HS103 Fitbit Versa battery replacement (Do it yourself)

I replaced the battery on my wife’s Fitbit Versa. My approach was a little different from the others you see on KZbin but it worked, and saved me a lot of money. #Fitbit

[@lotlikarvarun]

The beautiful clear audio and the humour... made it a nice video to watch!

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you 👍

[@GardenTractorBoy]

Great job on replacing the battery and it was fun to watch, thanks. In times when the focus is on the climate, it is mad that these are not designed for easy battery replacement and are made to be thrown away

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi GTB, yes it's crazy people are willing to pay a lot of money for these things and accept they will probably throw them away in 2 years after the rechargeable batteries give up. But it's no different from mobile phones these days with batteries built in rather than replaceable. What will happen with electric car batteries after 5 years ...... ?

[@flaviuvacanta1]

@@HaxbyShed Thank you for the ADVICES! I found a watch in a flea market with 15 euro. I will change hte battery accordint to your advices. I will photo every step, or else will forget where the pieces was. And yes, I think you will change battery in cars every 5 years. With a lot of money, of course. Or throw it away.

[@hallidayornateframes7359]

I love Geoffs “ suckitandsee” approach….I’m was in the same situation with my wife’s Fitbit. However, I’m too late, she’s asked Santa for the latest model. Having said that, I’m going to the Manshed to have a go , purely in the interest of furthering my ability to fix things….Thanks for posting this Geoff, I love your tongue in cheek attitude and I’m still smiling…..

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi, I was feeling pretty casual about it because there was nothing to lose and the replacement battery was cheap enough. But also, to be honest, it was a bit of a 'send up' of all those presenters in sterile studios with perfect lighting who take themselves so seriously. You can be in a rough old workshop without the fancy tools and still get it done. Thanks for watching. Cheers

[@stevenverburg5490]

Yours is one of the few that actually shows how to glue it back together. Very through and I love it!

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you very much Steven. I'm glad it was useful. Bit of a joke me putting it in the vice like that but my workshop is my 'studio'. Cheers

[@DutchAussieProductions]

Thanks for the video. As you said, this was a rough job. Putting the Fitbit in the vice without lining the faces of the vice grips made me shiver. Nice to see you fixed it.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi DutchAussieProductions, there was a bit of humour in it really. I've seen so many KZbin videos of people fixing phones and fitbits in brightly lit clean studios I thought my vid would be a contrast. And in truth I was a bit surprised that I managed to fix it, and even more surprised that it was watertight. I guess the take-away might be that what you do is more important than where you do it.😁 Cheers

[@johnd1536]

Nice workmanship. I’d forget how to put back. Great job

[@HaxbyShed]

Cheers John 👍

[@novakenss]

You may have given me the motivation to change mine. Tiny pc boards and connectors aren't easy to work with. You did it, so I can too. Thanks

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Novakenss, it's always worth a try with these things. The batteries are cheap enough and the worst that can happen is it don't work and you throw it away, but you were going to throw it away anyway 😁. Cheers

[@woodentree5303]

Very handy video - many thanks. I took the plunge today and opened mine up. The only thing I would add for others is that there were a couple of bits of sticky tape inside the fitbit at various stages which needed prising off, and removing the old battery needed a bit of effort as it was held in place by adhesive underneath it. Also, getting the battery cover off needed some work to detach the SW corner (in orientation of your video) under the copper strip which was also attached with adhesive. No trouble prising it apart, but I hadn't expected to need to do this. I also needed to attach my new battery connector a second time to get it to work, but work it did, and in the space of just over an hour I had a perfectly working fitbit again.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi wooden tree, ah yes there was some sticky tabs on mine and I also had to connect the battery twice. I'm glad you got yours working. The one I showed is still working fine, some months on. Cheers

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Nicely done. I've seen that T-7000 adhesive advertised. I think I'll get some to play with now.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi TRM, I looked at T and B types and 8000 / 7000. Some were black and some were clear but I did not really understand what the all various codes meant. The T-7000 looked ok so I got that and indeed it worked - the Fitbit survived swimming. Cheers

