I bought a second hand Mio c220 GPS to tinker with it.
While trying to hack it, I also flirt with the idea of replacing its internal battery.
Since I bought it for 20 euros, I don't care much if I break it, so I took the plunge:
I disassembled it to see what's inside. Here goes.
**Warning**
Before you start unscrewing stuff, take a mental note of the power button. Once you remove the rear cover, the button will go flying and you will have to figure-out which way is the right way to put it back in.
Also, performing an open-heart operation on your loved GPS is not a risk-free matter. I cannot be held responsible for any damaged units. Proceed at your own risk.
Right. Were was I? Go on and unscrew the 4 screws on the back. Then you have to pry it open. Use a flat screwdriver and be careful not to mark the plastic casing.
Once you separate the casing into 2 pieces, carefully disconnect the black and white cables that connect the speaker to the PCB. This will give us some more "breathing" space for our tinkering.
What we see before us is a 3.7v 1200mAh battery with dimensions of 5 x 3.5 x 0.7 cm.
You can buy a direct replacement for about £7.5 or if you're a real cheapskate like me you can buy a cell-phone or camera battery which are cheaper.
I haven't tried this one yet, but it appears that the following batteries have very similar dimensions and should fit within the casing.
The only downfall is that you will have to cut the cable off the original battery and solder it on the new battery contacts. Shouldn't be that difficult. Just make sure that you keep the soldering process short as batteries tend to explode on your face if you overheat them with a soldering iron. And they overheat fast.
I'll first let the battery die completely and then I'll buy a new one, so I'll let you know how that goes.
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