Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

13

Time Required

                          1 - 2 hours

Sections

2

  • Back Panel
  • 4 steps
  • How to fix a Kindle Voyage stuck in a boot loop
  • 9 steps

Flags

3

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Back Panel
  • Insert a plastic opening tool between the plastic panel shown on the device.
  • Use the tool to pry the plastic away from the device.
  • There will be adhesive holding this piece of plastic to the device. You may have to pull pretty hard to get it separated.

Insert a plastic opening tool between the plastic panel shown on the device.

Use the tool to pry the plastic away from the device.

There will be adhesive holding this piece of plastic to the device. You may have to pull pretty hard to get it separated.

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Step 2

  • Use an aluminum driver attached with a Phillips head size #00 to remove the four 3mm screws shown in the picture. For reassembly, note that the top two and bottom two screws are different sizes.

Use an aluminum driver attached with a Phillips head size #00 to remove the four 3mm screws shown in the picture. For reassembly, note that the top two and bottom two screws are different sizes.

Step 3

  • Once the screws are removed, the back panel can slide off the device.

Once the screws are removed, the back panel can slide off the device.

Step 4

  • Remove the magnetic component with the magnetic head of the aluminum driver.

Remove the magnetic component with the magnetic head of the aluminum driver.

Step 5

              Remove the motherboard
  • Make sure to remove all connectors, then remove all the screws.
  • You should be able to remove the motherboard from the case.
  • Remove the battery connector first.

Make sure to remove all connectors, then remove all the screws.

You should be able to remove the motherboard from the case.

Remove the battery connector first.

Step 6

              Solder thin wires to RX, TX, and GND
  • The three wires should go on the pads outlined in red.
  • From left to right, the pins are TX, RX, and GND.
  • If you are finding it difficult to solder to the ground pin, try soldering to one of the shields, which would normally be where the blue outline is.

The three wires should go on the pads outlined in red.

From left to right, the pins are TX, RX, and GND.

If you are finding it difficult to solder to the ground pin, try soldering to one of the shields, which would normally be where the blue outline is.

Step 7

              Put the motherboard back
  • Put the motherboard back into the Kindle, but don’t re-connect the battery.

Put the motherboard back into the Kindle, but don’t re-connect the battery.

Step 8

              Build the circuit on the breadboard and connect the Kindle
  • Using the resistors, diodes, USB serial adapter, and breadboard wires, build this circuit on the breadboard.
  • If you don’t know how to use a breadboard, YouTube is a great place to learn.
  • Sorry for the stupid cropping of the image, iFixit doesn’t like it. See the full image at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showth…
  • Then, using alligator clips, connect the wires on the “kindle” side of the schematic to the appropriate wires from the Kindle.

Using the resistors, diodes, USB serial adapter, and breadboard wires, build this circuit on the breadboard.

If you don’t know how to use a breadboard, YouTube is a great place to learn.

Sorry for the stupid cropping of the image, iFixit doesn’t like it. See the full image at https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showth…

Then, using alligator clips, connect the wires on the “kindle” side of the schematic to the appropriate wires from the Kindle.

Step 9

              Connect your computer to the kindle
  • Plug your USB serial adapter into the computer.
  • Start your serial terminal program (like Minicom). Make sure to disable “Hardware Flow Control”.

Plug your USB serial adapter into the computer.

Start your serial terminal program (like Minicom). Make sure to disable “Hardware Flow Control”.

Step 10

              Connect the Kindle battery and start diagnostic mode
  • Connect the kindle battery.
  • You’ll start seeing text in the serial terminal. When it says “Hit any key to stop autoboot” press a key.
  • Type in “bootm 0xE41000 " and press enter.

Connect the kindle battery.

You’ll start seeing text in the serial terminal. When it says “Hit any key to stop autoboot” press a key.

Type in “bootm 0xE41000 " and press enter.

Step 11

              Upload firmware to Kindle
  • Tap “U - USB Export” on the screen.
  • Plug your Kindle into your computer through the Kindle’s USB port.
  • Download the Kindle firmware from https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/…
  • Open the Kindle drive on your computer and drag the .bin file into it.
  • Eject your Kindle and unplug it from your computer.
  • Press “Q” either onscreen or in your serial terminal.
  • Tap “Reboot or Disable Diags”, or type “D”
  • Tap “Reboot System”, or type “R”

Tap “U - USB Export” on the screen.

Plug your Kindle into your computer through the Kindle’s USB port.

Download the Kindle firmware from https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/…

Open the Kindle drive on your computer and drag the .bin file into it.

Eject your Kindle and unplug it from your computer.

Press “Q” either onscreen or in your serial terminal.

Tap “Reboot or Disable Diags”, or type “D”

Tap “Reboot System”, or type “R”

Step 12

              Flash new firmware
  • The Kindle should now be booting into the regular OS.
  • When the serial terminal says “Press [ENTER] for recovery menu…”, press enter.
  • Type “u” and quickly follow that with the enter key.
  • Your kindle will restore the firmware you copied over previously.
  • At the end of this process, your Kindle should be showing its bookshelf screen.

The Kindle should now be booting into the regular OS.

When the serial terminal says “Press [ENTER] for recovery menu…”, press enter.

Type “u” and quickly follow that with the enter key.

Your kindle will restore the firmware you copied over previously.

At the end of this process, your Kindle should be showing its bookshelf screen.

Step 13

              Put the Kindle back together
  • Unplug the USB to serial adapter, and remove the wires from the kindle.
  • If your wires are thin enough, you may be able to break them away from the pad, but be careful to not tear the pad off.
  • If you can’t do that or just want to be safe, remove the motherboard and desolder the wires, then re-install the motherboard.

Unplug the USB to serial adapter, and remove the wires from the kindle.

If your wires are thin enough, you may be able to break them away from the pad, but be careful to not tear the pad off.

If you can’t do that or just want to be safe, remove the motherboard and desolder the wires, then re-install the motherboard.

To complete the repair, close the device by following the process detailed in the beginning in reverse.

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Author

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                    Merlin04

Member since: 06/24/2019

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Jennifer Gehman - Jun 25, 2019

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Merlin04, you do an excellent job at breaking down the tasks and guiding a person through the process!!