ifixit
Latest
iPod touch (2010) torn down, found to contain an awful lot of battery
As predictable as the sun rising somewhere over east Japan, the iFixit crew have put their tools and wits to the task of deconstructing the latest generation of iPod touch. Their teardown is still ongoing (exciting, isn't it?), but here are their observations so far. The new touch is noted as being the easiest to crack open yet, and yes, its retina-busting 640 x 960 LCD is fused to the external glass, just like the iPhone 4. There's an 11-gram EMI shield between the front end and the battery, accounting for a lofty 10 percent of the portable media player's weight. Beyond it, you'll find a chunky 3.44Whr Li-Pol cell, which is soldered to the board as is usual Apple practice, but a novelty here is that the headphone jack isn't. Great, tie down the thing we might want to replace and untether the one we don't care about. We'll keep you updated with any other salient info as it arises, but for now, go check out the source link for more pictures of the undressed iPod touch. The front-facing camera has been found, as expected, to be the exact same module as built into the iPhone 4. The WiFi antenna is located just under the front glass panel, a position said to have allowed for the new all-aluminum back on the iPod touch. Another shock: the A4 chip that drives the iPad and iPhone 4 is also found on the 2010 touch, and its markings confirm a 256MB RAM allowance.
iFixit tears down a new iPod shuffle
Whenever Apple releases new hardware, I start to anticipate iFixit's inevitable teardown. This time they've gotten into the iPod shuffle to show us the very small number of tiny parts that keep users rocking. Much like the Magic Trackpad, there isn't much to see inside the new shuffle. The guys admit that getting the shuffle apart wasn't easy. "It took us a good half hour of prying and heat-gunning to open the little guy." The front and back cases were glued and press-fit together. It's a solid little device. Inside, the battery and logic board live side-by-side in cozy quarters. In fact, they're soldered together (so no user-serviceable battery in the shuffle). Once the connecting ribbon has been removed, you can pop the board's retaining clip and the lone screw holding it in place, removing it and the battery as a single unit. Finally, four little screws keep the click wheel in place. iFixit shares some other information on the battery, board, and probable dates of manufacture in their article, so go and read it. We suspect, as they do, that these teardowns will only get harder as Apple's hardware continues to shrink.
iFixit celebrates Friday with teardown of Virtual Boy, the greatest game console man has ever known
We still have memories -- some would say nightmares, but we digress -- of hanging out at a neighbor's house and taking turns playing matches of Mario's Tennis, our biological ocular displays assimilated into a rubber mask that engulfed our brains and left us in a permanent state of viewing the world in red wireframe. Crude 3D though it may be, it's still a part of history we must accept, and if you happen to own a Virtual Boy, we have just two things to say to you. One: we're insanely jealous. Two: if you ever need to know how to rip it to shreds for repair / stress relief, iFixit's got you covered. In the world of Man with Screwdriver vs. Game Console, yet again Man wins. Seems a perfect ending to a week that featured Atari 2600, Nintendo Famicon, RCA Studio II, and Magnavox Odyssey 100. Check out highlights in the gallery below, or hit up iFixit for the whole shebang. %Gallery-101218%
iFixit continues its retro gaming rampage, reduces an innocent Atari 2600 to bare components
iFixit, is no device safe from the scars of your screwdriver? These eyes have been scarred, forced to witness the destruction of yet another childhood icon. Previously it was the RCA Studio II and the Magnavox Odyssey 100 before that. Now it's the rather more memorable Atari 2600 going under the scalpel, four simple screws removed to reveal an eight-bit, 1.19MHz processor featuring 128 bytes of RAM (yes, a massive 1,024 bits) and a graphics adapter capable of 192 x 160 resolution with 128 colors -- though only four could be used on any given line. Through these humble beginnings the cartridge-based console was born... and now here it rests.
iFixit tears apart the Nintendo Famicom
Do you remember the Nintendo Family Computer, or Famicom? Well, you might not -- it came to earth in 1983 and was Japan's version of the NES. Now, continuing its week of vintage teardowns, iFixit's gotten its hands on one of these colorful gems and done what it does. The Famicon is pretty easily dismantled, and simple inside, as well. As you can see, there's almost nothing going on in there! There's one more photo below, but hit up the source link for the full set.
