Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Amazon Kindle

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 09-24-2012, 04:30 PM   #1
anoved
Enthusiast
anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
anoved's Avatar
 
Posts: 41
Karma: 1005240
Join Date: Feb 2012
Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPhone
DIY replacement of a damaged Kindle 3 screen

Hello,

I thought I would share my positive experience replacing the screen on my Kindle 3, for the benefit of anyone else in a similar situation trying to decide what to do.

The background is that my Kindle's screen recently stopped displaying a strip along the top of the page (it was cracked in one corner). The Kindle was out of warranty so seeking a replacement from Amazon was not an option.

I searched for "kindle 3 replacement screen" and found a number of sources; I ended up buying one on eBay. I followed a very helpful disassembly guide found on YouTube and was able to swap the screens successfully in about an hour. You may be able to do it faster - I was just proceeding cautiously.

The only tools I needed were a very small Philips head screwdriver and a flat head screwdriver, which I used to help pry off the back cover as I did not have a "spudger" tool. The cover is held on with plastic clips around the edges, but I actually thought it was the hardest part to remove - I guess I'm just wary of snapping small plastic bits. It is helpful to have a couple small containers handy to keep the screws organized as there are two or three different sizes.

I posted a few photos, links, and more detailed comments here: anoved.net/2012/09/rekindled/

Jim
anoved is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2012, 06:47 PM   #2
GlassX
Connoisseur
GlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notesGlassX can name that song in three notes
 
Posts: 79
Karma: 24830
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Kindle 3, K4NT
Thanks a lot.
How much did you pay for the replacement?
Do you think it was worth it, I mean not buying a new one.
GlassX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2012, 08:38 PM   #3
anoved
Enthusiast
anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
anoved's Avatar
 
Posts: 41
Karma: 1005240
Join Date: Feb 2012
Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPhone
I paid US $63 (with free, albeit slow, shipping) for the replacement screen.

I am happy with how it turned out and satisfied with my decision to replace the screen instead of buying a new reader.

I admit it was not an obvious choice, since a new Kindle NT would have cost only a few dollars more than the replacement screen. However, other than the crack in the original screen, I knew my Kindle was in perfect functioning condition, so I thought it would be materially wasteful to discard it when a repair was possible.

In conclusion, if you take pride in fixing things and keeping them going, I would recommend the replacement screen route. On the other hand, I think it would be perfectly reasonable and defensible to put the money towards a new reader instead.

Last edited by anoved; 09-24-2012 at 08:38 PM. Reason: clarified that price is in US dollars
anoved is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2012, 08:53 PM   #4
SteveEisenberg
Grand Sorcerer
SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.SteveEisenberg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 7,025
Karma: 39312118
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: near Philadelphia USA
Device: Kindle Kids Edition, Fire HD 10 (11th generation)
Quote:
Originally Posted by anoved View Post
I admit it was not an obvious choice, since a new Kindle NT would have cost only a few dollars more than the replacement screen.
Yes, but, for my purposes, the Kindle Keyboard is better. I'd do this.
SteveEisenberg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 12:17 AM   #5
Rian11
Junior Member
Rian11 began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 1
Karma: 10
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma city, Ok,Usa
Device: e-book device
Thank you for sharing this information. The information was very helpful and saved a lot of my time.
Rian11 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 02:21 AM   #6
AZImmortal
Zealot
AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 135
Karma: 5555611
Join Date: Jul 2011
Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G, Nexus 7
I also agree that the Kindle Keyboard has some definite advantages over the Kindle NT, especially if you have a 3G version, and I commend you on being environmentally conscious. I'm a fix-it kind of guy myself and it always feels good to not need to throw something out.

Last edited by AZImmortal; 09-25-2012 at 02:24 AM.
AZImmortal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 04:32 AM   #7
Pismire
Small God, also Turtle.
Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Pismire ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 78
Karma: 227774
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: South-ish
Device: Kindle Touch
I compliment you on your decision to not throw away an entire device because of a single malfunctioning element. If everyone would think like that (and not update any device simply because a company has launched a very slightly modified one) we would be sitting on a considerable smaller amount of trash on this planet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence
http://www.storyofstuff.org/

Cheers,
Pismire
Pismire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 10:16 AM   #8
anoved
Enthusiast
anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
anoved's Avatar
 
Posts: 41
Karma: 1005240
Join Date: Feb 2012
Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPhone
Thanks for the kind words regarding the choice to repair things. The short lifespan of some gadgets (as measured by how quickly they are eclipsed by newer models) is conspicuous in contrast to more enduring technologies - this topic always makes me think of hand tools, as I've got a few that are practically heirlooms yet are as useful today as they ever were.

