Kindle Fire Won't Charge Fix
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 22 июн 2013
- Check out new LOW Kindle Tablet Prices amzn.to/2SWTTxj
Note: If you get a new tablet, you will retain access to all of your previous purchases by using same login.
Original Kindle Fire won't charge anymore. Here's how you fix it. 
Спорт
This video was perfect. I spent about 60-70 bucks mailing my item to a repair shop to have it fixed only for it to return and break again within a few weeks. After watching this video I decided to have a go at it and now it's charging. The repair shop did a BS job soldering the parts together. I didn't spare solder and wasn't going for perfection but still ended with a clean looking job. What really made me try it after watching this video is you opening the device with a steak knife.
Good job Peter!
I have repaired a number of Kindles; this process is NOT for the beginner, faint of heart or those with marginal eyesight! The solder joints on the USB connector are tiny and the side grounding posts are simply TOO SHORT to penetrate through the PCB for a proper & secure solder on to the board.
I've done many DIY electronics projects over the years and I have to say the USB port charging design on the Kindle Fire is one of THE worst designs I have ever seen! The device was clearly designed to have a maximum life span of only several hundred charging cycles before failure. The absence of a secure coaxial DC power port on the device should be a crime.
Do not purchase a Kindle Fire thinking that it will last for a long time, because the only way that will happen, is if you rarely use it!
know of any good alternatives? I want to get something better for my mom and myself both, seeing as it's such a hassle to fix...
@@bd_bandkanon almost any other brand except apple will outperform the kindle in both substance and longevity. Plenty of yt vids against both kindle and apple. Almost as many extolling all other brands. You might want to check out the Zenpad. The 8.0 is similar to the ipad but has more features and is way cheaper.
@@twicebittenthasme5545 Thanks! I'll definitely check that one out.
U wrote a whole essay
@@iiifeelinqsiiii6736 And you read a whole essay.
This was my first attempt at repairing the DC jack on a Kindle. When I first saw how small the 5 pins were I thought to myself that no way can my 56 year old eyes do this, Then I watched your video. I have to say you did a fantastic job with this video and the repair, Thank you so much. I'm off to attempt my repair.
Outstanding question and one that might help other folks, so thank you.
Take it to someone that can. Simply search for electronics repair shop {city name} and see what comes up. In San Jose, Ca I get a ton of them. These guys all know how to solder. Show them the video, they will be happy to pull the board for you. It might be cheaper to pull the board and bring the board and connector to them. They will know what to do. Good luck.
Great video Peter! I would never have attempted to check out my friends Kindle problem if I had not seen your post on RUclips. When disassembled, it was exactly as your described. At 73, eyesight and steady hand are just not what they used to be, so I have a friend who has volunteered to do this process and I hope the end results will be exactly as your video showed. I will keep you posted!
I just want to thank you. I was able to repair my Kindle after watching this video. (My kids thank you too)
I've had two original Kindle Fires. I had to have them replaced two times each while they were under warranty for this same reason. Now that they are no longer under warranty, one of these won't charge at all. Short of throwing it away, I'm definitely going to try this. Thank you!
This is awesome; I fixed my son's Kindle, although it takes some dexterity, and in my case a lot of various magnifying glasses. I just used an old (15 Watt?) soldering iron I got a long time ago from Radio Shack. I carefully cleaned up the metal contacts with some very fine wet-or-dry sandpaper and a tiny screwdriver tip before the soldering part; never used any actual flux, other that what's in the solder. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Peter. In my case the 10 seconds reset resolved the problem and now it works normally again. Big thank you, sir
Helen, Mine was thick too. I used a very small amount of solder; just what would stick to the iron. I always used grounded tip on electronics but if you disconnect the batter first, it isn't going to matter in most cases. Don't worry about the flux, just get heat the traces so that the shine. pulling backwards along the trace will spread solder along the trace and seems to work well.
Thank you! The reset worked...less than 60 seconds into your video and my wife's Kindle is up and running!
honestly thought i was going to have to replace the battery, and all my kindle needed was a button-hold reset. thank you!!
