How to disassemble the device?
Described primarily for the kobo nia, but guides found here apply for other devices too
at your own risk, obviously
power off your device ( completely, not only sleep )
ordered by best to worst
Overall notes:
- Specialised tools will perform better, obviously
- metal tools have a potential of damaging the case
- be gentle
- the first opening will always be the hardest
- can be too soft for the first opening
- I wasn't able to use it on the nia, but I heard others could, so you can try too
- Szybet's favorite
- can damage the plastic case if you try too hard
- it's just like opening picks but harder
- flat, hard plastic ( a credit card, maybe )
- a flat screw driver ( will damage the case )
- fingernails ( one guy did it like that, it will hurt...? )
- knife ( metal, will damage the device )
Look up how the device looks in the inside
You need to avoid the places where the flex cable is near the edge, where the button is and where the usb port is.
As for opening it, just look up some videos on yt, me describing it is pointless... Videos like this one: https://youtu.be/WDfli2lrxQE?t=74
As for the kobo nia, keep in mind it's being opened by removing the back plate on the back, nothing more, the screen stays in place.
Now you have 2 paths to follow:
- The safer one after, but harder to do:
- with a plastic tool, disconnect the battery connector ( it goes up )
- click the power button for a few seconds
- Now if you drop anything metal into the circuit, it won't short and burn your house down. Still don't do it, you could break something off. Don't even touch it, electro static charge and stuff
- Dangerous but faster and more practical
- nothing, just don't touch anything, don't do anything weird, don't drop anything.
Now disconnect the sd card. The first time it will be hard to pull out, be gentle and be sure of what are you doing.
Remember to make a backup of the original sd card.
If you are an advanced user, consider replacing the waveform https://github.com/Szybet/eink-waveforms
- A lot of glue, the front is very fragile...
Flex cables are the orange things on the PCB. They are sensitive and easily damaged. For the kobo nia it's this one:
Yes, while opening avoid those fragments of the case
I did watch some kobo disassembly videos, and someone had gloves. is that necessary, if I do a lot of things by touch?
- Don't touch anything you don't need to
- Anti static gloves are good if you have them, if you don't just go touch some ground ( electrical one, not the dirt )
I can see they're prying. it looked like a lot started at the corner. i think someone said start by the power button, but that's wrong, right?
- near the corner, not exactly by the corner. The corners doesn't have so much support so it's easier to open them first
- You can damage things that are near or in the edge by poking them, obviously. So yes, avoid those places
The cable that goes out of the battery, for the nia it's this one:
I guessed a wave form is the type of electric current that changes the ink, and I just looked it up. it seems like it's a physical device that controls the electric current that changes the ink, right?
We name the waveform the calibration for your screen. It's different from device to device. If you would reed the INSTALL file, you would know that having a wrong calibration for your screen can damage it. If you don't know what the Szybet/eink-waveforms is talking about, skip the step. It's not needed, it will work for 99.99% of the time anyway. It's a risk, but a small one, so just be aware of it. Once again, everything at your own risk, obviously