As an avid ebook reader, it's certainly food for thought, since I suppose a similar argument could certainly be made about ebook file formats and printed text.
anoved is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 10:41 AM   #9
DustyDisks
Old Fart In Training
DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DustyDisks ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
DustyDisks's Avatar
 
Posts: 534
Karma: 2742476
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Gladewater, Texas
Device: K3+3g/KFHD 7"/Nexus 7/Nexus 7.2
It is heartwarming to see others repair what can be replaced in this disposable society. As others here have said, with most of our "toys" the cost of repairing is is more expensive than buying a new one, they get tossed out.

Especially with electronics, used to be one could see electronic repair shops in every town/city most of them were radio/tv repair shops. With the drop in prices for our electronics, the cost of parts and labor usually was more than a new one was. So out the door and into the landfill it went.

Good job on breathing new life in your kindle.
DustyDisks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 11:00 AM   #10
geekmaster
Carpe diem, c'est la vie.
geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.geekmaster ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
geekmaster's Avatar
 
Posts: 6,433
Karma: 10773668
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Multiverse 6627A
Device: K1 to PW3
It can cost more to pay someone to remove malware from a computer than to buy a new one. Some companies discard and replace infected computers, including the monitor and keyboard in some cases. Sad, really.... Great hardware going into a landfill like that....
geekmaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 03:08 PM   #11
CRussel
(he/him/his)
CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.CRussel ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
CRussel's Avatar
 
Posts: 12,145
Karma: 78325262
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Sunshine Coast, BC
Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8
FWIW, when my DW cracked the screen on her Kindle Keyboard (WiFi, no special offers), Kindle support offered her a 1/2 price replacement even though the Kindle was well out of warranty. Given the cost of replacing the screen, I'd say it's about a tossup. And, of course, it came with Amazon's usual FAST shipping, even though we were in Canada. Only requirement was to ship the other back. Which they paid for.
CRussel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 03:59 PM   #12
anoved
Enthusiast
anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.anoved ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
anoved's Avatar
 
Posts: 41
Karma: 1005240
Join Date: Feb 2012
Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPhone
Quote:
Originally Posted by CRussel View Post
FWIW, when my DW cracked the screen on her Kindle Keyboard (WiFi, no special offers), Kindle support offered her a 1/2 price replacement even though the Kindle was well out of warranty.
Good to know. I didn't inquire about my options with Amazon, since I assumed there were none.
anoved is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 05:38 PM   #13
tango7
fully engaged
tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.tango7 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
tango7's Avatar
 
Posts: 23
Karma: 1080622
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Europe
Device: kindle, kindle touch
good to know
I have one with broken screen

tango7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 07:08 PM   #14
hn333
Addict
hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.hn333 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
hn333's Avatar
 
Posts: 255
Karma: 316188
Join Date: Jul 2011
Device: Kindle, Kindle Fire
Quote:
Originally Posted by anoved View Post
I paid US $63 (with free, albeit slow, shipping) for the replacement screen.

I am happy with how it turned out and satisfied with my decision to replace the screen instead of buying a new reader.

I admit it was not an obvious choice, since a new Kindle NT would have cost only a few dollars more than the replacement screen. However, other than the crack in the original screen, I knew my Kindle was in perfect functioning condition, so I thought it would be materially wasteful to discard it when a repair was possible.

In conclusion, if you take pride in fixing things and keeping them going, I would recommend the replacement screen route. On the other hand, I think it would be perfectly reasonable and defensible to put the money towards a new reader instead.
For a few dollars more you could have just got a new one.
hn333 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2012, 10:45 PM   #15
AZImmortal
Zealot
AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AZImmortal ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 135
Karma: 5555611
Join Date: Jul 2011
Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G, Nexus 7
Quote:
Originally Posted by anoved View Post
As an avid ebook reader, it's certainly food for thought, since I suppose a similar argument could certainly be made about ebook file formats and printed text.
The environmental impact of ebooks vs printed books is definitely something that I've thought about and looked into, and although there are some obvious advantages to ebooks, I don't think that enough people (excluding you) consider the environmental disadvantages when they decide to upgrade e-readers every year since there's a lot that has to go into both producing and disposing of such devices. The Green Press Initiative has a pretty good document that outlines some of the things to take into consideration when trying to be green (although I question some of the numbers they use, such as saying that a Kindle's carbon dioxide equivalent emissions are higher than an iPad's).

Quote:
Originally Posted by hn333 View Post
For a few dollars more you could have just got a new one.
He already explained why he didn't buy a new one in the very post that you quoted.
AZImmortal is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
screen damaged by screen protector banjoman Kobo Reader 20 10-31-2011 08:16 PM
PRS-650 Is this screen damaged? glarus Sony Reader 26 06-28-2011 02:04 AM
Gen3 Damaged Screen... Halk Bookeen 10 12-24-2009 01:53 PM
Is my screen damaged? outie Sony Reader 3 09-10-2008 03:56 AM
Damaged screen on 505? iaingh Sony Reader 10 11-04-2007 06:36 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:05 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.