iFixit goes beige with RCA Studio II teardown
The RCA Studio II is already a pretty rare sight as is, but rarer still is a detailed look inside what's been described as one of the worst game consoles of all time. Thankfully, the folks at iFixit have now come through once again, and followed up their dissection of the Magnavox Odyssey 100 with a teardown of the circa-1977 "Home TV Programmer." In addition to an abundance of beige, the team also discovered a considerable amount of solder that's characteristic of 70s electronics, and even a few surprises like some white chip packages that are rarely (if ever) used these days. Hit up the link below for the complete blow-by-blow, and keep en eye out for even more vintage gadget teardowns during the rest of the week.
iFixit tears apart a Magnavox Odyssey 100, doesn't find a disco ball inside
The fine people at iFixit have taken the extremely awesome step of tearing down some very retro gear this week, and up first, they've got the Magnavox Odyssey 100 which dates from 1975. The gaming console, which boasted two (count them ) games -- Tennis and Hockey -- was built around four Texas Instruments chips and powered by six C batteries. It was also the first home gaming console, so we were pretty interested in seeing its insides. What struck us in looking at the photos was the most obvious thing: how much emptier it is than modern gadgets. It was also completely dismantled in just seven steps. Hit the source for more photos and keep your eye out for more vintage disassemblies as the week progresses.
Dell Streak gets ripped to shreds by iFixit, Blondie reportedly satisfied at last
Our friends at iFixit have made short work of the Dell Streak, doing what they do best. They've torn apart everyone's favorite giant mobile phone (or is it a tiny tablet?), and found some interesting innards in the process. iFixit reports that the Streak is extremely easy to disassemble, and inside they found a Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon CPU, and cameras which they report are "similar" to those found inside the iPhone 4. There's nothing earth-shattering here, though iFixit's taken the Dell Streak teardown as an opportunity to debut a new "fixability" rating -- and you'll be happy to know that this baby has scored an 8 out of 10. Hit up the source for the full rundown.
Motorola Droid 2 ripped to shreds, where's an astromech when you need one?
It's been less than a full day since Verizon's Droid 2 hit shelves (or two, if you count Sam's Club) but the fine folks at iFixit have already managed to make their phone explode into... 24 pieces, if we're counting right. Amazingly enough, the internal construction is almost exactly the same despite Motorola's near-doubling of the horsepower (and addition of 802.11n) inside. You'll find a nigh-identical logic board, speaker, camera and LCD screen -- not to mention the exact same battery, which means original Droid owners will have a handy swap -- and what looks like the exact same steps (but Torx screwdrivers required) to take the clever puzzle of plastic and metal apart. Not that you'd necessarily want to do the same to your new handset -- It's days like this we're glad iFixit is here to take that bullet for us.
A look inside the Magic Trackpad
It's so thin and barely there. What could be inside Apple's Magic Trackpad? The folks at iFixit took theirs apart, photographing and describing each component in great detail. Here's what they found. Inside there is, well, not a whole heck of a lot. A large spacer prevents the user from pressing down hard enough to damage the small logic board. That board is connected to the trackpad itself via two "ridiculously thin" ribbon cables, which are glued into place. They used a hot air gun to soften the adhesive. So, tread very lightly if you plan to remove these. Speaking of the board, the gang found that it holds a Broadcom BCM2042 for Bluetooth connectivity and a Broadcom BCM5974 touch screen controller chip (the same on used in the iPhone, iPod touch and MacBook Air). A SST 25WF020 provides 2 Mbit of serial flash memory. On the back, there's just a whole lot of glue. Here's a bit of good news: the Magic Trackpad's battery is user-serviceable! Just good luck getting to it. It's also notable that pressure applied to the surface is translated to the feet, which in turn presses on a plate attached to the chassis. That place squeezes an electronic mouse button switch. In essence, as pointed out by Macworld, it clicks with its feet. Thanks to iFixit for another well-documented tear down, and for sweating the (very tiny) details.
