Troubleshooting Oxidized component? PW 7, doesn't work. Photo inside

[phidias81]

My Kindle paperwhite doesn't switch on anymore.
I opened it and on the flat cable that seems to go to the display, one of those small components had some kind of dust like oxidation, that I've tried to remove. Also when I try to charge it or switch it on, exactly that faulty component gets really hot. I don't know if this is related, because also before I would sometimes feel the back of the kindle slightly warm in that position on the back of the cover, but it would still work.
Also a few months ago the battery started to drain really fast. I changed it, but same Beauvoir with the new one.
If I put it to charge the white led backlight switch on all around.
If I try to reset it the orange bottom light blinks but nothing happen. I don't know if it's because nothing happens, or it actually restart but the screen doesn't work.
I would like to fix it but I don't know how.
Maybe getting a second hand screen and cable replacement? But it might not work

[mergen3107]

Looks like if it is getting hot, then it is shorted to ground of that board. I think this is a resistor, but I am not sure, might be a capacitor as well.

Easy to test: because it is shorted anyway, you might as well just remove it from the board. Try gently and proceed only if it is easy enough. Otherwise, it still might be soldered well to the board, and you will need a heatgun or soldering station to remove it .

If it is a capacitor, Kindle will start working again. One fewer capacitor, though, means the filtering will not be as good as before. So you will need to replace it with the same value to get back in normal state.

If it is a resistor, chances are Kindle won’t start, but nothing else should not overheat either.

A good electrical repairs technician in a good shop can tell you more, of course.

[phidias81]

Originally Posted by mergen3107

Looks like if it is getting hot, then it is shorted to ground of that board. I think this is a resistor, but I am not sure, might be a capacitor as well.

Easy to test: because it is shorted anyway, you might as well just remove it from the board. Try gently and proceed only if it is easy enough. Otherwise, it still might be soldered well to the board, and you will need a heatgun or soldering station to remove it .

If it is a capacitor, Kindle will start working again. One fewer capacitor, though, means the filtering will not be as good as before. So you will need to replace it with the same value to get back in normal state.

If it is a resistor, chances are Kindle won’t start, but nothing else should not overheat either.

A good electrical repairs technician in a good shop can tell you more, of course.

I've removed the faulty component and after a bit of charging the ereader switched on! I was really not expecting it, wow!
What would be the consequences now if using it without that "piece"? I'm not an electronic expert 😅

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by mergen3107

If it is a capacitor, Kindle will start working again. One fewer capacitor, though, means the filtering will not be as good as before. So you will need to replace it with the same value to get back in normal state.

Originally Posted by phidias81

I've removed the faulty component and after a bit of charging the ereader switched on! I was really not expecting it, wow!
What would be the consequences now if using it without that "piece"? I'm not an electronic expert 😅

What mergen3107 wrote.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by phidias81

I've removed the faulty component and after a bit of charging the ereader switched on! I was really not expecting it, wow!
What would be the consequences now if using it without that "piece"? I'm not an electronic expert 😅

Why not buy a replacement part and solder it in place?

[phidias81]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

What mergen3107 wrote.

If I knew what it means, I wouldn't ask. What it means filtering? And what of it's not as good as before, but it still works? Would I risk damaging other components?

[phidias81]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why not buy a replacement part and solder it in place?

How to understand what component is it and buy an exact match?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why not buy a replacement part and solder it in place?

It's on a ribbon, which makes soldering very difficult. Needs expert.

If it's faulty, measuring won't tell you replacement. It may be unmarked and there is no schematic.

You'd need to desolder and measure one from a good model (and risk destroying it). Also it might be a symptom of a fault elsewhere unless it's a capacitor.

If it's a decoupling capacitor then 100nF might do. If it's something else then the correct value is needed.

It sounds like it was a faulty decoupling capacitor.

[mergen3107]

As a crude approximation, filtering is when you have power supply line on the board with a bunch of noise. Let’s say, you need 5V, but what you actually get is anywhere between 4.80-5.20 V (for example). Capacitors help narrow down this to, say, 4.95-4.05 V range.

As I said, you can just try it for a fee day and see how it works
If that’s on the Ribbon, I guess it should be safe, because this power (or I hope data) goes only to display.

If you see something like this between charging port and battery, I wouldn’t suggest you all these, because therre it would more dangerous.

[phidias81]

As an update, ever since I removed the damaged component (without replacing it) the ereader has worked normally, and the battery duration increased drastically

[JSWolf]

Just a quick note. There is no PW7. The highest the Paperwhite goes is the PW5.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just a quick note. There is no PW7. The highest the Paperwhite goes is the PW5.

Isn't the PW3 called a Gen7 PW by Amazon?
See https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...MQC26VQQMM8XSW
They don't use PWx, they use Paperwhite (x Generation), so PW (7, 10, 11 th Generation) for PW3, 4 & 5.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Isn't the PW3 called a Gen7 PW by Amazon?
See https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...MQC26VQQMM8XSW
They don't use PWx, they use Paperwhite (x Generation), so PW (7, 10, 11 th Generation) for PW3, 4 & 5.

Yes, the PW3 is 7th gen. PW3 or PW 7th gen. But not PW7.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Yes, the PW3 is 7th gen. PW3 or PW 7th gen. But not PW7.

But Amazon doesn't call it a PW3. How would a random user coming here with a question know without reading loads of posts?

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Just a quick note. There is no PW7. The highest the Paperwhite goes is the PW5.

Originally Posted by Quoth

Isn't the PW3 called a Gen7 PW by Amazon?
See https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...MQC26VQQMM8XSW
They don't use PWx, they use Paperwhite (x Generation), so PW (7, 10, 11 th Generation) for PW3, 4 & 5.

Originally Posted by Quoth

But Amazon doesn't call it a PW3. How would a random user coming here with a question know without reading loads of posts?

JSWolf's point is valid. As you write, amazon doesn't use PWx, but for good reasons the mobileread community does.

Gentle corrections are one way that random users can learn the subtleties of kindle model identification and JSWolf's correction above is pretty much the gentlest to ever come from him.