iPad battery replacement ?

[ExSp33db1rd]

iPad battery replacement ?

Is this possible ?

I have an iPad Mini Mk.2, about 4 years old ( maybe only 3 - memory !) and the battery charge is being used up very quickly now, necessitating almost daily re-charging, even tho' I rarely look at videos, never play music, mainly used for travelling e-mails and accessing the Internet. Occasionally Facetime grandchildren, but not very often.

I am of the opinion that the battery is on its last legs and have been advised that it is irreplaceable. Is this so ?

I'm currently in the USA and about to start searching for third party outfits that advertise iPad and iPhone repair, but not specifically battery replacement for iPad. But ...today I have just seen an advert from Sporty's Pilot Shop for an external power supply to plug into an iPad for use in the air, so that one doesn't become iPadless just as one is about to start a complicated GPS letdown into Chicago or similar !

My question is .... would this avoid me having to have my iPad vandalised to insert a new battery, i.e. would it bypass a dead battery, or a seriously degraded battery, and still power up my iPad?
Any clues ?

[unifoxos]

Don't know the connector on your iPad, but most external psu simply replace the mains charger. Thus they will be trying to charge the internal battery. If left on for long periods they will go flat if the internal battery doesn't charge up to full voltage as they will be feeding power into it 24/7. So providing you pull the plug out (or turn it off; some have an on/off switch) when you turn the pad off you will probably get some benefit out of it.

SWMBOs full size iPad has a proprietary connector, but for 99p incl. postage I got an adaptor that allows it to be fed from a standard mini-usb power lead. If that applies to your pad you may be able to get a similar adaptor to use any standard external power pack.

[CremeEgg]

My smart phone has a "non-replaceable" battery. A quick search on YouTube showed plenty of videos showing me exactly how to replace it; needing nothing more than a steady hand and a small soldering iron. Replacement battery sourced on-line. Job done. Multi-nationals would far rather sell you complete new kit than a new battery.

[ExSp33db1rd]

Many thanks, Sporty's replied to the effect that I will need a battery that at least accepts a charge, and their gadget will not power the iPad over a dead battery, and will in fact discharge itself more rapidly as it attempts to breathe life into the ailing battery - if it can at least do that.

End of story, ain't technology wonderful !

CremeEgg ... I agree, no, percentage for their shareholders in making things last. My F.i.L. deceased at age 99 still had a toaster given to him as a wedding present circa 1940's, no pop up feature, place the bread inside a large flap, one each side, when presumed done lower the flap fully and the shape ensured that the bread flipped over, then close it and leave it for slightly less time and then pull the plug. Simple, worked - for some 70 years. I believe that he had replaced the elements a couple of times, and of course would have been unable to now, had he continued to live and eventually needed to.

[CremeEgg]

Just tried searching YouTube - at least a dozen videos that should be of help.

[VP959]

I've done a battery replacement on an iPad 4(the normal sized one). Not a job for the faint hearted, that's for sure, as although some of the YouTube videos make it look easy, in reality it's a bugger to get the glass off. Apple stores do it with a big heated suction plate thing, that just pulls the glass off the double side tape that holds it in place in seconds. The first one I did I spent over an hour easing the glass off only to crack it at the last little bit - I'd got the damned thing 90% off. Luckily a new glass/digitiser wasn't too expensive and the LCD underneath wasn't damaged, so a couple of days wait for the new glass to arrive and all went well from then on.

Main issues, apart from getting the glass off, were keeping track of the extremely tiny screws that you have to remove in order to get at the battery. When I ordered a new glass/digitiser, I saw the same supplier offered a bag of screws for very little cost, and I'm glad I bought them, as I despite my best endeavours I seem to have lost a couple along the way. The other slightly tricky bit was getting the battery unstuck from the rear - it's held on with some persistent double sided tape. The key is to warm the back up and just work slowly, much the same as getting the glass off.

Apart from that, I can report that the repaired iPad 4 worked as good as new afterwards. The battery life seems as good as when it was new and nothing untoward has happened in the year or so since I did the repairs. It's not my iPad, and I did get some stick when I broke the glass, but was forgiven when I got it all back together again.

The special tools mentioned on the YouTube videos are essential, especially the thin metal "spudgers" to gently prise off the glass and some plastic ones to remove some of the internal (very stick) tapes and prise off the battery.