[@geofftheengraver]

I really enjoyed watching the fiddly bits of changing the battery. Excellent result, I'm a retired machine engraver, but still have my machine and jigs etc, rotary table (love that, I give it a spin every now and then just for fun:o) I hope to see some more of your stuff, cheers. Geoff

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Geoff, my fitbit battery replacement vid was a bit of a comical skit to all those KZbin presenters who repair devices in pristine brightly lit studios but nonetheless just as important to me as I was saving a lot of money repairing the device myself. Generally my videos are about my hobby machine workshop but I do throw in the odd off-script topic if it might be interesting to people. Cheers

[@Johnshaw2000]

Well done, you did it buddy!!! One suggestion, working with electronic devices, is always good to (the BATTERY) turn OFF, specially highly sensitive devices such as watches and phones!!! Even it seems the battery isn't that powerful, but for small and sensitive devices is very powerful!!! I always keep the device on OFF MODE after the test, to complete the job!!! Like when you were gluing the screen back, I believe is more safer to turn it off! Shiiit can happen anytime 😢

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you John. That's an important tip. Cheers

[@retromechanicalengineer]

That was a good fix. I don't have that kind of dexterity anymore, too many years riveting aircraft together has left me with little feeling in my finger tips. Handy for picking up hot things though! My lack of patience probably wouldn't help either....Best wishes Dean, in Oxfordshire.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Dean, it was on the limit of my eyesight but it shows anything is possible for those brave enough to try. Cheers

[@juliettewalker3770]

Thank you for this video i know there would be lots of people who cannot do the repairs you did its such a shame the battery is so hard to find Not Easy

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Juliette, I don't think Fitbit designed them to be repaired really. I just could not bring myself to throw it away without trying even though I thought my chances were slim. Nothing to lose. Anyway it worked so happy days. 😁Cheers

[@stevechapman7564]

Thanks for a great video. Naming the tools was a great help as I could get the bits I needed before opening it up. I didn't use razor blade, I used a suction cap that came with some other tool I had on hand. Note if the display starts to light up when heating it, it is ready to come off. Don't let it get too hot !

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you Steve, I'm glad your repair was successful. I should have explained you don't need a 4 inch bench vice, I was just trying to be comical, but equally you don't need a pristine bright-lights studio like you see on the other vids on this topic. 🤣 Cheers

[@TheWladvamp]

😂😂😂

[@lennartb2982]

Hi Paul it was fun to ‘ watch’ your new vid thank you 🇸🇪🤙 lennart

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Lennart. Watch the watch - I get it. English can be tricky. I have some experience with Japanese where one sound can have many many meanings. It just depends on the context. With regards.

[@dannywilsher4165]

Awesome to watch your video Mr. Paul... I never heard of this watch, but now I know how to change the battery anyway...

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Danny, Fitbit is an American company that do a range of health tracker watches. The watches count walking steps, sleep patterns, heart rate and other stuff, and can show messages from your email or SMS linked to your cell phone. Some also show blood oxygen levels and approximate blood pressure. Google bought Fitbit in Nov 2019 for $2.1Bn. To be honest the watches are very expensive for what they are and there are now copies as low as $50 but people like the Fitbit brand so they are still doing well. I had one myself (less fancy than the one my wife has) but I lost it somewhere ......... Cheers

[@dannywilsher4165]

@@HaxbyShed Thanks for the info Sir!!!

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Everyone is working on tiny things these days, Congrats on a successful repair.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Harold, it's surprising how you can mis-handle this stuff and it still works. But the screws were really at the limit of my eyesight. It has now been for a swim and it still works. Cheers

[@Sweep29]

Great video of replacing the battery. Do you have a link for the battery and T7000 glue please? My wife's Fitbit is needing to be charged very frequently now so I'm assuming the battery is on the way out. Thanks in advance

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Sweep29, I bought both the battery and the glue from ebay. I do not like to post links in my comments but here is the item number for the T7 glue: 153633750711 and here is the item number for the battery: 294181838033 they are both still listed available to buy. Now, buying batteries for anything on ebay is a bit of a gamble. All I can say is that battery still works. Does not last quite as long as the original perhaps but certainly a few days between charges. I hope that helps. Cheers

[@lynnwilliams5432]

Love a handy guy! Now I am trying to get changing again with cleaning and rebooting. Then if I have to I ‘ll try this.

