Changing battery in 930T

[huemann]

I ordered a battery with tool kit to replace the battery in my 930T. Tried to change it using this video:

YouTube - How To Replace Your TomTom Go 930 Battery

However, when I got inside I could not find FOUR screws holding the motherboard in place, but only ONE screw. And while the inside looked similar to the video, mine has a black plastic plate that i cannot figure out how to remove to get to the battery.

Attached is a photo of the inside of my 930T. Compare with video. The only screw I could find is located off the lower left corner of the bar code.

Any input helpful

 

[dhn]

Look at the guide in this link:
https://www.tomtomforums.com/tomtom...730-920-930-battery-replacement-tutorial.html

 

[huemann]

DHN,

Thank you kindly for the post. Have a look at this photo (link below) of the inside of my 930T. It has a thin black plastic casing that seems to be preventing me from getting any further. Compare this photo with the photos in the PDF that you referred me to.

 

[mikealder]

Never seen one like that before, does the black plastic shield come off or is it welded in to position - Mike

 

[huemann]

Mike, unless I'm missing something it appears to be welded into place. No way to lift it from the edges as is appears to be part of the case. I can only access one of the four screws that holds down the motherboard... it is located off the lower left corner of the bar code in the photo.

This makes no sense to me unless TOMTOM is saying the battery simply cannot be replaced... which also makes no sense.

 

[geekToLive]

This makes no sense to me unless TOMTOM is saying the battery simply cannot be replaced... which also makes no sense.

Unfortunately that is exactly what TomTom is saying. Or at least, they consider the battery to NOT be a "user serviceable" part. If you ask TomTom, they will probably say something to the effect of "Our products are designed to be used in a car and at your computer, which means you'll be running it on a charger all the time. So battery life isn't an issue. It's by design, we didn't really mean for the device to be used on battery power. Just run in on your charger when the battery dies, or buy a new unit to get a fresh battery if you absolutely have to use it for an hour or more without a charger plugged in, but remember this isn't the kind of use it was designed for." That's the kind of answer I got, anyway. It seems they only intended for the battery to be a backup, and for the device to always be running on the charger when in the car.

One thing I can think of to maximize the battery life cycle is to actually use the battery the way TomTom intended, or by actively using the battery rather than the charger. If you keep the device fully charged at all times, letting it charge continuously for days and weeks on end (as I did), battery life will be next to nothing in less than a year. Following TomTom's recommendations, with my new battery I still have a good two hours of battery time for the rare occasions when I do charge it to full and run on battery only, while my old battery at the same age had less than 15 minutes worth of juice.

 

[huemann]

GTL,

Thanks for this input. I do have a query in to TomTom about battery replacement, but I do expect to get the kind of answer you suggest here. It seems strange that my model, though a 930T is so different from others... and short of trying get you to buy a whole new model, why would they want to prevent you from changing the battery. So it goes.

So, is anyone in need of a brand new battery for a 930T? I now have one I seemingly cannot use.

 

[PSJ]

Just curious,

I wonder if your 930 is maybe a prototype or store display ?

Do you remember what month and year you bought it ?

Was it a store demo ?

Was it brand new..in the box ?

Was it bought in the USA ?

I remember seeing the first store display units had Navcore 8.000

And the early retail 930's had Navcore 8.002


.

 

[huemann]

Marc,

I bought it from someone who was planning a family trip to Europe but canceled so did not want the unit. It was brand new still packaged in the box. The bottom of the box say "September 30, 2008." I bought it in early 2009. It has worked very nicely. I have used it in the US, Canada and Europe on big trips. I bought it in the U.S. I assume the person I got it from did also, but cannot confirm this.

 

[PSJ]

Interesting,

I bought my 930 new in the USA....May 2008.

I have changed the battery in the past and the inside looks just like the pictures in the " how to " threads.

I have seen many pictures of 720..730..920..930's and they all look the same on the inside.

The units with the " T "....just means it came packaged with the traffic antenna....The devices were the same.


Keep us posted with your findings.

.

 

[huemann]

Marc,

At this point the only finding I have is there is no way to change the battery, at least none that I can see after looking at it for four days. I have yet to hear anything from TomTom regarding this. I will post something here if I do. I am not a novice with GPS, so I feel confident that there is no replacing the battery in the unit I have. It would be interesting to know if anyone else with a 930 with a date of September 2008 and forward has this same issue.

 

[GlennTL]

I have a 930T as well and when I opened it up, just the one screw. Plus there are some other minor diffrences. I have a battery I'd like to install, but am unsure how to proceed. Was there ever a viable solution that can be shared?

 

[Dynodenny]

Hi. I came across this thread because I had the same problem with the black frame. I found a soloution and in fact it is not a problem, and annoyingly simple to deal with. Instead of following the instructions in that nifty recording on Youtube, I followed some written instructions. The difference is that in the video it says to pry up the screen with the tool from the front. The instructions I used said that after you remove the two case screws (and plug cover) use a screwdriver to push the screen out from the case through the holes where the screws were. Doing this takes that black plastic frame and keeps it in tact with the screen. You still need to use the pry tool, but once the screen is moving out of the case it is complete with the plastic frame. Simples.

 

[dhn]

Welcome to TTF and thanks for the feedback!

 

[canderson]

The instructions I used said that after you remove the two case screws (and plug cover) use a screwdriver to push the screen out from the case through the holes where the screws were. Doing this takes that black plastic frame and keeps it in tact with the screen. You still need to use the pry tool, but once the screen is moving out of the case it is complete with the plastic frame. Simples.

Actually, ever time I separate a case like that, I don't even use the "pry tool". As I wrote, I push from behind through the holes, then gently grab the top of the touchscreen with my fingers/fingernails and pull it out away from the case. Glad the instructions helped.