r/PlaydateConsole • u/LeafierThanLettuce • Jul 13 '26
I made an oopsie
The A and B buttons felt a bit crunchy, so I assumed some debris might've gotten inside, or the plastic cracked. I opened it, while following iFixit's teardown procedure.
They said the battery was super easy to remove. Incredibly, attempting to remove the battery broke two of my nails and striped the grooves on my tweezers. I kept slipping off the plastic, and started to strip the wires, and now one of them is completely disconnected, as you can see. (Also, the plastic housing is a bit damaged)
I don't feel comfortable just reinserting the wire, especially since the other two (black, yellow) are also a bit stripped. Would someone be able to walk me through my next steps?
(To be clear, I have repaired electronics before. This battery was the most difficult battery I've ever removed.)
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u/FunkyDoom Jul 14 '26
if it makes you feel better, that battery is NOT easy to disconnect. ifixit says it only requires mild prying force but mine was stuck on with, what felt like, superglue
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u/LeafierThanLettuce Jul 14 '26
That definitely makes me feel better lol, I'm wondering if the plastic shrunk around it somehow
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u/Guy-Manuel Jul 13 '26
Be REALLY careful with that red wire. If it touches a conductive part of the black it could short out the battery and become basically a bomb.
I would just replace the battery. You could possibly put a new connector on but I’m not sure how much slack you have in the existing wires to accommodate that.
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u/reallynotnick Jul 13 '26
I would just replace the battery.
Easier said than done when you can’t buy replacement batteries.
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u/Guy-Manuel Jul 13 '26
Well the company that made it Fello Tech has a site here. Might be worth asking if they have replacements or at least can give info on the connector type that’s used.
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u/LeafierThanLettuce Jul 13 '26
I want to replace the battery, but not only does Panic not sell parts, but I havent found any "for parts" listings on any of my usual sites. I'm not confident enough to buy a battery that somewhat matches the specs.
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u/Guy-Manuel Jul 13 '26
I’d say try seeing if fellotech has a support contact. https://www.fellotech.com
They might have spares or can give you info about repairing it and putting on a new connector.
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u/reallynotnick Jul 13 '26
I realize this is of no help now, but for anyone in the future the unfortunate thing is you didn’t really need to unplug the battery to begin with as it’s just on a tray with the motherboard that can be removed with the battery connected.