Aura H2O Screen somehow got broken? Need guidance fixing it!

[xtine]

Originally Posted by ReaLx3m

I was getting concerned that you knocked off some of the smd components on the board, now that would have been pita to repair.
Good that its only the plastic from the battery connector, as long as pins are there ...

All seems to be working properly now, except I sometimes get a "water on your screen?" message, maybe because I stuck double-sided tape around the bezel and it's interfering with the IR sensors? I can live with it though

It feels like a blast from the past to see Pocket articles I've saved back in 2014-2015

[ReaLx3m]

Double post. delete

[ReaLx3m]

Originally Posted by xtine

All seems to be working properly now, except I sometimes get a "water on your screen?" message, maybe because I stuck double-sided tape around the bezel and it's interfering with the IR sensors? I can live with it though

It feels like a blast from the past to see Pocket articles I've saved back in 2014-2015

Niiice.
You could be right about the tape, and it being white(more reflective) doesnt help with the situation.
Just to be sure, wipe the shiny part in the inner edge of the bezel with a cotton cloth as some dust/debree could be causing that warning. You can also disable the warning in settings, going from memory it was named something like "detect water droplets" or similar.

Edit:
Also wipe the ridges on the bezel that go inside and near the ir leds.

[xtine]

Originally Posted by ReaLx3m

Niiice.
You could be right about the tape, and it being white(more reflective) doesnt help with the situation.
Just to be sure, wipe the shiny part in the inner edge of the bezel with a cotton cloth as some dust/debree could be causing that warning. You can also disable the warning in settings, going from memory it was named something like "detect water droplets" or similar.

Edit:
Also wipe the ridges on the bezel that go inside and near the ir leds.

Where are the IR LED's? I was actually wondering about that since I've already taken the whole thing apart yet haven't seen/recognized them at all. The touch part just seems to work like magic when I slap the front bezel back on

As for the white tape, that's actually just covering the other sticky side of the double-sided tape which I removed when I stuck the front bezel back on. Thanks for the reminder about disabling the "water droplets detection" though, I'd forgotten about that

The front bezel actually is still sticking up around the corners despite the double-sided tape. I'm wondering if super glue would be a better solution although I'm a bit wary of such a "permanent" solution in case I need to open it up again.

[ReaLx3m]

Originally Posted by xtine

Where are the IR LED's? I was actually wondering about that since I've already taken the whole thing apart yet haven't seen/recognized them at all. The touch part just seems to work like magic when I slap the front bezel back on

As for the white tape, that's actually just covering the other sticky side of the double-sided tape which I removed when I stuck the front bezel back on. Thanks for the reminder about disabling the "water droplets detection" though, I'd forgotten about that

The front bezel actually is still sticking up around the corners despite the double-sided tape. I'm wondering if super glue would be a better solution although I'm a bit wary of such a "permanent" solution in case I need to open it up again.

Hahahah, if in doubt , SUPERGLUE.
Dont do that, you might need to open it again, or decide to waterproof it, you never know.
I wouldnt have even put new tape, had mine opened and closed probably for more than 20 times, and even scraped with a fingernail most of the glue residue so there are no bumps, and it still holds. Its in a case though, which probably also helps with holding the bezel in place as the case has tiny notches just above it.
The ir leds are those gray pimples on the sides.

[xtine]

Originally Posted by ReaLx3m

The ir leds are those gray pimples on the sides.

Which gray pimples? Are they on the front bezel side or on the main board? Based on my picture, the gray dots on the side near the main board seem to be the edge of the metal plate where the screen is attached. Unless there are IR led's there that I just don't recognize

[ReaLx3m]

Originally Posted by xtine

Which gray pimples? Are they on the front bezel side or on the main board? Based on my picture, the gray dots on the side near the main board seem to be the edge of the metal plate where the screen is attached. Unless there are IR led's there that I just don't recognize

Theyre better visible from the other side, ie when board is unscrewed.Marked them on your pic with red.
The ridge on the bezel which i also marked is what reflects the beam.

[xtine]

Originally Posted by ReaLx3m

Theyre better visible from the other side, ie when board is unscrewed.Marked them on your pic with red.
The ridge on the bezel which i also marked is what reflects the beam.