Everything came apart exactly as simple as your video showed. I did find the USB was completely disconnected and it took me several attempts to get the PCB back in as I was leveraging off the USB and the cover each time...finally got it back and it is now recharging just fine again (had to re-solder each time though to be sure it was okay). I had to buy the iron as the one I had is an old Weller unit that is surely not 15W. Radio Shack online had one for $15 plus the 60/40 solder set me back $4. Purchased a multi-tool screw driver set for $3 that had a 000PH and a 00PH. So for less than $24 bucks, back in business! Best Buy Geek Squad told me they would charge $150 to perform the labor! What a joke and THANK YOU for the detail. I am not the best soldering guy either especially with little parts but got it done!
I also have a couple of very small flat screwdrivers that helped. A letter opener with a thin edge could work too. Also try starting near the speaker or an opening in the case.
Wow
I just purchased the Fire HD 8. They were trying to push the warranty on me.
I asked, if I get this warranty and have a problem with the tablet, are you going to take my new tablet and give me a refurbished one.
The lady said no, we don't service tablets or send them out for service, we'll just give you a new one. I didn't believe her.
They tryed to charge this guy...BIG MONEY FOR A FIX
WOW
Just used this to fix my wife's Kindle Fire. Everything worked fine, except that the USB socket was still firmly attached...so I reflowed all of its connections, and that did the trick. Thanks for a very helpful video!
Outstanding!!
Good clear instructions for removing the PCB.
It's a pity that mine didn't have a loose USB connector to fix and, being a UK version, the PCB didn't show the soldered connections at the back of that connector (not that I have the dexterity to undertake soldering on such a small space).
In the end, disturbing the system didn't fix the problem (I didn't really expect it to), but it was a good exercise in accessing the insides of an old Fire.
Thanks
Hey, Peter. You just saved me hundreds of dollars by your video. My problem was in the usb connector. It was poorly soldered on and got loose as you plug in and unplug as you use it. I used my iso tip cordless for fine point soldering. Then I had to try all my charger-cords to see whch was compatible. I owe you lunch. Thanks again.
Just repaired my kindle fire with your vid! It wouldn't charge and the warranty expired a few months ago. I either had to pay about $150 for repairs or buy a new kindle. So the option of taking a little time and buying a $10 soldering kit from Wal-Mart sounded great. [Never soldered before in my life...had to watch a how-to solder tutorial vid :)]
You gave great/ easy to follow instructions. And my kindle is charging as we speak. Thanks for the upload!
Thanks to this video I gained the courage to open the case and perform the repair. My USB connector was also broken away from its solder tabs and I performed the repair as described in the video... it worked. I used a 25W iron I had on hand and filed a very fine point on the soldering iron tip. I would recommend a jewelers loop or a magnifier to do this repair. This stuff gets smaller as I get older! Thanks for the video!
I will attempt the repair, my son's kindle won't charge anymore, not the first one. Your video is the only one I found that actually shows and explains how to do the repair!! Thank you so much, I will let you know how it goes.
@Aaron Burns - If you use a higher wattage iron, it is simply going to be hotter. For electronics, low wattage and grounded tip are preferred, although neither are required. If the iron is too hot you risk lifting the traces or getting cold solder joints. You can simply work faster but this can lead to another cold solder joint. While this bad, it is totally better than lifting a trace (which is not the end of the world either, as it is only a wire and usually can be replaced).I like to heat the components that I am working on to get the solder to flow nicely.
Peter Carcione What size tip are you using? How small are the traces? Are they far enough apart that they will self separate? Also, putting solder on the iron will help the heat transfer, but soldering off the iron is the definition of a cold solder joint.
Peter Carcione Thank you so much, My wife and kids are eternally grateful that I was able to fix their kindle.
Matt Borden Outstanding... It is great to be a super hero to the kids. Glad to help.
+Peter Carcione help please T__T
I used to solder for an itt company and I always soldered with solder on my iron. Which we called carrying our solder. I had never heard the term cold solder joint, we were just told this is bad fix it lol I know the way to fix them though, you need flux and heat as flux paves the way so to speak for a smooth solder joint. I'm looking at getting a soldering iron as my mom's kindle fire has stopped taking charge, it fell in the floor and I'm guessing it's knocked loose the usb port thing. The one I'm looking at on amazon is a 60w iron, as I do have experience with soldering I think it'll still be alright, I can't find a 15w iron on amazon anywhere. I'll just have to work fast and not hold the iron on the board long. I wish I had a microscope to work with as well but I don't.
