Battery replace BOOX M96

Captured forum post on replacing the battery on a Boox M96C.

Overview

After three or so happy years with my M96C I got into a bootloop. The device could not boot up unless it was plugged into the wall. Otherwise it would say BOOX READER, pause 3 seconds, screen goes blank, BOOX READER, repeat.

But it could boot up if it was plugged in.

Aha, I said to myself, maybe it's the battery. (If you see this pattern on your reader, functioning when plugged in and not when not, maybe it's the battery, not your operating system or whatever.)

obtaining a battery

I had already sent the device back after having a screen problem. I paid shipping to China but they were very prompt and sent me another one (I assume), no charge and no problem. But after 3 years the warranty was a thing of the past, and if it was just a battery issue, I wasn't going to send it to China again.

I looked online. No one sells batteries for the Onyx M96C. I wrote to the company's customer service.

Prompt response. The battery would be less than $15, and the shipping less than $25. That seemed reasonable to me. I paypal'd the money, within a day they sent me a DHL tracking number, and within 3 days after that, I had my battery. Great service.

Step by step

1. I also couldn't find any how-to video about changing the battery on this particular reader, so after fortifying my courage with some other e-reader battery-replacement videos, I unscrewed the 2 screws, took a thin bladed knife, and carefully pried the reader open. It wasn't hard.
2. I found the battery easily and pulled off a couple pieces of tape. The original battery was stuck in place with very strong double sided tape. I had to pry it off carefully with the knife, little by little, sometimes sawing at the tape adhesive with the serrations of the knife. Within a couple minutes I got it out.
3. I easily inserted the new battery and plugged it in. Instantly my reader started up normally. Success!
4. Then i carefully lined up the back cover and snapped it back into place. (Sometimes you have to squeeze pretty hard.) It was difficult or impossible to get the back cover 100% aligned like (I think) it was originally. I think the back cover is about 1 mm lower compared to the front cover than it used to be ( by which I mean, if you hold the reader vertically in front of your face, as if you were reading it, the back cover would be 1 mm closer to the floor than the front). However, once I screwed the screws back in, the power button functioned normally, which is the main thing I care about.
5. I was left with small scratches in places on the sides of the cover, but I just don't care about that. Also, there's a small decal inside the reader that says "Void" and gets broken if you open it up, so there's that, but you already knew you were voiding the warranty if you open it, and if the warranty is over with anyway, you've got no reason not to try this, in my opinion.

It's been 24 happy hours, and I've had no problems with it. I recommend this course of action if you have this kind of trouble with your reader. Replacing a battery can get you years more use out of a beloved device. And my experience with Boox customer service was thumbs-up all the way.

Christian (User:exiannyc)

Tips

• Sometimes if my new battery gets completely discharged (if I forget about my reader for a week or two) it won't recharge unless I unscrew the screws, remove the back, unplug the battery, and plug it back in. That process takes about a minute and a half. If I keep the battery from getting all the way to zero, this is not necessary.

• Also, if you have a SD memory card, you should remove it before unscrewing and removing the back, and replace it afterwards. Dismount the card first if your unit is powered on or sleeping.

Discussion

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