Touch N905 vs N905C hardware

alundeby · 05-14-2017, 07:52 PM

I've been hacking on a Kobo Touch N905C to use as a dumb e-ink display and it's been working great. I decided I wanted a second unit to play around with as well but as soon as it arrived I immediately ran into issues with getting it connected to my computer using USB. It was clearly running older firmware (no wifi setup option) so I popped the back cover off and was surprised to discover what I thought was N905 hardware with soldered flash instead of an SD card. Did production change during the N905C model run or is this some sort of refurb or case swap?

Old model on top, note circle exclamation point on new unit:

Old unit made in China, new in Taiwan, both marked N905C:

Silver logo on old, 3 colors on new:

Internals:

Is there any way to be sure I will get the newer SD card model when ordering? I thought I was safe with the "N905C" model but apparently not. Maybe the exclamation point on the bottom plus the color logo on the front?

Telemachus · 05-14-2017, 08:28 PM

This is interesting, I have an N905 and N905C but I've never removed the back cover.
What I can say is that...
My N905 was made in China, I was able to extend the partition memory indicating installation of a 4GB SD card
My N905C was made in Taiwan, I was unable to extend the 2GB memory of this device.
Both devices have the exclamation mark printed on the base.

davidfor · 05-14-2017, 10:12 PM

@alundeby: I haven't heard of Kobo putting out any N905C Touches that didn't have the internal SD card. I think it is more likely that someone has done some surgery and swapped the innards of an N905C for those of an N905. I have done this myself with an N905B that had a broken screen. I put the board from it in an N905 to use the good screen and have the internal SD card.

And I doubt it was a production change. The board in the new device is obviously from the run for the N905. The date on the board shows it is from 2011 and the serial number on the label is for an N905. A refurb case swap might explain it.

alundeby · 05-15-2017, 11:16 AM

I think you're right about the case/board swap, particularly given the single discolored screw used in the top right corner of the N905 board.

I was really hoping there was an easy way to distinguish the actual N905C models. I'm worried that whatever is left on eBay is from a pool of refurbs or otherwise franken-kobos stuffed with mystery components. Maybe I just got lucky with a fully functioning N905C on my first purchase.

05-14-2017, 07:52 PM	#1
alundeby Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2017 Device: Kobo Touch	N905 vs N905C hardware I've been hacking on a Kobo Touch N905C to use as a dumb e-ink display and it's been working great. I decided I wanted a second unit to play around with as well but as soon as it arrived I immediately ran into issues with getting it connected to my computer using USB. It was clearly running older firmware (no wifi setup option) so I popped the back cover off and was surprised to discover what I thought was N905 hardware with soldered flash instead of an SD card. Did production change during the N905C model run or is this some sort of refurb or case swap? Old model on top, note circle exclamation point on new unit: Old unit made in China, new in Taiwan, both marked N905C: Silver logo on old, 3 colors on new: Internals: Is there any way to be sure I will get the newer SD card model when ordering? I thought I was safe with the "N905C" model but apparently not. Maybe the exclamation point on the bottom plus the color logo on the front? Last edited by alundeby; 05-14-2017 at 08:37 PM.

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05-14-2017, 08:28 PM	#2
Telemachus Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 16028 Join Date: Apr 2017 Device: none	This is interesting, I have an N905 and N905C but I've never removed the back cover. What I can say is that... My N905 was made in China, I was able to extend the partition memory indicating installation of a 4GB SD card My N905C was made in Taiwan, I was unable to extend the 2GB memory of this device. Both devices have the exclamation mark printed on the base.

05-14-2017, 10:12 PM	#3
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	@alundeby: I haven't heard of Kobo putting out any N905C Touches that didn't have the internal SD card. I think it is more likely that someone has done some surgery and swapped the innards of an N905C for those of an N905. I have done this myself with an N905B that had a broken screen. I put the board from it in an N905 to use the good screen and have the internal SD card. And I doubt it was a production change. The board in the new device is obviously from the run for the N905. The date on the board shows it is from 2011 and the serial number on the label is for an N905. A refurb case swap might explain it.

05-15-2017, 11:16 AM	#4
alundeby Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2017 Device: Kobo Touch	I think you're right about the case/board swap, particularly given the single discolored screw used in the top right corner of the N905 board. I was really hoping there was an easy way to distinguish the actual N905C models. I'm worried that whatever is left on eBay is from a pool of refurbs or otherwise franken-kobos stuffed with mystery components. Maybe I just got lucky with a fully functioning N905C on my first purchase.

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