Ereader

Kobo Clara HD

Setup

  1. Connect the device to a computer with the help of a microUSB cable.
  2. Bypass Registration
  3. Open the device, to access the microsd card that serves as storage.

Bypassing Registration1

Connect the Clara HD to a computer as directed, but instead of downloading the Kobo app, instead open the Clara HD internal storage on the computer, which should have become available as a USB device.

Navigate to the (possibly hidden by default) .kobo directory, where there should be a KoboReader.sqlite file. This is an SQLite database, and we will need to install the SQLite tools to access it (e.g. sudo pacman -S sqlite).

Once SQLite is installed, open a command prompt in this directory and run:

sqlite3 KoboReader.sqlite

From the SQLite prompt, run:

<span class="k">INSERT</span> <span class="k">INTO</span> <span class="k">user</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">UserID</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="n">UserKey</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="k">VALUES</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s1">'1'</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="s1">''</span><span class="p">);</span>

And then exit SQLite. Then eject the Clara HD internal storage from the computer, and disconnect it. The Clara HD should continue as if it were successfully registered!

Using this method enables all functionality of the Clara HD, including the beta web browser, and firmware updates. To check for updates, connect to WiFi, then tap the sync icon in the top right corner of the screen and tap ‘Sync now’. The sync will fail, but the device should still check for firmware updates, and if one is found, direct you to install it.

Backup and restore

Remove the microSD

Remove the back cover of the e-reader and follow the safety measures if you haven't yet. Then carefully remove the microSD card and connect it to your computer.

Backup2

Now backup all the partitions at once using dd and xz.

sudo dd if=/dev/sde bs=4M conv=sync,noerror status=progress | xz > kobo_sdcard_"$(date '+%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S')".img.xz

Flags

  • status=progress enables progress information

  • you can find the block size (bs) of the device by running stat -fc %s /dev/<microsd>

Note: conv=sync,noerror tells dd that if it can't read a block due to a read error, then it should at least write something to its output of the correct length1

Restore

To restore the backup, simply uncompress the image and write it to the microSD.

xz -dc kobo-backup.img.xz | sudo dd of=/dev/<microsd> bs=4M status=progress

Software

KOReader

Inkbox

Website: https://inkbox.ddns.net

Repo: Inkbox Gitlab

Here is the MobileRead annoucement of Inkbox. It also features the Kobo Clara HD link.

As of 2024-04-12 1, the provided InkBox OS image for the Clara HD (N249) could only work with the following board revisions:

  • 37NB-E60K00+4A4
  • 37NB-E60K00+4A4+.C. (may not fully work, but should boot)

This image will not work for the following board revision and could permanently damage your device if you try to boot it:

  • 37NB-E60K00+4A4+.B.

For more details, please look here: Kobo Clara not booting with mainline kernel - postmarketOS gitlab

Miscaleanous

Custom Fonts3

https://dmpop.github.io/koreader-compendium/01-custom-fonts/

https://web.archive.org/web/20230610222521if_/https://thepenguin.eu/2020-01-02-some-nice-fonts-for-your-ebook-reader/

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