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Surface Pen Sensitivity? It draws when I'm not touching the screen

ohioDroid

New Member
Let me start off by saying that I do have the WinTab drivers installed, and that I have the "Pen Tablet Properties" tool in my Control Panel.

Maybe I'm adjusting the "tip feel" incorrectly, but it feels as those the pen digitizer is too sensitive at times. Today, I was writing in OneNote, and as I picked the pen up to start the next letter, the pen continued to write - hovering just over the screen a few millimeters still registers as input.

I've found the same thing in Autodesk Sketchbook, where if I'm drawing, it feels as though I can't quite draw something lightly, because the pen is drawing even when I pick my hand up slightly.

Is this the case with anyone else? Do I just need to more properly configure the settings? Maybe I need to do some kind of calibration?
 

drolem

Active Member
That is a proper behavior -- you just need to move the stylus a bit further away from the display.
 
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ohioDroid

New Member
That's unfortunate. My normal writing style does not lift up that much from paper, and I do the same with the screen. Little light lines trace between the letters... it looks weird if I intend to send copies of my notes to others.

Even if this is proper behavior, is there a way to adjust it? Maybe make it "less proper" and more toward my personal writing preference?
 

drolem

Active Member
I can think of several ways:
a) make an extension to the tip so it will be further away from the display (should work)
b) take the pen apart and modify it (may work)
c) wrap it in tinfoil -- it's tricky to get the amount of foil 'just right', but it can surely turn the pen off. ;)
d) hack the digitizer FW to modify the behavior (tough to do)
 
Hmm, mine only writes when the pen contacts the screen.
I haven't done anything to achieve this, just the basic (corner clicking) calibration
 

GoodBytes

Well-Known Member
Your digitizer is completely faulty. Return your Surface Pro 2 to where you purchase it, and buy another one.
To anyone who has this, this is 100% not normal.

The pen should only write when it is touching the screen, even on corners.

P.S: Screen protectors can affect the digitizer. If it does, use a different one, from a different brand.
 

Endy

New Member
GoodBytes is correct.

I had the same issue and consulted Microsoft online help (text chat). Like you I had everything installed correctly and it wasn't a calibration issue. I had even send him a test page from One Note so he could see how the pen was acting. The customer service person had to consult his manager and they still were not sure of the proper solution. The result was to send me a new pen and it was the correct one. The pen I got with the tablet was defective. It seemed to work properly when I first started to use it but it broke down over time and in the end I was able to hold the pen almost two inches off the screen and still write with it.

If you need more assurance that this is the problem, take your Surface to a retail shop close by and test with the pen they have on display and you will see that its your pen and not the Surface. Be sure to tell someone that you are bringing your Surface into their store before you go walking in.

Do a retail return, contact support. Either way get a warranty replacement. Good luck.
 
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ohioDroid

New Member
GoodBytes is correct.

I had the same issue and consulted Microsoft online help (text chat). Like you I had everything installed correctly and it wasn't a calibration issue. I had even send him a test page from One Note so he could see how the pen was acting. The customer service person had to consult his manager and they still were not sure of the proper solution. The result was to send me a new pen and it was the correct one. The pen I got with the tablet was defective. It seemed to work properly when I first started to use it but it broke down over time and in the end I was able to hold the pen almost two inches off the screen and still write with it.

If you need more assurance that this is the problem, take your Surface to a retail shop close by and test with the pen they have on display and you will see that its your pen and not the Surface. Be sure to tell someone that you are bringing your Surface into their store before you go walking in.

Do a retail return, contact support. Either way get a warranty replacement. Good luck.

Okay. I'm glad to hear that it may be defective and that someone else has encountered the same issue. Hopefully unlike what GoodBytes has suggested it is not the digitizer as a whole (because I really don't want to be without my SP2 for a few weeks) but if they are willing to replace just the stylus, I will give that a try.

Also, good idea about trying out the pens from a retail store. I bought mine online from MS and there is no close-by Microsoft store, but there is a Best Buy... I'll give them a call.

Thanks for all of the help! Maybe this will be taken care of pretty easily and I'll be able to write properly!


EDIT: Hey, I wanted to let you all know that I stopped by Best Buy, and compared against their equipment. Their Surface Pens worked perfectly on my SP2, meanwhile my Surface Pen was again all overly sensitive and weird with both my and their Surfaces. I've put a request in to Microsoft, and they're going to ship me a new Pro pen this week.
I'm glad to know that I'm not crazy!
 
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ohioDroid

New Member
Hello! I did get a new Surface Pen in the mail, and it works perfectly, as expected. Microsoft didn't ask me to ship them the old pen back (I double checked to be sure) so I guess now I get the chance to disassemble the old pen and see what was wrong with it.

I'm just excited that I can write properly on my SP2!
 
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ohioDroid

New Member
Well, since you insist so very much, the picture will be a demonstration of using the pen - the first thing I tried to draw (keep in mind I haven't drawn in a long time) once it was working. Mockingjay, anyone?

Image (3).png
 

xGary

New Member
Most people here seem to not know how the digitizer/stylus combo actually works.

Once your stylus is within the range to be detected by your SP2 (the dot shows up), your SP2 has basically done its part. The task of when your SP2 decides to put ink on the screen is now totally dependent on your stylus. If the little nib gets pushed in, your SP2 will ink wherever the little dot is. You can test this by hovering your stylus over your SP2 and then pushing the nib in with your finger, you don't need to touch the screen and it will still ink, the SP2 has nothing to do with whether to ink or not. Your stylus's nib was probably getting stuck in the push position and that is why it was inking even when you weren't touch the screen.
 
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