Attachment 170877

Thanks for the clarification, I actually thought those were just the side of the metal plate that the screen is attached to. I might unscrew everything and take another look while disassembling/reassembling is still fresh in my mind

[xtine]

In case it helps anyone, here are the steps I took to replace my Kobo Aura H2O Screen

1. Pry off front bezel carefully.
   
2. Remove the four screws located in each corner to remove the screen (and main board) from the H2O case.
   
3. Flip over the main board and unscrew 6 screws as well as unhook the flex cables (by lifting their respective latches and sliding the cables out) and pulling the battery cable off (I pulled straight up, not very sure if that's the right way to do it).
   
4. Remove the main board and black plastic film and set aside.
   
5. Remove defective screen from metal plate. (In the picture, I tried prying the screen off without removing the board first. Do not do this. Remove the main board first.) I did it the hard way and pried the screen off with my bare hands, causing the screen to break into tiny pieces. I only got smart about 97% of the way through and thought of sliding a knife in between the screen and metal plate and cutting the adhesive
   
6. Stick the replacement screen onto the metal plate, being very careful to line the corners up exactly to avoid breaking the screen when you replace the front bezel (I learned this from reading an Aliexpress review). Very important to make sure that the flex and battery cables are sticking out of the proper holes/cutouts before pressing the screen onto the existing adhesive on the metal plate.
   
7. Follow steps 4 to 1 in reverse

The replacement screen looks a little washed out to me, even more so when compared to the original Kobo screen. I'm not sure if all replacement screens sold by the seller I got it from are like this or if I just got a dud. It appears especially washed out at the top, a little darker in the middle, and again lighter at the bottom (although not as light as the top). I also get the "water on your screen?" message a lot although ReaLx3m has very helpfully pointed out that this can be disabled in settings. Touch screen functionality is a little spotty in the H2O with the replacement screen, maybe because of the double-sided tape I've added onto the existing adhesive (which already wasn't very sticky due to 4 years of accumulating dust). A newly opened H2O may fare better.

Update: I just realized my bezel lifting up may also be part of the reason for the unreliability of the touch screen. Something about the bezel not lying flat may be interfering with the infrared beams. I find that the touch screen functionality behaves better when I try to press down gently on the the bezel to get it to lie flat. A bit of a hassle but I'll live with it until I figure out a way to get the bezel to stick properly.

One more problem I've noticed is that I can connect to wifi but none of my Pocket articles are updating. I'm still on software 3.11.0 (10/16/14). Maybe I need to update the firmware manually to get Pocket to sync again? Another problem for another day.

Anyway, I made this post because of how nice and helpful everyone has been in this forum, especially ReaLx3m and frostschutz and hope to pay it forward. Hope this might be useful to others hoping to revive their H2O's

[ReaLx3m]

Originally Posted by xtine

Thanks for the clarification, I actually thought those were just the side of the metal plate that the screen is attached to. I might unscrew everything and take another look while disassembling/reassembling is still fresh in my mind

I think you misunderstood me, i wasnt talking about the teeth like ridges, here on this picture of yours ir leds are are perfectly visible.Marked in red.


Glad you made it work, finally some good news on the thread . Nice guide too, will be helpfull for people in need.

Btw what are you planning to do with the old screen, specifically the led strip?

[xtine]

Originally Posted by ReaLx3m

I think you misunderstood me, i wasnt talking about the teeth like ridges, here on this picture of yours ir leds are are perfectly visible.Marked in red.
Attachment 170903

Oh there they are! I never noticed them at all!

Btw what are you planning to do with the old screen, specifically the led strip?

So sorry but I already threw out the old screen with the LED strip still attached I'd broken the screen badly in my effort to remove it from the metal plate that I didn't stop to think that there might be salvageable parts

[ReaLx3m]

Originally Posted by xtine

Oh there they are! I never noticed them at all!


So sorry but I already threw out the old screen with the LED strip still attached I'd broken the screen badly in my effort to remove it from the metal plate that I didn't stop to think that there might be salvageable parts

Oh well, i should have remembered sooner to mention it.
Either way , i think we will still manage to live through this dire situation

[Nieou]

Originally Posted by xtine

In case it helps anyone, here are the steps I took to replace my Kobo Aura H2O Screen [...]

Years ago I broke my Kobo Aura H2o and was thinking about buying another one (managed to live without an ereader after it broke down). Since all the new readers didn't seem like a huge update, I decided to give repairing it a try. My reader works flawlessly again and your post was really helpful.
Continue reading - Chris

[Scaledish]

out of curiosity, and this differently is not the case, but worth trying nonetheless. have you tried a hard reset?