Kobo Clara BW Battery Replacement

Written By: Alex Diaz-Kokaisl

Comments: 0

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

30 - 45 minutes

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the battery in your Kobo Clara BW eReader.

If your battery isn't holding a charge or is starting to swell, it's time to change your battery!

Following this guide will remove your eReader's IP (Ingress Protection) rating, making it susceptible to water damage.

If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.

Kobo supports their eReaders with a warranty. If your device is still under warranty, Kobo may be able to help. Before starting a repair, review your warranty information or check support documentation.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Drain your eReader's battery as much as possible before starting your repair. Ideally, it should be fully discharged.
Optionally, to drain the battery faster, navigate to More → Settings → Energy saving and privacy and set Automatically go to sleep after and Automatically power off after to Never.
When working on or near the battery, don't use sharp metal tools to avoid puncturing and shorting the battery.
Unplug all cables and fully shut down your eReader.
Your screen should be black and say Powered off.

Step 2

Lay your eReader down so the back cover is facing up.
Insert the flat edge of an opening pick between the frame and the bottom left corner of the back cover.
Push the pick downwards at a slight angle until it slides under the back cover.

Step 3

Slide the pick toward the bottom right corner to release the clips along the bottom edge.

Step 4

Remove the pick and reinsert it under the bottom left corner.
Angle the pick flat under the back cover and rotate it around the bottom left corner to release its clips.
If you're having trouble, try twisting the pick to lift the corner clips out of their slots.

Step 5

Slide the pick toward the top left corner to release the clips along the left edge.

Step 6

At this point, you should be able to grip the back cover and release its remaining clips. If not, slide a pick under the perimeter of the back cover until you can grip an edge.
Grip the left edge of the back cover and lift it away from the eReader to release the remaining clips.
Remove the back cover.
During reassembly, align the back cover over the eReader and press along the perimeter until all its clips snap back into place.

Step 7

The entire surface of the eReader's internals is covered in a thin, plastic-like waterproof coating. Keep the following in mind as you continue disassembly:
While this won't hurt your device, removing the coating compromises the device to potential water damage.
The coating is brittle and can flake into many small pieces. Heating the coating helps, but working with it is still a time-consuming process.
The ZIF connector locking tabs are coated in a gel that can jam the hinge and keep the locking tab from completely unlocking. Make sure the tabs are completely upright before disconnecting any cables.
Depending on your repair, you might have to remove the coating from ZIF connectors and their cables.

Step 8

Heat an iOpener and lay it on the battery connector for 90 seconds to soften the coating.
Alternatively, you can use a hair dryer or a heat gun.

Step 9

Use the tip of a spudger to scrape up the coating along the white battery connector head—enough so you can grab clumps of it with pointed tweezers.

Step 10

Use pointed tweezers to peel off all of the coating around the battery connector head and its socket.
If the coating becomes too brittle and hard to peel off, reheat the connector and try again.
This is a meticulous process! Failure to remove enough of the coating could damage the plastic head during disconnection, so take your time!

Step 11

Insert the point of a spudger under the edge of the battery connector head opposite of the cable.
There's a surface-mounted component close to the connector. Be careful not to touch it with your spudger!
Lift up the connector with the spudger to separate the rest of the coating and disconnect the battery.
During reassembly:
Inspect the connector head and its socket for any remaining coating that could prevent a good connection.
Peel off the coating, heating the area when the coating becomes too brittle.
It doesn't have to look pretty! You just need to remove enough coating so the connector head sits properly in its socket.

Step 12

When working on or near the battery, don't use sharp metal tools to avoid puncturing and shorting the battery! A punctured battery can leak dangerous chemicals and catch fire.
If your battery comes with stretch release adhesive, follow the next two steps to remove them.
Otherwise, skip ahead three steps to remove the normal adhesive.

Step 13

The next two steps show how to remove a battery that's secured by stretch release adhesive.
Use tweezers to pull on the battery adhesive strip's pull tab until you can grip it with your fingers.
While holding the battery in place, pull the strip out slowly and steadily at a low angle. Give it plenty of time to stretch and un-stick from under the battery.
You can also wrap the adhesive strip around a spudger and "roll" it for a more consistent pull.
If the adhesive strip breaks off, try to retrieve it using your fingers and continue pulling—but don’t pry under the battery.
If you can't retrieve a strip, don't worry! Remove as much adhesive as possible and skip down two steps for an alternate method.

Step 14

Lift the battery out of the frame and remove it.
If you're transferring the battery to a new screen, inspect the battery for any dents or deformations.
Never reuse a damaged battery! If your battery shows any signs of damage, replace it with a new one.
During reassembly, follow this guide to install a new battery or to transfer an old battery to a new screen.

Step 15

The next four steps show how to remove a battery that's secured by regular adhesive.
Apply a few drops of isopropyl alcohol under the right edge of the battery.
Tilt the eReader up to let the isopropyl alcohol flow under the battery and wait one minute for it to soften the adhesive.

Step 16

Slide a plastic card a half an inch (~13 mm) under the top right corner of the battery.
Rotate the plastic card so its short edge sits under the right edge of the battery.

Step 17

Slide the plastic card under the battery to separate the adhesive and the thin layer of coating.
Don't bend or crease the battery! Avoid prying or lifting up with the plastic card.
If you're having trouble, apply a few more drops of isopropyl alcohol and try again.

Step 18

Lift the battery off the frame and remove it.
If you're transferring the battery to a new screen, inspect the battery for any dents or deformations.
Never reuse a damaged battery! If your battery shows any signs of damage, replace it with a new one.
During reassembly, follow this guide to install a new battery or to transfer an old battery to a new screen.