Bad SD card reader?

Support
1

An IotaWatt unit I recently purchased seems to have a bad SD card reader. This is the third IotaWatt unit I’ve purchased and I had no problems with the first two, but I can’t get this one to function properly. I can read the SD card in other devices, but I get the green-red-red flashing LED most of the time when I power on the IotaWatt. I say “most of the time” because I am able to apply a little pressure to the SD card and get it to flash green-green-red. When I do this, I go through the process of setting up WiFi like I did for the other units I set up, but it never actually connects to the WiFi network. Restarting the unit after “configuring WiFi” results in either a green-green-red or a green-red-red flashing LED…basically back to square one.

Unlike the first two units I purchased, this unit looks a little scratched up. I wonder if this one is refurbished. The appearance is not important to me, but I think it’s worth noting that this looks like it’s a refurbished unit.

How do I go about getting a replacement?

2

I’ll send a replacement today with a return label for the defective unit. It’s not refurbished, I don’t resell returns as new, but it could have been reworked in manufacturing after failing diagnostics. The SDcard holder has been problematic in manufacturing. The contacts are down under the metal shell and so the reflow doesn’t seem to always get up to adequate temperature. They usually just reflow that part with a hot-air tool and it’s fine. The problem is if it passes diagnostics and then is intermittent later.

Sorry for the trouble.

3

Thanks! I was tempted to attempt fixing the card holder connection, but I just don’t have time. Plus there’s a 50/50 chance I would have made it worse.