AirPods Repairability Project Adds USB-C Port and 3D-Printed Casing

[MacRumors]

Engineering and robotics student Ken Pillonel has sought to address some of AirPods' repairability issues with a 3D-printed replacement casing and switching the Lightning charging port for a USB-C port.

In his latest video, Pillonel highlighted that AirPods are not designed to be serviced or repaired since no hardware components can be accessed without damage to the device, effectively making it a disposable item. Repair specialists at iFixit gave Apple's first- and second-generation AirPods a repairability score of zero out of 10 because of this.

Pillonel sought to investigate a solution to give new life to unopenable AirPods charging cases, which face inevitable obsolescence due to their built-in battery. Pillonel created a 3D-printed replacement casing, which is now available for download, to allow technicians to purposefully damage the existing case to gain access to the internals and make repairs.

In the process of the modification, Pillonel also successfully swapped the charging case's Lightning port for a USB-C port. The reasoning for this is because replacement Lightning ports for AirPods cannot be purchased individually, meaning that they have to be obtained from other AirPods charging cases.

As a standard port, USB-C on AirPods increases the possibility of long-term repairability, Pillonel suggests. Pillonel is also responsible for similar modifications that added a USB-C port to the iPhone and a Lightning port to a Samsung Galaxy A51.

Pillonel's 3D printing files and PCB files for AirPods repairability are available for free on his website, and he is considering selling kits in the future depending on interest.

Impending EU legislation will force Apple to switch AirPods to USB-C by late 2024 and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple could make the change sometime after releasing the first iPhone models with a USB-C port next year. Apple launched the Self Service Repair program earlier this year in an effort to address criticisms around the repairability of its devices.

Article Link: AirPods Repairability Project Adds USB-C Port and 3D-Printed Casing

 

[gsmornot]

USB-C everything. That will work for me. No offense to the lightning cable but outside of my Apple devices most are USB-C.

 

[albozr]

Hopefully the new legislation will allow for the USB-C heaven we all crave

 

[ignatius345]

What an embarrassment for Apple that a lone engineering student is running laps around their greenwashing. They've done a lot with regard to renewable energy and recycling materials -- but on the product design end there are just too many choices in Apple's hardware that make repair difficult or impossible.

The cynical take is that this works out great for them because consumers have to just buy new products instead of repairing them.

 

[ppj845]

Disposable electronics like AirPods should not be allowed to exist

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

We need more people like Ken Pillonel. Seriously the work he does is amazing.

 

[spazzcat]

What an embarrassment for Apple that a lone engineering student is running laps around their greenwashing. They've done a lot with regard to renewables and recycling materials -- but on the product design end there are just too many choices in Apple's hardware that make repairability difficult or impossible. The cynical take is that this works out great fo them because consumers have to just buy new products instead of repairing them.

It will take me years before I have only USB-C stuff once Apple starts to move everything to it. I have keyboards, trackpads, headphones, a phone, and remotes... I think people have no idea why Apple has been moving slowly in this area; people are going to freak out about it once it starts to happen, just like the 30-pin...

 

[spazzcat]

Disposable electronics like AirPods should not be allowed to exist

I disagree, and so do millions of other people.

 

[Remy149]

Disposable electronics like AirPods should not be allowed to exist

That’s ridiculous all they need is a good recycling option. I also have had the same AirPods Pro since launch day and a family member is still using my original ones. No product will last forever so what would someone like you determine is an acceptable lifespan for a device?

 

[DTphonehome]

Apple needs to rip the bandaid off and just go USB-C on everything. Start a free lightning to USB-C cable exchange program to limit the environmental impact of the millions of lightning cables out there. If they keep dragging their feet on this and once a year updating a product to USB-C, they're going to be forced by the EU and others. Better to do it on their own terms.

 

[Gilbeezyskit]

I don’t get the internet obsession with USB-C outside of it just being something to complain about. Everything is going to go wireless anyways. In the 18 or so months I’ve had my AirPods Pro, I’ve literally never plugged them in. I can also count on one hand the number of times I’ve plugged in my iPhone in the two years I’ve had it. But regardless, lighting or USB-C, I have both and both work fine.

The fact that people want government intervention to force things to be more “convenient” for them is hysterical. By the time everything is all on one cable, a new standard will come along and invalidate it all and you’ll all be complaining again lol.

 

[DTphonehome]

That’s ridiculous all they need is a good recycling option. I also have had the same AirPods Pro since launch day and a family member is still using my original ones. No product will last forever so what would someone like you determine is an acceptable lifespan for a device?

They do have a recycling program. You can bring any Apple electronics (and other brands too I think) to any Apple store and they'll take them back and recycle them.

 

[Remy149]

Apple needs to rip the bandaid off and just go USB-C on everything. Start a free lightning to USB-C cable exchange program to limit the environmental impact of the millions of lightning cables out there. If they keep dragging their feet on this and once a year updating a product to USB-C, they're going to be forced by the EU and others. Better to do it on their own terms.

I don’t see how millions of people throwing away lightning cables help the environment

 

[randyhudson]

"I soldered all the components on it myself"
You don't say 😂 (6:40)

 

[The_Gream]

Besides the fact that USB-C style port offers USB 3.* and thunderbolt. I still think as a port, lighting is better. As the male end is on the cable and not on the devices.