You have successfully addressed a wide spread problem with the kindle fire. As a temp fix. I fiddled e
With the cord until it made contact with the printed circuit board you mentioned. I'll work on tHe fix when I get a sodder device. You have motivated me to fix it myself. Thanks so much
Thanks Peter for this video! This is what I need to do with my Kindle! I just need to go buy a soldering tool and the wire. I will go to home depot this week-end and let you know how I did! Wish me luck!
This helped, but not because I had to replace the charger. My kindle wouldn't reset, but when I watched your video (perusing the web for a way to fix my dang tablet), I noticed that the battery had a removable connector to the device (the little rainbow-cable). So, I popped my kindle open, barely disconnected that cable for a few seconds, slapped it back in and voila, I now have a way to "hard-reset" my device! Good video, not exactly what you intended but it worked!
Sincere thanks for this post. I was able to fix my daughter's Kindle all by myself. Think she was impressed that Mom knew how to solder. Your instructions were so clear and made the process easy and unintimidating. Thanks again.
Great to hear. My kids thought I was kind of a genius too. Take a look at my other video that shows how to sideload applications from the Google Store, not just the Kindle Store... There are hundreds of thousands more programs on that Google store that will work in the Kindle just fine.
Great news! It is always nice when you can make someone's day, especially someone as important as a sister.
Peter Carcione can I ship you my kindle fire for you to fix it? Please... I accidentally left it outside in a thunderstorm or monsoon storm.
Good job! I have an almost new kindle first generation that my wife bought with the same problem. I have all the tools and more importantly I have the time as I retired recently. thanks for the video.
Update, the USB connector didn't fall on mine off like yours did in the video and the 5 leads were well soldered down. I was the metal tabs on the connector that didn't have solder and didn't want to accept soldering until it was clean up. Then it took solder and the battery charged no problems.
Thanks for the video.
Wow!!!! I was ready to dive in and learn how to replace the battery on my 18 month old Kindle Fire, which quit working yesterday. Your advise on holding down the power button for 10 seconds WORKED!!!! You are a genius and thank you a hundred times over!!!
Yeah!! I fixed it. I watched another vid to learn which connector was what and found that the big golden(ish) one on the side is the touch screen. I made sure the holes in the side lined up with the screw holes before I locked it down. Now it turns on, swipes, and charges! Thanks again for your excellent video.
@brady... Okay, iron might be too hot. You can solder a small 'bonding' wire and fillow the trace backwards and join it at another point. solder traces are just wires.
Nice Job ! Thank you for showing the detail and all the connection clips. It is really helpful,
7 weeks since repair. Daughter uses/charges it everyday. Still working :)
Do you recommend a certain gauge of solder? I'm thinking about doing this exact procedure and am hunting down all the supplies
This really works just pull out the tiny wires from the battery for a few seconds put it all back as it was a bingo thanks so much xx
Will that work on all kindle tablets?
As someone who has soldered and doesn't do it regularly, puling all of this out of the Kindle to try is a bit much. I guess if I really thought it was on it's last legs I would definitely try. I know I'd have the video up and following step by step!!! A lot of great info.
My goal was to help one or two other people out there. I definitely did not expect to have 600,000 view out of this. Yes, a new kindle is $49 and will keep all your programs and books because it is in the cloud.
I had a similar problem that developed with mine. Turns out it would charge, but not boot. Cracked it open after watching your video and found a small problem with one of the connections to the card. Works like new, now. Thank you.
Very helpful. Have to get a small tip soldering gun tomorrow. May have shakey hands but will get it done. Very good video. Thank you.
Thank-you, Peter. I got mine charging again using your instructional video. The only potential problem seems that I started to tear that copper colored ribbon cable when fishing it out during reassembly. Hopefully, not too much damage done.
Thank you so much, i had an old kids fire edition tablet and was preparing to swap the parts until you mentioned about WARRANTY, called amazon and a replacement is on its way as it’s still in the 2 worry, fuss free guarantee, Super helpful video. Thanks again
Thanks, Peter Carcione. I tried this about a year ago and didn't get enough of a build up on the traces due to a wider tip. Used a fine tip the second time and fixed my wife's old original Kindle. Granddaughter has one that won't charge either so I will be looking at that when they come the fourth.
