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Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement

Introduction

This repair is surprisingly easy: you need a guitar pick, your fingernails, and some wedge to pull the battery out of its backing glue. It might be dangerous because the battery is flexible and could burn or explode if punctured, but in practice it seems safe enough.

This is similar to the kobo glo ereader Screen Replacement but easier. See this thread for a detailed discussion.

For your safety, discharge the battery below 25% before disassembling your device. This reduces the risk of fire if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.

What you need

  1. Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Completely power down the device: step 1, image 1 of 1

    • Just hold the top power button.

    • In my case the battery was out of power so I wasn't able to actually power it down, which is why you do not see the typical "Powered down" message on the screen. That should not matter.

    Edit

  2. Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Remove back cover: step 2, image 1 of 3 Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Remove back cover: step 2, image 2 of 3 Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Remove back cover: step 2, image 3 of 3

    • 1. flip it backwards so it is face down on your desk

    • 2. use a pick or your fingernails to pry the back open

    • 3. when done, you should see the battery (in grey) and the main board (in green)

    Edit

  4. Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Unplug the old battery: step 3, image 1 of 2 Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Unplug the old battery: step 3, image 2 of 2

    • The connector is white at the end of red/black cables

    • It can be disconnected with tweezer or (more easily) just with your fingers

    Edit

  5. Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Pull out the old battery: step 4, image 1 of 3 Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Pull out the old battery: step 4, image 2 of 3 Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Pull out the old battery: step 4, image 3 of 3

    • This is the tricky part! Be careful not to puncture or bend the battery too much!

    • You can start prying out the old battery by picking at a corner if there's a flat piece of plastic without any battery stuff under it, as in the picture.

    • When the battery is about this removed, you may be able to just pull it out with your fingers.

    • Take time to gently pry battery out! In the photos here the battery is deformed, see the comment below for an alternative procedure.

    Edit

  6. Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Dispose of the old battery: step 5, image 1 of 1

    • The battery is glued to the back of the front panel.

    • Don't forget to dispose safely of old batteries! Bring it to your local recycling program, don't throw it in the trash!

    • Also: you might want to keep it around in case your repair fails and you need to put it back in.

    Edit

  7. Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Put the new battery in.: step 6, image 1 of 3 Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Put the new battery in.: step 6, image 2 of 3 Kobo Glo HD eReader Battery Replacement, Put the new battery in.: step 6, image 3 of 3

    • Place the new battery down in the place of the old one.

    • Plug in the power cable, I found that the easiest is to just push it in with my fingers. Make sure it is well connected and flat down on the board.

    • I am not sure how to make the new battery hold. If you have double-sided tape, it might just work here.

    • Otherwise the battery kind of fits in there snugly and doesn't move that much. You might get away with just leaving it like this.

    • What is certain is that the old glue doesn't work for the new battery, so you definitely will want something to hold it in place here.

    Edit
Conclusion

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

7 other people completed this guide.

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anarcat

Member since: 07/17/21

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6 Comments

Take lots of time to very gently pry battery out. Carefully, so as not to rupture the battery skin, insert a steel ruler 1mm thick 3cm wide under the short side. Push gently and wiggle left and right. When it doesn't slide further without force, leave it somewhere safe (fire) at body temperature (soften glue), with the ruler in place. Do not overheat beyond body temp. Wait 15 minutes and repeat pushing and waiting. The battery will eventually let go with virtually no bending at all. Certainly no deformation as shown in the pic here.

philip baker - Reply

Thanks, that's valuable advice! I've amended the battery step to point to your comment, in case people want to do the right thing...

anarcat -

I love this guide, thanks so much! Just replaced my battery super nicely. It was a hassle to get it loose indeed, but I just had patience and that made it work <3. Thanks!!

oooskar - Reply

Thank you so much for this guide! I used it to replace the battery in my Kobo Clara HD. The internals are in a slightly different orientation but I can confirm that it uses the same battery as the Glo and that the replacement linked in this guide will work. The double sided tape you suggested works great too. Thanks again!

evergreen - Reply

An even easier way to get the battery loose is using a string, pull the string underneath the battery from one way to the other. It takes a bit of force and is easier with 2 but it is fast and safe, you may have to pry the battery up at first to get the string underneath the battery.

Zain - Reply

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