If people look real close at their USB ports on stuff, they would see a sort of smaller lighting —inside. I hate to think what happens if those pins broke off inside

 

[a.phoenicis]

As an exercise, it’s pretty cool, but also a little hyperbolic.

How exactly does switching to USB-C make it more repairable, though?

EDIT: Ok, read the explanation. I get it. See my additional comments below.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Besides the fact that USB-C style port offers USB 3.* and thunderbolt. I still think as a port, lighting is better. As the male end is on the cable and not on the devices.

If people look real close at their USB ports on stuff, they would see a sort of smaller lighting —inside. I hate to think what happens if those pins broke off inside

How often have you had that part break off in the 20+ years USB has existed?

How often do we read about anyone else suffering this problem?

Would there be a few cases? Probably... just as there are few cases of phones catching fire, etc.

To break off that part inside the hole likely means some sort of external trauma of significance... meaning the reason the device is no longer working will probably be assigned to the rest of the damage. I suspect short of using some kind of needle-nose plier-type tool to slip in there, get hold of it and exert considerable force, it would be pretty difficult to break that part if you tried... especially slipping cable ends in and out of the port.

Furthermore, flip the concept: how hard would it be to damage a female port? I would think at least as easily... if one wanted to do some damage.

 

[Scipster]

Why can't they include a coin battery, such as the CR2032? Surely it does not occupy that much space...

Or a cylindrical push in/out battery in the AirPods stems?

USB-C is very cool!

 

[GeoStructural]

It will take me years before I have only USB-C stuff once Apple starts to move everything to it. I have keyboards, trackpads, headphones, a phone, and remotes... I think people have no idea why Apple has been moving slowly in this area; people are going to freak out about it once it starts to happen, just like the 30-pin...

What about courage? The headphone jack had 100 years of usage and trillions of devices when they decided to ditch it.

It is clear to me that the reason Apple keeps Lightning (USB technology from 1992) is because of the revenue it provides (Made for iPhone accessories).

Just recently they removed the charging brick from the box claiming that people had it at home already… but, also changed the other end to the cable to USB-C, rendering any charging brick incompatible!!! It is clearly not environment, not respect for the users accessories, it is plain greed.

 

[drumpat01]

As an exercise, it’s pretty cool, but also a little hyperbolic.

How exactly does switching to USB-C make it more repairable, though?

Because those parts can be bought easily. It is technically illegal to create third-party lightning ports without Apple's explicit permission (aka a fee paid back to them). And since they won't allow it licensing if you're just selling the port, no one can sell repair kits. USBC doesn't have the same requirement so you can very easily purchase parts, look up diagrams, and find schematics.

 

[erikkfi]

It's an absolute travesty for Apple that this is necessary. All of that bleating about how much they love the environment and yet they produce millions of pieces of future plastic waste with a 2-3 year lifespan and zero repairability.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

As an exercise, it’s pretty cool, but also a little hyperbolic.

How exactly does switching to USB-C make it more repairable, though?

The article covers this. It's not so much that it makes it more repairable, it's the ONLY option because lightening ports cannot be purchased as replacements when they are apparently destroyed by the process of gaining access to the internals so one could- say- replace a dead battery and keep using these instead of having to buy replacements. So this was a "while I'm at it..." decision made that way by no other choice.

 

[compwiz1202]

I don’t see how millions of people throwing away lightning cables help the environment

Exactly! I was just about to comment this. Where are all the lightning things going to end up?

 

[Joe Dohn]

Disposable electronics like AirPods should not be allowed to exist

Man, that's what I wanted to hear. I 100% agree.
There should be legislation enforcing that all devices should be designed to have replaceable components.
And if something as delicate as airpods can be designed to have a removable casing, other devices can have that too.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I don’t get the internet obsession with USB-C outside of it just being something to complain about.

Because USB-C is reversible, universal, miles faster data transfers, easily replacable, fast power delivery through Thunderbolt, just all around the best connector.

Everything is going to go wireless anyways.

No it ain't lmao. You can keep pushing this meme but wireless is still A. Miles slower at charging than wired, B. Wastes a lot more energy than wired, and C. can't transfer data at the rate wired can

In the 18 or so months I’ve had my AirPods Pro, I’ve literally never plugged them in.

?????

I can also count on one hand the number of times I’ve plugged in my iPhone in the two years I’ve had it.

...why?

But regardless, lighting or USB-C, I have both and both work fine.

Lightning works fine for charging. But since it's proprietary it can only work on Apple devices, producing unnecessary eWaste compared to USB-C since a USB-C cable can be used for anything else.

And again, lightning's data transfer speeds are piss. It's running USB 2.0 speeds while USB-C transports data miles faster.

The fact that people want government intervention to force things to be more “convenient” for them is hysterical.

Because we all know Apple will go USB-C out of the goodness of their heart right? [/sarcasm]

By the time everything is all on one cable, a new standard will come along and invalidate it all and you’ll all be complaining again lol.

You're speaking in hypotheticals. But hey if something better does come, guess what: Update the law to that new standard. But until that day comes USB-C is the way to go.

Only iPhone phone warrers can take something good that improves the iPhone and their use case and make it out to be the worst thing imaginable.