Ken Claridge Great! I am glad that you got it to work. The only thing better than feeling like a hero is when your granddaughter thinks your a hero. I cant wait for the new USB 3.1 connector - sure hope that it is better.Happy 4th, almost.
Oh I hope I can do the guides, your head was blocking the view a piece but the balloon notes were helpful when the view was obscured. Thank you BTW for posting this.
My Fire has been getting progressively worse. Propping/jiggling worked for awhile, but nothing seems to help now. I think I'm ready to try your suggested fix. Thanks for the how-to video.
Thank you for sharing this video. My Kindle fire stopped taking a charge about 6 months ago and my warranty is up. I thought I would be a good Idea to take it apart and check out what was going on, upon looking for instructions of some sort for opening the device I stumbled on your video and I'm very happy because I think my connector is miss hitting because it works when jiggled. Gonna try this, thank you!
Going to try this this afternoon. Bought a Fire for my wife for Mother's Day last year. Right after the warranty was up, it stopped charging. It amazes me that neither best buy nor the company that makes the thing would help my wife.
Kyle,
This is exactly how the problem starts. The traces are cracked and holding it just the right way bends the traces just enough for it to touch and charge. Soon, this we become more and more troublesome and then you will be one of us. :) Since you are out of warranty, it might be worth taking 10minutes and giving it a go. IF you don't want to, I am sure someone would buy it now that everyone knows how to fix it.
Thanks very much: I was about to purchase a battery but then turned to RUclips and fortunately found your much appreciated video...but before embarking on disassembly, I put a charger on the kindle and gently wiggled the port...GREEN charge light came on! Thank you.
I am a certified solderer and an electronic inspector. I just watched your video, and I will be taking my Kindle to work and I am going to give it a try. My usb does not work, except if I finagle it. Wish me luck and I will get back to you with the results. Thanks for the video...
It has been 4 years but did you find this to be the issue with yours?
I wish all RUclips vids were this good. Well done!
Lol. Thanks. This was actually my very first one but has since kicked off a series of over 500 newer videos that I feel are better produced.
I have the same Same problem with the connector. Awesome video and teaching lesson. I will begin tomorrow and see how it goes. Thanks for giving me the knowledge and courage to attempt this. I'll let you know if its successful but now I THINK I can do it! Thanks to you!
I am living with my fourth original Fire, and while it was still in warranty, I'd simply call Amazon,and because I'm a member of Prime, they'd send me a new one immediately, and I had thirty days to return the defective unit. I received my last replacement Kindle Fire on the day my warranty expired. Now, it's out of warranty, and I'll try your repair instructions. Thanks!
This is great. Thanks so much. And I do agree that seeing how you actually "picked up the locks" would be great, at least for us non-experts... Still you saved me from wasting money on buying a replacement battery - or a new kindle as recommended by amazon tech support... This is my first kindle and I love it more than HD so thanks again...
This is great! I got my Kindle a year and a half ago and all of a sudden one day it took hours for it to even charge 15 percent, and then it would die very quickly. So I'm going to try this out and see how it works! Thank you!
Oh Boy! Just found out my kindle isn't holding a charge now. I am going to attempt this! I hope I can do the soldering portion. Fingers crossed! Thank you for this video!
Man...the 10 second reset worked like a charm. Thanks!
Great! Glad that it worked for you, much better than pulling out the soldering iron :0!
Oh, wow, thank you for this. As soon as the shops are open I'm off to get myself a soldering iron. I'll report back as soon as I'm done -- like you say, it's not under warranty any longer, and it can't hurt to try!
Hey Killa,
So it will charge when you plug it into the wall - that is good. Some computers only provide 5v@500ma over USB2, but the brick for the wall provides 5@1A that is 2x more than some PCs. That is why you might not be charging or charging slowly. Sound like you are up an running, but if not... a Kindle Fire 2, it is most likely still under its one year warranty. I would get it fixed by Amazon directly.
thank you so much! i used your video to fix my sister's kindle. it means the world to her!
Your video makes it look less scary than others. Thanks for the help.
