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Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement

Introduction

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

What you need

  1. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Before you begin: step 1, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Before you begin: step 1, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Before you begin: step 1, image 3 of 3

    • 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.

    Edit

  2. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Insert an opening pick: step 2, image 1 of 2 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Insert an opening pick: step 2, image 2 of 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.

    Edit

  3. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Release the bottom clips: step 3, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Release the bottom clips: step 3, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Release the bottom clips: step 3, image 3 of 3

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

    Edit

  4. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement: step 4, image 1 of 2 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement: step 4, image 2 of 2

    • 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.

    Edit

  5. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Release the left clips: step 5, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Release the left clips: step 5, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Release the left clips: step 5, image 3 of 3

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

    Edit

  6. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the back cover: step 6, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the back cover: step 6, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the back cover: step 6, image 3 of 3

    • 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.

    Edit

  8. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Coating information: step 7, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Coating information: step 7, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Coating information: step 7, image 3 of 3

    • 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.

    Edit

  9. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Soften the battery connector coating: step 8, image 1 of 2 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Soften the battery connector coating: step 8, image 2 of 2
    Edit

  10. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the battery connector coating: step 9, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the battery connector coating: step 9, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the battery connector coating: step 9, image 3 of 3

    • 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.

    Edit

  11. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement: step 10, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement: step 10, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement: step 10, image 3 of 3

    • 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!

    Edit

  12. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Disconnect the battery: step 11, image 1 of 2 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Disconnect the battery: step 11, image 2 of 2

    • 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.

    Edit

  13. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Battery information: step 12, image 1 of 1

    • 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.

    Edit

  14. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the stretch release adhesive: step 13, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the stretch release adhesive: step 13, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the stretch release adhesive: step 13, image 3 of 3

    • 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.

    Edit

  15. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the battery: step 14, image 1 of 2 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the battery: step 14, image 2 of 2

    • 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.

    Edit

  16. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Apply isopropyl alcohol: step 15, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Apply isopropyl alcohol: step 15, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Apply isopropyl alcohol: step 15, image 3 of 3

    • 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.

    Edit

  17. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Separate the adhesive: step 16, image 1 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Separate the adhesive: step 16, image 2 of 3 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Separate the adhesive: step 16, image 3 of 3

    • 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.

    Edit

  18. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement: step 17, image 1 of 2 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement: step 17, image 2 of 2

    • 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.

    Edit

  19. Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the battery: step 18, image 1 of 2 Kobo Clara Colour Battery Replacement, Remove the battery: step 18, image 2 of 2

    • 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.

    Edit
Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Remember: after repairs, your eReader is no longer IPX8 waterproof.

For optimal performance, calibrate your newly installed battery after completing this guide.

Make sure each of your device's main functions still work, e.g., LED backlight, touch, Wi-Fi, etc.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers Community for help.

Author

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Alex Diaz-Kokaisl

Member since: 01/16/22

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