AlienHead LED works OK? Or only work with a screen light? (Only M17xR3)

Some M17xR3 have been sent without PCB AlienHead illuminating the top, and this is illuminated only with the screen backlight.

discovered recently in this post: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/614474-problem-cover-light.html

Many people don´t know to be affected, and thought it was normal.

Your Alienware is affected? Post also the type of display you have (1080p 60Hz, 120Hz 1080p or 900p)

Option 1: My AlienHead Light work fine
Option 2: My Alienhead Light only work wiht screen light

 

it's the one on the outside cover ?? not the power button ??

if that's it is, mine start glowing after I push the power button.....

1080p 60 Hz.......

 

Yes, the cover light

Any people recive with PCB with withe light fixed, and another people recived without PCB, and just can see the AlienHead light when the screen is on

 

courtesy of user vads24 video showing the proper functioning of a M17x with specific PCB ilumination

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Wow, 3 persons without LED and just 1 with LED
too bad Dell...

 

mine is definitely tied to the backlight.

edit: 1080p 60hz

 

Please, post your LCD type too so we'll know if this is specific to a certain model.

 

Its still glowing when i close the lid and go into energysaving.

Edit: 1080p 60hz

 

Mine is tied to the lcd backlight

screen : 900p 60hz

 

well, based just on normenKD and I it's not tied to screen type... we have the same screen, but different results.

 

Ordered M17x R3 mid September, received late September
1080p 60Hz screen, alienhead is tied to backlight (intensity of alienhead white light correlates to backlight brightness on my screen)

 

It seems that is linked to chance or the stock they have in the factory at that time.
A major neglect by Dell.

The function of the LED is a warning that the laptop is on.
An LED turns off when lowering the cap makes no sense, logic and rationale.

 

you can argue that it's your "warning" the laptop is still on, but I'm glad mine is tied to the backlight. That way, when i shut my laptop I dont have a random light on. Plus I'm not wasting battery life powering a rather bright "warning" light.

 

It is understood that when you have configured your computer for down cover will not turn off, it's because work is being plugged ,not with battery.

In any case, prefer it or not is not an excuse.
The notebook was designed to incorporate an LED on the AlienHead, and does not seem right that a lack of stock is decided to delete it later.
It is a specific connector and a hole completely empty.

 

I have the 1080p 60hz screen and the light is on even when the screen is off.

 

I'll have to check when I get home.

But here's my issue.

If this is broken/missing on my machine do I really want dell to come in and possibly make everything else worse just to fix it?

I think I'll be ok with everything working perfectly and no tech coming in to rip apart my machine.

But it garbage that they let this through.

 

It seems clear that all laptops received the last 2 month do not have the PCB with LED AlienHead.

It follows that are currently out of stock, and the more imminent future orders probably will not have the PCB

 

Even very early orders didn't had the board.

 

here are some pics of the board with a single led light. spec down below. my system is prolly 2 months old. my earlier system with 6970's did not have this. also paint on the newer system feels different too.

board with light


with screen on


with screen off

 

Nice Inap. Confirmation that some of us got screwed LOL. Not that I really care but it's odd Dell never said anything.

 

Yeah, it seemed crazy that it'd be tied to the display by design.

on both the lower res and 1080p my light worked, but this is a refurb replacement and was not built recently.

I'd let Dell/Alienware know that this is a problem with multiple machines. Perhaps they can trace it down.

They should fix it for everyone who has the board missing.

 

My AlienHead light stays on when screen is turned off. Mine is a refurb unit received the first week of September. Screen is 1080p (60 Hz).

 

this whole thing raises an even bigger question:
if there already is an extra pcb with an led to illuminate the alienhead....why the heck did dell get rid of the option for multiple colours???
from my point of view (and looking at inaps pictures) it wouldve been no problem to install more leds like they did in the R1 and R2.

looks like dell just decided to get cheap on this one...truly disappointing.

btw: got the 3d 120hz panel with alienhead illumination via extra led like it should be

 

AlienHead the PCB is different. Only the white LED fixed and a power connector only.

