Can a Clip battery be replaced?

I got my buddy a Sansa Clip last year when he started having to have dialysis treatments.

Three times a week for theree hours per session his little music player is his refuge from machines draining and filtering his blood.

And until now there has been no problem. (He’s even convinced some of the other patients to buy Sansa products)

But now his battery won’t even last through the three-to-four hour sessions (probably because he would charge the Clip immediately after returning home rather than running the battery down entirely before charging)

So I would like to know if the Clip’s battery can be replaced.

While the Clip is a great music player with a very reasonable price the cost of his medications don’t leave him with a lot of money, and we’d rather not have to buy another if there’s a less expensive alternative.

It’s replaceable, but not built to be. 

You’d have to carefully pry the case apart, and then solder a new battery to the battery leads (or use conductive epoxy).  I’m not sure how much money you’d save, in the end–batteries are not readily available for this, although I believe one of the iPod batteries works.

But people have done it–you can search here (search box at the upper right) for threads on the topic, and at anythingbutipod.com, a good source.

Thank you for such a prompt reply.

I was afraid the answer would be something like that.

Yet another reason for me to learn to solder.

Am I correct in thinking that if he had ran his battery down entirely before charging that it would have lasted longer?

(asking as a preventative measure for the next Sansa or Clip battery)

Ya know, I don’t think the recharging would have been a problem–these batteries, as versus earlier types, don’t really have a battery memory and, in fact, it is recommended to recharge them when still partially charged rather than to discharge them fully (which is not recommended).  Batteryuniversity.com is a good source for battery information such as this. 

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_charge_when_to_charge_table

One thought:  are you still within one year of purchase (if the U.S.–2 years if the EU)?  If so, you still are within the warranty period and you could telephone SanDisk about the circumstances and the short battery life, and see if a replacement player would be provided to you (SanDisk even covers the postage both ways).  if you fall within this, I’d try (and I’d even explain the particular circumstances here).

In the U.S.:  1-866-SANDISK (726-3475).  And other SanDisk contact information:  http://www.sandisk.com/sandisk-support/contact-us

(Also, note that some credit cards double the warranty period coverage–I try to buy my electronics with a credit card that has that feature.)

By the way, it doesn’t look like the battery replacement is all that hard to do (and conductive epoxy glue is available at electronics stores)–but it istill is something to do.

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And, a walk-through on the battery replacement, for the original Clip:

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55110&highlight=disassembly

But if you still are within warranty (and perhaps even otherwise), I would telephone (better than emailing) SanDisk:  less than 3-4 hours of battery life after a year is not normal, and the recharging that was being done was not excessive or harmful.  And what the heck:  the phone call is free and might result in a positive solution.  

And here’s one other possibility:

If matters can’t be resolved with SanDisk, your buddy could purchase and use an external battery pack that would attach to his player.  While not as good as simply replacing the player’s battery (I mean, your buddy probably would like to prefer having to attach the player to a separate battery pack), it’s a possibility. 

I purchased a good, relatively small, inexpensive AA battery pack (which can use rechargeable batteries) for just a few bucks shipped.  (Note:  there are many of these available at eBay; try a search on"AA battery emergency charger" to find the lowest price–well under US$5, often at around $3 shipped.)

http://cgi.ebay.com/AA-Battery-Emergency-Charger-iPod-iTouch-iPhone-3G-3-G-/280645539047?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item4157c714e7

(But, I’d still telephone SanDisk about a possible replacement first …)

Thank you…and thank you…and thank you again!

I wasn’t expecting quite so much reading material.

After reading through the Battery University page, I began thinking about his usage and habits with his Clip. The battery damage could quite likely have been caused by his habit of tossing the clip and headphones on the dash of his truck and leaving it there for extended periods of time in the Summer sun.

I’ve actually got a battery backup for my own electronics (w/ microUSB connector) but have yet to try it on his Clip.

My own Sansa is a Fuze, so I’d need a 30 pin adapter  to make it work with mine.

So he actually might profit more from having the backup battery…but I’m pretty certain what he likes best about the Clip is it’s size - lightness, so adding a battery three times heavier than it by a small cable is sort of out of the question.

