MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

RT Wolf · 11-30-2013, 08:01 PM

I bought a kobo mini for someone but the screen broke and she was upset so I decided to fix it. She really loves it and they're pretty much out of stock everywhere I looked (or $80). While it's under warranty, Kobo said it was user caused damage so they refused to repair or replace it. Found a kobo mini on craigslist for $25 that only worked when plugged in after being dunked in water but the screen was fine. Something up with the battery.

So I opened up the broken screen kobo mini (let's call it KM1) and the broken battery kobo mini (KM2) using these instructions: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=193321

I decided to move the entire internals from KM1 into KM2 (battery + PCB + SD card) to save the books. The battery was glued in place so I got a plastic knife and carefully removed both batteries and swapped them. Got a little bent up at the edges but seemed fine. Then I put the PCB in place (watch for the switch at the top of body to align properly with the one on the PCB), re-attached the ribbon for the screen (they had different numbers on them but that didn't seem to matter), and attached the battery's plug.

The battery plug was actually very, very finicky. Even when it appeared to be seated properly, it needed to be pushed down more towards the USB plug edge. So be careful to make sure the metal contacts actually touch each other. Also be careful with those cause they break easily. I broke the battery's plug on KM2 without even trying. Got really lucky that KM1's battery didn't break when I was removing it, otherwise I may have had to pay for a new battery as well. KM1 seems more recently made (has the 4GB microsd card) so maybe they improved the design. Anyhoo, be careful with that plug and also with the other end. Some more tips: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/241

Replaced the screws for PCB and then for the back cover and it seems to be working fine. So it is possible to swap the PCB and battery from a kobo with a broken screen to one without a broken screen.

I'm gonna make sure she gets a damn case this time.

I hate to grave-dig but this thread came up in google searches and I thought I'd contribute my experience for any future googlers.

Cheers!

11-30-2013, 08:01 PM	#47
RT Wolf Member Posts: 17 Karma: 7928 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Looking for the right android e-ink tablet	I bought a kobo mini for someone but the screen broke and she was upset so I decided to fix it. She really loves it and they're pretty much out of stock everywhere I looked (or $80). While it's under warranty, Kobo said it was user caused damage so they refused to repair or replace it. Found a kobo mini on craigslist for $25 that only worked when plugged in after being dunked in water but the screen was fine. Something up with the battery. So I opened up the broken screen kobo mini (let's call it KM1) and the broken battery kobo mini (KM2) using these instructions: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=193321 I decided to move the entire internals from KM1 into KM2 (battery + PCB + SD card) to save the books. The battery was glued in place so I got a plastic knife and carefully removed both batteries and swapped them. Got a little bent up at the edges but seemed fine. Then I put the PCB in place (watch for the switch at the top of body to align properly with the one on the PCB), re-attached the ribbon for the screen (they had different numbers on them but that didn't seem to matter), and attached the battery's plug. The battery plug was actually very, very finicky. Even when it appeared to be seated properly, it needed to be pushed down more towards the USB plug edge. So be careful to make sure the metal contacts actually touch each other. Also be careful with those cause they break easily. I broke the battery's plug on KM2 without even trying. Got really lucky that KM1's battery didn't break when I was removing it, otherwise I may have had to pay for a new battery as well. KM1 seems more recently made (has the 4GB microsd card) so maybe they improved the design. Anyhoo, be careful with that plug and also with the other end. Some more tips: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/241 Replaced the screws for PCB and then for the back cover and it seems to be working fine. So it is possible to swap the PCB and battery from a kobo with a broken screen to one without a broken screen. I'm gonna make sure she gets a damn case this time. I hate to grave-dig but this thread came up in google searches and I thought I'd contribute my experience for any future googlers. Cheers!