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Replacing Battery on a Android Tablet
steven123
Posts: 3,245 Forum Member
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I recently purchased a Toshiba Excite Write AT10PE-A-104 32GB Android tablet. I managed to get it very cheap since it has a problem in that the battery won't hold charge. The tablet was described as being otherwise new apart from the battery problem and was described as old stock, which seems a little strange since the tablet hasn't been out that much over a year though maybe that's classed as a long time in terms of tablets?
Anyway I received the tablet and while it seems ok on the mains adapter, there definitely seems to be a problem with the battery as the status in Android shows it constantly hopping from empty to apparently fully charged. When the tablet is shut down though the battery (an icon comes up on screen) shows as near empty at all times and won't budge even if I leave it on several hours.
I am considering buying a replacement battery for it as it is otherwise a very high spec tablet and I’d like to have it fully functional but I want to make sure that A. It is something I can accomplish, I have worked on PCs, laptops and consoles but I can’t even see how you open a tablet? and B. that a new battery is likely to fix the problem i.e. could it be something else like the charging circuitry? And finally C. before I even do that, are there any tricks I can try without opening it that might revive an apparently dead battery? E.g. if it isn't working simply due sitting on some store shelf for a year plus could I somehow coax it back into life even with limited capacity?
Also is there any diagnostic software you can get for Android that can determine exactly what has happened to make the battery go bad or what exactly is wrong with it? Whilst I could probably live with using it on the mains if I have to, I am a little concerned that, if the battery is malfunctioning inside the tablet, that it might decide to go bang when I’m using it.
As you can probably guess I am beginning to have second thoughts about the whole thing but it seemed such a cheap way to get such a well specced tablet…..
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Anyway I received the tablet and while it seems ok on the mains adapter, there definitely seems to be a problem with the battery as the status in Android shows it constantly hopping from empty to apparently fully charged. When the tablet is shut down though the battery (an icon comes up on screen) shows as near empty at all times and won't budge even if I leave it on several hours.
I am considering buying a replacement battery for it as it is otherwise a very high spec tablet and I’d like to have it fully functional but I want to make sure that A. It is something I can accomplish, I have worked on PCs, laptops and consoles but I can’t even see how you open a tablet? and B. that a new battery is likely to fix the problem i.e. could it be something else like the charging circuitry? And finally C. before I even do that, are there any tricks I can try without opening it that might revive an apparently dead battery? E.g. if it isn't working simply due sitting on some store shelf for a year plus could I somehow coax it back into life even with limited capacity?
Also is there any diagnostic software you can get for Android that can determine exactly what has happened to make the battery go bad or what exactly is wrong with it? Whilst I could probably live with using it on the mains if I have to, I am a little concerned that, if the battery is malfunctioning inside the tablet, that it might decide to go bang when I’m using it.
As you can probably guess I am beginning to have second thoughts about the whole thing but it seemed such a cheap way to get such a well specced tablet…..Any advice greatly appreciated.
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I'd suggest having a look at the Google Play Store to see if there are any battery diagnostic apps about. In respect of replacing the battery, some independent mobile phone shops will do things like that or you can attempt it yourself. Just google the name & model of your tablet + replace battery and look for the relevant websites and Youtube videos, etc. Good luck!
If not, many Android tablets are relatively easy to take apart to replace the battery. I replaced the screen on an Acer Aspire tab recently and found it quite easy - battery replacement should be even easier as its usually a case of disconnecting it, prising it out of the case and swapping the new on in. As long as the rear casing is easy to take off which quite a few are, they're easier than iPads to dissasemble.
Something like this may help to get the back off with out damaging it and sometimes you can take the back of using an old plastic credit card.
Click here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tools-Repair-Open-apple-iphone/dp/B001LKZNMI/?tag=skim0x12772-21
Unfortunately, this is impossible as it only uses the regular micro USB port for data transfer. It has a custom power adapter, which looks a lot like a smaller version of a laptop power brick with the little circular plug going into the side of the tablet.
Would have been much better if it was just USB like virtually all other tablets these days, could have probably lived with using it on the cable then as they are nice thin discreet cables and easy to hide, a laptop style power brick, not so much...
Anyway, is it even possible for a charger to fail to charge the battery yet power the device, though if it wasn't getting power it wouldn't even turn on?
I doubt it'll be easy to find a battery replacement. And anything genuine Toshiba is going to be used, and possibly faulty.
Maybe selling it on would be the best option?
