AuthorTopic: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist  (Read 18106 times)

Offline Vagrant

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 157
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • At your service.
    • @VagrantPixels
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/43310.htm
    • View Profile

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #30 on: March 03, 2014, 02:22:48 am
« Last Edit: March 03, 2014, 02:24:47 am by Vagrant »

Offline Tapsu

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 37
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #31 on: March 07, 2014, 08:40:50 am
Leap Motion looks very interesting, and is dirt cheap in comparison, small, lightweight, accuracy seems to be an overkill, and will probably be not just for drawing.
Therefore I wonder why no one seems to be discussing it here.
Solar charger anyone?

http://www.treehugger.com/solar-technology/5-best-portable-solar-laptop-chargers.html
What makes them so expensive? Are they special in some way? I have heard that some considerably more efficient solar cells are in development, but I doubt they are out yet. At those prices I guess some smart guys will start combining a solar cell with a parabolic umbrella with reflective underside, or something (to focus more light at a smaller cell, that is).
« Last Edit: March 07, 2014, 11:45:49 am by Tapsu »

Offline Vagrant

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 157
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • At your service.
    • @VagrantPixels
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/43310.htm
    • View Profile

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #32 on: April 01, 2014, 04:32:15 am
My Cintiq companion bricked after using it for three weeks, over what seems to be a hardware malfunction that will not allow the damn thing to charge, at all, whatsoever. It started slowly, until it got worse and worse, and now it won't work. It displays the dreaded "Plugged in, not charging" message, and I've tried everything.

http://forum.wacom.eu/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=18003

I knew it was a risk to invest in the company's first venture into the laptop realm, and damn, did I get raped by it.



Do not buy the Cintiq Companion.

Do so at your own risk.

A large percent of people who bought these Cintiq's have experienced this already, it seems to be a common thing. It's not worth the money or the effort. Wait for a better one, is my advice to all artists here, from my experience. It's also riddled with other problems caused by faulty components, dust under the screens from the factory, Windows is out of sync, ect. They also don't have worldwide warranty, something odd for a device marketed for travel. Don't fall for this bullshit, it's unacceptable for that high price tag and how it was marketed.  :yell:


Atnas, haven't you experienced any of this yet, or where you one of the 'lucky ones'?  :o
« Last Edit: April 01, 2014, 04:35:23 am by Vagrant »

Offline Atnas

  • Moderator
  • 0100
  • *
  • Posts: 1074
  • Karma: +2/-0
  • very daijōbs
    • paintbread
    • paintbread
    • View Profile

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #33 on: April 01, 2014, 10:26:18 am
Aw, that's a shame :<

Yeah I started getting the plugged in not charging message about two weeks ago. My solution that works for me is to uninstall/reinstall the battery in device manager then it works for a few days. It's fickle, but it's not really something I think about anymore.  Also even if it says that, it will still charge if you uninstall the driver, turn it off(not sleeping), and plug it in, assuming you dont actually have physical damage. This has worked for some people online.

I used to get it to charge by wiggling the cord or squeezing the casing, which made me think it was physical. I think it might be a combination, it seems to stop charging if the machine is hot. and the power cord gets HOT. like right now it's painful to touch the plastic on the charging end of the cord and I'm plugged in, charging.so it might be windows detecting a dangerous temperature or something. Who knows?

Other than that it's still running great.

An artist on instagram had the same problem so she had wacom ship her a new power cord and it works for her, so in that case it was a physical problem. I suggest you get a new cord because from my experience it might be heat related on the driver side. so if you get a non faulty cord that doesnt overheat, maybe windows wont get mad.

I also am using windows 8.1 btw. They might have changed some things relevant to this problem that gets it to work for me.

I haven't experienced any dust under the screen, then again I give it a once over with a vacuum and cloth every few days to keep it clean, the only damage to the product is a small nick in the screen coating from my gf throwing something with a zipper on it, but other than that the casing and screen are like new after daily use. I've had it since mid december.

