Comments on: How to replace the battery in a Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor (HRM)

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:36:28 +0000

Thanks, your directions were spot on. I would just add, to pay attention to the correct battery installment.

By: T-Lo

T-Lo — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:55:33 +0000

Um- was looking here for help with the same situation… My husband was trying to change the battery in his Polar watch but the display stayed blank. After reading the original post to him, we realized he was putting the original, dead battery in the watch…he assumed the battery on the counter was a replacement I must have bought over the weekend. D’oh! :-/

By: Mario

Mario — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:37:45 +0000

Thanks Martin and the OP. I have the same problem as others. I took it apart and put it back together. Watch works BUT only gets a heartbeat when I put it right up against the strap. As soon as it’s a couple of inches away it loses the signal. With the latest activity on this post I was hoping someone had an answer. Made sure the spring was in the hole with the gold contact and thanks to Martin confirmed the bracket is facing the right way.

I already bought a replacement watch as I gave up hope but it’s a side obsession now as to why it won’t work and I occasionally look for answers.

Thanks all.

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:04:11 +0000

Another thankyou from the UK! Respect due!

Just to add for those still using F11 and reading this:

1) Be careful when taking the back off, as there is a very small contact spring which is pushing against the back plate from the inside. If this falls out it for you, it needs to be dropped back into the small hole with the gold contact at the bottom, just before you replace the back plate.

2) You don’t need to remove the main mechanism out of the case/strap. If you do it is fiddly to get back in

3) If you have taken the main mechanism out, you will find that there is a metal plate that fits between it and the front case/strap. When reassembling; the u-shaped metal strip on this plate should be at the top

4) Make sure you put the battery in the right way. The WRITING on the battery SHOULD FACE the FRONT of the WATCH. If you can read the writing on the battery after you’ve put it in, it’s the wrong way round.

5) I found that where the small contact spring touches the inside of the back plate was corroded (obviously bad for electrical conductivity). I very delicately cleaned it off with some fine wire wool, making sure not to damage the surrounding white insulation.

My watch was now as good as new.

Hope these additions are helpful to someone.

Thanks again to the original poster!!!

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:06:51 +0000

If there’s a dot in the middle of the star, it’s a security bit, those are kind of a pain to find. If there’s no dot, then it’s a Torx. You can go to an electronics store (radio shack?) or possibly even like a Sears and sift through their screwdrivers to find one that fits. I wouldn’t buy a kit or anything – nobody needs an assortment of tiny Torx screwdrivers. Let us know which bit/head it ends up being, it sounds like Polar switched.

You could easily order one online, but it’d be hard to gauge the right size w/o actually being able to try it.

By: Maggie

Maggie — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:33:06 +0000

Hi, anyone know what type of screwdriver is needed for this? I’ve got a set of jeweller’s Phillip’s head screwdriver’s, but none of them fit as they are all 4 pointed like a cross. The screws on my Polar F11 seem to be 6 pointed like a star, but I can’t find a screwdriver small enough. Help!

By: Jerry in Canada

Jerry in Canada — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 22:25:27 +0000

Just replaced my Polar F6 battery with these instructions. It was a snap! After removing the back cover, I left the unit inside the watch, and had no trouble with a spring falling out. Replaced the CR2032 battery and very carefully realigned the thin rubber gasket in its groove on the black plastic case before replacing the cover and screws. Luckily for me, my T31 chest strap still works, and now I will kick-start a lapsed fitness routine. If your T31 dies, consider replacing its battery too rather rather than buying a new one. I found this youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BugDnn5T-ok

By: Alfg

Alfg — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:04:57 +0000

Thank you, that was really easy

By: RAY

RAY — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 03:45:40 +0000

I had a battery replaced by Polar a while back, and the watch also died in a short period of time. Needless to say, I was not impressed. After returning to Polar, the problem was in the back cover (that you remove to open the watch) In the cover is the buzzer, and mine had low resistance, leading to the battery drain. So the cover was replaced and the watch now has a new serial number! Maybe your watch suffers from the same problem. Does the watch work without the back cover on? That might confirm a similar issue to mine.

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:01:57 +0000

@Lisa-the type of screwdriver is a T-6 jewelers, which is a Torqs type of bit. Also, be careful when reinserting the screws, not to strip them out. The case is plastic and cannot stand a lot of torque.