Anyone have a picture of Clara HD board?

[LordP]

I can feel two bumps on the right side of the frame, and I wondered if the battery, or a capacitor, is swelling up.

Curious to know what components are under the screen.

The swelling is very slight and I have not noticed it before.

[Quoth]

Unlikely to be a capacitor and the battery (a cell) is large and flat behind the screen. Bumps on frame can't be something under the screen.

Do you mean the rear of the case, the side of the case or the front bezel?

I've not taken apart a Clara HD but have taken apart:
Story Cover (not HD). No isolation between cell and screen. Expanding cell cracked the screen. Badly designed chassis.
Kindle DXG: Only keyboard parts at front.
Kindle Keyboard 3: Only keyboard parts at front.
Kobo Aura H2O original: Chassis Alloy plate separates battery and screen.
Kobo Libra: Chassis Alloy plate separates battery and screen. Obviously the two buttons have access to bezel.

The only part that could swell in any of them is the cell and apart from the iRiver Story, that couldn't damage anything and is against the rear cover. You'd not get on or two bumps.

Numerous phones and tablets. None had anything that could swell other than the cell, which at worst would swell the rear of case and nothing to make bumps.

Some tablets and ereaders are similar construction apart from the screen technology and added camera(s) and microphone(s). The eInk models with speakers use a similar arrangement/construction for that as tablets. The Kobo Aura H2O original even uses the same lithium cell pack as a 7" tablet I disassembled due to smashed touch screen layer glass. Oddly the LCD screen wasn't damaged.

[banjomike]

Here is a video of opening the Clara:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRdV5ukt_Q0

[LordP]

@Quoth - The front bezel, on the right, a very slight wavy bump about a third of the way down and another about a third of the way up. Think of what the outcome would be if you stuck something under the bezel and forced it up - like that. Just in case you misunderstand - I have never poked anything under the bezel.

@banjomike - Thanks, I googled "Clara HD circuit board" and got garbage. I now know it is the battery side but unfortunately, I can't see what is under that strip of metal. But as Quoth said it's unlikely to be the battery or a capacitor, so I'm still in the dark.

[Quoth]

The original Aura H2O bezel is in two pieces. The thin top layer is held onto lower layer with double sided tape. It's IR touch, so the lower layer, though black, is a light pipe for IR with curved flanges underneath to pickup IR LEDs and shine on IR phototransistors on the edge of the PCB. That layer is stuck to the screen with double sided tape. The visible illumination LEDs work differently.

If your Clara has a thin top layer then the explanation may be that the double sided sticky tape has bubbled in two places.

[LordP]

I'm not sure the Clara has a "thin top layer" - it feels substantial. However, it might be stuck on with tape for all I know.

The video banjomike posted is a bit helpful but limited since the disassembly is not complete, so I can't tell at all if there is tape. I did notice some screws though.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by LordP

I'm not sure the Clara has a "thin top layer" - it feels substantial. However, it might be stuck on with tape for all I know.

The video banjomike posted is a bit helpful but limited since the disassembly is not complete, so I can't tell at all if there is tape. I did notice some screws though.

From memory, there is tape or some sort of adhesive under the bezel. There is a video from shortly after the Clara HD was released that will show what is under the bezel. It was a video about fixing the light leakage that was happening in the bottom corner of the screen (though I don't think the fix that was used wasn't the best way to do it). That video should give you a better idea of what is under the bezel at the points you are seeing the problem. And show you how to disassemble it to see for yourself.

[julian67]

You can have a good look at a Clara HD board at https://yingtongli.me/blog/2018/07/2...=pocket_mylist

I've opened my Clara HD to upgrade the storage. It's easy to do and leaves no mark, so you could also inspect the device yourself.

[LordP]

@davidfor - If the video you are referring to has a lunatic woman fixing the light leakage on a Clara while the device is turned on and she uses electrical tape to fix the leakage - then I've found it, and it seems there is nothing that can cause the "swelling" as noted before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxqV...el=KarinNelson

Maybe those "bumps" have always been there and I just never noticed. A manufacturing defect perhaps?

@julian67 - Thanks much buddy.

[Quoth]

lumps or bubbles in the tape or plastic?

[LordP]

Hmmm. The front bezel looks a bit substantial to be deformed by bubbles or lumps, but I suppose it could be that.

The "feel" is very slight, but as noted here: https://www.universityofcalifornia.e...ty-human-touch

"Sensitive enough to feel the difference between surfaces that differ by just a single layer of molecules, a team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego has shown."

[julian67]

I would open it and have a look. If the battery has swollen it could force other components to bend or move. These batteries can explode and cause fire and/or injury so I'd want to know. It's a 5 minute job to open the device, and when you pop the cover back on there is no sign it was ever removed.

[LordP]

Yeah, I've been thinking about opening it.

[julian67]

https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/What_to_...wollen_battery