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Old 08-09-2013, 07:15 AM   #1
rehemiau
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kobo mini bricked?

Edit: Solution in this post
I had some problems and I had no idea how to rebuild the database file so i threw 2.6.1 firmware to my kobo hoping it will fix it. I am sure that there was no information about updating firmware on screen, but unfortunately, i apperantly did something wrong (pulled usb cable in/out or unpatiently used power switch or something like that)

and now my kobo is stuck at "Powered off :|" screen

Even the leds won't light. I tried internal reset button and power slider combinations but don't really know what's (or even if there is) the proper one for a hard factory reset for Kobo Mini. A casual holding power etc doesn't do anything.

I am able to access recoveryfs and rootfs partitions, copying recoveryfs into rootfs doesn't help (yes, this time i did a small backup of rootfs's files -,-), I didn't even know if it was smart but I was hopeless

The only sign of life from my Kobo is
Quote:
Bus 002 Device 050: ID 15a2:0052 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. i.MX50 SystemOnChip in RecoveryMode
appearing for 5 seconds in lsusb in linux console when it's plugged to my pc and i try to turn it on.

Is there any hope that my hardware isn't broken?

Edit: Solution in this post

Last edited by rehemiau; 08-18-2013 at 05:57 PM. Reason: adding solution
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Old 08-09-2013, 07:20 AM   #2
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Oh, interesting. That's the USB downloader mode. I'm a bit at loss on how this would have been triggered (or does it kick in on any reboot? never seen it for my Mini, but then I never really searched for it either).

My wild guess is that you managed to either
- not connect the microSD properly, or
- fiddled and destroyed the boot sector or the data area on the microSD that is partitionless between boot sector and first partition.

PS: And of course there's hope. When the system isn't properly started via bootloader and kernel, nothing will get displayed and the LED won't light. Good thing is that the Mini can work bus powered, so even wearing out the battery won't render it helpless.
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Old 08-09-2013, 07:25 AM   #3
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It doesn't appear when I use the reset button, only with my power on slider.

Now i regret that i didn't perform a card image bakckup...

Does anyone have information about a successful boot using an image from somebody else's Kobo Mini?

my model is N705-KBO-W

Last edited by rehemiau; 08-09-2013 at 08:02 AM.
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Old 08-09-2013, 08:39 AM   #4
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I was just lurking into update and my own recovery files, and i was wondering:
What are the image (and bin) files from "upgrade" folder for? Maybe one of them is the unallocated disk space?

Or maybe someone could send me a link to his sd card image? Thanks in advance!

Last edited by rehemiau; 08-09-2013 at 09:14 AM.
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Old 08-09-2013, 09:22 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rehemiau View Post
Even the leds won't light. I tried internal reset button and power slider combinations but don't really know what's (or even if there is) the proper one for a hard factory reset for Kobo Mini. A casual holding power etc doesn't do anything.
My Glo bricked yesterday, stuck at "loading screen" and i tried this:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs_Often View Post
There is a way to hard reset. I can't remember where I read it*, but it works the same as with the Kobo Touch, only instead of using the home button, use the light button. So:

- Slide the On/off slider for enough seconds to be sure the device is off
- Press and hold down the light button
- Slide the on/off slider once as if you were switching it on, whilst still holding the light button

That should give you disco white flashing led light and restoring screen. You can let the light button go.
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Old 08-09-2013, 09:27 AM   #6
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Unfortunately Mini doesn't have a 'light button', and I didn't find a way to perform a hard reset on a Mini yet :<
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Old 08-09-2013, 10:27 AM   #7
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I've read there's a (unpopulated?) button inside the case that you should press to trigger the factory reset, I'll try to find a reference!
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Old 08-09-2013, 10:38 AM   #8
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Indeed there is a reset button, usually used to perform a simple reset, but holding it while powering on doesn't activate a factory reset.

I wrote to kleko hoping that he has a working sd image, but if anyone else can help i would appreciate it, I don't know whether he's still active on the forum.
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Old 08-09-2013, 09:41 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rehemiau View Post
Indeed there is a reset button, usually used to perform a simple reset, but holding it while powering on doesn't activate a factory reset.
You have to make sure the device is off for the factory reset to be triggered by the buttons. Hold the power slider in the off position for at least 10 seconds to make sure it is off.
Quote:
I wrote to kleko hoping that he has a working sd image, but if anyone else can help i would appreciate it, I don't know whether he's still active on the forum.
I'll send you a PM.
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Old 08-10-2013, 11:34 AM   #10
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mini reset

I would love to know the answer also..

however if you have bricked it I can send you a Image of the SD card
as I have done this before several times and un-bricked my device

IT would be nocer to not have to remove he back cover whenever you brick it

better still I need to stop bricking it
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Old 08-16-2013, 06:24 PM   #11
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I just successfully unbricked my Kobo Mini using the image I got from fat265 (again, thank you very much!)