[@HaxbyShed]

Good luck with it Lynn. Cheers

[@amiraazmy6701]

How can we verify that screen is properly connected ? Mine got out of the case/ housing - glue doesn’t stick anymore it’s still working (vibration/ sensor) - yet screen turned black

[@dunderdotten]

it all went almost ok following this :D I did however manage to (i think) heat up the display abit too much, it was only showing yellow after surgery. Did recheck everything twice before giving up. Tiny, tiny work so patiance is requiered if attempting but it is abolutely doable. Mine was a Versa Lite but it´s the same internals

[@HaxbyShed]

I think there is deffo a bit of luck involved 😁

[@LeeBall]

Thank you for sharing this. I'm about to go down the same route soon.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Lee, bit tricky but the battery was cheap enough and by that point there was nothing to lose. Cheers

[@MehmetBoysal]

For future use, clear silicone will work well to glue the screen back. Also, the screen can easily be removed, if need be.

[@HaxbyShed]

Thanks Ray-o-light. Would be best if Fitbit just made them to last longer than 18 months or so. They are not exactly cheap are they. Hopefully as batteries improve they will last longer. Cheers.

[@jasonbrown467]

everyone skips over the most critical part. do you shove the blade in and use it as a pry tool? i have a vice and heat gun, but i am afraid to over heat the watch.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Jason, take a look at 1min 37sec I heat the lens then use the edge of a Stanley Knife to lift the screen off. I got it hot enough to feel hot to the touch but not boiling hot. I'm going to guess at 60 degrees Celsius. The glue gave way easily without any force or fight. Cheers

[@russelldofrane6614]

You make it look so easy lol! First I tried the razor blade without using the heat gun and I cut my fingers all to shit. Then I applied the heat gun and it damaged the screen but the good news is it's a broken Fitbit I'm trying to open just for fun. The heat damage the screen and I was not able to get the glue to release so I became impatient and used a hammer. Despite a little bit of damage and a busted up screen it did open but it'll never work again that's for damn sure. Anyway thanks for the entertaining video!

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Russell, I'm from Yorkshire so we are always patient and careful doing a job that might save us money 😁🤣

[@condor5635]

Awesome job excellent video. Mine got wet doesn’t power up I’m thinking of taking it apart and seeing how I can figure out anything. Any suggestions?

[@HaxbyShed]

Hiya Condor, to be honest if it got wet inside with any charge in the battery it is probably fried and beyond repair. You could mess around for quite a while and get nowhere. However there is a remote chance it is corrosion on a connector that could be cleaned off and if you have spare time and nothing to lose you could give it a go.

[@lynnpeterson6149]

You have the Patience of Job (Bible). Thanks for sharing. Nope I didn't have that battery. Heading to the store to purchase another watch.

[@HaxbyShed]

Well, Fitbits are cheaper now Lynn. Cheers

[@barona-mh]

Nicely done!

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you 👍

[@odhiambo0]

Awesome. Do you know if your supplier still has these batteries?

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you. I checked and it is no longer listed from my seller but I spotted this item ebay number 255083888236 which looks similar but you have to check it is the right one and I can't make any comment on quality. Cheers

[@tehsandy3330]

Thanks for sharing

[@HaxbyShed]

Welcome 👍

[@doctorrs5317]

Very good job and informative. I do think that the Vice grips should have been tightened a lot more. 😅

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Doctorrs, yes it was a bit of a poke at all the people who do these things under bright lights in perfect studio conditions 🤣 All the same it worked. Cheers

[@abellabytes]

Beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing and doing a great job of it.

