4 ms·

What's not repairable about a modern phone?

by astrea 6y ago

ryanmarsh 6y ago
This is what I can’t figure out.
cwhiz 6y ago
Schematics, availability of parts.
SturgeonsLaw 6y ago
Anything is repairable if you've got the tools and the know-how, but things like glue instead of screws are hostile to user repairs. I've had to open a Surface that wasn't booting to recover data from the SSD and the adhesive on the screen was so strong I had to snap pieces of glass off with a screwdriver to get to it. Even the photos in the iFixit guide showed fractures in the screen. Heat guns only get you so far with some of these glues, and solvents can damage the plastics.
- google234123 6y ago
  The glue probably saves so many phones from water damage.
  - dvdkon 6y ago
    A lot of electronics are potted in epoxy or something similar, true, but things like conformal coatings and/or rubber seals are actually much more common. Industrial equipment often needs to be both repairable and water/dustproof and uses these methods.
OrwellianChild 6y ago
Screen assemblies, circuitry, batteries, etc. Both Apple and Samsung have moved to serialized chips/circuits to lock out 3rd party replacement (even if the part is identical). Folks have done swaps of OEM components to different iPhones and they don't just fail - they sporadically glitch. [1] It's categorically anti-consumer behavior. They also often buy up proprietary access to caps, ICs, and other mainboard components so none are available to the 3rd party market. Independent computer repair shops have to tear down old (non-serialized) machines or rely on parts from questionable origin to even be able to attempt repair. [1] https://www.ifixit.com/News/45921/is-this-the-end-of-the-repairable-iphone https://www.ifixit.com/News/45921/is-this-the-end-of-the-rep...
Dylan16807 6y ago
Lots of phones have: * designs that have to be cracked open with a significant chance of damage * glue or seals that can't easily be undone/redone * hard to get replacement parts * software lockouts * permanently locked bootloaders even when they stop getting security patches
- astrea 6y ago
  Aside from the last two points, aren't a lot of these the result of progressing the state of the art? To get a fast SOC that has all the gizmos and gadgets and fits in a small, waterproof container you have to make some unsavory design decisions.

What's not repairable about a modern phone?

by astrea 6y ago

What's not repairable about a modern phone?

ryanmarsh 6y ago

This is what I can’t figure out.

cwhiz 6y ago

Schematics, availability of parts.

SturgeonsLaw 6y ago

Anything is repairable if you've got the tools and the know-how, but things like glue instead of screws are hostile to user repairs. I've had to open a Surface that wasn't booting to recover data from the SSD and the adhesive on the screen was so strong I had to snap pieces of glass off with a screwdriver to get to it. Even the photos in the iFixit guide showed fractures in the screen. Heat guns only get you so far with some of these glues, and solvents can damage the plastics.

google234123 6y ago
The glue probably saves so many phones from water damage.
- dvdkon 6y ago
  A lot of electronics are potted in epoxy or something similar, true, but things like conformal coatings and/or rubber seals are actually much more common. Industrial equipment often needs to be both repairable and water/dustproof and uses these methods.

OrwellianChild 6y ago

Screen assemblies, circuitry, batteries, etc. Both Apple and Samsung have moved to serialized chips/circuits to lock out 3rd party replacement (even if the part is identical). Folks have done swaps of OEM components to different iPhones and they don't just fail - they sporadically glitch. [1] It's categorically anti-consumer behavior. They also often buy up proprietary access to caps, ICs, and other mainboard components so none are available to the 3rd party market. Independent computer repair shops have to tear down old (non-serialized) machines or rely on parts from questionable origin to even be able to attempt repair. [1] https://www.ifixit.com/News/45921/is-this-the-end-of-the-repairable-iphone https://www.ifixit.com/News/45921/is-this-the-end-of-the-rep...

Dylan16807 6y ago

Lots of phones have: * designs that have to be cracked open with a significant chance of damage * glue or seals that can't easily be undone/redone * hard to get replacement parts * software lockouts * permanently locked bootloaders even when they stop getting security patches

astrea 6y ago
Aside from the last two points, aren't a lot of these the result of progressing the state of the art? To get a fast SOC that has all the gizmos and gadgets and fits in a small, waterproof container you have to make some unsavory design decisions.