Fuze on/off switch worn smooth

Hello All,

I am a new member to the forum but I have read many of the postings prior to purchasing and after owning a few Sansa MP3 Players. I am the proud owner of a Sansa c250, and the 8gb Fuze. I have also given the gifts of 2gb Pink Clip, 4gb Pink Fuze, and a 4gb Black Fuze. Oh yes, I love the Sansa. However, I have just now been made aware of a problem with the 4gb Black Fuze.

Has anyone had a problem with the on/off switch on the Fuze getting worn smooth making it hard to slide in any direction? Do I need to return it for a replacement? It is really hard to turn on or off without a toothpick or some other small object. This is very annoying. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

The on/off/hold/power spring-loaded slider switch recessed on the side of the Fuze is a very poor design as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know how SanDisk expects people with no fingernails to operate it, frankly. I have fingernails and I still have trouble with it. So when the little ‘ridge’ on the button wears down from normal use as it apparently has on yours, what is the owner to do? Use a tooth pick as you have creatively discovered?

I’d call Tech Support and ask for their suggestion. When they reply, “Uh . . . Ummm . . . Gee . . .”, politely, yet firmly ask for a replacement under their 1 year warranty. :wink:

It’s even more of an issue if you have a silicone skin on it. Luckily, mine’s still ok:wink:

Go to settings > System Settings > Mind Control > yes.

Now, you can turn it on with your mind.  Brain waves will travel through the silicone skin too.

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue:

Mind Controls? Another feature Sansa didn’t tell us about. Is that on V1 or V2?  I’d heard about the mind control chipset, but didn’t know anyone had implemented it yet. Way to go Sansa, always on the cutting edge!

Message Edited by ickster on 12-14-2008 12:51 PM

@marvin_martian wrote:
It’s even more of an issue if you have a silicone skin on it. Luckily, mine’s still ok:wink:

How true!  That on-off switch is one of the very few things I don’t like about the fuze.  Luckily, I mainly use my unit at my bed side table; and use a 3.5mm stereo plug end that I cut off from an old, unwanted pair of headphones to trigger the switch.  I know that this wouldn’t be very handy in portable or remote applications, but it works for my use.  I hope the design team take a look at this switch for future models.

I have a silicon cover on mine, before it was pretty easy, then it got a bit tough.  I either use the jack from the headphone or cassette adaptor or I use a click pen (unclicked–like the Pilot G-2).  Since I use a click pen at work all the time, I have one nearby if I need it.  At home I either find a pen or use the headphone jack.

One shouldn’t have to come up with all sorts of ‘Rube Goldberg’ devices and creative alternative ways to compensate for a poor design flaw just to turn this device On & Off. The use of pens, headhone plugs, toothpicks, paper clips and various other assorted ‘skinny, pointy things’ are certainly over the long run going to scratch up the case and could pop off the button or otherwise damage the player.

Remember the Design Prime Directive, “Form follows Function”.

Sleek-looking is one thing, but unless you can turn the d@mned thing on, the sleekness is worthless!

Having this spring-loaded slider is still OK for use as a HOLD switch as that funtion is not needed or used that often. The ON/OFF function should be reverted back, if possible to the Menu button on the face of the unit as it is on the e200 series. It worked perfectly fine as both a power button and a one-press short-cut to the main menu.

There was no logical reason to change it on the Fuze. :angry:

I agree with your tapeworm. 

 I worry that I may press to hard and something may happen. 

Ah, an engineering problem?

Bob  :smileyvery-happy: