Aura [Help] Kobo Aura Edition 2 freezes on tutorial/home screen after SD card image restor

[whisteul]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently struggling to revive a Kobo Aura Edition 2 (N236) and could really use your expertise.

What I’ve done so far:

I successfully reflashed the firmware by writing a new image to a brand new SD card.

The device boots up and I can see the screen, but it freezes on the tutorial screen or shortly after reaching the home screen.

I've verified that the touch layer is actually working (it responds to touch occasionally).

I managed to bypass the initial lock by connecting the device to Calibre, which 'woke up' the device and allowed me to sync some books, but it eventually freezes again.

Current state:
The device seems to be stuck in a boot/interface loop. I’ve tried modifying the Kobo eReader.conf file to force LastFTEStep=FINISHED and showFirstTimeExperience=false, but the freezes persist once it reaches the main UI.

Here is my current Kobo eReader.conf content:

[ApplicationPreferences]

CurrentDemoRegion=
CurrentLocale=fr
EarliestChangeLog=3.20.6894

HomePageViewVisitCount=12
LastAffiliateSyncTime=@Variant(\0\0\0\x10\0%\x8e\x19\x4\x10\xc7\x8d\x2)
LastFTEStep=BEGIN
LastLibrarySorter_books_filterByAllItems%28%29=sortByNewest()
LastLibrarySubFilter_books_filterByAllItems%28%29=
LastLibraryTab=Books
LastLibraryViewType_author=viewBy5List()
LastLibraryViewType_books=viewBy5List()
LastLibraryViewType_series=viewBy5List()
LastLibraryViewType_seriesList=viewBy5List()
LibraryViewVisitCount=1
MarkAsFinishedLastShown=@Variant(\0\0\0\x10\0%\x8e\x19\x4\x65\\\xb0\xff)
MarkAsUnreadLastShown=@Variant(\0\0\0\x10\0%\x8e\x19\x4\x65]9\xff)
MostRecentReadID=file:///mnt/onboard/Terry Pratchett - Pack de 54 livres - Epub/Accros du roc - Terry Pratchett.epub
QuickTourWidgetShown=true
ReadingListWasPopulated=true
SignInTime=@Variant(\0\0\0\x10\0%\x8e\x19\x1\xed\xfb|\xff)
SmartLink_%05=3
StylusTipWarning=true
firstRunDate=@Variant(\0\0\0\x10\0%\x8e\x19\x4\xf\x9b\xab\x2)
lastPlugTime=@Variant(\0\0\0\x10\0%\x8e\x19\x4\x10\x41\xc0\x2)
showFirstTimeExperience=0

[DialogSettings]
ReleaseNotesShown=true

My questions:

• Is it possible that the current firmware is causing this instability, and would a downgrade to an older version be recommended, or could it trigger a bootloop?
  
• Would moving to an alternative firmware like InkBox or Plato bypass these system-level UI freezes, or is this behavior likely tied to the IR-touch hardware/controller failing?
  
• Could this be related to the IR-touch frame sensitivity after a re-assembly? (Which would be surprising, as the screen works at the very beginning after the flash.).

Any advice or troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help!

[whisteul]

A quick update on my Aura Edition 2: it seems the infrared touch layer is no longer responsive. I suspect a definitive hardware failure.

I am very reluctant to throw it away, and I am not afraid of heavy modifications. Is there any way to bypass the touch screen? For instance, would it be technically feasible to wire external physical buttons to the motherboard, or is the firmware completely locked to the IR input? Any advice on 'hardware hacking' this device into a non-touch reader would be greatly appreciated.