Instructions here: Replacing battery in TomTom GO 300.

I received a hand-me-down TomTom GO 300, but with only the car adapter, and a dead internal battery. I scoured the web for information about how to replace the battery (and what to replace it with), and after successfully replacing it yesterday, I thought I'd share the info I had compiled.

First off, the original battery number is ICR18650-24, and is replaced with battery number CS-TM300SL. The original battery was 2200mAh, and this replacement is 2300mAh. A higher capacity (2600mAh) CS-TM300XL can also be had, but I didn't really need the extra battery life.

Ok, in addition to the new battery, you'll need Torx (star) screwdrivers size T6 and T8. (The instructions I found referenced T4, T5, T6, and T8 -- so perhaps the build has changed over time?)

IMPORTANT: I am referencing images from a site that documented the complete dismantling of a TomTom GO 300 -- these images are for visual reference only. DO NOT follow the images and disassemble the unit beyond what is specifically written in these instructions.

• Remove the front screen surround -- just gently prying does the trick. (Img 1)
• Undo four T8 screws holding internal works to outside body. (Img 2)
• Remove internal works from body. There is a cover/clip for the bottom panel (where the car mount connects) that just falls out once the insides come out -- pay attention to how it fits in, so that it can be replaced on reassembly.
• At the base you will see silver foil covering (Img 5), the foil needs to be peeled back in places, but I left as much of it on as possible (unlike the images I'm referencing).
• Peel back the foil around the speaker, and remove the two T8 screws, being careful not to disconnect the speaker -- it only needs to be moved aside. (Img 6)
• Continue peeling back the foil down to the circuit board, but leave the board itself covered. You will need to manipulate, but not remove, the thin metal "cage" that is shown removed and behind the unit in Img 11.
• On the still-covered circuit board there are four T6 screws that need to be removed. These screws can be seen in Image 11 -- one on either edge at the bottom, and one on either side of the car mount in the middle top.
• With the foil loosened and the screws removed, manipulate the metal "cage" to expose the two T6 screws securing the black plastic battery holder (plainly visible in Img 11). Be very careful not to accidentally disconnect any of the wires/cables.
• Remove the battery holder, unclip the old battery, replace with new one, and reassemble. (Img 16)
• The unit should be able to power up as soon as the new battery is connected, so I tested it a few times as I reassembled, just to be sure I hadn't jostled anything loose as I went along.

This sounds very complicated, but really, once you're doing it, it was only about 15mins total. The most important thing is to keep track of the screws, and where they came from.

Dismantled TomTom GO 300 site -- I'm numbering the images left to right. Only a few apply.

http://www.zaurus.org.uk/opentom/go300-dismantled.html

Image 1: http://www.zaurus.org.uk/opentom/images/medium/P5150155.jpg
Image 2: http://www.zaurus.org.uk/opentom/images/medium/P5150156.jpg
Image 5: http://www.zaurus.org.uk/opentom/images/medium/P5150159.jpg
Image 6: http://www.zaurus.org.uk/opentom/images/medium/P5150160.jpg
Image 11: http://www.zaurus.org.uk/opentom/images/medium/P5150165.jpg
Image 16: http://www.zaurus.org.uk/opentom/images/medium/P5150170.jpg

This is the best deal I found for the battery -- even though it came from the UK, the shipping cost was very reasonable ($4.00), and I had the item in less than a week. And they even included a T6 screwdriver.
http://www.mdsbattery.com/shop/productprofile.asp?ProductGroupID=2358

This is a source for the higher capacity battery, but I didn't research that one as thoroughly, so I can't vouch for the price/vendor.
http://www.etechtronics.com/product.php?productid=26702

Hope this info is of use to somebody.

Good info. Nice work!

Pedro2NR said:

Good info. Nice work!

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I think her hard work is worthy of a 'sticky', Pedro.

done! I renamed the thread too.

Pedro2NR said:

Good info. Nice work!

Click to expand...

Thanks.

Although this is listed on the site of the battery vendor, I wanted to add this info for anyone doing a search here. Obviously the instructions don't apply, but knowing what battery to get is at least a start.

Battery fits these TomTom Go SatNav

• TomTom Go 300
• TomTom Go 400
• TomTom Go 500
• TomTom Go 510
• TomTom Go 600
• TomTom Go 710
• TomTom Go 910

Battery fits these Garmin SatNav

• Garmin StreetPilot i3
• Garmin StreetPilot i5
• Garmin StreetPilot C320
• Garmin StreetPilot C330
• Garmin StreetPilot C340
• Garmin StreetPilot C530

Battery fits these Magellan SatNav

• Magellan RoadMate 2000
• Magellan RoadMate 2200

Good information to have. Just keep in mind though that replacing the battery will void the warranty. Not applicable in your case but i thought I should mention it.