I'm not so sure I'm one of the lucky ones. The problems I have, as workable as they may be, shouldnt be there after dropping $2500 on it.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2014, 10:29:55 am by Atnas »

Offline Vagrant

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 157
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • At your service.
    • @VagrantPixels
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/43310.htm
    • View Profile

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #34 on: April 01, 2014, 05:02:03 pm
Oh crap, so you -do- have the early symptoms!


Mine was just as you described, beginning in the first weeks.. Indeed. Hot to the touch. It was charging well by that time, and then the not charging messages began.

By the second week the heat vanished or wasn't as present, and the symptoms were getting worse, it was getting too hard to wiggle the cable to have it charge. Drivers didn't do a thing.

Now it's bricked. Won't even turn on not even while on AC. Won't charge whatsoever.

Three weeks!


I'm trying to find out a solution for this, since in my position, being right now wandering through Europe, I would have to return to the US and wait there weeks to months until they return it under warranty. That's not doable whatsoever since plane tickets and transportation alone for me and my fiancee would end up at 2000$, easy. That's the price of the Companion itself.

Without the Companion, my money making ability is zero, so to speak, so this effectively hinders my travels now. Plus, the company I'm working for has the game coming soon and we've work to do. I'll be landing in Ireland in a week, and once there I don't know how the hell am I going to last long without my job.

Surely I could end up volunteering somewhere where there's a farm or so, but that's just time ''wasted'' so to speak, and it won't get me anywhere job-money wise.

I'll be having it inspected in a PC repair place to see if they can help.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2014, 05:10:34 pm by Vagrant »

Offline Vagrant

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 157
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • At your service.
    • @VagrantPixels
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/43310.htm
    • View Profile

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #35 on: April 01, 2014, 05:16:35 pm
I know travelling and wandering have their risks and uncertainty.. And I was sure I had taken measures against most possible pitfalls when making my life mobile..

But I never would've imagined bad luck would hit me in the form of an incredibly defective Cintiq.  :mean:

Offline Atnas

  • Moderator
  • 0100
  • *
  • Posts: 1074
  • Karma: +2/-0
  • very daijōbs
    • paintbread
    • paintbread
    • View Profile

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #36 on: April 01, 2014, 10:44:48 pm
So you're saying mine will probably go totally defunct soon? If that's the case I'll be sure to keep all my files/settings backed up until it bricks. I hope the 2nd generation of these devices has a magnetic charger like the surface. I had to fight the companion to charge for like 5 mins this morning, that's not okay.

The surface Pro 2 btw is the next best thing to the companion. I have the original surface pro and it's not unusable for art, in fact its pretty good. If you can pick up a surface pro of some sort somewhere, it could service you well as a temporary replacement, if you have the cash. If you manage to get back to the US within the next year you can get a brand new Companion with your warranty... Not all of these have this problem, so I hope you don't get a lemon again.

Offline Atnas

  • Moderator
  • 0100
  • *
  • Posts: 1074
  • Karma: +2/-0
  • very daijōbs
    • paintbread
    • paintbread
    • View Profile

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #37 on: April 02, 2014, 07:39:15 am
I had trouble getting it going again. Tried my old methods, no luck.

Then I bitchslapped it, started charging. Gonna contact Wacom about getting a replacement cord before I send in my unit, also should give me some time to get an external drive to backup to.

Offline Conzeit

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1448
  • Karma: +3/-0
  • Camus
    • conzeit
    • View Profile
    • CONZEIT

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #38 on: April 05, 2014, 04:44:26 am
dont really have anything to suggest but I have to say the whole traveling pixeler thing sounds appealing. have tried it before but it went sour....although for entirely personal non-tech or job related  reasons :p.

Also I'm wondering what you pixel with in Linux...? I found lots of neat apps like mypaint and whatnot but I cant say I found something fully functional like Ggale. or a Photoshop replacement that didnt in some respect feel like a step down

Offline surt

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 570
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Meat by-product
    • not_surt
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/2254.htm
    • View Profile
    • Uninhabitant

Re: Suitable Trinkets for the World-traveling Pixel Artist

Reply #39 on: April 05, 2014, 06:11:14 am
GraphicsGale works quite nicely under wine. GrafX2 is the best native option.