Kobo Repairability Page

[Cootey]

Right now, the Kobo Repairability page is a placeholder, but what's interesting is that they're announcing a partnership with iFixit to sell repair kits. iFixit makes good repair kits. I can vouch for their quality, but I imagine that with a bit of ingenuity and spare tools lying around, you can follow along iFixit's repair guides with or without said repair kits for true DIY.

https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/artic...r-Kobo-eReader

It seems that repairability will only "be possible for Kobo Libra Colour, Kobo Clara Colour and Kobo Clara BW".

I wonder about the warranty, though. Usually warranties are voided the moment a user cracks open their device. Will Kobo allow self-repair AND intact warranties if you use official repair kits? What do you think? (It's probably NOT very likely. haha)

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Cootey

I wonder about the warranty, though. Usually warranties are voided the moment a user cracks open their device. Will Kobo allow self-repair AND intact warranties if you use official repair kits? What do you think? (It's probably NOT very likely. haha)

IMO it would not make much sense to announce a partnership with a respected proponent of repairability and then say "but using them will still void your warranty" Much like the greenwashing with the recycled plastics, it would make more sense to me if this were Kobo trying to establish a point of difference and stress their "we're the good guys" position.

[JSWolf]

It would make sense to only do self repairs after the warranty is up.

I'm hoping the battery can be easily replaceable with it being easy to get.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It would make sense to only do self repairs after the warranty is up.

I'm hoping the battery can be easily replaceable with it being easy to get.

Yes, here any repair / shipping / replacement is free under warranty. Self repair is for damage not covered by warranty or when it's expired.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It would make sense to only do self repairs after the warranty is up.

I'm hoping the battery can be easily replaceable with it being easy to get.

If it is a simple fix, I would rather do it myself. Sometimes dealing with warranty repair can take longer then I like.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by John F

If it is a simple fix, I would rather do it myself. Sometimes dealing with warranty repair can take longer then I like.

That's true too.

[JSWolf]

This repairability will mean being able to replace the battery and keep it going.

[Cootey]

This interview is about Apple products and their stances on repairability, namely their rollback on device pairing.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/24...ng-is-not-evil

I share it because it reveals the thinking behind why corporations would be resistant to repairability. It comes down to customer experience, security, and control. Reading between the lines, repairability affects warranty issues, resources allocated to customer service, and culpability. At the same time, ESG pressures from banks make the environmental impact of discarded, unrepairable devices more of a key issue.

On the flip side, iFixit has an article that isn’t impressed with Apple’s rollback: https://www.ifixit.com/News/94127/ap...-go-far-enough

I share it here because iFixit is the site Kobo is partnering with.

Has anybody come across any similar interviews with Kobo on this subject?

[Cootey]

The Kobo link in the OP is likely the official source for repairability kits, but it’s possible that this site on iFixit will be the site for repairability guides.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Kobo

I’m curious to see how Kobo fleshes out their repairability help page. For example, they may prefer to host the guides on their site. iFixit may only be supplying the kits.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Cootey

The Kobo link in the OP is likely the official source for repairability kits, but it’s possible that this site on iFixit will be the site for repairability guides.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Kobo

I’m curious to see how Kobo fleshes out their repairability help page. For example, they may prefer to host the guides on their site. iFixit may only be supplying the kits.

Your link has return (<br />) which breaks it. I've edited it in my quote of your post, though in general quotes should never be edited.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

This repairability will mean being able to replace the battery and keep it going.

This would be a plus for me. I could keep a backup reader for many years.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Cootey

The Kobo link in the OP is likely the official source for repairability kits, but it’s possible that this site on iFixit will be the site for repairability guides.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Kobo


I’m curious to see how Kobo fleshes out their repairability help page. For example, they may prefer to host the guides on their site. iFixit may only be supplying the kits.

Your URL is broken. Here is the correct URL.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Kobo

[Cootey]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Your link has return (<br />) which breaks it. I've edited it in my quote of your post, though in general quotes should never be edited.

More Tapatalk strangeness. I fixed both posts, I hope. I don’t actually see the break code in Tapatalk, but the "[ /URL]" was on a new line.

[Cootey]

I repaired my daughter’s Kobo Clara HD yesterday. I had only intended to upgrade the microSD card, but after reassembling it, the charging port was no longer in alignment.

It turns out that the Clara HD shipped defective from the factory. The plastic strut on the case above the opening that helps secure the microUSB charging port was bent into the port during assembly! This wasn’t something that could have happened by user roughness. Whatever tension that kept the charging port in alignment from the factory was released when I pulled off the cover. The jack on the motherboard moved 2mm out of alignment and no longer allowed a connection.

I had to disassemble the entire Clara HD and remove the motherboard to straighten the curved at the motherboard’s edge (bent from assembly stress from this factory error) and use pliers to reshape the strut and the opening on the case. Then I reassembled the Clara HD with the securing plastic strut outside of the port as it should have been. All fixed.

I spent hours looking for teardowns of the Kobo Clara HD that would show me what the port was supposed to look like. If they existed, they didn’t come up in my search. I couldn’t find any tutorials that would tell me in which order I should disable the ribbon cables that were connected to the motherboard, or if there were any tricky parts to look out for. I did it all blind.

Fortunately, I have some experience with these things, so I figured it out. But as I was struggling in the beginning to find a DIY repair resource, I wished Kobo already had repairability articles for the Clara HD.

I’m glad Kobo is finally coming out with a repairability page, even if it’s just for the newer models. At this time iFixit’s website is short on tutorials for the Kobo. Their entry for the Forma is just a placeholder. It’s all community driven, like a wiki. I wonder what Kobo will contribute.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Cootey

Fortunately, I have some experience with these things, so I figured it out.

Congratulations. I get a glowy feeling with something like that, but hardly anyone else grasps the unlikely achievement