Apple's Magic Trackpad gets the iFixit teardown treatment, nothing terribly magical found
Well, we knew it wouldn't take very long, and it didn't: iFixit's gotten its hands on Apple's Magic Trackpad and ripped it to shreds. This is one operation they're not shy about calling delicate, folks -- this thing is seriously thin and its components packed in quite lovingly. So what's going on in there? Well, besides the magical dust, they found a Broadcom BCM2042 chip, which is the same one the Magic Mouse uses for Bluetooth connectivity, and a Broadcom BCM5974 touchscreen controller chip, which also powers the iPhone and iPod touch. There is plenty to be seen in the photos at the source, and there's one more below.
iFixit and Chipworks teardown the iPhone 4's gyroscope
You didn't think the folks at iFixit would simply teardown the iPhone 4 and call it a day, did you? They've now gone the extra mile and done a detailed teardown of the iPhone 4's gyroscope with a little help from Chipworks. That's of course a MEMS (or microelectromechanical system) gyroscope and, according to Chipworks, nearly identical to an off-the-shelf STMicroelectronics L3G4200D gyroscope, which is actually what they used for the teardown. What's more, they also went even further and put another gyroscope (not used in the iPhone 4) under an electron microscope just to illustrate how incredibly complex and minute the structure of MEMS gyroscopes are. Head on past the break for a glimpse of that, and hit up the link below for the complete teardown.
iFixit: a teardown of the guys behind the teardowns
You've undoubtedly seen iFixit's teardowns -- but you may not know anything about the men (and women?) who do the actual work. The company was started about 7 years ago, and currently employs 25 people. Its founders, Kyle Wiens and Luke Soules started after meeting at Cal Poly, and sell electronics parts to DIY-ers. They told the LA Times that iFixit's teardowns are actually "PR stunts" to attract potential customers. Still, iFixit's expertise and attention to detail has certainly grown over time, and we're really glad they have the heart to rip apart all the things we love, so that we don't have to.
iPhone 4 teardown: 512MB RAM confirmed (updated)
With nary hours since the reviews went live, the gang at iFixit -- no doubt blessed by the hands of early deliveries -- have procured an iPhone 4. And as is their modus operandi, they wasted no time tearing that sucker apart screw by screw. The teardown is still ongoing, but here's what we got so far: 512MB RAM (confirming earlier rumors), a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor (same as the Samsung Wave S8500, they say), and chemically-strengthened Gorilla Glass for a more torture-friendly front panel. Those two screws on the bottom of the phone can be removed to excise the real panel, but the site says the front glass "will likely be rather challenging [to remove]." The battery, looking rather large even in the pictures, is a whopping 1420mAh Li-Polymer -- comparatively, the Nexus One is 1400mAh and the HTC Droid Incredible is 1300mAh. There's no SIM eject tool with this phone, but a paper clip should work just fine. As for the much-ballyhooed side panel antennas, the phone apparently now "[utilizes] whichever network band is less congested or has the least interference for the best signal quality, regardless of actual signal strength" -- in other words, better call reliability (hopefully). Also helping with overall voice quality is a dual microphone setup for suppressing background noise. Peruse on over if you're interested in seeing a bare Apple device at its most beautiful. Update: The teardown is complete with a few more interesting bits of information. First, the battery is very easy to remove (and thus, replace) after removing the two screws. The LCD panel is not, however, as it's tighly glued to the glass and digitizer. So if you do manage to break the Gorilla Glass, you'll have to replace it, the digitizer, and the LCD as a single unit. The new AGD1 3-axis gyroscope is thought to be made by ST Micro and Broadcom provides both the BCM4750IUB8 single-chip GPS receiver and BCM4329FKUBG receiver giving the iPhone 4 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and an FM radio. %Gallery-96098%
Sony Ericsson X10 Mini teardown reveals densely packed, tiny hardware
The crew at iFixit were jonesing for something to disassemble recently, and Sony Ericsson's X10 Mini seems to have been the nearest thing they could lay hand and screwdriver upon. We'll admit HTC has us kind of spoiled with the colorful interiors of its phones, so we were a little underwhelmed by the demureness of the X10 Mini. Everything is packed into the utilitarian logic board, and although you get to decouple the screen and antenna assembly, it's still mostly a thick slab of highly integrated technology. Still, if you want to see a Qualcomm MSM7227 all naked and exposed to the elements, this is your chance. The source link contains all the intimate photography you could wish for.