Also, doing that, I changed the S/N written in his image to match my device (using a hex file editor) - the S/N is written in the beginning of the image and is easy to find.

His image was a 4GB one and I have a 2GB card in my Mini, but I just used dd to write as much as I can and repaired the partitions using gparted afterwards.

Before I did that I tried to use an image I got from davidfor, but it didn't work - it was a Touch image.

Anyway, I'm a happy man now, and for other people having a Kobo that doesn't even light its LEDs:
There's always hope!
I still have the image if anyone needs it, but I erased my S/N.

peace!
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Old 08-16-2013, 08:25 PM   #12
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Hi all, my Kobo Mini is bricked too. Could anyone send me the SD image??? thanks!!!!
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Old 08-17-2013, 03:47 AM   #13
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Here is a link to the image

http://fat265.com/kobo/usb-sd-copy/kobo-images/mini/

I dont really care myself re: the S/N as I done use the device to sync to kobo
as i am not using it as a ebook

that being said whoever uses the image they probably dont want to use my s/n anyway so change it or not based on instructions above

have fun
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Old 08-18-2013, 08:37 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rehemiau View Post
I just successfully unbricked my Kobo Mini using the image I got from fat265 (again, thank you very much!)

Also, doing that, I changed the S/N written in his image to match my device (using a hex file editor) - the S/N is written in the beginning of the image and is easy to find.

His image was a 4GB one and I have a 2GB card in my Mini, but I just used dd to write as much as I can and repaired the partitions using gparted afterwards.

Before I did that I tried to use an image I got from davidfor, but it didn't work - it was a Touch image.

Anyway, I'm a happy man now, and for other people having a Kobo that doesn't even light its LEDs:
There's always hope!
I still have the image if anyone needs it, but I erased my S/N.

peace!
Thank you for the instructions and fat265 for making the image available. Could I only ask you which file you have to modify to change the S/N number (apologies if this is a daft question, I am a total beginner)?
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Old 08-18-2013, 09:09 AM   #15
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How to unbrick a 2GB Kobo Mini in Linux using fat265's 4GB image: (paola, you're interested in steps 2-4 but i wrote it also for others)

1. Download the zipped image from here (400MB)
2. If you use linux, I used Bless Hex Editor I found in the app center
If you use Windows you have to download a hex editor, like http://www.hhdsoftware.com/free-hex-editor which Jacques recommended over there
But anyway, I don't know how to perform the 5. step in Windows if you have a 2GB card
3. Open the file in the hex editor and find offset 200. If 'offset 200' doesn't say much: it's really the very beginning of the image, you will find it by scrolling the file a bit. Look for 'N705000000000'.
4. Replace it with your S/N found in your own backup image. It is also written on the bottom of your Kobo Mini box and on a sticker inside your kobo (use just the same amount of letters/numbers, I didn't write '/W' there as I recall, I don't really remember). Save your file
5. I don't know how the hell did fat265 make a 4GB image out of a 2GB device (maybe his SD card has hidden 2GBs of space - it happens, sometimes it's just cheaper for the company to use a different card in a 2GB model).
As long as you overwrite the whole card, not only a part of it it doesn't have to be formatted.
To write the image from linux console i used dd:
Quote:
sudo dd if=/home/your_user/KOBO-MINI.img of=/dev/mmcblk0
if= is your .img path and of= is the device path, you can check it in gparted (mine was sdb because I used a usb adapter, mmcblk0 would be a default one for pc-built-in card reader, but better to check it anyway)
6. Wait a half an hour or so, there should be an error about the device being full if you use a 2GB card.
7. Then I noticed that recovery and system partitions are not being recognised in my file manager, so I opened gparted, right-clicked them and planned a check on them. Apply the changes and gparted should fix them.
8. Unmount the device (!) to make sure it can be safely plugged out
9. Put your card into your Kobo Mini and be happy

All written from memory so I hope everything is correct so even a layman can do it

Last edited by rehemiau; 12-30-2021 at 12:10 PM. Reason: Updated outdated google drive share link
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