I urge you to all who have received their M17x without the LED PCB even contact by email along with AW support or Customer Service for at least notify them that we are aware that we "have taken hair" (I think in English we say "pull the leg" xD ) isn´t normal that our equipment is without LED on the top.

If contacted all maybe take some action or investigate what happened and why

 

Spoiler

I knew it, thanks, inap +1
By the looks of it, you can solder a RGB SMD LED instead, like i did with my Deathadder, at least it will shift colors (independently from ALienFX of course) or better, wire it to another SMD (controlled by AlienFX) to have the same behavior as the later

 

wow, 40% of people affected.
It is a very high percentage.
Incredible

 

nice idea katalin, i may try this once i get some free time. awesome.

 

THIS IS MANUFACTURING OVERSIGHT OR RATHER INCOMPLETE ASSEMBLY.
No manufacturer can design such a machine without indicator to show the unit is on when the lid is closed.Its dangerous. Its against certification. I have highlighted this issue to the Alienware Technical Team in my current country. They said its supposed to be independent and permanently lit up too. But they are clueless to the issue, perhaps because nobody brought it up and its been a supposition that the Alienhead is tied to back lighting since the genesis of R3. It does take one to notice something which we all take for granted. They told they will have their units checked. I did emphasis to them to escalate towards factory level.
This cannot be due to stock also. Thats committing an act of fraud. But who knows? Maybe they became aware of this issue and silently fixed it by redesign, but why are they newer systems facing this issue. The system which I had was normal. Its was built one August 21st delivered on 1st Sept.
I have since returned the system. However since almost 50% are affected there is still a chance my new replacement may get affected.

I will return the system if this is the case. I wouldnt allow them to fiddle on a new system for their oversight in the factory. This is a big error!

Maybe they realised many will return the system rejecting any on site remedy so they are quiet on the issue. Everyone who agrees to an on site remedy should be given some sort of incentive if they dont want the system to be returned. This is a very critical flaw on Dell's part.

 

i was on the phone with the tech and he said it should turn off when lid is closed ... now im confused

 

on your quote u mention "Its dangerous. Its against certification" can you get copy of that certification, cause if we have that it will help us fight this case

 

Do not be fooled, the function of the LED is a warning that the laptop is on.

No redesign or anything.
This component Is missing.


I have seen the mine without the top cover and is identical to the picture that hung Inap, but missing the part underlined in red, and the bottom connector is empty.

I insist that all contacteis animco Dell, which does not take us for stupid.


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When I go to Control Panel>Power Settings>Advanced>Power buttons and lid>lid close action> and set both On battery and Plugged in 'Sleep' then close my lid the led goes out. If I set both to 'Do nothing' and close the lid the led does not go out.

 

1080p 60hz, works fine when the screen is closed, set to do nothing when using with an external monitor.

Same as Knitwhit, but that is as to be expected as a function of sleep where the machine is running on a minimal amount of power.

 

I thought they m17xR3 was like the m11x, lol... at least where the LCD backlight controlling the screen's alienhead eyes was concerned

 

When i said " dangerous " i meant it inferentially because this will be a fire or explosive hazard if one packs the laptop not realising its turned on, also it can give rise to a situation wherein hard drive can be damaged or loss of workflow or data.

As for certification - All electronic products are standardized to implement a basic safety protocal incorporated into the design. An indicator to denote the status of the system is one such. I dont hav the certification specific to Dell with me. I dont hav te resources at the moment to dig it up.

As for those who are still thinking its about the setting in Power Customization panel, well YOU ARE WRONG! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHATEVER SETTING YOU SET FOR THE COMP TO DO WHEN THE LID IS CLOSED. THE BACK LIGHT TRIGGER WILL TURN OFF IRRESPECTIVE OF SETTING.

The back light is powered by a independent circuit LeD Board. This has nothing to do with the type of screen etc. Nothing to do with redesign etc. It a mistake.

 

Vads no one is implying that the power settings have anything to do with the specific issue being discussed.

It is obvious there's a problem here. Any laptop I've been around has indication lights. These may shut down when the laptop is asleep. I've seen many people put their laptop to sleep and pack it in a bag pull it out and it's almost burning hot because it's still on, additionally a traditional hd is at risk in that situation.

