It probably doesn't make sense to replace the laptop now since there's a good chance you'll get one with the same problems. Is it possible to request a replacement 2-3 months down the road when these issues are (hopefully) cleared up by ASUS?

Well, the keyboard/trackpad issues are not a dealbreaker for me. I am requesting replacement right away, however, because of the audio jack problem because that is very clearly a defect and not an issue with design. I don't know how the warranty works, but I don't think they would replace 2-3 month old laptops with new ones... maybe with refurbished if at all. 2-3 months would certainly be too late for vendors' replacement policies.

New review (UX21). AnandTech - ASUS Zenbook (UX21) Review

All hail Anand. Looks like him and we agree on most things, except that he doesn't have a problem with the keyboard. He did remind me, though, that I appreciate Asus maintaining the standard keyboard size.

Can I convince you to youtube this?

The only video recording device I have on hand is the webcam on the UX21 itself, lol. I entertained the thought of doing something with a mirror or protractor, but just don't think it's going to work atm

[noxxle99]

rlin,

When were you holding the keyboard perpendicular to the ground, did gravity pull the lid inward (towards k/b) or outward? In the following video at the 1:00 mark, the macbook air is being held in the former way.

Demo of weak MacBook Pro (Late 2008) display hinges - YouTube

I was testing mine in the latter way, as illusrated in the following vid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3vEfZznH18

[dazz87]

Just wondering how the hell do you get the finger gesture to work on this UX31.... Ive been trying the last half hour and the only finger gesture that work for me is 2F click. The rest are not working at all....... I have the latest driver 9.1.7.7 Is my UX31 faulty or mouse pad suck?

I was testing mine in the latter way, as illusrated in the following vid. MBA 11" Floppy Hinge - YouTube

I just test my UX31 just like in the video, and screen does not move at all.

[kanishka42]

Hi, I'm new here. I've had my UX21 for a week.

[...] I wanted to see if anyone else had similar issues or if mine was just an isolated case.

Audio from the combo jack is very distorted when I plug in headphones. Everything comes out mono, sounding like a comb-filtered side channel in a "mid-side" mix. As an audio engineer by training, I suspect that the "return" conductor in the TRRS jack is not wired properly, so the left channel is trying to return through the right, and vice versa.

I have a UX21 as well, and am seeing a similar issue. The handful of headphones I've tried all produce distorted mono audio with very little bass.

Interestingly though, connecting the combo jack to the line-in of an audio system works fine. The left/right channels are properly separated, and as far as I can tell, the distortion is gone. I've tried this successfully with two different cables and audio setups.

Do you mind seeing whether your UX21 does the same thing? Does this information give you any clue as to what might be going on?

[rlin]

I was testing mine in the latter way, as illusrated in the following vid. MBA 11" Floppy Hinge - YouTube

I am testing mine the same way as you, noxxle (with trackpad above keyboard), so that gravity is opening the screen. If i try to test the other way (with keyboard above trackpad), I get no movement - gravity is unable to close the screen.

I have a UX21 as well, and am seeing a similar issue. The handful of headphones I've tried all produce distorted mono audio with very little bass.

Interestingly though, connecting the combo jack to the line-in of an audio system works fine. The left/right channels are properly separated, and as far as I can tell, the distortion is gone. I've tried this successfully with two different cables and audio setups.

Do you mind seeing whether your UX21 does the same thing? Does this information give you any clue as to what might be going on?

I only have some generic computer speakers at my disposal, and the symptom persists when I plug those into the combo jack. But if the audio system you are testing on is of decent quality, my hypothesis for the cause of this holds up.

My hypothesis is that the ground conductor in the jack is either not making contact with the return conductor in the plug or is not properly grounded. The ground conductor is either the S or the second R in the TRRS jack - depending on whether Asus is following the convention used by iPhones (Left-Right-Ground-Mic) or the convention used by some other smart phones (Left-Right-Mic-Ground). I don't have a headset with a combo plug so I can't test which, but it shouldn't matter for just audio playback. Since the T and R get now cut off from their common return, the signal through one tries to return through the other. This results in attenuation because of the increased impedance, and cancellation whenever the signals correlate. The resulting signal being transduced by the headphone drivers will be the difference of T and R, with one channel opposite in polarity relative to the other. To our ears, this will sound like the same "side channel" mix in both ears, since we don't perceive the polarity difference when wearing headphones (the outputs won't acoustically interfere with each other). This also explains why the distortion will be different depending on what you are listening to (different songs/genres have different styles of stereo mixing).

