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Electronic vendors should not be able to produce products that do not allow for the batteries to be replaced easily. We are too much a throw away society. Aside from this watch, I have electric toothbrushes that are designed not to allow the battery to replaced, but I have replaced them anyway. The vendors could easily allow for a design to replace the battery without taking apart the device. Same goes for the watch.
I totally agree. The only issue with watches is that they are waterproof, which means they have parts glued together unless they come up with an idea on how to make a waterproof watch without adhesive sealant, and that would be hard to achieve. However, for smartphones, a waterproof rating is definitely not necessary unless you intend to swim with it. @@larryzuckett2598
As @BLyyyth commented below the battery connector does not slide out of its seat horizontally. It has tabs on the side of the connector that prevent it from doing so. Instead, the connector lifts up and out of its seat. I used a pair of tweezers to lift the end where the wires connect, up and then out of the seat at a 45 degree angle. It can be difficult to lift the connector directly up out of its seat, as the seat is not fimly attached to the base of the watch and I didn't want to pull it loose from its ribbon connection. Install the new battery connector in reverse order.
Hello Thank you for Your very detailed instructions and shared experiences. Would it be possible to share how the watch has been working after few months. Also it is hard to find replacement battery, would you have any recommendations ? Thanks
Hi, glad it was helpful. The battery was working fine, though, it wouldn't charge more than 160mAh. Also because the battery was slightly thicker than the original one, I think by 0.5mm, eventually the glue started to give up and it has almost opened up on its own. But luckily, I found a replacement knock-off battery with exact dimensions as the original one and have resoldered it instead. Glued it back and because it is a bit thinned, it closed easily and works great. Also the battery time has increased to 7 days now.
The seal is a silicone seal , you don't have to heat it up at all . All you have to do is use a sharp object and break the seal all the way around then it will left right off .
¡Excelente video! recién le cambie la batería a mi vivoactive 3, pero tiene un menor rendimiento incluso que la batería de fábrica, ¿Crees que sea necesario remover el PCB para que eso no pase? o ¿la batería que compre este defectuosa? saludos y gracias.
Como mencioné en el video, tuve el mismo problema con ese pequeño PCB instalado: la batería se descargaba súper rápido, mucho más rápido de lo esperado. Una vez que lo quité, dejó de descargarse tan rápido y ahora dura aproximadamente una semana. Ni siquiera estoy seguro de qué hace ese pequeño componente del PCB, ya que no he notado ninguna limitación en el uso del reloj. Así que quizás intenta quitarlo también y ve si ayuda. Espero que funcione para ti. Avísame cómo te va.
@@PulsarTECH Gracias por la pronta respuesta, bueno he identificado que es ese pequeño PCB es un sensor de temperatura, no se por que interfiere con la carga de la nueva batería y su rendimiento, pero parece ser que funciona tú procedimiento al quitarlo la batería ya no se drena rápidamente, seguiré testeando y te aviso como va y ver si puedo recolocarlo, saludos.
Genial. Espero que siga funcionando bien. Es bueno saber que es un sensor de temperatura, ¿cómo lo descubriste? Supongo que de alguna manera ese sensor de temperatura se dañó durante el desmontaje, consumiendo constantemente energía mientras el reloj intentaba obtener datos de este sensor, pero probablemente no respondía o estaba malfuncionando, consumiendo energía sin parar. Avísame cómo te va.@@TheMacerockz
I tried to do it and had the same issue with you in stripping the cables when trying to remove the battery connector. I swear that Garmin must glue it or something! Mine was worse than yours though as the connector head remained in the socket.
Yeah, it seems difficult to properly remove the connector because it's so small. I hope you'll be able to attach those wires like I did and fix it with a drop of silicon glue and solder the battery wires. Good luck.
About the 300mah battery: I can only find one on Amazon that's for the Fenix 3, it has the dimensions: 32.10 x 24.52 x 4.88mm. The vivoactive 3 160mah batteries are 22.50 x 20.50 x 4.50mm. Do you know if there is enough space in the Vivoactive 3 for a slightly bigger battery? Or did you find one that was the same size?
