The touch screen is sending false signals and will make the key tone as well as if the first programmable button is pushed constantly. It renders the unit unusable. The unit will work outside the case but once mounted into a drive bay it goes crazy even with the sensitivity turned all the way down to 1. I have a Lian Li case is it possible the XT does not like the aluminum case? I know some other touch screen devices have a way to recalibrate the touch screen is it possible with the XT? Is anyone else having this problem? Should I RMA the XT?

Additional notes after further investigation:

It appears that the XT does not indeed like aluminum cases or any metal near the capacitive touch keys. I tested it outside the computer and if I put the Aquaero on it's own it works just fine. However on my test bench I place the Lian Li aluminum bezel in close proximity under the unit not even touching it and it goes crazy with false signals especially the programmable 1 key. I then placed a piece of cardboard between the unit and the Lian Li bezel and the problem went away. I then tried to mount the unit with no bezels underneath it and the unit again started giving nothing but false signals. So it appears the aluminum even touching the mounting bracket of the unit will cause it to go crazy. I will try to mount it in a steel case if I can get a hold of one and post the results. Unfortunately, for the price of this unit, a lot of the people in the market for it is going to have a higher end aluminum case and will probably encounter the same issue.


Here is a video link on youtube of my problem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zohsh66MunM


So what gives? Did I just get a defective unit or is this thing not meant to be with an aluminum case? Based on my tests so far if you have an aluminum case get the pro version and save yourself the headache and hours of troubleshooting wasted like I did.

Any Aqua Computer admins on the board have anything to say about my findings?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with this issue.

I found others with the same problem on youtube. It appears I'm not the only one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqm84EF_a1Q&feature=related

Thanks for the reply.


From what was translated it appears to be a grounding issue with the Lian Li cases or the Aquaero's incompatibility with anodized aluminum.


Can someone translate the solution to me in English? I tried to translate through Google but it wasn't very clear about the removal process. It appears PeeBee removed the double sided tape under the glass.

It would be nice if we can start an English thread with the fix so the non-German users out there can find a solution just as easy.

Has anyone else had any luck with this solution?

I wonder if it's best to wait for the new firmware to see if it helps or just go about and remove the tape. The tape removal process is one I would like to consider as a last resort in case I need to return this product.

I wonder if Aqua Computer can fabricate an alternative mounting solution, like provide the Lian Li users with a shield against the electrical interference. Plastic mount maybe with a plastic shield around the PCB of the capacitive screen.

Thanks

OK I have tried all methods short of cutting off the metal suggestion. I even swapped out the PSU (Corsair AX 1200 for a Seasonic X series 750, just in case you are logging this information, and yes I know Seasonic makes PSUs for Corsair but they did not make the AX 1200, so it was a different PSU I was swapping) which was a big pain. I have filed the drive bay for better grounding, taken out the double sided tape, even taken out the spacers that was suggested to me by PeeBee. Nothing has worked. I have noticed that the problem is not as bad if I shield the unit with painter's tape. For some reason, electrical tape makes the situation worst.

In my honest opinion I believe the unit is not shielded correctly and is suffering from parasitic capacitive coupling and not a grounding issue. Yes maybe the Lian Li case is aiding in the unwanted capacitance, but there is evidence of others having the same issue without a Lian Li case. The environment and temperature can also play a role but I feel the unit needs to be better shielded. If it was better shielded then a lot of these issues wouldn't play as big a factor. This is clearly a design flaw and I don't think a future firmware release is going to make it any better. Hopefully, Aqua Computer can prove me wrong.

My design advice to Aqua Computer is to not use double sided tape for the plexiglass, I noticed the keys actually functioned better with the double sided tape removed and somehow figure out how to properly shield the unit especially the bottom side of the unit. I also noticed there was less interface if I put painters tape on the mounts touching the case as well, so perhaps give an optional plastic mount with the unit instead of a metal one.

Shoggy,

I there anyway Aqua Computer is willing to ship the Pro faceplate to me? I don't want to have to RMA the unit when we all clearly know what the problem is and where it lies. Plus I would like to keep the heat sink and the remote which is what I really wanted anyways and decided to pay extra for the XT model instead of having to RMA the XT and having to purchase the heatsink and remote again. I have pretty much given up on the XT (too bad I bought the black faceplate for the XT as well). I have already wasted 2 days playing with it and trying to figure out how to shield the unit. If Aqua Computer is willing to ship the Pro faceplate you will make a very frustrated customer who tried really hard to make your product work a happy camper.