If you have a decent audio system, my guess is that your system is giving the Left and Right signal some alternate path to ground, instead of through the "return" conductor back to the laptop battery.

I have some experience in audio production, but no formal training in electronics. So I know what I am hearing is a difference signal, but the rest is just my way of theorizing how it could happen. If someone who is knowledgeable in electrical engineering would please confirm or correct the logic of my hypothesis (i.e. IF the headphones have no return path, THEN we end up with an attenuated difference signal), I would be most appreciative.

Update: I tested on my roomate's Bose system and yes, the problem went away, matching your observations. I would expand my hypothesis to add that any amplification would give the signal an alternate path to ground, so this problem should not occur in any powered speaker systems.

What remains to be discovered is what kind of behavior results from plugging in a true combo plug (headset) into a jack with this symptom in question. Noxxle had no problems with a headset, but he didn't have the problem with headphones either. Kanishka42 or yxo2, do either of you guys have headsets that you might be able to try out?

I'm also curious as to how widespread this is. I've scoured the web and so far I only know of the three of us with this problem (me, Kanishka42, yxo2) and we all have the UX21, not UX31. However, at least one person (noxxle99) with a UX21 has reported he does not have the problem.

Neither Newegg nor Asus has gotten back to me or responded to my requests for replacement RMA (Newegg historically has responded within 2 business days, and Asus states they respond within 48 hours - it's been much more than that).

[kanishka42]

I only have some generic computer speakers at my disposal, and the symptom persists when I plug those into the combo jack. But if the audio system you are testing on is of decent quality, my hypothesis for the cause of this holds up.

My hypothesis is that the ground conductor in the jack is either not making contact with the return conductor in the plug or is not properly grounded.

This explanation sounds plausible. My knowledge of EE is pretty spotty, though so I can't really confirm or disconfirm it. Too bad that it's likely a hardware fault. :/

What remains to be discovered is what kind of behavior results from plugging in a true combo plug (headset) into a jack with this symptom in question. Noxxle had no problems with a headset, but he didn't have the problem with headphones either. Kanishka42 or yxo2, do either of you guys have headsets that you might be able to try out?

I looked around a bit, but I don't have a headset with a 4-conductor TRRS plug. Just some older ones for PC that use two TRS plugs.

I'm also curious as to how widespread this is. I've scoured the web and so far I only know of the three of us with this problem (me, Kanishka42, yxo2) and we all have the UX21, not UX31. However, at least one person (noxxle99) with a UX21 has reported he does not have the problem.

A recent UX21 review on Amazon reports some manner of electrical issue with the combo jack: Amazon.com: chris' review of ASUS UX21E-DH71 11.6-Inch Thin and Light U...

I'm not sure his problem is exactly what we're seeing (I wouldn't describe it as a "buzz"), but it's perhaps suggestive of problems with the UX21's assembly process -- especially since the reviewer is on his second UX21 already.

[noxxle99]

A recent UX21 review on Amazon reports some manner of electrical issue with the combo jack: Amazon.com: chris' review of ASUS UX21E-DH71 11.6-Inch Thin and Light U...

I'm not sure his problem is exactly what we're seeing (I wouldn't describe it as a "buzz"), but it's perhaps suggestive of problems with the UX21's assembly process -- especially since the reviewer is on his second UX21 already.

Strangely, the reviewer speaks favorably of the keyboard. Other than a possible hinge defect, the keyboard is the only thing that bothers me right now. But, I have little experience with chiclet style keyboards. Hoping I get used to it.

[kanishka42]

My hypothesis is that the ground conductor in the jack is either not making contact with the return conductor in the plug or is not properly grounded.

This explanation sounds plausible. My knowledge of EE is pretty spotty, though so I can't really confirm or disconfirm it. Too bad that it's likely a hardware fault. :/

So, I tried connecting the sleeve/ground of the plug on a pair of headphones to an alternative ground (the UX21 chassis itself), and that did clear up the distortion and separate the channels. Seems like your hypothesis is right.

Strangely, the reviewer speaks favorably of the keyboard. Other than a possible hinge defect, the keyboard is the only thing that bothers me right now. But, I have little experience with chiclet style keyboards. Hoping I get used to it.

FWIW, my hinge does tend toward opening if I move the laptop around, but not quite to the level that you've described for your UX21. At ~60 degrees, I have give it a bit of a shake to get it to open (the static force of gravity isn't enough).