Kobo Mini (& Touch?) batteries on Amazon

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Cootey

If the specs were the same, I could have worked with that, but the connector you’re showing is not the one I have on the battery here. It’s the wrong connector as far as I can see. I didn’t take it out of its package so that I could return it.

If you ordered it from Amazon and got the right connector then I was just shipped the wrong battery, so your link is probably fine. i’ve been having problems with Amazon shipping the wrong products lately. So I’ll just pick it up from Aliexpress.

No. I now see the battery from Amazon is too long...

I got the Mini battery from Aliexpress. It's smaller than the original but it looks like it has the right connector... I think. At some point I managed to break the connector on the board of my Mini as well as the connector on the batteries wires. That's what I get for not having eyes clear enough to see these tiny connections. So, I decided, if I have to solder the battery anyhow (I don't currently have a soldering iron), I might as well use the battery I originally bought from Amazon. But, you're right, it's too long. It's supposed to be 59mm (like my other one) which just fit, but it's actually about 63mm. So it ISN'T exactly the same battery I bought before on eBay (even though it's the same seller with the same battery number). 59mm JUST fit. 63mm WON'T fit.

As for the connector (even though that's moot because the battery is too long) — on my Mini (that I did get fixed) I cut the connector off the original battery, and stripped the connector on the new battery and joined it (twisted and taped it) to the old connector. The connector they sent me was also the wrong one, I think the same as you got (but I knew that going in).

Be extremely careful with the Mini's battery connector when you remove the old one. It's tiny. When you replace it with the new battery from Aliexpress make sure the connectors are the same before pushing it on. Even with the Kobo Mini battery from Aliexpress it may not be the exact same connector, so you might end having to use the old one. (But it probably is the right one, I think I managed to wreck the connector on the board when I accidentally broke the connector on the old battery's wires.) As mentioned, my eyes are not good enough and my hands are too clumsy for this small work.

At any rate, I will delete the Amazon link. The battery should be 59mm long, but it isn't. And 59mm was the maximum the Mini can use.

EDIT: Forgot to add pictures of the Kobo Mini battery from Aliexpress. First picture is of the battery and all the stuff that came with it. And the second shows it installed (except the connector wasn't working — didn't know that when I took the picture). You can see that it's smaller than the original.

[rcentros]

I picked up a soldering iron at Harbor Freight (and some solder) and was able to solder the battery leads in the Mini — and everything is working fine. I've attached a picture. My son wanted me to put the tape down on the wires, but I don't think it was necessary. (It's a kind of like cloth tape.) The soldered points seemed strong on their own. Fortunately it was an easy soldering job, I'm not not capable of much else.

Anyhow the Mini is charging well and I'm happy to have it back up and running.

[Cootey]

Originally Posted by rcentros

EDIT: Forgot to add pictures of the Kobo Mini battery from Aliexpress. First picture is of the battery and all the stuff that came with it. And the second shows it installed (except the connector wasn't working — didn't know that when I took the picture). You can see that it's smaller than the original.

Thank you for the tips. I’ll keep them in mind. I might be doomed from the start, though. What will I do if they don’t send me that Panda keychain? It’s integral to the repair job!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Cootey

Thank you for the tips. I’ll keep them in mind. I might be doomed from the start, though. What will I do if they don’t send me that Panda keychain? It’s integral to the repair job!

I caused most of my own problems. I'm guessing you'll be better at this than I was. Although I'm happy with the final result (despite all my own attempts to sabotage myself). The Kobo Mini charged to 100% and is holding strong.

Sorry I didn't measure the original battery from Amazon until after you pointed out it was too long. I was just stuck on the fact that it had the right number — it should have been 59mm long, but obviously it wasn't.