Engineer behind the USB-C iPhone repeated the trick with AirPods

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Ken Pillonel is the engineer who established the world’s 1st USB-C Apple iphone several months in the past, selling the product for thousands of dollars on eBay. He’s now again with a related project for AirPods. His new unit hack achieves a lot more than incorporating a USB-C port to Apple’s preferred wireless earphones. It basically allows buyers replace the dying batteries inside of the scenarios of their AirPods.

The very best part is that anybody can choose aside their AirPods situation and use Pillonel’s information to exchange the battery and the Lightning port.

Including USB-C to AirPods is not unachievable

As you will see in Pillonel’s new video clip, incorporating USB-C connectivity to AirPods is not impossible. It is not quick either, as it took the Swiss engineer a lot of time to design a new housing for the charging scenario and explore how to swap the Lightning port with USB-C.

As the modder describes, the difficulty with the AirPods and any other variety of wireless earphones is that they’re intended to be disposable immediately after the battery dies. Apple won’t substitute the AirPods battery, as it’s much less expensive to just replace the total point. That is not good for the natural environment, even so. And that is what Pillonel set out to do.

Replacing the battery on the AirPods is futile except you have a 3D printer and his schematics. That’s simply because the AirPods situation isn’t intended to be taken apart. Presumably, that is what tends to make battery replacements difficult.

Only following figuring a way to create another situation for the AirPods did the modder start out get the job done on replacing the Lightning connector with a USB-C port. This was an equally hard career. Pillonel experienced to make a personalized PCB board that would allow him to switch the Lightning connector.

Then he experienced to have that PCB customized-produced and transported to him. Eventually, the engineer utilised Apple’s personal tech to protected in position the connector inside of the AirPods scenario. In the finish, all he experienced to do was snap in the 3D-printed AirPods scenario.

AirPods Pro 2 case design render.
AirPods Professional 2 scenario style render. Image source: 52Audio

Why you should not do it

No matter how fantastic the AirPods USB-C engineering trick may well be, you must look at not undertaking it. For starters, you have to have some specialised machines for some of the techniques in the battery and Lightning port substitution. At the pretty the very least, you’ll need to have accessibility to a 3D printer to manufacture your new situation right after you ruin the authentic.

The greatest reason not to make your possess custom AirPods USB-C circumstance proper now is that Apple will before long move to USB-C. The European Union has compelled Apple to adopt USB-C for wired battery charging. That usually means potential iPhones and AirPods will get the new normal connector.

For the Iphone, it may possibly start out only next 12 months. But the AirPods Pro 2 that are coming this slide need to feature a USB-C connector. It’s incredibly likely the future AirPods circumstance will also arrive with a USB-C port.

That signifies you ought to not hurry to mend your existing AirPods just but. But as soon as you do get your fingers on the initial Apple-created AirPods with a USB-C case, you can consider replacing the battery yourself following a few of yrs of use.

Pillonel’s schematics could appear in handy, as you will likely want to split apart the first situation to get to the battery.

The pursuing video is made up of all the assets you could possibly have to have to exchange the AirPods battery. And include the USB-C connector if you will have to.



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