iRiver H10 20gb disassembly instructions (with pics)

[BiGRED84]

+1 on what Andy said, i am having problems of a similar nature

[kwokinator]

I'd like to take a moment to thank GamerGeek for writing these helpful instructions

I just got a new battery, and with the help of a friend (I have no patience for this kind of tasks that require careful minute details and attention), I have a new battery installed

Didn't pry the case open, just kept prying the circuit board a bit upwards to free the white power cable enough to pull out the old battery and put in the new one

Ended up severing one of the small black cables cables that connect from the small circuit board on the battery side to the other board, and lost one of five small silver screws for the circuit board on the battery side, but I tested it and everything works fine, hopefully the cable does nothing...

Anyway, thanks! Without the guide, I probably wouldn't have made it.

[magngineer]

Originally Posted by BiGRED84

+1 on what Andy said, i am having problems of a similar nature

I just fixed one that had the same problem as you & "Andy". Assuming your new battery is good, If doing a hard reset does not solve the battery drain problem (known issue), the motherboard will most likely have to be replaced.

There is probably a failed component on the motherboard allowing a large amount of leakage current, I guessing in the charging circuit. My bad motherboard would drain a brand new battery from 4.2V fully charged, down to 3.7V in 3 hours as you described. It would do this with the unit turned off, even after a hard reset. Replacing the motherboard solved the problem.

Look for an "as is" unit on Ebay with a bad hard drive or bad scroll pad. There are several on there today that will end soon. It's never guaranteed, but the motherboards are usually OK on these types of failures.

Good Luck !

[owencord2007]

I'm about to change the battery on my h10...
Would the size of teh battery have any effect on the motherboard?
I noticed that the 2200mAh had problems as apposed to the 1700...
Man i hope not!

[SirrahDorraj]

Originally Posted by GamerGeek

THE TOOLS YOU WILL NEED (click the images for a larger view):


1 - iRiver H10 20gb MP3 player
1 - very small Phillip's head screwdriver (1.5mm works best)
1 - T5 Torx® screwdriver
1 - pry tool (check ebay for "iPod pry tool", they're cheap) (iPod pry tool, MP3 Accessories, Cell Phone PDA Accessories items on eBay.com)
1 - tweezers (optional, but ultra handy!!)

T5 Torx® screwdrivers or bits are hard to find. After checking several hardware stores I was able to locate 1 (the LAST one at that!) at a local Sears in their hardware dept.

[Seagull]

Thank you GamerGeek, I've just replaced the battery in Mrs Seagull's H10 very easily thanks to your guide. It's all back together again and it powered up!

A few tips.
I'm UK based and ordered the H10 battery from Corporate mobile accessories for HTC, Vodafone, Tmobile, O2 xda, Orange, Blackberry and Brodit. I'd recommend them for the speed of delivery (Dispatched the day after order) and it also came with the required pry tool.

After 1/4 hour trying to pry the back off, I gave up and used a bit of brute force to pull the battery out of the case. I thought, as it was only going in the bin, it didn't really matter if I trashed it. Pushing a thin flat blade between the black plastic (under the small circuit board) and the battery freed it up and let me get it out of the case by bending the end of the battery up and pulling and wriggling it.

Be careful when pulling the 2 halves of the cases apart, that you don't put too much strain on the little black wire that connects them. I did, and it came away from the small circuit board, meaning I had to solder it back on.

And to answer SirrahDorraj: I also couldn't find a T5 Torx® screwdriver in any local shops. Suggest typing "T5 Torx" into ebay search. There are loads listed on there very cheaply

[SirrahDorraj]

Originally Posted by Seagull

And to answer SirrahDorraj: I also couldn't find a T5 Torx® screwdriver in any local shops. Suggest typing "T5 Torx" into ebay search. There are loads listed on there very cheaply

Here is one I just found:


VIM Hand Tools VIMMTX900 7 Pc. Mini Torx Screwdriver Set - Toolfetch.com

and:


7pc Star Bit Set, T-4 to T-10: Widget Supply

And:


KD Tools (KD 80056) 6 Piece Mini Torx Screwdriver Set - KD 80056

Just a few options.

[SirrahDorraj]

Originally Posted by Topo

Re: Successful battery change...
I have two iRivers, an H320 and an H10-20GB.
During it's first few months, my H320 developed what the useless tech-support folk at iRiver like to call "the battery issue".

The following is the reply I received when I inquired as to the part number for the battery installed in the H20:

From: iRiver Custoemr Service [mailto:support@irive rinc.com]
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 12:23 PM
To: Sirrah
Subject: 읽음: Part Number for H10 20GB battery

메시지

받는 사람: support@iriverameric a.com
제목: Part Number for H10 20GB battery
보낸 사람: 6/20/2008 8:26 AM

6/20/2008 9:23 AM에 읽음.

