8th gen kindle stuck on battery icon (!), no reaction to PC

[WLA80]

Hi Folks

I'm new here - cheers to all of you!

I signed up to ask for help (if at all possible) in bringing my 8th gen kindle back to life.
I've read all I could find on the subject, checked some YT guides etc and yet I still could not resolve the issue.

Symptoms are:
- Battery icon with exclamation mark on the screen
- no reaction from the screen
- not much response to button pressing (LED goes green for 5 sec and goes off, and that's all)
- resetting does not seem to do much (more detail below)

I've tried the following / current status:
- taking it apart and testing the battery; I've disconnected it and recharged with external smart charger. Battery is fine, holds the voltage. Test points on PCB show same voltage too, so power is being delivered.
- recharging it for 24h+ in usual way brought nothing. LED was orange and then eventually off. I tried 3 different charges and cables. Only change I've noticed is that it turns now green at some point of the charging process (rather than going simply off) and stays so. No further reaction to button though.
- 40s+ pressing and holding the button brings only the following reaction: led goes green, after few seconds blinks green 2x and then orange 5x. That cycle repeats few times during the 40s period. No reaction on the screen whatsoever. I've tried at least a dozen times, holding the button down sometimes much more than a minute.
- I tried hooking it up to PC as well as doing it with the button pressed (various time / phase of blinking cycle); it's not recognized by PC at all.
- I've tried the freezer trick (40min or so) to no avail
- all tapping, squeezing etc brings nothing
- there is no visible damage, no traces of liquids / corrosion / mechanical damage anywhere (including PCB as far as I can tell / see)

Do you heave any idea that could help (other than using it as a chopping board in the kitchen )?

SN starts with: 00965-16-....
Model code: SY69JL

Is there a way (and need) I could force a firmware into it? Again, there is no reaction to PC; various cables tested. I have soldering skills and equipment as well as some programmers / converters laying around (nothing with 1.8v though).

All help would be appreciated!

Cheers

[Paperbackstash]

I've had my Oasis go completely dead to where I had that icon and also could not get the button to change color. I plugged into the wall outlet for a bit, sometimes it takes awhile, then start messing with the power button again while having it still plugged in. I hold the power button down until it sometimes restarts or changes the button color. It means a completely exhausted battery and it can be tricky to respond but will once it gets a charge.

You have tried much more than me so I am not sure -- are you sure your charging port and cable also work?

[eddie.t.h]

Try to press down on the power management chip with your finger and then turn it on. In this model, they like to crack the joints under it. Unfortunately, due to the sticking of the motherboard to the display, repair is practically impossible.

[WLA80]

Originally Posted by eddie.t.h

Try to press down on the power management chip with your finger and then turn it on. In this model, they like to crack the joints under it. Unfortunately, due to the sticking of the motherboard to the display, repair is practically impossible.

Sounds like a good tip; a thing I did not try yet.
Which chip exactly is responsible for power management?
I have a hot air rework station so I may try my luck.
Cheers

[WLA80]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

I've had my Oasis go completely dead to where I had that icon and also could not get the button to change color. I plugged into the wall outlet for a bit, sometimes it takes awhile, then start messing with the power button again while having it still plugged in. I hold the power button down until it sometimes restarts or changes the button color. It means a completely exhausted battery and it can be tricky to respond but will once it gets a charge.

You have tried much more than me so I am not sure -- are you sure your charging port and cable also work?

I'll try to play more with the power button, but as you say - I did already a lengthy journey there, so I don't have high hopes

As for the cable and port, they are fine. I tested 3 charges and 3 cables...all that on top of charging the battery outside the Kindle.

[WLA80]

Adding a PCB picture I grabbed form a video. Maybe you can use it to point potential weak spots.

[hius07]

https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?show...entry104102778

Linked and the next post with a picture (it's in Russian, needs translation)

[eddie.t.h]

I marked PMIC in the photo. Soldering on this board is very risky. The board is thick and requires a lot of heat, which unfortunately causes damage to the display.

[WLA80]

Originally Posted by eddie.t.h

I marked PMIC in the photo. Soldering on this board is very risky. The board is thick and requires a lot of heat, which unfortunately causes damage to the display.

Damn... that's what I feared. I hate BGA chips
I'll try anyway. Not much to loose at this point

[WLA80]

Originally Posted by hius07

https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?show...entry104102778

Linked and the next post with a picture (it's in Russian, needs translation)

Good resource, thanks!

[eddie.t.h]

Before you start, also check the resistor hius07 wrote about, although I personally have never encountered any damage to it. Good luck.

[WLA80]

Originally Posted by eddie.t.h

Before you start, also check the resistor hius07 wrote about, although I personally have never encountered any damage to it. Good luck.

I've tried pressing on that chip. No change. I refreshed soldering on resistor and capacitor next to. Still nothing. Next thing I could try is adding 3 ohm resistor in parallel with capacitor there. Sounds very low for any control resistance, so I'm afraid it may do no good there, but I'm running out of options.
Chip designation is D71817A...I'm not even sure what it is.

Following your remark, I've looked now closer at the screen assembly. I did not pay attention to it before, but it's indeed fused with PCB. Zero chance of reusing it on another device or fixing it as is. Whole device is built in a way that does not require low profile bond like this, but yet that's what they did. Planned obsolescence in action...

[eddie.t.h]

Well, unfortunately this is probably the worst Kindle in terms of any repairs (apart from the newer Oasis, of course, which cannot even be opened).

The chip is BD71815AGW. The measuring resistor should be 30mOhm (0.03Ohm). Have you checked your device's serial port for any signs of life?

[WLA80]

Originally Posted by eddie.t.h

Well, unfortunately this is probably the worst Kindle in terms of any repairs (apart from the newer Oasis, of course, which cannot even be opened).

The chip is BD71815AGW. The measuring resistor should be 30mOhm (0.03Ohm). Have you checked your device's serial port for any signs of life?

Hi again.
I believe the resistor being mentioned on Russian forum is the one with 030 designation, which should be 3 ohm I guess? While it's on the board it reads more or less short. I can try desoldering it and putting a 3 ohm in place of it.

At first I understood from Russian post that the 3ohm R must be soldered on empty patches, but that cannot be the case as those are direct linked to battery terminals.

I guess I can try to replace the 030 with a 3ohm if that's what the post meant.

Edit:
no sign of life on USB, therefore I'd guess there not much chance for it to read anything on serial port terminal. Do you have a particular program / procedure on your mind? I could try with serial port terminal on arduino

[WLA80]

Originally Posted by eddie.t.h

Well, unfortunately this is probably the worst Kindle in terms of any repairs (apart from the newer Oasis, of course, which cannot even be opened).

The chip is BD71815AGW. The measuring resistor should be 30mOhm (0.03Ohm). Have you checked your device's serial port for any signs of life?

Hi again.
I believe the resistor being mentioned on Russian forum is the one with 030 designation, which should be 3 ohm I guess? While it's on the board it reads more or less short. I can try desoldering it and putting a 3 ohm in place of it.

At first I understood from Russian post that the 3ohm R must be soldered on empty patches, but that cannot be the case as those are direct linked to battery terminals.

I guess I can try to replace the 030 with a 3ohm if that's what the post meant.

As for the serial port, do you have a particular application / procedure on your mind? With no reaction to USB, I'd not expect much life on raw serial comm.