The maximum battery size for this device is 160mAh, so do not attempt to install larger batteries as they will not fit. I have found a 300mAh battery with similar dimensions, measuring 20x20x4mm, on the marketplace. I am unsure how they managed to fit 300mAh into the same size as the 160mAh battery; perhaps it utilizes a different technology. However, in reality, the watch can only utilize up to 160mAh of the 300mAh battery's capacity. It seems the watch may be programmed to recognize and charge only up to 160mAh, cutting off power once this limit is reached. Therefore, opting for a 160mAh battery will not result in a significant difference. As mentioned in the video, the 300mAh battery may potentially last longer, as it only uses half of its capacity. This is just a theory, and we will have to see how it holds up in 2-3 years down the road.
Hi! Depending on your location, you can check local marketplaces or global ones such as Amazon, AliExpress, or eBay. Unfortunately, the vendor from whom I bought it no longer has it listed. However, there should be other sellers offering the same product. Good luck!
For those replacing the battery, take the watch apart slowly, there is no rush. The glue around the top of the watch seems to be more become more pliable with heat but it is brittle so it will "let go" which is fine. Know that the battery connector is -- pushed in -- from the top. It does not need to slide out. If you look closely at the connector on the new battery, you can see that it "sits" in the connector. Be very careful with removing the old battery from the connector as it is not firmly secured to the body of the watch.
I can't help but share this. You haven’t checked your pressure sensor. It is located near the battery connector. In the Vivoactive 3, a common issue is the failure of this sensor, which leads to increased power consumption. The sensor is soldered onto a miniature board and recessed into the case. I’ve found this sensor for sale, and it can be replaced. In your video, the air channels in the case are visible, and they are clogged. These channels need to be cleaned and flushed. Many people simply remove this sensor, which also solves the problem of increased power consumption. However, you’ll need to seal the air channel for the sensor, and you won’t be able to track floor climbing anymore. Also, batteries marked as 300 mAh are fake; the maximum available is 160 mAh.
Thanks for the heads up! This is really useful for anyone else attempting this. I had to remove some tiny PCB near the battery as it seems broken and because of that the battery was draining quickly. After removing it, the watch started to work better.
Thanks for watching! 😊 If you enjoyed the video, please Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more content! Your support means a lot. If you'd like to support the channel further, consider using Super Thanks! 🚀
Awesome video! Intead of buying another watch just replace worn out old battery.
Reuse - repaire - reduce - recycle!
Great point!
Electronic vendors should not be able to produce products that do not allow for the batteries to be replaced easily. We are too much a throw away society. Aside from this watch, I have electric toothbrushes that are designed not to allow the battery to replaced, but I have replaced them anyway. The vendors could easily allow for a design to replace the battery without taking apart the device. Same goes for the watch.
I totally agree. The only issue with watches is that they are waterproof, which means they have parts glued together unless they come up with an idea on how to make a waterproof watch without adhesive sealant, and that would be hard to achieve. However, for smartphones, a waterproof rating is definitely not necessary unless you intend to swim with it. @@larryzuckett2598
As @BLyyyth commented below the battery connector does not slide out of its seat horizontally. It has tabs on the side of the connector that prevent it from doing so. Instead, the connector lifts up and out of its seat. I used a pair of tweezers to lift the end where the wires connect, up and then out of the seat at a 45 degree angle. It can be difficult to lift the connector directly up out of its seat, as the seat is not fimly attached to the base of the watch and I didn't want to pull it loose from its ribbon connection. Install the new battery connector in reverse order.
Good observation!
Hello
Thank you for Your very detailed instructions and shared experiences.
Would it be possible to share how the watch has been working after few months. Also it is hard to find replacement battery, would you have any recommendations ?
Thanks
Hi, glad it was helpful. The battery was working fine, though, it wouldn't charge more than 160mAh. Also because the battery was slightly thicker than the original one, I think by 0.5mm, eventually the glue started to give up and it has almost opened up on its own. But luckily, I found a replacement knock-off battery with exact dimensions as the original one and have resoldered it instead. Glued it back and because it is a bit thinned, it closed easily and works great. Also the battery time has increased to 7 days now.
The seal is a silicone seal , you don't have to heat it up at all . All you have to do is use a sharp object and break the seal all the way around then it will left right off .
¡Excelente video! recién le cambie la batería a mi vivoactive 3, pero tiene un menor rendimiento incluso que la batería de fábrica, ¿Crees que sea necesario remover el PCB para que eso no pase? o ¿la batería que compre este defectuosa? saludos y gracias.