It helped me. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
so i took apart my kindle fire because it won't charge and the usb port is fine on it but their is only the big plug coming from the battery that you have to grip the sides and pull out. the connection right next to the big one, it doesn't go to anything. is that normal? their is nothing plugged into it but it doesnt look like anything is supposed to go to it. i hope i didn't confuse you. any help would be awesome on what's wrong with my kindle. thanks!
My first Kindle Fire was replaced by Amazon because of this problem. Six months later, my replacement Kindle Fire developed the same problem. Amazon has refused to make their defective product good. So, since it doesnt work anyway, I have nothing to lose. You can bet I'm going to try this.
Good point. True. With 3 kindles and 4 android phones, we have so many micro usb connectors we checked that without thinking. Those cables and connectors do wear out. You should also make sure that your kindle is not locked up.
Amazing! Let people know which soldering video you watched. It doesn't let you paste links but you can type the exact search terms.
Hello - wonderful presentation! Can I use a cordless 15W soldering iron? You were particular about the grounded tip, so I wanted to be sure before I purchased one?
Just thought I'd add what fixed mine. It appeared it was not charging because the screen did not display anything. I took it apart and measured 3.7 Volts on the battery.... which is what the battery said on it. I decided to try and disconnect the battery for a few seconds, then plug it back in. That fixed my issue.... Thanks for the disassembly portion, that helped out!
Great! Glad that you got it to work again.
Awesome! Haven't had any problems yet, but I'm sure to break out the soldering iron if I need to! Thank you so much for the post!
OMG the reset worked! Thank you SO much!!!
Your video was very helpful in identifying the problem. However I an the type that takes something apart and never am able to reassemble. Also could never work with a soldering tool. Wish that I could, with your instruction would be able to repair my Kindle. May be cheaper to replace. Thanks, very informative.
Thank you. My kindlefire is crapping out on me and I was really annoyed...
You saved Amazon from a pregnant lady's wrath today (:
Did it work??? Fixing to try this myself. And GREAT comment!!! Lol
What size tip are you using?
And, what do you recommend to do if some of the connector pins have broken off and are still soldered to the PCB?
...And, what to do if you accidentally bridge the pins while soldering?
Thanks.
Thanks for this tutorial. I will attempt the fix myself eventually. I can still use my KF, but it's difficult to charge so I have quit using it for games and have the wifi turned off. Appreciate you sharing your experience.
Great demo, I was able to fix my granddaughters Kindle!! Micro USB connector was the problem
Thank you so much! The double 10 second hold did the trick.
this is an awesome video and as soon as i find my sodering iron i'll be trying to fix my old fire. Thanks for this video it's saved!!!
What size soldering wire do you use? I bought 60/40 rosin type, but it looks too big(approx .7mm). I have a soldering iron with variable temp settings but it has just the 2 plugs, no ground. Also what do we use the flux for?
Thanks so much for your video. My handyman is pretty handy with pretty much anything. So I pulled up your video this morning, and now its fixed! Thanks so much!
Excellent video. Clear, informative and funny.
Thanks i did it on my hd and its workin again! thank you! I was thinking on buy a new one, you help me save money.
Thank you so much now I know why my tablet wasn't charging thank you so so much
Thank you thank you thank you. I haven't done it yet but when I do and I will, I will use your tutorial to get me through it. Next time you do this or if you re video tape it, please use closer ups so we can see better but other wise your video was awesome!
Your video is very informative, and you make the process seem so simple.
I however, have never soldered anything in my life, but I do know a few people who have. Hopefully, with the aid of this video, they'll agree to perform electronic surgery for me.
Question though... I may or may not have damaged the charger port itself. If I do these repairs, and it still doesn't work, is it possible to buy a new port?
Great information. I used this video to fix my wife's Kindle Fire. Well, it's charging now still doesn't have enough power to stay on yet. Wish you had showed us how you put those tiny white plastic clips back in though.LOL. I spent a lot so time cursing them.thanks again for the information it was very helpfull.
You reminded me of the little white retainers I removed from the ribbon cables. Unfortunately, you didn't show this part of the reassembly. I had pulled the retainers off the connector and was unable to reinstall them so I cut a little squares from shrink sleeving and pushed them into the connector to secure the ribbon cables. Might have been simpler and cheaper had the Fire been manufactured that way . Thanks for caring.