If this LED board is left out of machine it should be fixed and alienware should definitely know this is a problemand work to resolve it.

 

If you put a laptop to sleep and its burning hot, it wasn't asleep. in sleep (not hibernation) my battery appears to last at least 4 days, meaning it's using less than 1 watt (90WH battery >96 hours). something the size of a 17" laptop dissipating <1W isn't going to get warm unless you're insulating it with space shuttle tiles.

 

I don't know what the big deal is. I'm not dumb enough to leave my laptop on without realizing it. I would actually prefer my light to shut off when the screen shuts off, but I have one of the laptops with the separate light.

 

Hey i surely understand what you are saying. Hey folks listen to his logic. Its just a component missing. And supposedly you wont miss missing it. So what the hell, in the future dont whine about anything thats supposed to be there but its missing.
Hey you can live without a spleen too. Dont fret if the doctor operating on you forgetfully dumps your spleen out. What a logic bro! The poor gets poorer, and the rich gets richer. Hey if you dont like your light, break it, or dismantle the Pcb board n send it to someone who wants it.

If you want to contribute negatively to an issue, dont post. Asking " what the big deal?" is dumb enough and smacks in the face of those who have taken the effort to highlight this issue for the sake of those who dont have what they are suppose to have. I didnt have this problem, but thats what we do in this forum, we help, including in pursuit of what rightfully should be in their systems. This is not a Santa Claus built system.
Shalom

 

Come on folks - please drop the back and forth bickering.

-

Now, if someone could kindly summarize the issue, I'd like to understand it more. Specifically,

---------------------

1. What is the behavior some of you are seeing?
Example: I place my laptop into S3 (sleep) and the Alienhead continues to stay on even with the system in S3 - all AlienFX zones are off and no activity is occuring.

2. Is this consistent? Can it be reproduced on each standby cycle?

3. If not consistent, how often does this occur?

4. Does power source play a factor?
Example: This behavior can occur while under AC power in addition to battery only.

5. Do you have the current M17xR3 Command Center ( v2.6.2.0) installed along with the current system BIOS ( A08)?

6. For those of you who do experience this behavior - when was your system shipped?

---------------------

Also, one member posted info on a tech visit - what did the tech find specifically?

We have three threads on this and I'd like to identify what is happening and see if we can have AW take a look at this.

Thanks in advance to those who take the time to recap.

 

You call this fraud, dangerous, manufacturing oversight, etc. Seriously? Where is there any documentation that states it is supposed to be there? It is very possible that Dell originally did not include the separate led for the logo but then decided to include it. If that's the case, it does not mean that every M17x should have it included. I asked what the big deal was because you make it sound like Dell stole everyone's money while giving everyone a laptop that's going to explode.

I wasn't trying to start a fight, I'm just wondering why you are getting so worked up over this. I can understand you wanting the separate led, but you are using words that make the issue seem more serious than it is. Like I said, it could be as simple as a redesign during the R3's life cycle. The M11x doesn't have a separate led, and I don't think the M14x has one either, which means they have no indicator light. Owners of those systems don't seem to have an issue with it and are getting by just fine.

One last thing, not having a separate led or any component "missing" inside of a laptop is not comparable to losing an organ.

 

Sorry, my last post might be considered bickering, I was replying before you made your post, but here's the info on mine. I have one where the logo stays on independently from the screen. I have the latest CC and bios. It doesn't stay on during sleep or hibernate, only when the system is on and the screen is off. Battery or AC power doesn't affect it. I received my system about 30 days ago.

 

Ok thanks for that - so the one which "stays on independently from the screen" - by this you mean, when plugged in or under battery power, with the system up and running, if the screen blanks due to a time out, the AlienHead will remain lit? If so, I'm trying to understand the issue here. You mention it does not do this during standby or hibernate - well, to me this is expected. It shouldn't cause any issue at all.

Now, if it were to stay on when the system is powered down - yeah, thats an issue.

Just trying to understand what folks are seeing as an issue.

Thanks for the assist with info.

