Suggestions on Fixing Apple Pencil (Gen 1)?

AssamLaksa on 06/08/2020 - 11:47
Last edited 06/08/2020 - 17:34 by 1 other user

Hi guys,

I have an Apple Pencil Gen 1 that's stopped working after not being in use for quite some time (about a year or so…).

I've tried all the troubleshooting steps that I can think of
e.g Forget Apple Pencil in Bluetooth and attempt to reconnect, Updated iPad OS, hard reset iPad, left Pencil plugged in and charging for a number of hours…

Basically the Pencil's battery has gone flat and refuses to recharge after being plugged in.

Called Apple Support (even though it's out of warranty) to ask how much it would cost to get it fixed, and basically was quoted about $120+….

Also came across this forum post on Apple which apparently states that it will die completely if left unused for a long period of time..
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8429693

Then I came across another post suggesting to try heating it up which I attempted with a hair dryer to no avail. It actually manages to "Connect" and charges up to 3% then stops and then loses connection.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250631002

Has anyone gotten their Apple Pencil fixed/repaired from somewhere without it costing a bomb? Or am I better off buying a new Pencil?

Thanks in advance!

Cheers

• 

  Xistn on 06/08/2020 - 12:00

  Pull it apart yourself if you know how too, replace battery.

  • 

    AssamLaksa on 06/08/2020 - 12:35

    +1

    As neo shared below, there's no way to pull it apart without destroying it…

• 

  neo on 06/08/2020 - 12:04

  +1

  It looks pretty much impossible to replace the battery without destroying the device. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Apple+Pencil+Teardown/52955

  Apple Pencil Repairability 1 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair):

  The pen nib and cap can be replaced if worn out (or lost).

  The pencil is clearly not meant to be opened or repaired; you can't get inside without destroying the device.

  The layers of plastic and metal holding interior components are impossible to remove without shredding.

  The battery, enough for a 12 hour run, is impossible to replace, giving the device a limited lifespan.

• 

  AustriaBargain on 06/08/2020 - 12:23

  -8

  Sell it on eBay as slightly used and buy a new one.

  • 

    DashCam AKA Rolts on 06/08/2020 - 15:16

    Welcome to our newest member: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnethicalLifeProTips/

• 

  wombat81 on 06/08/2020 - 12:45

  probably an obvious suggestion, but you've tried leaving it plugged into the ipad overnight, as opposed to the charger via adapter?

  The only other thing I can think of is to try it with another Ipad.

  • 

    AssamLaksa on 06/08/2020 - 14:02

    Yep… that was the first thing that I tried. Tried charging with the iPad first which didn't work, then tried it with the charger + Adaptor.

    I don't have another iPad Pro to try with sadly.

    Thanks for the suggestions.

• 

  prophet on 06/08/2020 - 13:23

  With any lithium ion battery, keep the battery between 20-80% charged when stored long-term.

  A high charge (>80%) causes a high internal voltage, which will shorten the battery's life span if kept there for extended periods of time (e.g. 1 week or more). A low charge (<20%), can cause the battery to enter a deep discharge state if kept there for extended periods of time and will cause the battery to be incapable of holding a charge anymore.

  Apple Pencil has very small battery, which means it naturally depletes to 0% quite quickly even when not in use AND it is less likely to recover from depletion damage. I've experienced this myself with the Apple Pencil 1st gen, where I had forgotten to charge it for a few months and depleted, and now it has trouble holding its charge reliably.

  TLDR: Don't ever let your Apple Pencil stay depleted for an extended period of time.

  • 

    prophet on 06/08/2020 - 13:30

    But to answer your question, it sounds like your Pencil is as good as dead. You'll need to buy a new one.

    • 

      AssamLaksa on 06/08/2020 - 14:04

      Thanks for sharing your experience. Sadly did not occur to me to keep it charged until after it had died :( Will just have to take this as a costly experience I suppose!

      • 

        prophet on 06/08/2020 - 14:10

        Personally I think the charging method for the 1st gen Pencil was idiotic (Jony Ive was mad). However, I believe they've fixed it with the 2nd gen on the iPad Pros, where you can always keep the Pencil magnetically attached and charging.

        • 

          AssamLaksa on 06/08/2020 - 14:47

          @prophet: Definitely agree with it being idiotic. I don't suppose the 2nd gen Pencil will be compatible with the 1st gen iPad Pro, so unless I was willing to drop a bunch of cash on a new iPad Pro, it looks like I will have to deal with the idiotic charging method for a while longer :/

• 

  bdl on 06/08/2020 - 15:05

  +1

  Are you using it with a current gen ipad mini 5 or ipad air 3? they won't recharge due to a bug in the ipad hardware/iOS. To get around it, plug your ipad into a charger for a few seconds, then plug the pencil in, and the pencil will start charging

  This happened to me with all brand new ipad mini 5, ipad air 3 and pencil 1 and I thought the pencil was dead…

  see: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251382715?page=1

  • 

    AssamLaksa on 06/08/2020 - 16:28

    I'm using a first gen iPad Pro 12.9".I'm quite sure it's due to me having not used the Pencil for about a year over… Had it left sitting in a drawer the entire time. But good to know there is an issue with the current gen ipads!