iFixit breaks down the new Mac mini
The folks at iFixit have carefully taken apart a mid-2010 Mac mini and documented the process for all to see. This new case is a lot thinner and fatter than its predecessor. The whole thing is machined from a single block of aluminum and impressive-looking. The most striking change to anyone who's opened a previous-generation mini is the screw-off bottom. With a simple counter-clockwise twist, you've got access to the RAM bay and fan. No more putty knife. Well done, Apple! Apple's designers got creative with this machine in a number of ways. The unibody construction required the two antennas to be carefully placed next to the logic board. Also, the fan has a very high number of blades so it can push a maximum amount of air. The fan's screws are isolated with rubber dampers to keep noise to a minimum. Getting at the hard drive (iFixit's unit only had one) is an ordeal. Expect to remove just about every other part before gaining access. And I thought the white iBook was a pain to take apart. Meanwhile, the folks at Macminicolo have taken apart a dual-drive mini meant to be used as a server. That second drive is much easier to get at than that in the single-drive model. They also provided some nice side-by-side shots with a white plastic mini; the aluminum model is so much better looking it's not funny. The whole thing is three pounds, and macminicoloco says, "It feels less like a brick...and more like a laptop without a screen." Finally, Macworld kept their unit in one piece and did a point-by-point comparison to the Apple TV. Could the mini be the next-generation Apple TV in disguise? By comparing features like connections, physical media, content and price (a biggie, as the new mini is seven hundred bucks), Chris Breen fills in the details while letting the readers make final judgement. As for me, I'd love to swap my Apple TV for a sleek new mini.
Unibody Mac mini meets iFixit, gets a delicate teardown exposé
Been wondering how Apple's managed to cram all that goodness into the new (and flatter) unibody Mac mini? Well, look no further, as our friends over at iFixit took no time to acquire said machine for another scrupulous teardown treatment. Just as we saw ourselves, it all begins with a simple twist on the bottom round plate, and with a bit of fiddling the guts can then easily slide out -- you'll see a wondrously dense logic board along with its now-internal power supply and the usual components. We've thrown in iFixit's list of highlights after the break, but as always, hit the source link for the finely detailed disassembly guide.
HTC EVO 4G splayed, found to contain wires, chips
Often, iFixit needs to wait for a product to be released before it can spend a few hundred bucks buying one and tearing it asunder -- but in the case of the EVO 4G, Google's pre-release of units to attendees at IO appears to have been just the kind of event these guys needed to get in the door early. Taking the phone apart is described as a "wonderfully easy" process, and changing the screen's glass is said to be pretty easy as well -- good news considering how easy it'll probably be to crack those 4.3 inches of pure WVGA glory. There aren't any surprises in terms of silicon, but we've got one tip for you, HTC: if you're going to take this color-the-inside-of-the-phone business seriously, would you do us a favor and match the color of the circuit board, too? Seriously guys, go big or go home. Follow the break for iFixit's full rundown of the process.
10-hour MacBook delicately disassembled, battery transplanted into earlier model
Not a single day passes since Apple refreshed the MacBook and already the fine folks at iFixit are on the job. For the most part, its full disassembly is business as usual, as only a few components -- CPU, GPU and battery -- have changed since the last go-round. That last is of special interest, however, because iFixit says the battery is exactly the same shape as its former -- all you have to do to get an extra 350 mAh for your existing plastic MacBook is to drop in a refreshed battery. Mind you, the new cells weigh more and it's likely the new silicon that's actually responsible for 10 hours of battery life, but should your Li-ion pack fail under warranty, your older MacBook might be returned with more juice than you'd bargained for. See the full teardown at our source link.
iFixit gets iPad 3G on day one, immediately destroys it
Unsurprisingly, the chaps over at iFixit have already torn their brand new 3G iPad to shreds. There isn't anything insanely shocking in there (no visible "magic," though there is some fragmentary evidence of a "revolution"), but it's still a pretty interesting sight to behold. So, what's going on in there? Well, for starters, the 3G iPad has five antennas, including one that appears to take up the whole of the LCD frame, and one inside the Apple logo; it's also got the same baseband processor as both the WiFi iPad and the iPhone 3GS. There are plenty more tidbits to glean from the teardown, if you're into that sort of thing, so hit the source link if you're so inclined.