The method I used was based on theory that the unit needed better shielding from outside interference. I noticed that the unit functioned just fine outside the case it only exhibited the problem when mounted inside the case. To me the issue was not a grounding issue with the case. If the case didn't properly ground anything then all my components would not be functioning correctly.


Here is what I did in order to fix the false positives created by the XT screen and my reasoning behind everything I did:


1. I taped the mounting bracket with painter's tape on the side that will be contacting the case. Electrical tape seemed to amplify the problem. The reason behind this is I noticed that even slight contact with the case seemed to trigger the false positive so I tried to isolate the unit as if though it was outside the case. This allowed me to mount the unit into the case and I noticed no false positives. I let it sit for several hours to ensure no false positives occurred. So then I moved on to the next problem which was having false positives when the aluminum bezel of the case was mounted below the unit.

2. I removed the double sided tape on the plexiglass of the touch screen. I did this with the suggestions I found from PeeBee and others on the forum that seemed to help them. When I removed the double sided tape the keys where more functional. Meaning when I touched the area where the keys where suppose to be it actually worked better. Again I tested this outside the case. This may or mot not have any bearing to properly shielding the unit. I just noticed better functionality, possibly because the glass was better aligned with the PCB after the tape removal.

3. You need to shield the bottom of the unit. I tried paper, splicing electrical tape, and even cardboard and nothing worked. It appeared I needed something thicker. I went to the local hardware store and purchased rubber foam weatherseal tape. The foam tape was 3/4 inch wide, 5/16 inch thick. I adhered the foam tape directly under the unit making sure you cover the bottom edge of the PCB on which the glass is attached to. The reason why I chose the foam what that it was much thicker, made of rubber for insulation and most importantly it was could collapse thickness wise so that I could mount the bezel under the unit. I then mounted the bezel under the unit and noticed no false positives for several hours.

4. I readjusted all the key sensitivities to where they function at the bare minimum level. All your capacitive keys will still be functional which is the best part of this solution. I lowered the sensitivity to the bare minimum for precautionary reasons, since the capacitive screen and I were at war for several days I didn't want to give it any reason to fight back.

I hope this helps some of the users out there. I know went through hell over this unit. I just hope Aqua Computer will look at this solution and manufacturer a better shielding solution for the XT to block out all the external electrical interference.

Shoggy,

Yeah I tired roughing up the case where the XT would come into contact with it, that didn't work for me. The solution I provided isn't a perfect one after another day's worth of testing I still notice a couple on times that the XT would go off. I noticed during a reboot or initial power up of the PC the unit would go off. So I investigated further and I think that the unit goes off when all 16 power phases on my motherboard is active. I am using an MSI Big Bang Xpower motherboard which has leds showing you how many power phases are active at the current moment. When there was less power requirements the unit settled down and functioned normally. At least for now I don't have a constant clicking sound coming from the XT only during boot up and shutdown that lasts for less then a minute.

I got frustrated with the occasional false signals that would go off with my previous solution even though it was still better then when I initially installed the XT without any modifications. The occasional false trigger signal would drive my crazy so I went back to the drawing board and so far for almost 24 hours I have not had any false signals. The solution I came up with was I made my own mount out of cardboard. Yes, I have tried just sticking the cardboard under the unit with the original metal mounts and I would still get false signals. Again if you read my previous posts, I based my theory on isolating the unit from EMI since it worked fine outside the case. I still don't believe it's a grounding issue (since it should get ground from the power supply) but more of a shielding issue and hopefully this will provide proof to the Aqua Computer engineers that maybe they need to better shield the XT unit from EMI. I have attached some photos of my cardboard mount:








Here is some videos that shows the XT mounted and working. In the first video show the Aquaero from boot up to me actually playing with the touch keys on factory settings and no sensitivity adjustments, no remote control needed here baby. In the past boot up and shutdown would cause false signals. The second video just shows the Aquaero going through the motions without any interference, in the past I could never even get it to go though one cycle without interference.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9MA2VArNmw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wto3tPPPh_E

Hopefully, this can help the Aqua Computer team fabricate a special mount for the XT that can better shield the unit from EMI. And hopefully, they can send it to us with problems and make us all happy.

I really think it's time that Aqua Computer as a company should take ownership of this problem. I don't know if they have on the German forum but as far as the English one I really don't see it. We've been given work arounds and temporary fixes but no real solution or effort from Aqua Computer stating they are aware of the problem and working toward a fix.

If you are experiencing this problem please post a reply with your case manufacturer so that Aqua Computer can at least see that the problem is a bit more wide spread then they think.