Servicing O-ROKR Pro

[Kel]

O rokr wont power on

OK. So my O-ROKR Pro doesn't boot up any more. Worked the previous day from full charge, used for about 1 hour, and then won't boot the next day. Great. Usually get at least a few hours out of a charge.

Holding down the Call button, and . . . . nothing.

Plugged it in to charge again, just in case (even though it shows green light for full charge still). But to no avail.

So, does anyone know of a way to soft-reset the O-ROKR Pro?
Alternatively, does anyone know where/who will service one.

I've been in touch with Oakley UK Customer Services obviously, who to be fair were as helpful as can be, and offered me a deal on a new one, which is fine. But what I didn't know was that, unlike the Thump range where Oakley can service them and swap out the electronics etc, they say that they DO NOT service O-ROKR units at all, as the internals were all Motorola so they just swap the whole sunglass for the customer instead of getting in there and fixing/swapping-out electronic parts.

I'm sending an email to Motorola too - but am totally not holding my breath on that one.

So here's a question to really test the Forum . . . . if I wanted to breathe life back into my existing O-ROKR Pro, anyone got any ideas? Anyone else had this problem? Just seems a shame to bin some glasses if they can be repaired or reset somehow.
I've never had to throw away any Oaks before - and I don't really want to start now.
Not on my watch.
(etc)

Cheers,
H.

Hi, Ok... I'm in the same boat as you and It happened on my last pair that are sadly at the bottom of the ocean in Puerto Vallarta.No I didn't throw them in the Ocean but they didn't work so I gave up on them and used them for beach wear. I replaced the Battery on my latest pair and that didn't fix the problem.Another fix is the ribbon cable but that is a fix for a specialist. I'm going to send mine to Mitchandmac to see if he can fix them.If not... then their a paper weight to be used at the beach. It's sad that they didn't insulate the electronics better and that they are so susceptible to sweat damage as they are marketed as sport sunglasses. it'll be awhile before I can get them south of the boarder to the USA but if this fix works(he's had some success)I'll pass it along to you.It's also sad that Oakley has given up on this product line because when then worked the were the best and now it's almost impossible to get them without breaking the bank.I'm one of the lucky ones as I had 3 pairs 2 that died and one that still works.

 

[Graham Ford]

Hi Kel

Not sure if you did send your glasses to me, if you did? did I manage to fix them?

Anyway I am answering the above post about the pros, the fact that the LED shows green normally means either the + or - or both tracks are damaged on the ribbon cable. On the Orokr pros and Thump Pros just inside the left hand side of the frame on the ribbon cable are two test points, they are not covered at all, what happens is sweat attacks the copper and you then have a broken track or two. It is possible to repair, I know as I have done quite a few but its far from easy and most people will end up tearing the ribbon cable before managing to get close to repairing them. You will have to unplug the left speaker connection, some pros have the JST connector for the battery also, some don't and are soldered directly to the ribbon cable. Either way you have to take care and fold the ribbon cable in towards the glasses, you will then see the two test points, they should be bright and shiny. The other test is just to use a meter and check for continuity on the ground (-) to the outer of the USB connector, if that's ok then plug in the charger again using the outer of the USB cable as a ground you should see about 4.4v at the battery (+)

I just found some photos from some previous repairs, email me and I can send you a copy.

 

[Herbsley]

Hi Graham, welcome to the forum. Actually I recently stumbled upon your website, and may be contacting you soon to repair the redundant paperweight version of the two Orokr Pros I own.

 

[Graham Ford]

Hi Graham, welcome to the forum. Actually I recently stumbled upon your website, and may be contacting you soon to repair the redundant paperweight version of the two Orokr Pros I own.

My parents are coming over to visit for a month, they live in the UK (Hampshire) and are already bringing one pair with them, If you are interested in trying to fix yours then we may still have time to get the glasses to them.

 

[Herbsley]

Well, my pair No.2 of 2 has now suffered the same issue this morning.
When I get some free cash together, I'll probably be in touch to strike up a two pair repair deal Graham.

 

[Graham Ford]

O Rokrs. If the LED is just staying on amber, you have a very good chance its the battery that has failed, and very easy to replace. Now if the led goes through the led cycle and ends up at green and still no power up 99% chance its going to be sweat damage to the control buttons, I have managed to save a good 80% of the glasses sent into me. The glasses were poorly designed to be sweat resistant, and they used a paper / plastic film to cover the control buttons, what happens is the sweat soaks into the paper and then corrodes the contact pads on the ribbon cable as well as the metal contact disks. Hence no power up, also caused by one of the buttons being stuck down. Test each button and see if they all feel the same when pressed.

I do have a fix for this issue, but some glasses just cant be repaired if they have been left too long, the corrosion will eat away the tracks and then your glasses are just that glasses.

Please note the above is just for the O Rokrs, pros have very different causes

 

[Herbsley]

I'm glad you are still around Graham, as I keep forgetting that I have two O-Rokr Pros tucked away somewhere that really need your attention. I really must set some money aside at some point and send them to you. It sounds like you do great work.

 

[Russell Ginn]

Is there anybody that can repair the issue regarding this problem?

 

[Herbsley]

You mean other than Graham Ford?

 

[Russell Ginn]

If thats who repairs them. Do you know where he is and what he charges?