flashing grey screen

[jagibson]

Thanks  ! will review and follow up!

[MartinMarty]

HMD Serial and date of purchase: Purchased 12/27/16 from Newegg, S/N FA68DJJ00221, mfg 2016/11

 

Grey Screen: does  it flicker or stay solid grey? I am not sure what the question is. Sometimes it flashes a few times on the way to solid grey, the effect is almost like there is a short in something. Sometimes it flashes a few times and never makes it to solid grey, i.e. either by moving my head around, moving away from chaperone bounds, turning whole body, covering HMD sensor(s), or doing some combination of all the voodoo moves we have discussed out here, the permanent grey-out is avoided.

 

When problem began (more or less): Everything was good from January to May. The first time I noticed the problem was playing a couple titles from my new Vive subscription when it first came out.

 

Your location: USA, Ohio

 

OS Version: Win 10 Pro, 64-bit, v1607 OS Build 14393.1358

 

Computer Make/Model or Motherboard if homebuilt: Mobo is Asrock Z77 Mod Extreme 4, Intel i7-3770K @ 3.5GHz, not overclocked, Samsung 850 EVO 1TB SSD with Windows and VR, 2TB WD Black SATA HDD for misc storage.

 

RAM: 16GB

 

Networking or other cards plugged in to motherboard: Onboard ethernet port, no wifi.

 

Graphics Card:  Zotac GTX 1080 ti, Nvidia driver 22.21.13.8476

 

General Computing Environment and Set up: 1 HDMI monitor, USB 2.0 hub on mobo port 2.0 port, Vive is on Inateck Superspeed 4 Ports PCI-E to USB 3.0 card, USB devices not on Inateck (mouse, 2 printers, 2 GPS, 1 webcam/mic), keyboard is PS/2 with Hotrod Joystick on keyboard wedge, 1 dongle for Steam controller also on Inateck). All computers and networking and VR are on UPS power except printers and Base Station on book shelf.

 

Steam Version: beta but was not on beta until trying to solve this problem. 

 

VR Home Beta enabled/disabled: enabled

 

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

v1.0.8889 r1060

 

Oculus or revive or other VR environment installed:  None. No VR dev installed. MS Visual Studio 2012 installed.

 

Photo of the room your vive is in: 

Here is a short video on dropbox. You may need to boost the brightness on your player.

[MartinMarty]

Internal HMD heat? I had to pull the HDMI cable from the HMD to see the serial number. It was noticeably warm. Is this normal, given that the HMD had not been used for about 20 hours?

I commented before on the face plate being warm in front of my left eye after a long period of idle.

 

What's making so much heat doing nothing in there?

[MartinMarty]

I thought I would bring this up just in case. I posted this is Steam forum as well.

 

I don't think this has to do with our grey-out problem because I was already having our problem before this started, I THINK. I THINK this started for me when the new Steam Home page started.

 

This does not seem to hurt me in any way but sometimes is on my screen when I exit VR, either with or without having had a grey-out.

[Aidarpro]

I covered 2 IR sensors on HMD and playing for 2 hours without grey screen. Usualy i playing about 20-40 min then appear grey screen. Covered sensors:
 

[MartinMarty]

I have covered sensors before to come out of a grey-out. I don't know which ones. I just move my hands around on the front of the HMD from one side to the other. It is like throwing darts in the dark. Might work. Might not.

 

I've had some pretty good play sessions lately. I don't know if the problem is getting better or if I am learning to compensate, like when your car has something wrong with it but you discover if you work the gas pedal this way and hit the brakes this other way and shift gears this special way, you can still drive to work without stalling out. Then somebody else gets in your car and says "How can you drive this thing?" :robotwink:

[alubaking]

Thanks for sharing. When you said you covered 2 sensors on HMD that allowed you using your VIVE for 2 hours without seeing flickering gray problem, was your room tempertaure in 35 degrees too? Like the same enviornment and same condition as you did before, but this time u only covered those 2 sensors and you could run your VIVE for 2 hours.

 

Very interesting fix for your case.

It was hot yerterday and room temp was like 30- 32 degrees but I turned on my AC which made my room like 26-27 degrees. I was able to play VIVE for one hour straight.

[Aidarpro]

Alubakibg,

Yes, the conditions were similar ~ 35C.
I'm more inclined to the fact that the temperature of the HMD itself has a big impact on the problem. I think that the ambient temperature has little effect.

[alubaking]

 

Even with AC turned on and you still had 35 degrees in your room?

Wow you city/place is warm I must say.

[Aidarpro]

I did not say that with air conditioning 35 C. With AC about 25 C.