Kindle Oasis battery swap
Posted in daily
Tags :Following my post on my Kindle situation, I ordered a battery replacement on Amazon, and proceeded to change it following iFixIt’s instructions.
Unfortunately, the battery replacement didn’t work. The power button LED continuously blinks amber when connected to power, be it a charger, or the cover battery. A brief internet search returned Charging aborted. Defective power source or battery.
Battery replacement take away
I reinstalled the original battery, but I did learn a few things on the way, in addition to what is mentioned in the iFixIt guide.
Take your time
The procedure isn’t complicated, but as the main components you deal with are glued, you need to take your time unsticking them in order to maximise your chances of putting everything back as it was. Using the proper tool is key. iFixIt provides them all, in a kit or individually, and cannot speak high enough of the quality of their kits.
Treat the original battery with extra care
The original battery is glued to the motherboard, and the underside of the battery isn’t rigid, it’s made out of aluminium foil. So, go slow and use the proper tool not puncture the battery. It will squash a little in the process, it’s normal.
Have some black tape handy
After my failed attempt, I reinstalled the original battery, and had trouble getting the case to stay in place. Especially at the corners. The 5 clips didn’t clip back properly, or maybe I damaged them in the process. There were traces of glue along the side the cover, so I reapplied narrow bands of a fine double sided tape to help keep it in place. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the corners, so I added a piece of black tape to make sure it wouldn’t move.
A small price to pay to keep using my 7 years old Kindle Oasis.
What next?
I might try to order another battery from a different supplier and give it another go. This specific battery is hard to find in Switzerland.
Or, I might bit the bullet and give the new entry model Kindle (2022) a try (that’s the size I’m after). The Kindle Paperwhite is amazing, but it’s a bit too big and heavy for me, and it doesn’t look like the Oasis is going to get any smaller any time soon.
Update 2024-04-02 : Well, it seems my open heart battery adventure has left my Kindle in a sad state. It restarts each time I attempt to wake it up, with an empty or low battery warning (which isn’t true). I must have damaged either the battery connector, the battery itself or some other piece of hardware in the process. Be warned.