I have replaced the 160gB Battery

[john.f.hall]

Hi, I thought I would pass on my experience of replacing the battery in the 160gb version:

I started by removing the small screws from each of the four sides. This enables the removal of the 'frame' from the back. The back flat panel can then be removed by another two small screws.

You now have access to the hard drive, which can be removed by four large 'star' screws. I did this with a normal screwdriver but I am sure its easier with a special tool. This enables the drive to slide out, with a bit of force.

You can now see the battery, and the fun starts here. I had to prize open the front lcd to then be able to bend the battery, in its middle, which enabled the battery to move out of its very fixed position. Then I cut the two wires from the battery which enabled the battery to be completely removed. This was actually a very difficult part of the process and
I suspect is the one that a lot of people might decide it is a step too far. This enabled me to then slide the new battery into the slot, with a bit of persuasion!

I decided not to solder the wires in place, and just joined the old and new wires together, and then covered the bare wire with some electricians tape.

I then put everything back together again, and with huge relief the unit switched on and I have a working 605 again.

I would not recommend somebody to undertake this task unless the are confident in a very fiddly process, but obviously when your battery was as dead as mine you might have no choice!

[Kodiak]

Thanks for posting this and congratulations on your "new" 605.

[yamatosoul]

Great report. Where did you get the battery?

[BlythS]

Good job.
Now that you know it works though, I'd recommend you open it back up and solder the wires together. Put some aluminum foil under the wire to catch stray drops of solder. If you just leave the wires connected as they are they can oxidize and the quality of the connection will deteriorate over time. Being next to a warm/hot battery would likely speed up the process as well.

[john.f.hall]

Thanks for the advice about the wires, now I have the confidence of the strip-down this will be very easy, especially as the battery can stay in its position.

I bought the battery from www.eclipsecomputers.com in the UK, not sure I would recommend them as they took three weeks to deliver, and that was after I contacted them. They said they had no stock, but I got no communication from them before I had to chase.

I wanted to post this entry because there appears to be very little information about the battery replacement on the 160, a lot of info about the 30gB version which looks a lot easier as the battery is in a different place.

[kooltilldend]

wow i wish someone would do it for me...i'd even be willing to pay them (to a reasonable amount ofcourse)

i'm anything but good at soldering and all that jazz...otherwise i'd def. do this...maybe i'll just have to wait till i head back to thailand or something

[jimboe]

Very nice. Thanks for the post. It gave me the push I needed to do my own. I also found a site with many pages of step by step instructions, including pics. I was getting barely an hour of video play so I knew I was doomed to the dead battery club. I did the twist/tape on mine too and it's working fine so far. Thanks again for the post..

[bioman]

I also found a site with many pages of step by step instructions, including pics.

Which site is that? Can you give the URL?

[jimboe]

http://alilokhandwala.co.cc/node/30

The pics say they are for an 80gb but I couldn't tell the difference as I was ripping mine apart.

[bioman]

That is a very nice & clear explanation!! Thanks. It also tells me that it is not something that should be done by the not-so-technically-skilled (like me... ).