Mini Kobo Mini not starting. Flashing green lights. Can you recommend another fix?

[damned_parrot]

Hi guys, I have followed this forum before to get Koreader in my Kobo and have a better pdf reading experience. Now I have a problem that I can't seem to find a solution for. Before starting, this is the background info:

I have a Kobo Mini. Not sure which was the firmware installed. It was also installed Koreader, both KSM and KFMon

Problem:

- My parrot made a hole on the lateral plastic bit of the reader (I love him, but this is the second time the damned bird does that :| ), without apparently having damaged any of the components inside.

- When reading I noticed that there was an invisible horizontal strip on the screen that would not respond to touch.

My attempt to fix:

- I opened my Kobo, caught some plastic debris that was inside.

- Now when I turned it on, the whole screen was not responsive.

- I opened the device again and now applied some isopropyl alcohol on the board and let it dry.

- Now the device is stuck on a screen.

- Whenever I turn it on, the power indicator goes green-blue-green then flashing green.


This made things worse ...


Other attempt to fix the new problem:

Followed this guide (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=311227) which instructed me to:

1- download the firmware compatible with Kobo Mini. So I did download Mark 4's 3.19.5761 which according to https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kobo_Firmware_Releases is the latest firmware officially supported and by being so, it's the firmware that I believe to be installed in my Mini before in the moment it had stopped working.

2- Unzip the contents of the firmware file in .Kobo.

When I tried turning it on, the same problem persists. I have already tried resetting it several times with a paper clip, but no success. What do you guys think? Anyone was able to fix this issue before?

Thank you in advance to all responses.

[davidfor]

Firstly, the original description sounds like something was blocking the IR beams/sensors. The parrot might have damaged these, or pushed something out of place or under the bezel. The touch not responding after disassembling isn't that uncommon. Everything has to fit together properly to work.

Have you charged it? The LED turning on and then off can be a symptom of a flat battery. And it is worthwhile plugging it in to the charger and leaving it overnight. There has been a lot of people have done this and found the device working the next morning.

Did you check the connector the screen? The LED should flash something like that. At least it is similar to my Touch. E-ink screens to not need power to maintain an image, so it will be showing whatever was the last showing when it last worked.

I would also usually suggest factory reset at this point, but the pinhole button inside the Mini should do that. The only other thing to try is a reimaging the internal SD card. These do fail, and while it would be a coincidence for it to happen now, it could be the issue. I can supply an image if you want to try it.

[damned_parrot]

Thank you so much for your reply.
I let my Kobo charging overnight and followed your instructions , the problem persists.

I think there is a details that I forgot to mention:

- I am only able to switch the power on to see the flashing lights while the device is plugged on the wall. Otherwise turning the power switch does nothing.

- There are no other led lights turning on or off other than the ones that signalize power on/off.

I wonder if that information add anything to what might be the cause of the problem.
I'd be happy if you could share the Kobo mini image with me if you think it's worth to try.

Thank you so much.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by damned_parrot

Thank you so much for your reply.
I let my Kobo charging overnight and followed your instructions , the problem persists.

I think there is a details that I forgot to mention:

- I am only able to switch the power on to see the flashing lights while the device is plugged on the wall. Otherwise turning the power switch does nothing.

That says that either the battery is completely dead, or it has been disconnected. The Mini is old enough that a lot of their batteries would have died by now. And the rest would have significantly shorter runtime. So, that isn't unexpected. And I have a Touch somewhere like this.

Alternatively, while you had the back off, you have unplugged or broken the battery cables. On the Kobo devices I have opened, unplugging the cable accidentally isn't that easy. I have broken one of them. The device was already dead for other reasons, so I wasn't that worried.

But, it should start on USB connection only. The Touch I have with a dead battery works OK as long as it is connected. It is possible that it is starting, but, the screen is damaged and not showing anything.

- There are no other led lights turning on or off other than the ones that signalize power on/off.

That's the only light in the Mini. For new devices I ask if the screen light comes on, but, that can't happen here. I had to reread my post to make sure I didn't ask if it did. It wouldn't be the first time I made a mistake like that

I wonder if that information add anything to what might be the cause of the problem.
I'd be happy if you could share the Kobo mini image with me if you think it's worth to try.

The power LED activity could indicate it is booting. But, as the screen isn't updating it is hard to tell. You can't tell from the PC as the devices do not automatically connect to the PC when plugged in. If the device has booted, then you might be able to tap on the screen and trigger the connection. Exactly where you need to tap depends on the state it is booting to. If it is booting to the home screen, then you can try just right of centre and about a third up from the bottom of the screen. Tapping from the middle of the screen downwards just right of centre might find it. That's a guess based on my devices, but, I don't have a mini to check. If it is in setup mode after a factory reset, I don't know where to suggest.

[damned_parrot]

Sorry for the delay, I wanted to make sure that I couldn't get it to work until next time I replied you.

And thank you for the attention and care.

I tried, as you mention, connect it with my laptop by tapping along in the centre-right of the screen several times, but no success.

I absolutely hate throwing out things that seem to be working. So it hurts me to think that even though all individual parts of my Kobo may be functioning, I'm still unable to make it usable

Unless there is a way to fix it with an Image pasted into the memory stick from the computer, miraculously resuscitating it, I suppose this is a R.I.P for the Kobo mini.

[davidfor]

It doesn't sound good. But, I do have an image you can try. It will just cost you a bit of time, though trying a new SD card might be a good idea. I can send it to you, but, you need to enable Private Messaging. This is in the "Edit Options" of the control panel. If this isn't there, it has to be added somehow. You can try posting in https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=319819 to ask it to be enabled, or contact a moderator.

[damned_parrot]

Done! Private messaging should be enabled now
If you have a paypal account I'd be happy if you could share it with me so I can get you a beverage of choice as a thank you

[davidfor]

PM sent.

And don't worry about it. I'm happy to help people get their devices working again. Or know that they can't. Which can be just as important.

[damned_parrot]

Hi again,

Sorry to leave you on a hold, this week has been pretty busy. Unfortunately I'll have to give the Kobo Mini a well deserved rest, he's been good to me up until now, so it was a proper time to find a replacement. I wanna say thank you very much for the Kobo mini image, it amazes me how you guys have built a spectacular forum here with many helpful people.

Wishing you all the best