Blaze won't charge, contacts damaged

[JMulls15]

I've had my Blaze for almost 2 years and haven't had any issues until earlier today.  Went to charge my Blaze and it wouldn't charge. I looked at and wiped the connections off, tried a second outlet, tried my wife's Blaze charger and nothing. It won't charge at all. I looked at the pin connectors on the back of the Blaze and they looked damaged. Can anyone help?

Moderator edit: Clarified subject

[Eaglesfield63]

Warranties should be a fail safe.
When your product has a clear design flaw you are aware of you should take
more action than a 25% discount on an expensive replacement product

[Peter_S]

Thought I would post an update for people in the same position as myself
(Blaze failed outside warranty period).

Mine is now charging, I took the back off (it was dead so nothing to lose)
and found that the contacts on the outside lead to spring loaded pins on
the inside. I think that where a hole appears on the pad on the outside ,
it lets crud into the spring loaded pin which sticks in (at least in my
case). I cleaned it all out with Isopropyl alcohol and blew through a few
times and then the spring freed off. Put it all back together and it seems
ok.

Probably going to have to clear it out every once in a while or buy a new
back. Anyways, you could google "Ifixit Blaze repair" for more info.

Oh and if break yours....its your own fault!!

Peter.

[Dflyman]

This doesn't help but could be cathartic. I have done the same troubleshooting to no avail and can visibly see the worn contacts. When I bought the blaze I was worried about battery life decline - battery is still fine - should of been worried about poor self destructive design. Will definately be think twice before buying Fitbit again.

[Peter_S]

You can purchase from eBay a new back with new pins. Only 4 screws hold it
on.

Will keep your Blaze going for a while longer.

[Dflyman]

Thanks - just ordered - we'll see how that works out.

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[Dflyman]

Just some follow up- Replacement back arrived from eBay and I repaired my Blaze last night. Now charging again and working fine. Thanks for directing me to this option.

[Red1987]

I am having a similar issue, not sure if damaged but having trouble charging 

[Peter_S]

Great stuff, you're welcome.

[Pest666]

Couldn't dlete this

[Pest666]

I've had two blazes with this problem and I've gotten both of them working again.  Pogo pins on the outside won't help you.  In fact, the problem is caused by pogo pins on the inside.  The blaze is at least partially waterproof and part of the water proofing is that the charging connections are carried through the back via four pogo pins.  Once the outside contact develops a hole, crud from your wrist gets into the pogo pin spring and freezes it.  Eventually, the back flexes and leaves one or more of the pogo pins too short to bridge the gap.  If your blaze is out of warranty, it's relatively simple to remove the back with a T3 torx driver and you should be able to massage the pogo pins enough to get them moving again.   I don't know of a good permanent fix, but mine have been working fine for several weeks and it will be trivial for me to go back in and do it again if necessary. After several different Fitbit models, I've grown used to having to fix their badly designed products myself.  ....

[Peter_S]

This is all true though you can buy a back housing with pogo pins from
ebay, this sorted my wifes Blaze out, but sadly mine had a dead battery, so
I am back to an old surge.

Peter

[Rich_Laue]

During the changing of the back, it should be an easy fix to change the battery. These batteries do not last for ever, heat, charging fully, leaving dead for long periods, or letting drop below 30% all may lead to battery failure. 

[Peter_S]

Yeah it's getting the right :battery: that's the problem. It has a built in
voltage regulator which is not on aftermarket batteries last time I looked.

[Pest666]

I'm pretty confident ifixit sells a replacement battery designed specifically for the blaze for around $25

[Pest666]

Actually it's $20

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Smartwatch/Fitbit-Blaze-Replacement-Battery/IF384-000?o=1

[Peter_S]

Did look before, will try again,

Thanks

[Petem289]

Good morning from New Zealand.

Blaze is two years, two months old so I assume any warranty is expired. Firstly it gave up providing sleep details, then heart rate, then the green lights cut out and now it won't charge in a multitude of cradles.

I let the device run dead in the hope of a reset. Still dead.

No luck with any of the fixes through the app or a shut down. Is it dead, once and for all? The issue definitely seems to be around the charging contacts ... two years isn't a lot for 300 New Zealand dollars TBH.

Regards, Pete

[Eaglesfield63]

I quite agree.
Fitbit are pretty useless tbh.
Although that might change under their new ownership, I doubt it.
I did find that you can buy replacement backs fairly cheaply if you look
online, although supply appears limited.
Fitbit offered me a 25% discount on a new one. Irritating as the Blaze
clearly has a design flaw they are well aware of.

Peter

[Petem289]

Right ... credit where it is due. After posting earlier this week that my Blaze had died after two years of use and contacting Fitbit support by email, their follow up has been exemplary. Can not fault their approach, from the first email. 

[Eaglesfield63]

And??
Was the Blaze within its warranty period still?
What was the result?
Did they replace it free of charge?