It is probably just a gap pad. I have seen them used to fill the gap between the PCB and the connector. If it fits there, that would be my guess. Otherwise, it could be used on the other side, to give the port more rigidity and keep it from moving. It would be nice to know that they have addressed this problem.
Thank you very much. I found the video very useful. I have not tried to disassemble my kindle but you have given me a little of what to expect. Thank you.
Very good video, thanks for the education on how to fix this, I was just about to say good bye and waste money on a new one. Thank you for producing this
This is the exact problem I have had with my Kindle. This looks like a doable repair. I do have a question about the usb port. Mine was not connected at all , just like in your video. When I lifted it out there was a small black foam piece. I am not sure how it should be seated. Any suggestions on where it should be? Thanks so much for this video!
Yes, it is best not to let them touch. Swiping towards back can reduce this by spreading solder along traces. Only outside traces are for power. Center traces are for datelines. Good luck
Thanks for the tut Peter, Did as it said and, got it all taken apart and seen nothing wrong with the USB or anything else for that matter. So I put it back together and I'll be damned it started working normally.
If I had any to add to this it would be to say ... be very careful with the "contact" lift tabs, do not force anything. If you pull and it does not come out then look closely and use a magnifier if you have to.
All and all this is a very straight forward tut and if you just take your time you will be successful.
Best of luck to you all and thanks again Peter, my wife is back to thinking I am "the man" now ^_^
Kickass video...
Amazon replaced the first Kindle that crapped out on me but not this one. Can't wait to try this. Thanks!
Worked well and I was able to charge her up a couple of times but I think I may have to redo it again. I don't think I secured the plug enough.
elhombre24 Truth be told, I had to do mine a 2nd time too. Patience.
I have a Gen 1 Kindle fire and it isn't charging anymore. I have done the charging button as you described, but the charger isn't working. I took the back off as you have shown but the charging peg is still firmly attached so now what do I do with it? Do I need a new mother board with the charging attachment? Or do I have to remove the old one and reattach a new charging peg?
Awesome video-thank you for doing this. Now I got mine all a part and a pin is broke off the charging port, I found it stuck to the buffer pads-can it be re-soldered back on? Or do you know of a site to order a whole new port by itself? I GREATLY appreciate your help :)
It can be soldered back on. 2 of the 3 that I fixed were completely disconnected.
I threw it across the room and it works fine now, Thanks for your help
Thumbs Up sir! Thanks for your help! Keep up the tech smarts!
@ Anthony - No, I don't work for Amazon. I was thinking of buying the stock, but never got around to it.
How do we put the case on
Just snaps back on. A little scary but you probably already got there.
Thx
These instructions are quite good. But caution, this is not a task for the faint of heart or skill. I have a good amount of electronic soldering experience, and admittedly was not using a tiny needle tip but I did not get it done right the first time and was really fighting to not short out the tiny, close pads. On my unit the little ground pads at the back of the connector had torn away. Possibly while I was trying to get the connector out so be careful in that step. But the five tiny signal connections on the connector were just lifted off the pads which means they were cold solder joints from the factory. Clearly inadequate process control in manufacturing. On my unit the connector also had ground posts that went through the board and these had not been soldered. I recommend doing that as it makes a stronger mechanical connection for future knocking around. Thanks so much for the video. While it was not an easy repair I am once more a hero for my granddaughter.
Beware when opening the case of the copper foil piece by the lower left corner shown in the video. Keep your knife very shallow or away from this spot as much as possible. The touch screen operation was lost from slicing part of this foil which is right next to the edge of the case which appears to be hard wired underneath.
Good idea to just keep away from the bottom part of the case. Get you hands in there and just pop the back off.
Do you do any repair work for other people? I'm moving from MO to CA for 6-9 months at the end of Aug 2015 and my daughter and I are traveling by car. Neither of our 1st gen KF's charge and I suspect it is the same issue. I would love to send them to you as I do not feel I would be able to do it even if I had the proper tools.
Not sure what sized tip, though I did get a new tip before attempting this. I think the secret is working front to back. This spreads excess solder along entire trace and makes excess balloon out back...so no touching other traces. No problem bridging while soldering...there is no power at this point... take your time
Thank you so much for making this video ;u; I haven't been able to play on my kindle for a year
Good comment. Had no idea that the problem was this widespread. Will try harder in the future. :)