They occasionally come up on eBay e.g. one live now: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toshiba-AT10-A-AT10-A-104-10-1-Tablet-PA5053U-1BRS-BATTERY-H000042150-/111695530658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1a01928aa2 but with delivery it's the best part of £30 and I wouldn't really want to spend more than £20, especially as if it didn't work I would probably have a very hard time proving the battery was at fault rather than the tablet or my fitting of the battery.
Could resell but considering eBay's fees and postage costs I would have to sell it for at least £10 more just to break even on it.
Though listed at £30 I have been advised they would accept £25 for it. It is used but described as fully functional...
Is this a good deal for a replacement battery?
I think it is probably worth the price for a fully functional tablet, just a bit nervous I buy it and then find I can't get the tablet open to fit it or get access to the battery if I can open it.
Obviously the tablet was faulty in some way for the battery to be taken out of it, thus there is no way the battery is tested
It might be fine, no way to be sure.
If you go ahead with this anyway, you should first attempt to open the tablet before buying the battery.
The changing over of the battery and closing the tablet will be easy in comparison. You can easily break the screen when opening these things, especially with a larger tablet as this one is.
Maybe you could look on YouTube for a video on opening this model.
My suggestion would be to sell the tablet and take the loss. But if you go ahead then why not buy this battery instead:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PA5053U-1BRS-Genuine-Toshiba-3-7VDC-6600mAh-Internal-Li-ion-Battery/231561825853?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3D35702d4bed4d4d4d972c3b63cd9160cb%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D251978811652&rt=nc
It's £15.50 and the same part number and has the same chance of being working as the one you listed.
The trouble is I can't find any videos on opening this tablet at all. Presumably because it was a rather expensive and (it seems) not very popular model. There are reviews and the like but obviously they don't go as far as cracking it open.
As there appear to be no visible screws and the only join I can see is where the front (black) bezel meets the (grey/silver) rear, I would guess you have to somehow prize the black front bezel off of it or is it the rear silver/grey part that comes away from the black front?
Perhaps you can see the join I mean in this picture: http://www.notebookcheck.net/uploads/tx_nbc2/956975.jpg
Thanks for the battery link, I have made an offer on it but would feel better about it if I could get my head around how the tablet comes open....
Probably the same as the Excite 10:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlLEpb4RGGE
(Opening from 1:12)
He used a metal pry tool which normally is not used.
Pry tools can be found on Ebay for cheap.
Look on Youtube for other videos taking tablets apart to get an idea how it's done.
They said they were told by Toshiba to 'load it' for 12 hours though didn't sound like it helped. I'd guess 'load it' means leave it on charge?
They probably wouldn't so you would assume that it was one with something like a smashed screen and it's being split up for parts.
The seller accepted an offer of £10 on this battery(!) and I managed to get some plastic pry tools for £2 odd, so for a total price of under £13 I think it's worth at least trying to get the tablet fully working since these tablets still seem to be worth £200+ when fully functional and it does have a gorgeous screen.
In the meantime I tried a battery fix program from the play store in the (slight) chance the existing battery might be saved. I used this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.battery.lifesave and sure enough it reported a few bad cells and a few inactive ones. After running the repair it said the battery had been successfully repaired but I don't think it's done anything as the battery is still hopping from full to empty in Android and still showing as near empty if I charge with the tablet off.
I'd guess it is most likely the seller would have tried simple fixes like this before selling it?
The other odd thing is the battery fixer program and diagnostic apps like cpu z are showing the battery capacity as only 1000mah, which is surely far too low for a tablet like this? The replacement one I ordered is 6600mah, could this be why the existing battery is no good?
How different are the batteries? Is there any chance at all the replacement might be ok? I don't mind if the battery life isn't as long as the proper one would be just as long as it's safe to use it?
Please advise.
Right one ordered now. Returning the old one. Good mind to charge the twit on eBay that told me the PA5053U-1BRS was the right one for the return postage.
Thought I was really clever getting the thing open safely, then saw the batteries and thought oh s**t.
Leaving it disassembled till he new battery comes as I don't want to have to faff around opening it again.
Do you have a link to the original seller? Was it on Ebay?
Yes, it was on eBay, it's this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181773168387?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
or search item: 181773168387
I actually got an offer of £40 accepted, which I was quite pleased with as it is a really nice tablet, though I'm not sure if it is quite as 'new' as they say as one side was distinctly raised already when I was opening it this afternoon, I'm pretty sure they have opened it in the past, presumably to attempt a repair.
Good luck.
Got the replacement battery and fitted it no problem. thankfully it all went back together fine and luckily nothing seems to have gotten damaged in the process and now the battery works
I haven't really stressed the tablet yet with games, but have been using it as an ereader every night for the last few weeks and the battery life seems to be really good.