Sage Battery dies suddenly - fixable?

[Uncle Robin]

Over the last couple of weeks I've had the impression that the battery on my Sage drops VERY suddenly from around 50% to 0%, so today when I finished a book with the battery at 48% (down from 62% maybe 15 minutes earlier), I set a timer on my phone. Twelve minutes after starting the timer, the battery level was showing 0% This was after a normal pattern of usage, not trying to accelerate battery use.

I really like my Sage and prefer reading on it o my Libra Colour, so I'm wondering: Does this mean the battery on Sage is basically shot, or can I somehow recover better performance. If it's going to keep getting worse, I would definitely buy a replacement Sage.

[rashkae]

If i remember correctly it is possible to replaced the battery (probably sacrificing the waterproofing.). But yeah, besides a DIY repair, time for a replacement.

[Aleron Ives]

Yeah, you can replace the battery if you remove the waterproof coating for the current battery's connector, first.

[Uncle Robin]

Thank you both for your help. Since DIY is not an option for me, time to start saving for a 'new' Sage before they're discontinued.

[DNSB]

I did help one person replace their Sage's battery and was no real issues, just taking it slow and careful. We didn't bother to remove the battery connector and clean the coating since we cut the leads from the old battery and solder spliced them to the new battery. The new battery was a 1500mAh so theoretically should last about 25% longer between charges.

[Aleron Ives]

Originally Posted by DNSB

We didn't bother to remove the battery connector and clean the coating since we cut the leads from the old battery and solder spliced them to the new battery.

Oh, that's a great idea. I'll have to remember that when my Libra starts getting tired.

[Sirtel]

Any DIY battery replacement is out of the question for me too, so if the battery dies, it will be a new device and that's that. Replacing a dying or dead light bulb is the absolute limit of my DIY abilities.

[DNSB]

What? Everybody doesn’t have their own soldering station and a decent electronic toolkit? Before I got into computers, I was an electronics tech. My first computer had about 3000 solder joints between the cards and the S-100 bus motherboard.

[Quoth]

I considered in 2007 getting a BGA assembly & rework station, but never did. I first encountered surface mount on Thick Film Hybrids in the early 1970s, then was involved in introduction in mid 1980s where I worked. I need a mag lamp, but otherwise I use a regular 2 to 3mm wide chisel tip. Replace even 80 lead SMT with fine pitch by cutting off old part with craft knife, clean and re-tin pads. A dab of glue to hold IC, and reflow 2 to 3 connections at a time with regular soldering iron with no solder.

Even the Lidl supermarket sells usable soldering irons and meters. However lead-free solder is evil unless you have quality brand and extra flux.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by DNSB

What? Everybody doesn’t have their own soldering station and a decent electronic toolkit? Before I got into computers, I was an electronics tech. My first computer had about 3000 solder joints between the cards and the S-100 bus motherboard.

Actually it has more to with the fact that my brain and hands communicate about as effecively as Seoul and Pyongyang, which might just be slightly suboptimal for soldering

[trott3r]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I did help one person replace their Sage's battery and was no real issues, just taking it slow and careful. We didn't bother to remove the battery connector and clean the coating since we cut the leads from the old battery and solder spliced them to the new battery. The new battery was a 1500mAh so theoretically should last about 25% longer between charges.

What is spliced BTW.

I would thought you would solder new battery to old wires.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I did help one person replace their Sage's battery and was no real issues, just taking it slow and careful. We didn't bother to remove the battery connector and clean the coating since we cut the leads from the old battery and solder spliced them to the new battery. The new battery was a 1500mAh so theoretically should last about 25% longer between charges.

After re-reading this, I'm beginning to think I might have a friend or two whom I might be able to cajole into doing this for me. What battery should I be looking to buy?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by trott3r

What is spliced BTW.

I would thought you would solder new battery to old wires.

Spliced means soldering wires together. You put an insulating sleeve on the longer one first. That can be heatshrink or simply a larger cable cover then glues. Regular soldering is a wire or part to a terminal or printed circuit board.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by trott3r

What is spliced BTW.
I would thought you would solder new battery to old wires.

I thought I had written "solder spliced". See Soldering Clean Wire Splices for an explanation with pictures. My preference is to use a piece of narrower heat shrink for each joint and a longer wider heat shrink to cover both joints.

[Aleron Ives]

Since the wires will be inside the Sage and not flexing, you could just wrap the splice in electrical tape if you don't have any heat-shrink tubing lying around.