Hack - Kobo Aura SleepCover Repair

Even though I do most of my reading on a phone these days - it's just always with me - I still adore and get some good use from this old Kobo Aura. 

I probably don't use it in the manner Rakuten intended. The only way I read on this device is DRM free EPUBs loaded on the micro-SD card. The books are never synced online.

My first exposure to mobile e-reading was on a Palm IIIe in 2000-2001. I distinctly remember having a copy of both The Art of War and a very poetic translation of the Dao De Jing. My recollection is they were PRC files loaded direct to the device using the old Palm Desktop software. 

Since then, I've moved through a Sony Palm OS PDA, a Windows CE PDA, three Android phones, an Aluratek Libre e-reader, an iPad, and now an iPhone. 

It seems obscene when I write that down. Four PDA/tablets, four phones, and two dedicated e-readers. Two of the Android phones are dead, one under warranty. The first and last were repurposed for side loaded indy games. 

The iPad and iPhone are complementary devices. That really surprised me.  The Aluratek Libre is used by my kids. The PDAs though... they're all dead.  The rechargeable ones' batteries no longer hold a useful charge.  The Palm III just died.  I loved that one.

Happily the Kobo came to me by chance as a promotion through a vendor.  I say happily because monochrome screen, dedicated e-readers beat phones in two critical functions. 

First, their battery life is unbeatable. They last for weeks, sometimes months, versus two or three days for the longest life phones. When you're on a long trip, it's critical the battery power is conserved, so the phone can be a phone. Not to mention your maps and navigation, e-mail, web browser, hotel reservation, loyalty card wallet, etc. You can't spend three to twelve hours on the train/plane/bus/cars reading books on the phone. 

Second, for my part, the screen glow doesn't keep me awake like a phone or tablet. Maybe I can't read from my Amazon library, but I have hundreds, if not thousands, of DRM free books from multiple legitimate sources.

So, when the plastic clip that holds the Kobo Aura e-reader into its SleepCover snapped, I thought how could I fix it?

I tried hot-gluing the original black plastic clip back on, but it didn't stay fixed in place. Immediately I noticed the small clip wasn't secure on the original base of the cover. When I slid the Kobo into place, the clip bent outwards and the e-reader was not secured to the cover.

Not wanting to throw away the cover though, I wondered how to replace it by increasing the contact area for the clip. I settled on repurposing some left-over trimming from a tub surround kit.

I measured a piece one-and-a-half times as high and three times the length of the original clip, then scored one side of the strip just a few millimetres above that height to form the retaining portion. 

This was bent over so that it would put some pressure on the Kobo.  Hot glue was applied generously on both sides of the score where it was bent.

The strip was then hot glued to the SleepCover, aligned with the position of the original clip. 

It's not beautiful, but it's functional and does not affect the SleepCover closing or triggering the Kobo sleep function.  It also actually holds the Kobo in place as well or possibly better than the original device as delivered.

Maybe someday I'll get some black or grey paint on the new clip but right now, I don't really care. The Kobo Aura has protection and I didn't have to throw away the SleepCover.

You may note that the original model Aura shown is a little old now.  I purchased the SleepCover soon after acquiring the Aura some years ago.  The clip broke a little over a year after purchase and this fix has worked for a while now. How long? I really don't know.  More than a year is almost certain.  More than two is likely.