We also bought this particular Clip refurbished, at Amazon US, with a gift card, so I don’t believe any warranty is available in our case. (quite likely the same way this one will be bought due to the money constraints associated with having health trouble and living under in the American medical establishment. But I digress.)

We’re looking at upgrading to a Clip+ since we found a 2GB last night for a reasonable price. The Clip is only 1GB and pretty full now. Maybe this time he’ll take better care of the player since he knows what not to do. ( I think he broke the clip off of his “Clip” a whole two weeks after getting it. So it’s been more lump than clip for quite some time. )

I really appreciate all the time and advice you put into the responses.

@vulpes wrote:

 

We’re looking at upgrading to a Clip+ since we found a 2GB last night for a reasonable price. The Clip is only 1GB and pretty full now. Maybe this time he’ll take better care of the player since he knows what not to do. ( I think he broke the clip off of his “Clip” a whole two weeks after getting it. So it’s been more lump than clip for quite some time. )

  

This sounds like the best way to go. Not only does the Clip+ have a much more robust ‘clip’ on it (although not replaceable like the original was), but it also has a card slot so you (or he) can expand the memory up to an additional 32GB of space. He’ll be able to go through a lot of dialysis sessions without hearing repeats.

If you’re concerned that trying to fill up all this extra space is going to cost too much, remember that music downloads (for $$) aren’t the only way to get more music. Maybe you (and some of his other friends or family) own CD’s that can be ripped to .mp3 format and added for no cost whatsoever. You can also borrow CD’s from your local library and do the same thing. There’s even a thread in the Off-Topic board here that has several suggestions of websites where you can get free (and legal) music downloads.

The price of memory cards too, are coming down and the lower sized ones (like 2 & 4GB) can be obtained very reasonably now, so doubling or even tripling the size of his memory space (and music library) is not a huge financial hardship.

:smiley:

I soldered on a nokia battery. BL4C. The only thing is, the battery gauge is a little wonky. It reads only in identical digits. 55% or 88%. The nokia battery is thwice the power of the old one and I wonder whether the circuits can adapt to the change?

 I replaced my Sandisk Clip Zip battery with LP-402933-IS-3 BATTERY, LITHIUM POL, 3.7V, 300 MAH BAK

I have rockbox installed on it, which is an awesome piece of custom firware for selected mp3-players. The most recent update of the rockbox firmware should double the battery life!

https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/ReleaseNotes314

I have used the Sandisk Clip Zip for some years now and I am really happy with the product in combination with rockbox! The mp3-player is really small, has an outstanding battery life, can play lossless audio files and features GAPLESS PLAYBACK. Would definitely replace battery again for this piece of ART. :slight_smile:

You can check my video for the proof of functioning: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7rDINoQO7g&feature=youtu.be

Cheers!

Tatami112

I applaud your efforts and your generousity in posting and i want to refine the information available to this community.

Standard replacement battery for a sansa clip zip is a 303038P, available from ebay, ali express, and possibly some battery specialty retailers even at this date (June 2018).  The larger battery you have used might not allow you to close the case.  If that is correct, an uncased mp3 player is more than I will pay for an extra 7% in battery life.

Good luckto you case -crackers everywhere.

So glad I read your post! I thought it was only a one year warranty and was about to bin the player. After reading your post I realised I was still in warranty by a few months. I emailed support and less than 3 weeks later I have recieved a brand new player! :smiley:

Thank you! 

we have had several players that have had the battery die  some i have used battery packs on to get them to work but after a while they charge less and less  and eventialy just wont work and actually get hottt!!!   and will just not come on .   does any one have any new battery videos  abi is no longer there also what batterys are now  2 ebay links were a bust 

 thanks  from oklahoma

@spinningbear wrote:

Standard replacement battery for a sansa clip zip is a 303038P

Does anybody know if this is the correct battery for Clip Sport as well? 

The only way to know for sure is to crack it open and physically look at the battery.
Or simply search eBay for “Sansa sport battery” and look at the battery there. 322531 is what I found. 302530 will also work(tiny bit smaller).