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you Daniel.

[@fanmengchen2323]

well done!! Obviously quite fiddly but no doubt satisfying achievement for you. Now my turn to attempt to do the same.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Fan, I hope your repair goes ok. Cheers

[@vidafterdark]

What wireless microphone do you use?

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi VidAfterDark, I use a Synco wireless which I picked up rather cheaply on eBay. It's pretty good I think but sometime I may splash out on a Rhode. The Synco does not store audio - it relies on the cam to store the Audio so it is just a remote microphone with a few controls and nothing more. Cheers.

[@ranid3552]

Hallo sir...i'm from indonesia,,i have a question,,where you buy baterai?,,in indonesia i cant find them,,,thanks sir

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Ranid, I bought it from eBay UK and it was item number 294181838033. It has ended now, but the description was 'battery for Fitbit Versa'. I hope that helps. Cheers

[@louisegoode]

Hi I'd rather have someone who knows exactly what they're doing, and I'm asking can you replace the battery in my fitbit versa 3

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi there, thank you but I don't take on commissions. Cheers

[@louisegoode]

Thank you!

[@Chase4342]

Thanks for this! This is really helpful. I do have a question. I tried this with my fitbit so i could change my battery but afterwards, the screen wont lit up ..i thought it was a screen problem but then i tried to open my 2nd fitbit (which also needs battery changed by the way) .when i attached the 2nd fitbit’s screen on my first one, still didnt lit up. Then i placed the 2nd fitbit back but now it doesnt light up too. What could i have done wrong? But the battery i attached did work since the sensor behind was lighting up

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi SugaredV, I understand. It is very difficult to help you. But just to say that the connectors go together with a definite click or 'snap'. You saw I connected the battery first time and it would not work but then I tried again and it worked the 2nd time. I think it can only be the connections.

[@Chase4342]

@@HaxbyShed hi thank you for the reply! I got one of my fitbit fixed.i just had to long press some buttons then it restarted 😅.

[@bootsowen]

I imagine that she was waiting for ages for that old thing to die and now she is stuck with it for another year while you get to keep on buying "new" toys for the shed Paul. ;-P On a more serious note, all of the phones and tech are the same, small and fiddly, but with a bit of patience they are remarkably easy to repair, I have had an iPhone 6 for a while and I'd say it is one of the most repairable things out there, and because they made so many the parts are really cheap. But all of these tech companies are putting little tags into the parts so if the serial number of the part changes the new phone won't recognise it (or rather it will recognise that it wasn't an authorised repair).

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Bootsowen, the conversation went, (wife) ..... my Fitbit won't charge, ..... my Fitbit won't charge, oh there are lots of new models now ..... the one at £200 looks good ..... (me) ok I'll fix it. Coded parts are a pain. I don't know how people can pay £800 for a phone that only lasts two years (potentially) due to hardware or because the manufacturer decides to end software updates. But to be fair my ipad is 7 years old and still gets regular OS updates. I think Apple are a lot better than some of the Android phone providers. I have an Android phone but it's a Goole pixel with guaranteed updates for at least 3 years. Cheers

[@nickbengtsson6518]

Well done, very helpful

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you Nick. Cheers

[@susanneciao]

Thanks!! Very usefull!!! Very interessting!😄👌👍

[@HaxbyShed]

You are welcome Susan. Cheers

[@robertginther9248]

Nice work, but you could at least have put it in the 4 jaw & spun it round a few times for excitement. Then used the shaper to take off the excess glue. The never ending adventures of one Mr. Haxby! (At least you now are guaranteed a happy wife).

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Bob, amazingly it has survived a swim. Anything is fixable if the vice is big enough. I watched 'Watch Wes Work' where he fixed the dishwasher - as he says "happy wife, happy life". Cheers

[@suebrown2206]

Very nice video, thank you!

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you Sue.

