My tablet pen pressure went dead mid-project at 2am

I was working on a commission piece in my apartment around 2 in the morning and my Wacom pen suddenly stopped registering pressure. Turned out the nib had worn down so much the sensor couldn't read it anymore. I swapped in a new nib from a pack I bought at Micro Center last month and it worked again like magic. Has anyone else had their pen act up because of a worn nib?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_green4410d ago

Honestly, I gotta push back on this one a bit. Sure, a worn nib can cause issues, but I've had pens act up for way dumber reasons than that. Like that time my driver randomly corrupted itself in the middle of a session, or when the USB port got loose and the pen kept cutting out. Sometimes it's just a cable issue or a setting that got flipped by accident. Nib replacement is the first thing to check, but don't sleep on checking your driver settings and cable connections too, especially if it's 2am and you're stressing.

murray.cora9d ago

Oh I can totally relate to that worn down nib trap. @logan525 nailed it when they said the nib was so short it was scraping the hardware inside the pen. I had the exact same thing happen with my Intuos about six months ago. I was in the middle of some tight linework for a comic page around 11pm and the pen started feeling all scratchy and the pressure just dropped off a cliff. I pulled out the nib and it was literally down to a tiny nub, almost like a toothpick. Popped in a fresh one from a pack I keep in my desk drawer and it was night and day difference. Its amazing how gradual the pressure loss is until you finally hit that breaking point and it just gives out.

logan52510d ago

Those worn down nibs are sneaky, you don't notice the pressure dropping slowly until it just craps out at the worst time. I had a similar thing happen with my Wacom one night around 3am doing linework for a logo. The nib was so short it was basically scraping the hardware inside the pen, causing the pressure curve to go all wavy and unpredictable. I swapped in a fresh nib and it was like a brand new pen. But Sean's right about the cables too - I had a loose micro USB connection that made the whole pen jitter until I wiggled it just right. Good to check both before you start tearing your hair out.