 

If the screen turns off due to me closing the laptop or from inactivity, the logo will still stay lit. It seems that some models have an independent light source for the logo while others get the light from the backlight of the screen, that is where people are seeing an issue.

 

Ok got it. Was anyone having a problem with the alienhead remaining lit while the system was in S3? I seem to recall a post talking about this.

I'm out for now but will check follow-up posts in the morning from others. Thanks for the input 11x.

 

Batboy can you pls help in merging the threads. I put out a thread today to visually alert the forum members and owners. I have been posting thru a phone since last Friday after i sent off my notebook. I m due to receive mine a new one next week.
When mikey posted it on the other thread last friday i found it peculiar n villosa further stressed there was no dedicated lighting. What inap found is accurate as thats how it was in mine too. Mine also stays lit independent of backlight variation. I have the 3D screen.
Initially the confusion was on whether such a dedicated light exists. This confusing is cleared out. The next question is why some have it and some dont. And this does relate to redesign because some who recently received have it and some dont. This issue cannot be region specific too because all r3 are assembled packed and shipped from China. Initially i tot tis was jus an oversight but look at the numbers. Very high margin of error. As for type of screen etc, it certainly has no bearing at all because once again from the posts we gather variation amongst identical screen types. So, there is no pattern yet the number those affected is high. It mikey who had a technician come over. He confirmed that the spot where the lighting board should have been was empty. And they couldnt quote that part separately either for despatch. The independence of the AlienHEAD lighting was acknowledged by tech support on the phone too. It weekend so cant get the senior guys on the phone. Infact unless some1 is observant one may probably not be aware to look at tis error. I understand some wish it to b turned off etc. Thats fine. But there indeed is no reason to live with an avoidable and rectifiable issue.
Thanks for looking into tis issue.

 

There are facts and there are assumptions. What we found were factual. What you are saying is based on supposition. The function and the nature of the light has been confirmed by Alienware Technicians. I dont think you would speak the same way if it was related to a feature you wanted and everyone else had it but you. You are debating or supposing what i or some of us hold for the sake of solving this debacle or is it to preserve your supposed viewpoint? How does your rationalisation explain an empty slot and an unused connector in those who do not have independent Alienhead lighting? How can it be a redesign of hardware wherein at times its used and at times not.
Eg. If this is a redesign then tell me, why do we see this problem persisting in newer machines also. Next point, are you reading the posts or just skimming through. Users have posted that their previous laptop had the lighting but the replacement doesnt. Fine, lets attribute this to refurb from older stock. Then why do people with newly manufactured machines have this issue. Are you telling us that Dell redesigned quietly but then they apply it on some and not on others on the same assembly line during then same period of manufacture? Bro, does this make sense? And we are talking about only M17 R3. Nothing else.
We are not talking about sleep or S3 issues etc. ONLY ONE ISSUE. Why some have the dedicated lighting board connected to the power button and some dont? THATS ALL. We wont be complaining if it was a redesign. But a redesign has to be consistent. Would you be ok if they manufactured some with i7 2820 and some with i7 2860 for the same cost, at the same factory line during the same period of production?
Its about this > Quality Inspection & Control. There no point selling a rig worth so much without this principle. Might as well buy a pirated version in Chinatown.
I dont have the intention to be condescending but do reflect your viewpoint from all other perspective too.

 

1080p 120hz. Received a week ago.

When I bring the display close to the keyboard (close it completely but not quite), at one point the screen turns off, even then the head remains lit.

AlienHead stays on when I close the lid (lid action set to "do nothing when lid closed").

When action set to "put computer to sleep when lid closed" and I close the lid, it obviously goes to sleep and the LED turns off too.

I think this is the proper behavior. Atleast this is exactly how I want the lid to act.

EDIT: Just noticed that Windows Aero doesn't work on my system. I know this is a known issue but just wanted to point it out anyway. AW should really try to get things perfect on a $4000 system.

 

mine with LED on

1080p 60hz

 

yo bro, pls download the latest OSD and install... it fix..

Dell - Support

 

Hi chaos your Alienhead display is working fine as it should and as for your problem description at the end of your post, worldedit has correctly linked you for the resolution given by Dell.