Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
Summary: Apple's new Magic Trackpad has few parts that can be replaced without potentially destroying the device. iFixIt tore it down to validate that claim -- all for your viewing pleasure.
The good folks at iFixIt have taken apart the new Apple Magic Trackpad to see what makes it tick, or should I say "click?" In the process they observed that Apple's obsession with thin design doesn't translate well to "user serviceable," noting that the Magic Trackpad has few parts that can be replaced without potentially destroying the whole device.
Yes, the device was sacrificed in the name in science, but the result is a raft of photos that show the inner workings of one of Apple's most interesting accessories since the Magic Mouse. In addition to the teardown, they've also posted a video slideshow.
Some observations:
- Repairing the components might be infeasible
- They were impressed by everything Apple's engineers managed to stuff into the Trackpad.
- This is one of the few Apple products where the battery is user serviceable.
- The battery screw has square threads! While square threads have the highest mechanical efficiency of all lead screws, their difficulty of manufacturing makes them prohibitive for most applications. Kudos, Apple, for sweating the details.
- After a good amount of quasi-non-destructive prying, the inner spacer can be removed from the trackpad. This spacer prevents the highly unlikely event of squeezing the lower panel against the logic board hard enough to damage it.
- The ribbon cables are ridiculously thin and are stuck to the underside of the touch pad. If you plan on servicing your Trackpad, proceed with caution.
- After using a heat gun to warm up the adhesive, the touch pad can be carefully pried off the aluminum chassis. This step is not for the faint of heart. A copious amount of heat, guitar picks, and plastic opening tools were required to make the touch pad budge.
- The Magic Trackpad has a unique way of triggering the mouse button. As you press down on the top surface of the pad, the two rubber feet near its front edge push on a plate attached to the chassis. The plate squeezes the electronic mouse button switch, producing the characteristic "click."
- At the heart of the Magic Trackpad's logic board lies a Broadcom BCM2042 for Bluetooth connectivity -- the same chip used by the Magic Mouse.
- We also found a Broadcom BCM5974 touch screen controller chip that provides multi-touch functionality. This is the same chip you'll find in the iPhone, iPod Touch, and MacBook Air.
Magical images:
- Final layout
- Disconnecting the touch pad ribbon cable
- Removing the touch pad
- Hinged plate (in orange) and mouse button switch (in red)
- Desoldering the logic board
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Talkback
It's a throw away world, and Apple can make
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
It's more a matter of cost efficiency.
I fix stuff all the time.
Somehow, a fix is never QUITE as good as the original.
You'd need your own factory to have all the tools needed to re-fab a device perfectly.
It's more cost efficient to recycle simple electronics than try to repair them.
Mostly because to REALLY repair electronics you need an electronics engineer, who will then have to spend a couple hours tinkering... for what may end up being a one-off.
It just costs too much to do.
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
What world have you been living in, 'Throw away world" indeed! My RAZR isn't user repairable, the universal remote I had (before I got my Harmony) for my entertainment centre was a sealed and epoxy covered device. The throw away world has been around for decades. The labour for repairing these devices ($90 an hour in my case) is simply FAR too much and there would never be a reason to attempt it. When it wears out 4 years down the road there will be ZERO value to it and thus no value to making it repairable. Why people think Apple pioneered this I've no idea :D
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
You seem to be misunderstanding the whole 'value' equation here. A 10 year old car will still be worth a few grand and thus be repairing just so long as the cost of repairs doesn't exceed it's value. A 10 year old trackpad will be obsolete and have zero value, thus not be worth repairing at all. The failure rate coupled with value makes serviceability a moot point on sub $100 electronics.
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
Beg to differ, there are NO scrap parts at Frys.
Best, middle-of-the road, and low-end.
Last 2 white boxes I built are 100% Frys. Because I wanted the best parts available and did not want to wait. No problems with either.
I have to admit, it's not cost-effective any longer, but I did get exactly what I wanted.
Maybe not cost effective in the US...
But for those of us in the real world ;) DIY PCs are still most certainly cost-effective. Sure, there are new 'boat-anchor' PCs available that are fairly cheap, but they are also 1) Low-spec: obsolete on the shelf & 2) 1st job with them is re-format / reload to get all the crapware off / dick about with drivers. Oh, and then there's the PSUs: small, proprietry, expensive to replace. So no, cost-effectiveness is not really the name of the game: boat-anchors are fine for 12 months (maybe), otherwise DIY trumps in every other aspect (including the joy of making one yourself)...
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
I don't know if anyone has noticed...
www.dfwsupergeek.com
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
Not a very "green" device for sure
RE: Magic Trackpad dissected; repair infeasible
This helped me fix my trackpad - thanks