K5 Is my Kindle Touch completely toast?

[WaseemAlkurdi]

A few weeks ago, I started a thread here about a Kindle Touch that freezes intermittently, then flatly refused to start at all.
Initially, I thought it was a battery issue, but after buying another Kindle Touch (with a known-good battery), and trying the "new" battery in the old Kindle, the old Kindle still refused to boot with the new battery. It would freeze at the Kindle screen, sometimes with the word "Kindle" in a lighter font than is usual (thought it was an illusion, but I confirmed it with a side-by-side comparison with the other Kindle).
Diags mode does nothing (the Kindle would refuse to leave diags).
However, it managed to boot once. Only once. Then it died again.

What can I make out of that mess? What could I possibly do?

[Deskisamess]

The Touch is 8 years old now, perhaps it has just reached the end of its useful life. I'd think any batteries found that will work for that model would also be old, even if never used.

[WaseemAlkurdi]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

The Touch is 8 years old now, perhaps it has just reached the end of its useful life. I'd think any batteries found that will work for that model would also be old, even if never used.

Thanks for the reply!
I do have that in mind, but I tested with:

(a) a new "hand-built" battery using a fresh (recent manufacture date) Li-Polymer cell + the Kindle's battery controller board
(see details in my earlier thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...=321997&page=3)
, and when that didn't work, thinking it was my fault:

(b) a battery from another Kindle Touch recently purchased from eBay.

Even though the "newer" Kindle Touch's battery should be "expired" too, the "newer" Kindle works like a charm with its battery, but that working battery fails to power the other, dead Kindle.

[WaseemAlkurdi]

It booted once. That's what's making my head spin. It booted once. Why and how?

[Deskisamess]

It's broken.

[WaseemAlkurdi]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

It's broken.

True, but any chance of knowing why or how it was broken?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by WaseemAlkurdi

It booted once. That's what's making my head spin. It booted once. Why and how?

Everything dies at sometime.
You just spotted that time for your Kindle.
As posted above:
It is dead, give up on it.

[WaseemAlkurdi]

Originally Posted by knc1

Everything dies at sometime.
You just spotted that time for your Kindle.
As posted above:
It is dead, give up on it.

That's what everybody tells me to do. It died really young, and it's really a sad sight, sitting there dead, with the Kindle tree ...
I think I'm going to find me a serial cable ... it would also be good for jailbreaking my other (7th gen) Kindle

Edit: Does this mean that it was a bad idea buying another Kindle Touch to replace the dead Kindle Touch? And that the new one is likely to "die early" too?

[NiLuJe]

Well, early is kind of in the eye of the beholder here given the age of the device...

[WaseemAlkurdi]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

Well, early is kind of in the eye of the beholder here given the age of the device...

I only bought it over the Paperwhite for two reasons: the fact that it has a "magic button" (no need to hack it open), and because it has a 3.5mm headphone jack and speakers (although horrible ones).

So, do you think I should sell it as soon as possible and get a "safer" Paperwhite? Or it isn't really that bad?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by WaseemAlkurdi

. . . . .

Edit: Does this mean that it was a bad idea buying another Kindle Touch to replace the dead Kindle Touch? And that the new one is likely to "die early" too?

*) Very likely.
*) A real good chance.
All KT devices should be at the peak or on the downside of their "useful life" bell curve.

There is a bell curve involved that defines "die early" (die late, die now, die yesterday, die tomorrow, etc.).
The manufacturer sometimes has that information, since it is one of the key factors in deciding how long they will warranty the device.

Consumer devices are usually superseded long before they actually die.
Amazon has released 63 Kindle models since yours was released (as MR counts 'models', see: https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Serial_Numbers )

tl;dr: give up

[WaseemAlkurdi]

Originally Posted by knc1

*) Very likely.
*) A real good chance.
All KT devices should be at the peak or on the downside of their "useful life" bell curve.

There is a bell curve involved that defines "die early" (die late, die now, die yesterday, die tomorrow, etc.).
The manufacturer sometimes has that information, since it is one of the key factors in deciding how long they will warranty the device.

Consumer devices are usually superseded long before they actually die.
Amazon has released 63 Kindle models since yours was released (as MR counts 'models', see: https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Serial_Numbers )

tl;dr: give up

OK, so I'm giving up on the older Kindle. I'm asking about the new, working Kindle Touch. Should I sell it while I can? I want it for the headphone jack + speakers + no need of serial cable. Should I?

Edit: The bell curve can also mean that, say, a Kindle Paperwhite 4 might just decide to die one day after warranty. Isn't that right? So even though a "younger" device is "safer", it isn't definitely, 100% not going to fail. (The one-in-a-million-but-what-if-I-was-that-one-in-a-million stuff)

I do understand the stuff about hardware useful life. But why do:
- reports of working Kindle DX units (for example) in active use exist?
- vintage '90s PDAs still work?

[shalym]

Originally Posted by WaseemAlkurdi

OK, so I'm giving up on the older Kindle. I'm asking about the new, working Kindle Touch. Should I sell it while I can? I want it for the headphone jack + speakers + no need of serial cable. Should I?

Edit: The bell curve can also mean that, say, a Kindle Paperwhite 4 might just decide to die one day after warranty. Isn't that right? So even though a "younger" device is "safer", it isn't definitely, 100% not going to fail. (The one-in-a-million-but-what-if-I-was-that-one-in-a-million stuff)

I do understand the stuff about hardware useful life. But why do:
- reports of working Kindle DX units (for example) in active use exist?
- vintage '90s PDAs still work?

Some older devices will always keep working long past their expected life span, that does not mean that all will. Just because your friend's Palm Pilot still works doesn't mean that they all do, any more than one person living to over 100 years old means that all people do.

Shari