Como mencioné en el video, tuve el mismo problema con ese pequeño PCB instalado: la batería se descargaba súper rápido, mucho más rápido de lo esperado. Una vez que lo quité, dejó de descargarse tan rápido y ahora dura aproximadamente una semana. Ni siquiera estoy seguro de qué hace ese pequeño componente del PCB, ya que no he notado ninguna limitación en el uso del reloj. Así que quizás intenta quitarlo también y ve si ayuda. Espero que funcione para ti. Avísame cómo te va.
@@PulsarTECH Gracias por la pronta respuesta, bueno he identificado que es ese pequeño PCB es un sensor de temperatura, no se por que interfiere con la carga de la nueva batería y su rendimiento, pero parece ser que funciona tú procedimiento al quitarlo la batería ya no se drena rápidamente, seguiré testeando y te aviso como va y ver si puedo recolocarlo, saludos.
Genial. Espero que siga funcionando bien. Es bueno saber que es un sensor de temperatura, ¿cómo lo descubriste? Supongo que de alguna manera ese sensor de temperatura se dañó durante el desmontaje, consumiendo constantemente energía mientras el reloj intentaba obtener datos de este sensor, pero probablemente no respondía o estaba malfuncionando, consumiendo energía sin parar. Avísame cómo te va.@@TheMacerockz
I tried to do it and had the same issue with you in stripping the cables when trying to remove the battery connector. I swear that Garmin must glue it or something!
Mine was worse than yours though as the connector head remained in the socket.
Yeah, it seems difficult to properly remove the connector because it's so small. I hope you'll be able to attach those wires like I did and fix it with a drop of silicon glue and solder the battery wires. Good luck.
About the 300mah battery: I can only find one on Amazon that's for the Fenix 3, it has the dimensions: 32.10 x 24.52 x 4.88mm. The vivoactive 3 160mah batteries are 22.50 x 20.50 x 4.50mm. Do you know if there is enough space in the Vivoactive 3 for a slightly bigger battery? Or did you find one that was the same size?
The maximum battery size for this device is 160mAh, so do not attempt to install larger batteries as they will not fit. I have found a 300mAh battery with similar dimensions, measuring 20x20x4mm, on the marketplace. I am unsure how they managed to fit 300mAh into the same size as the 160mAh battery; perhaps it utilizes a different technology. However, in reality, the watch can only utilize up to 160mAh of the 300mAh battery's capacity. It seems the watch may be programmed to recognize and charge only up to 160mAh, cutting off power once this limit is reached. Therefore, opting for a 160mAh battery will not result in a significant difference. As mentioned in the video, the 300mAh battery may potentially last longer, as it only uses half of its capacity. This is just a theory, and we will have to see how it holds up in 2-3 years down the road.
@@PulsarTECHThanks!
@@PulsarTECH where did you find the 300mah battery? i cant find a good battery for my vivoactive
@@DocL33t hi, I've got it on a local market place. Look on AliExpress, I think there are a few available there or on any other global market places.
@@PulsarTECH the batteries i found had really bad reviews, so i dont think that is an option?
My GPS gone after changing battery,
Any suggestion which hardware or how to fix it?
Have you got a link to the 300mah battery please?
Hi! Depending on your location, you can check local marketplaces or global ones such as Amazon, AliExpress, or eBay. Unfortunately, the vendor from whom I bought it no longer has it listed. However, there should be other sellers offering the same product. Good luck!
For those replacing the battery, take the watch apart slowly, there is no rush. The glue around the top of the watch seems to be more become more pliable with heat but it is brittle so it will "let go" which is fine. Know that the battery connector is -- pushed in -- from the top. It does not need to slide out. If you look closely at the connector on the new battery, you can see that it "sits" in the connector. Be very careful with removing the old battery from the connector as it is not firmly secured to the body of the watch.
Good point!
I can't help but share this. You haven’t checked your pressure sensor. It is located near the battery connector. In the Vivoactive 3, a common issue is the failure of this sensor, which leads to increased power consumption. The sensor is soldered onto a miniature board and recessed into the case. I’ve found this sensor for sale, and it can be replaced. In your video, the air channels in the case are visible, and they are clogged. These channels need to be cleaned and flushed. Many people simply remove this sensor, which also solves the problem of increased power consumption. However, you’ll need to seal the air channel for the sensor, and you won’t be able to track floor climbing anymore. Also, batteries marked as 300 mAh are fake; the maximum available is 160 mAh.
Thanks for the heads up! This is really useful for anyone else attempting this. I had to remove some tiny PCB near the battery as it seems broken and because of that the battery was draining quickly. After removing it, the watch started to work better.