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Changing a battery on a Fitbit Versa smartwatch

 My wife's beloved Fitbit Versa smartwatch decided to shutdown one day (before our holiday). The screen wouldn't turn on, and when charging, the device would get very hot. I left it to discharge and tried to charge it again, but it would get hot and the screen wouldn't start. The proximity sensor on the back would flash, but that's about it. The watch was 3-4 years old, so I knew the battery must have expanded and probably failed. Also, warranty was out, no chance of replacing it.


So, I did what I know best - I took it apart, to see if I could replace the battery (I'm not a fan of throwing something out just because a part failed, or it's old). I followed this tear-down guide, and using a razor blade to take out the screen is a must:


My variant was a bit different inside, so here is a picture guide:

https://imgur.com/a/mPtzhyf

You will need a trox 3 screwdriver to take out the 4 main screws, and a very small (don't know the size) Philips screwdriver to take out the 3 screws holding the battery. I was able to order a replacement battery and after a couple of weeks, I did the process in reverse, very careful not to break any ribbon cables. Let's just say that even if the battery fits, the battery cover wouldn't align perfectly, so only 2 screws out of 3 were used to secure it... Connecting back the ribbons was moderately difficult, because the PCBs wouldn't align perfectly, but in the end, it would connect.

https://imgur.com/a/xqifV3W

So, once everything was back together with care and attention - guess what? I heard a high pitched whining coming from the watch (I measured the frequency with an audio app and it had peaks at 7.5KHz, 9.9KHz, 12.4KHz, 14.9KHz, 17.4KHz and 19.9KHz). Also, it started to get hot once more, just like before replacing the battery.

So, in conclusion - the operation was a total success, but the patient is dead. Oh, well, at least I tried...

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Comments

AnotherKoppler said…
mad_ady!
wdlxtv hardcore fan!

you didn't report in since 2 years, but I see you are still alive here! glad you are doing fine!

Greetings!
October 17, 2022 at 2:53 PM
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