This makes me so happy. It’s so fun to take these apart and clean them up!
My hobby is awesome (to me). Here’s what I’m doing to them:
Excellent work. Where do you get them? What do you do with them once you have restored/refurbished them?
I find them at thrift stores, garage sales, and local marketplaces. Most people just replace an e-reader when the battery dies or the screen cracks, then toss the old one in a drawer or sell it cheap. I usually pay only a few bucks because I still have to buy a new screen or battery.
Original plan was to repair them and resell them cheap, mostly to cover parts and shipping, with maybe a $5 profit. I just haven’t gotten around to listing them yet. I’m not sure there’s much of a market since most people seem to want newer tech that depends on corporate overlords.
My selling point is that these can be sideloaded and used without registering them or connecting to Amazon. The problem is that most people just don’t care about stuff like that. They want the latest device and don’t want to learn about DRM-free books, Calibre, or sideloading. The people who do care usually already have plenty of tech toys.
I may ask local elementary schools if they want them as donations. I’ve stopped buying more because I already have too many, but I still enjoy fixing them. For kids who like to read, they could be a good option. Parents wouldn’t have to worry about internet access, accidental purchases, apps, or other distractions. But parents who want that for their kids, probably also prefer paper books.
TL;DR: I’m still not sure what I’ll do with them. Most people don’t appreciate old tech that works perfectly fine without being connected to the internet.
Out of curiosity what would you think to charge for one that was refurbished and already installed with the custom firmware/side loaded stuff?
Cuz uhh… I’m exactly your target market, and I have 80k ebooks with zero need or desire for internet connection. My very old tablet is a shitty solution for ebooks cuz it’s laaaaaaaaagggggggyyyyyyyy and too bright and the battery lasts like no time at this point, but its not worth fixing because I rarely use it anyway.
Could I do it myself? Sure, I’ve repaired phones and laptops, and used to flash custom OS on my phones and stuff. But I don’t want to learn something new if I don’t have to, I’m tired and there are other projects that I have to do myself that require learning. I’d much rather pay someone who DOES want to.
You can find working ones pretty easily on eBay. Search for “Kindle Keyboard 3rd generation,” make sure the listing says “tested and working,” and check the seller’s feedback. They’re often listed for around $40 to $50, though you can sometimes find a good working one cheaper.
The Kindle 3 by default supports USB sideloading, so you don’t need to register it or connect it to Amazon.
First, download Calibre, a free, open-source program (highly regarded!) for organizing and converting ebooks. Charge the Kindle, connect it to your computer with a USB cable, and Calibre will detect it automatically.
Add your DRM-free ebooks to Calibre and convert them to MOBI, which the Kindle 3 reads well. Then select the books and click “Send to device.” That’s really all there is to it. It probably took me longer to explain than the process actually takes.
There are plenty of other e-readers, of course. Newer models support EPUB and offer more control over fonts, layouts, and other settings. I stick with the Kindle 3 because it’s easy to repair, and converting books to MOBI is simple. EPUB is the standard these days, but Calibre can convert your DRM-free books into whatever format your reader needs.
The hooha around Amazon is that they don’t allow you to buy an ebook from the, then download and transfer manually like they used to. But since you already have your ebooks, you don’t have to worry about that. I never get my books from Amazon, so never an issue for me either.
I can still send you a kindle 3 for roughly my cost if ya want, which would also be around $50 since screens are and batteries are around $25 each.
Honestly, though, you can find an equally good Kindle on eBay and sometimes for for less, especially when someone is just selling an old reader after upgrading.
I’m like you, I just want to get a book, put it on my kindle, and read it. That’s it. All the newer models have so many bells and whistles. I don’t need any of that crap.
I hear you on those problems. Still, this Internet rando fully supports what you are doing. I applaud you keeping this perfectly functional tech out of a landfill or ekectronis recycler or whatever. I hope you can find the sector that you seek who will take and love these gagets.
Thank you!
Removed by mod
This is a copy and paste I just gave to someone else:
You can find working ones pretty easily on eBay. Search for “Kindle Keyboard 3rd generation,” make sure the listing says “tested and working,” and check the seller’s feedback. They’re often listed for around $40 to $50, though you can sometimes find a good working one cheaper.
The Kindle 3 by default supports USB sideloading, so you don’t need to register it or connect it to Amazon.
First, download Calibre, a free, open-source program (highly regarded!) for organizing and converting ebooks. Charge the Kindle, connect it to your computer with a USB cable, and Calibre will detect it automatically.
Add your DRM-free ebooks to Calibre and convert them to MOBI, which the Kindle 3 reads well. Then select the books and click “Send to device.” That’s really all there is to it. It probably took me longer to explain than the process actually takes.
There are plenty of other e-readers, of course. Newer models support EPUB and offer more control over fonts, layouts, and other settings. I stick with the Kindle 3 because it’s easy to repair, and converting books to MOBI is simple. EPUB is the standard these days, but Calibre can convert your DRM-free books into whatever format your reader needs.
The hooha around Amazon is that they don’t allow you to buy an ebook from the, then download and transfer manually like they used to. But since you already have your ebooks, you don’t have to worry about that. I never get my books from Amazon, so never an issue for me either.
I can still send you a kindle 3 for roughly my cost if ya want, which would also be around $50 since screens are and batteries are around $25 each.
Honestly, though, you can find an equally good Kindle on eBay and sometimes for for less, especially when someone is just selling an old reader after upgrading.
I may hit you up for one at some point when I’m less broke. I’ve been meaning to find a small ereader again.
Times are tough out there, for sure. Sometimes eBay has really good deals on them. Just make sure you get the ones that say “tested and working,” and check the seller’s feedback. If you keep an eye out, you can find really good cheap deals.
Where do you get your parts?
Garage sales, thrift stores, etc. If I need brand new screens or batteries, then Temu or Alibaba
I have an old kindle Paperwhite (gen 2 or 3). Is it difficult to replace the battery? It’s been lying around for a long time, so the battery doesn’t work very well anymore.
I have not changed the battery on one of those. I have heard that it’s pretty tricky though.
Interesting.
Nice work you are doing. Does this use similar skills as smartphone repair?
Thank you! I have never done smartphone repair. Maybe I should look into that.
Well… have fun !
