Introduction
Our Kindle 2 shipped on Monday, February 23rd, a day early. Thanks to UPS Next Day Air, we have the reader in our hands Tuesday morning.
What you need
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It's here!
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Thanks to the magic of E-Ink, the Kindle comes with setup instructions displayed on the screen itself. No plugging in is required.
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Size comparison: Definitely not as big as a 17" MacBook Pro Unibody.
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The Kindle 2 weighs only 10.2 ounces. Per pound, that makes the Kindle 2 even more expensive than the $2,799 MacBook Pro 17" Unibody we took apart last week.
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Tool used on this step:Metal Spudger$2.99
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Prying the back off...
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Getting inside is easy once you know how. We used some plastic opening tools and a metal spudger, and finally managed to get in.
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The matte-gray top cover comes off first.
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There are two Phillips screws to remove before the Aluminum back can be removed entirely.
If anyone is still looking for this in 2020 like I was, don’t try prying anything or poking around with those tools or you’re likely to break off some plastic tabs that you don’t want to break off while not accomplishing anything useful.
The gray plastic cover is attached to the metal cover by two tabs go under the metal cover. The location of these tabs is on each side of “amazonkindle” logo on the metal cover. Simply put your thumbs on each side of the logo to get them in the correct position, then slide them over to the plastic piece so that they are near the tabs (which you cannot see), and then press down gently to disengage the tabs while pushing the gray plastic piece away from the metal piece. If you do it right, it slides off easily.
Thank you very much for pointing this out (about to put in a new battery)! This is the right way to open it.
The gray plastic cover comes off easily, but I'm having trouble with the metal cover on the back. Any tips?
I couldn't get the “gentle” pressure to work to disengage the tabs. With the Kindle screen face down, note that the hooked part of the clip points up. I used a pry tool to create a gap, then another pry tool to press down directly on the clip.
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We're in!
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It's still not very pretty; just more white plastic.
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Twenty Phillips screws hold the white plastic paneling in place.
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Interestingly, nothing was attached to the large white and brown connector near the top of the board.
That's a standard mini-PCIe WWAN (EVDO) card - perhaps one could scope the AT commands being sent to the card, then insert the card into PC and send the same AT commands for unlimited (free) data...
Also, there's a missing SIM holder below the WWAN card - this means a GSM/UMTS version of the Kindle is planned!
Quote from tnkgrl:
That's a standard mini-PCIe WWAN (EVDO) card - perhaps one could scope the AT commands being sent to the card, then insert the card into PC and send the same AT commands for unlimited (free) data...
Also, there's a missing SIM holder below the WWAN card - this means a GSM/UMTS version of the Kindle is planned!
It's a Novotel E725 Mini PCIe card. Despite the "E727NV" - the FCC ID of that card is the Novotel E725. In theory you'd just need the proper drivers and the modem's dialing strings/connection info from the unit itself, which may or may not be hard to find.
Also, the 'white and brown' connector you note is most likely the debugging connector, just as was on the Kindle 1.
Quote from cepler:
that looks more like an SD card outline to me.
No, it is a SIM connector, a SD connector wouldn't make sense in that place, and SD connectors have more pins
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Remove two Phillips screws and the battery lifts out easily.
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The battery is Model No. S11S01A. It's a 3.7 V, 1530 mAh lithium polymer battery. The battery weighs in at 31 grams, just over 10% of the Kindle's total weight.
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The wireless card is also easily removable by removing two Phillips screws.
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After removing sixteen more screws, we've made it to the main PCB.
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Everything exciting is still beneath silver EMI shields.
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The Kindle was designed by Lab126, a secretive Amazon subsidiary based in Cupertino that designs consumer devices. Thus far, they have only released the Kindle 1 and 2.
Are there part numbers for any of the switches on the left hand side of the unit (as shown in the picture)? In particular the 5-way switch!
I'm looking for the same information.
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Even with the battery completely removed, the screen displays a crystal clear image.
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The display is held by a "window frame" of adhesive. Gentle prods and twists from all sides with a plastic opening tool separated the display.
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Removing the display reveals a bunch of vias on the PCB. Nothing too terribly exciting.
How is the display connected to the PCB? Can you show a side view?
Quote from Locke:
How is the display connected to the PCB? Can you show a side view?
The orange display ribbon wraps around the edge of the logic board and connects with a ZIF connector. We added a photo on this step with a side view that shows the display connector.
Is the display glued to the logic board? How hard would it be to remove?
Quote from Locke:
Is the display glued to the logic board? How hard would it be to remove?
The display is adhered to the logic board, but we were able to remove it without damaging either the logic board or display.
Quote from luke:
The display is adhered to the logic board, but we were able to remove it without damaging either the logic board or display.
Just wanted to add a couple of comments to Luke's reply...
With a careful hand you can separate the display from the logic board in less than ten minutes. Just pry carefully on all sides. However, note that the display has a front bezel that attaches via several little "bumps" on all sides. If you're trying to remove the display, make sure not to dislodge the display's bezel by mistake, since the bezel will warp very easily and will have to be replaced.
Question, the wireless adapter in the kindle, looks strangely identical to Mini-PCI, if not Mini-PCIe, would it be plausible to take that and insert like normal on a PC? Wouldn't that be a sure way to tether? lmao.
just my 2 cents
Quote from miro:
Just wanted to add a couple of comments to Luke's reply...
With a careful hand you can separate the display from the logic board in less than ten minutes. Just pry carefully on all sides. However, note that the display has a front bezel that attaches via several little "bumps" on all sides. If you're trying to remove the display, make sure not to dislodge the display's bezel by mistake, since the bezel will warp very easily and will have to be replaced.
Miro,
These Kindle 2's are slippery and not forgiving when you drop them. I've lost the screen on mine. It still reads but the background is very grey ... hard to read the black type. Amazon wants $200 to repair. I wonder if I can find the parts and replace them myself. Or if there is a way to reverse the type from black on white to white on dark grey. What do you think?
jjimbo
Very new to this ...
I also have a broken screen on a K2 [out of warranty]. Is there anyone out there repairing them?
sdfg -
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A close-up shot of the center area of the board.
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The large MC13783VK5 is a Freescale battery power management chip.
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The ISP1105 (smaller chip in the left enclosed area) is a USB transceiver.
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The main processor is in the upper left. The Freescale chip is labeled MCIMX31LVKN5C M91E CTAH0850V. It's a 532 MHz, ARM-11 90nm 14mm package.
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To the right of the processor, the Samsung K4X1G323PC is a 32MB mobile DDR SDRAM chip. There another Samsung SDRAM chip in the lower right.
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The large Samsung package in the lower left is the Kindle's main memory. It's a 2 GB moviNAND package, which includes both flash memory and the cotroller.
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The co-branded Epson and E-Ink chip on the right is the display controller. It is a PFBGA package that supports "high speed screen updates (2048x1536 at 50Hz+)."
Hi,
K4X1G323PC is IMHO a 128MB chip:
it has 1G density and it's internal organization is x32, what makes it a 32Mx32 according to this document: http://www.samsung.com/global/system/bus...
But still, 1Gbit / 8 = 128MB.
nevertheless: you would not expect less than 128MB paired with such a processor installed...
Correct me if I am wrong.
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5 Comments
hey guys great post. Any idea how or where I can get a HIgh resolution image near the USB connector. I think I knocked off a capacitor or resistor for the kindle 2 model from Lab26 model D00701, just looking to put the part back on but need to confirm the location
since there are other NO LOADs (parts that are not populated).
thanks, Phil
anyone?
For anyone still looking for this, make sure you see my comment under Step 5 for how to properly get the back covers off.
