Kobo Clara HD doesn't turn on

mff47025 · 03-25-2024, 07:57 PM

I replaced the battery in my Kobo Clara HD yesterday. After replacing the battery the screen just reads Powered Off. When I push the power button, the power LED comes on, blinks once and then stays on. I have tried forcing it into reset. After holding the power button about 30 seconds the power led goes off, it comes back on when I release the power button. Nothing ever happens on the screen, even after waiting for multiple hours.

I wondered if I fried my SDcard, or corrupted the image. I got a new image and tried a new SDcard. The screen doesn't change with the new image. But the power LED acts differently. Now it blinks once, comes on and then goes off in about 10-15 seconds.

This same pattern happens with the old and new battery or with just a USB cable plugged in.

Any ideas?

Cootey · 03-26-2024, 02:10 AM

There isn’t a lot out there for what the LED codes mean. A similar question was posted last month (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=359026) with no replies. Perhaps you could post about it in the dev forum.

Since the Kobo Clara HD doesn’t boot with your old battery either, and you’ve changed SD cards, you could have damaged a component on the motherboard.

Worst case scenario, you could hunt around online for a Kobo Clara with a broken screen and Frankenstein it together with your Clara to create a new, working one.

Quoth · 03-26-2024, 06:47 AM

Did you copy the file to SD card (won't work) or use a program to write and image?

svennd · 03-26-2024, 09:46 AM

Maybe simple solution, but did you leave it in the charger for a few hours ? Perhaps the battery is too low to fire up the device.

mff47025 · 03-26-2024, 11:01 AM

Some updates:
I'm on linux, so I use USBWriter to write the image. It handles doing the partitioning. I used dd to make an image of the original SDcard.
On the new SDcard, if I put the image I created with DD, I get the light stays on. Using the same new SDcard with the image I downloaded from here I get the the light turning off. Same thing happens with both images on the original SDcard.

Agree, that probably something is fried on the board. It is weird to me that the two images produce different results on the light. That sort of implies that something is starting to read SDcard. Frustrating that I can't get it to boot into recovery partition.

As far as battery levels. I have charged both batteries for a few hours. The new battery is reading 4V at TP2 (I think it is 2, TP next to battery plug). Old battery was reading 3.8 at TP. Currently waiting for original battery to drain more an then I will try charging it overnight to see if that makes a difference.

Appreciate the idea finding a broken screen one and building a good ereader from the two.

03-25-2024, 07:57 PM	#1
mff47025 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2024 Device: Kobu Clara HD	Kobo Clara HD doesn't turn on I replaced the battery in my Kobo Clara HD yesterday. After replacing the battery the screen just reads Powered Off. When I push the power button, the power LED comes on, blinks once and then stays on. I have tried forcing it into reset. After holding the power button about 30 seconds the power led goes off, it comes back on when I release the power button. Nothing ever happens on the screen, even after waiting for multiple hours. I wondered if I fried my SDcard, or corrupted the image. I got a new image and tried a new SDcard. The screen doesn't change with the new image. But the power LED acts differently. Now it blinks once, comes on and then goes off in about 10-15 seconds. This same pattern happens with the old and new battery or with just a USB cable plugged in. Any ideas?

03-26-2024, 02:10 AM	#2
Cootey Absentminded Reader Posts: 1,106 Karma: 6463851 Join Date: Apr 2017 Device: Kobo Mini, Clara HD, Elipsa; Kindle Paperwhite 3 & 4; iOS eReader apps	Kobo Clara HD doesn't turn on There isn’t a lot out there for what the LED codes mean. A similar question was posted last month (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=359026) with no replies. Perhaps you could post about it in the dev forum. Since the Kobo Clara HD doesn’t boot with your old battery either, and you’ve changed SD cards, you could have damaged a component on the motherboard. Worst case scenario, you could hunt around online for a Kobo Clara with a broken screen and Frankenstein it together with your Clara to create a new, working one.

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03-26-2024, 06:47 AM	#3
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 11,164 Karma: 85874891 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	Did you copy the file to SD card (won't work) or use a program to write and image?

03-26-2024, 09:46 AM	#4
svennd Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2024 Device: Kobo Aura	Maybe simple solution, but did you leave it in the charger for a few hours ? Perhaps the battery is too low to fire up the device.

03-26-2024, 11:01 AM	#5
mff47025 Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2024 Device: Kobu Clara HD	Some updates: I'm on linux, so I use USBWriter to write the image. It handles doing the partitioning. I used dd to make an image of the original SDcard. On the new SDcard, if I put the image I created with DD, I get the light stays on. Using the same new SDcard with the image I downloaded from here I get the the light turning off. Same thing happens with both images on the original SDcard. Agree, that probably something is fried on the board. It is weird to me that the two images produce different results on the light. That sort of implies that something is starting to read SDcard. Frustrating that I can't get it to boot into recovery partition. As far as battery levels. I have charged both batteries for a few hours. The new battery is reading 4V at TP2 (I think it is 2, TP next to battery plug). Old battery was reading 3.8 at TP. Currently waiting for original battery to drain more an then I will try charging it overnight to see if that makes a difference. Appreciate the idea finding a broken screen one and building a good ereader from the two.