[@suditaliano]

thank you. opened so easily with an air dryer and blade. just need to get the screwdriver. mine had screen issues and battery and it died suddenly. i found the screen cable burned.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Lowender, glad it was useful. Best of luck with the fix. Cheers

[@jean-pierrehilbert2273]

Well done! I would have used 1mm double-sided electronics repair tape instead of the (messy) glue.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi JP, good idea thanks. It needed to be waterproof and the sticky glue was ok for that. Cheers

[@NeoMorphUK]

Oh cringe… good info on getting in but holding up the watch while you unscrew the pcb BY THE WIFI AERIAL made me scream “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” because the material tears really oh so easily. I’ve repaired loads of microelectronics over the years and I’ve tore several flex pcb’s that have the slide in and lock down connectors because I was a little tooooo rough due to my nerve damage causing my hand to shake slightly. Luckily the pain clinic put me on gabapentin which stopped my nerve pain and I now have a rock solid steady hand again. In future get yourself a good quality helping hand that has multiple arms to hold the item you are working on whole you unscrew parts. Make sure you use non-magnetic tweezers and screwdrivers too. Just put a tiny dot of that glue on the tip and it will work like a magnetic screwdriver anyway. But overall… DARN GOOD JOB. If it works, it works. I tend to cheat because I have a microscope that lets me see what I’m doing. It allows me to see if anything has blown on the PCB. I no longer do it for a living but still like to repair my own electronics that break.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi neomorph, thanks good advice. A few weeks ago in my video HS243 I repaired my Sony camcorder. I was a bit rough with that too but somehow the bit of damage I did seemed not to affect the function. I had got quotes for a repair but they were all too expensive (and open ended since we did not know what was wrong at that stage). Cheers

[@PatsyNoriega-n8y]

Thanks!! I did it!

[@HaxbyShed]

Excellent Patsy. It's quite a tricky job and really I rated my chances as only 50/50 so I was pleased to get it running again. Cheers

[@ellendubiel4224]

My Fitbit battery died about two weeks ago and i miss it so much . I've been watching videos to find if i could do ot myself but i think im just going to buy a new Fitbit. I wish I knew someone that could replace the battery for me

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Ellen, I guess the only good news is that Fitbit prices do seem to be coming down gradually as competition increases. Cheers

[@BillRickle]

Did not work All i get is a white flash and then black again

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Bill, to be honest I was surprised really when my repair worked. It was worth a try. Cheers

[@baluxt]

Do the important parts off camera, he needs to concentrate 😂😂😂

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi baluxt, I can't multitask and thinking "is it in shot, is it in focus?" is actually quite distracting. Cheers

[@rupertnungaray9368]

Place tube in the sun while finishing up.. will flow well

[@HaxbyShed]

Thank you Rupert. 👍

[@richardhare3996]

If I send you my Fitbit Versa 3 Geoff could you do mine please....(if you dont ask, you'll never know 😊😊)

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi Richard, there is a very good chance I would break it so I can't take the risk on other people's stuff. Thanks for asking but it is a definite no I'm afraid. Cheers

[@lorinna]

wow most people would not waste such effort. It was not easy to repair they definitely want you to toss it after 2 years sad.

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi L Leung, I think that fitbit cost about £170 so I was definitely not going to bin it without trying to repair it. Even if we only get one more year it was worth the repair because now the cost on new fitbits is coming down due to competition. Cheers

[@santugk]

Didnt work!

[@HaxbyShed]

Oh dear Santhosh. I don't think Fitbit really intends for them to be repaired. Cheers

[@nemedities]

Ummm.... I'll just buy a new one. Way to much for me

[@HaxbyShed]

Hiya it is very fiddly and maybe 50/50 it will work but the battery was very cheap and I had nothing to lose. Cheers

[@CoojertM]

What a lot of faffing about, even if you have all the tools!

[@HaxbyShed]

Hi CoojertM, I agree clearly Google/Fitbit expect you to spend £150 or whatever and then throw it away after 2 years when the battery gives out. Not exactly good value is it, especially when you can get perfectly good 'no brand' watch health trackers online for £25. Cheers