Followed by:

From: Iriver Customer Service [mailto:support@irive ramerica.com]
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 1:41 PM
To: Sirrah
Subject: Part Number for H10 20GB battery

Greetings;
We appreciate you contacting the Iriver Support Center.
If you are having problems with the devices battery and want to replace it, you cannot do so yourself. To replace the battery you will need to email estore@iriverinc.com for a repair cost of the battery replacement.

Thank you

Best Regards,
IRiver Service Center
support@iriverinc.co m

Here was my response to them:

Why can’t I do it myself? I was trained by the United States Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician, and have over 20 years of experience in the field. In that time, I have repaired sensitive electronics components for multi-million and billion dollar aircraft, so I think I am more than qualified to work on an out of warranty mp3 player. I also have access to all of the tools and equipment I could possibly need to make the swap. All I need is the part number for the battery so that I can order the correct part.

I'm curious to see what their response will be.

[bmgmaster]

Thanks for the excellent instructions on pulling apart an H10 20Gb player. I found them extremely useful for removing a dead battery.

To make the job even easier after I removed the Hard disk and the circuit board from inside the back cover, and after it became apparent that unless I used a significant amount of force to remove the battery, it was not coming out, I used the following method:

After about 10 minutes, I used a hair dryer with the temperature set to maximum and I heated up the back cover and then slowly removed it by prying and reheating the cover - mainly the top half of the cover.

Please note to take extreme care when using the hair dryer as this will heat up the cover and the cover may get a little too hot to hold.

Hope this little removal tip helps others.

[cbarrie]

I have replaced my battery using the tools and battery provided by Cameron. The instructions were very clear and easy to foillow up on my screen. Now I can get going again with my H20
Chris Barrie

[Famf9983]

Hey. I followed this guide to replace my battery. I used this battery: iRiver H10 20GB Music Player Extended Battery 2200mAh Li-Ion Polymer

Anyway, I got it in, but when I tried to start up the MP3 player, I get an error saying the system files are missing and that I should do a recovery. I try to, but the recovery thing does not detect the MP3 player. And it isn't showing up as a removable drive anymore.

Anyone have any idea what's wrong?

[magngineer]

If the player worked OK before the battery swap, check the ribbon cable connections to the HD. The HD cable is the wide one. Make sure the ends are all the way into the connector before locking them down.

[Famf9983]

Originally Posted by magngineer

If the player worked OK before the battery swap, check the ribbon cable connections to the HD. The HD cable is the wide one. Make sure the ends are all the way into the connector before locking them down.

I've tried. How can I make sure it's all the way in? I'll keep messing with it. What is the black cable that is next to the battery cable? Is it just for the FM radio?

[magngineer]

Originally Posted by Famf9983

I've tried. How can I make sure it's all the way in? I'll keep messing with it. What is the black cable that is next to the battery cable? Is it just for the FM radio?

Just push it in until it stops and then lock it down. The HD ribbon cable should slide in and out fairly easy.

The black wire is to connect the ground plane on the daughter board to the ground plane on the main board. It should be connected.

[jbeck59]

Originally Posted by SirrahDorraj

T5 Torx® screwdrivers or bits are hard to find. After checking several hardware stores I was able to locate 1 (the LAST one at that!) at a local Sears in their hardware dept.

Regarding Torx, they are very common these days, you can get them from Amazon:

Amazon.com: torx

I bought this set:

Amazon.com: TORX 6pc Mini-screwdriver set w/plastic case: Home Improvement

quality is good, and price was cheap.

There seem to be a number of folks looking for a good source for battery replacements. My battery in my H10 20GB now only lasts 20 minutes or so on a full charge. Can anyone suggest a reliable shop to get a replacement battery and post specific part numbers or URLs? I don't want to spend more than $30 and I am unsure about buying those I saw on Ebay. Most are listed as shipping from China

Thanks,

Jeff

[McFly]

Hi all - I have the H10 20 GB whose battery is down to about 2 hours on a charge. Some times I power it down at night with 2 or 3 bars on the battery meter and turn it back on the next morning to find it out of juice, so I think its time to replace the battery..

There's a lot of info posted regarding replacement batteries - just want to be sure I order the compatible part for the 20Gb unit.

850 mAh? 1700 mA? 2200mAh?

Which is the "right" rating?

TIA, Jerry

[Neville Street]

Thank you thank you thank you!!! There is something particularly satisfying about giving a whole new lease of life to a much loved gadget which after 3 years of almost daily use was not holding a charge for more than 2 or 3 hours. Don't know how long a life the new battery will give, but the feeling of satisfaction comes from following these instructions and replacing the battery successfully.

To get the battery cable out (and the new one back in) I did have to remove the small circuit board.

Mine is 2200Mah and came from GPS for less (link on this thread somewhere). About £12 delivered from memory (I bought it a couple of months ago, but only just plucked up the courage to try the replacement).