Słomkowski's technical musings

Playing with software, hardware and touching the sky with a paraglider.

Replacing broken Kobo Mini e-ink display

Created on .

Because of impact, e-ink display in my BlueFly vario got broken, black stripes were shown on half of the screen. I decided to replace it. First, I opened Kobo up to make sure I would order an appropriate model.

Remove the cover and unplug the battery connector then unplug the display:

Removed cover of Kobo Mini.
Kobo Mini with removed cover. Battery unplugged.

Unscrew four screws holding the PCB. Move the board aside:

Disassembled Kobo Mini. PCB moved aside.
Knife put between glued surfaces of the bezel and the display.
Gently put the knife between the display and the frame. They should eventually separate.

Unscrew four screws joining magnesium frame to the plastic bezel. Remove the frame with the display. The display is glued to the frame by two stripes of double sided tape. Use kitchen knife to gently separate them, as shown in the photos.

Display completely unglued.
Unglued display with technical markings.
Kobo Mini broken display with black stripes.
Broken display. Stripes visible.

The original display had following markings on it:

ED050SC3(LF) H1 EMN50A5011(B144)
E1N004E41K5V03797AT

The exact type is ED050SC3. I bought mine on AliExpress for $15. The new display is protected by the transparent adhesive tape, remember to remove it before the assembly.

Kobo Mini replacement display.
New display.