Absolutely. The second you take a screwdriver to the unit, your warranty is over and you'd better be willing to buy a new unit if you can't get it back together correctly

d0nt_beli3ve_the_4ype said:

Absolutely. The second you take a screwdriver to the unit, your warranty is over and you'd better be willing to buy a new unit if you can't get it back together correctly

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Can we send a unit back to Tom Tom for a battery replacement?

Smokiewolf said:

Can we send a unit back to Tom Tom for a battery replacement?

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Certainly, just call the support line. A couple of basic troubleshooting steps will have to be done with an agent first to determine if it is the battery or something else causing the unit to lose power. Sometimes it is not a faulty battery. A faulty cla or mount can cause the device to lose power quickly too. Once it has been determined that the battery is the issue an RMA will be set up. If the cla or the mount is determined to be the cause replacements will be sent out if you are still under warranty. If you are no longer under warranty replacement items can be purchased from the website.

ppinny said:

Certainly, just call the support line. A couple of basic troubleshooting steps will have to be done with an agent first to determine if it is the battery or something else causing the unit to lose power. Sometimes it is not a faulty battery. A faulty cla or mount can cause the device to lose power quickly too. Once it has been determined that the battery is the issue an RMA will be set up. If the cla or the mount is determined to be the cause replacements will be sent out if you are still under warranty. If you are no longer under warranty replacement items can be purchased from the website.

Click to expand...

I didn't see anywhere you could buy a replacement battery on the site. I'm not talking about a battery covered under warranty, I'm talking about years down the road when my battery may have reached the end of it's service life, could I send it in to Tom Tom for a replacement? What would that cost?

Pedro2NR said:

Good info. Nice work!

Click to expand...

I'm sad to say that I finding it increasingly difficult to justify my hosting bills to carry images on my site*, so enjoy the photos whilst they last - perhaps make a note of the battery type. You may keep a private copy of the battery photo but not post it to a website or use for commercial purposes...
- Paul (webmaster of zaurus.org.uk)

The mount or cla can be purchased on the website. I'll check on the battery.

The only options I have been able to discover for replacing a dead battery on an out of warranty device would be to send it in for repair and pay the repair fees or follow the threads original authors steps.

ppinny said:

The only options I have been able to discover for replacing a dead battery on an out of warranty device would be to send it in for repair and pay the repair fees or follow the threads original authors steps.

Click to expand...

What would it cost to send it in?

images all = 404

post them all on tinypic.com free

Battery Replacement

Suzy,

What a feat!! Thanks. I will take mine apart again and see what I did wrong. The light comes on when it is charging, but the unit won't. The reset does not help. I got it used, and first it would not turn off (reset cured that), then it would not turn on. Charging in the car/house did not help, so I replaced the battery, but still no cigar.

PS, I like to use the 300's on my motorcycles (no hard drive) and 700's in the cars.

Regards,
Richard

TomTom Battery

SuzyD,

The story I get from TomTom is that the car charger actually does not charge. They say you need to take the unit inside once a week and charge it on a house charger. Go figure.

Regards,
Richard

ww4cash said:

SuzyD,

The story I get from TomTom is that the car charger actually does not charge. They say you need to take the unit inside once a week and charge it on a house charger. Go figure.

Regards,
Richard

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That's strange because I use mine in the car all of the time. I use it on battery power until the meter starts blinking, then I plug it in. In a few hours, it's fully charged. That's if I'm using it at night with the screen brightness at zero. I took a trip recently, and had the daytime screen on, and when I plugged it in, the battery meter never showed a full charge. It could have been that it wasn't in there long enough. It might take several hours to charge up.

Smokie - You cannot send your unit in if it is not covered under warranty. Period. There is no repair for fee service.

Also, I am not 100% sure on this, but last I heard, if you drive with a route planned and brightness turned up, your unit will slowly lose charge while plugged in to the CLA. If you drive with your brightness and other settings way down, it will slowly gain charge while plugged into the CLA.

Dead Battery in TomTom Go300

I had a problem with the unit shutting down every minute or so even when plugged into the dock. I had to uncheck the box which said "shut down on external power loss" under battery preferences. The problem turned out to be a dead battery in my TomTom Go300.

It was diagnosed by plugging into the home charger, and than removing the power cable. Even with "shut down on external power" unchecked on battery preferences the unit shut down. i.e. the battery was not working when the unit was removed from an external power supply. Another indicator was that the unit would NOT power up if no external power supply was used.

I followed the above instructions in this thread to replace the battery:

I purchased the battery from eBay. The new battery came with a T6 screwdriver, but not a T8 screw driver. Fortunately I already had both, which you do need to disassemble the unit! Be sure to have the screwdrivers ahead of time.

Also I needed to charge this battery once installed for several hours prior to using, as the new battery was DOA. This was per the instructions with the new battery.

The 2600 mah battery was used, to provide a longer time between recharges. It did not cost any more.

Be sure to pay attention to the connector prior to disassembley, and which way to reinstall.