iFixit Moves Into Console Repair 75
sk8pmp writes with news that iFixit, a website known for Apple gadget teardowns and repair guides, is expanding into the game console market, launching a series of troubleshooting and repair guides to help gamers fix their own machines. They're also starting to sell replacement parts and the tools necessary to work on them.
"Right now there are repair guides for 24 gaming consoles, including 206 repairs and upgrades. Some of these fixes deal with major issues, such as the infamous Red Ring of Death from the Xbox 360, but others are simpler. For instance, right now there is no easy way to clean out the fans inside your console. 'I think this is probably the number one cause of overheating these days now that manufacturers have mostly gotten their act together,' Wiens said. 'This is routine maintenance, and it's mind-boggling that the manufacturers don't provide people with an easy way to open the case up and blow it out.' You'll also learn how to replace broken LCD screens on your portables, replace the motherboard on your PlayStation 3, and do just about anything else you might want to do to these systems, from the simple to the harrowing."
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Pop open just about any but the absolute cheapest and nastiest of servers, say, (which is usually a toolless operation, unless you've locked the provided lock) and you'll see the fans right there. Often in convenient hot-swap mounts, no less.
Re:Planned Breakage... (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe its mind boggling to those of us who expect a quality long lasting product for a reasonable price... An idea that seems fairly obsolete these days. :(
Modern electronics are so miniaturized that everything is pretty packed in. And people want it that way, they want "slim" devices. Your "easy to service" products are going to be a lot bigger and cost a lot more. People want cheap and small.
Also, having the average person open up their devices is ultimately going to result in screw-ups and an increased volume of customer support requests, which is expensive.
I don't think it's some kind of conspiracy to make your products break. It's just the result of economics and demands of modern technology. If you want long-lasting quality products, you'll usually pay more. But when has that ever not been true for most things?
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I must have been absent the day it was put to a vote that we want "slim" devices that cannot be serviced.
When it comes to consumer products, people want what they're told to want by the marketers (or maybe "marketeers" as in "racketeers").
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I must have been absent the day it was put to a vote that we want "slim" devices that cannot be serviced.
you were there, you were simply outvoted.
I would far prefer sealed slab style electronics (heat-conductive epoxy FTW) that don't have so many problems, but we're not there yet for most devices.
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Maybe it's a generational thing. I don't trust what I can't open to get a peek at the noodles.
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Maybe it's a generational thing. I don't trust what I can't open to get a peek at the noodles.
If it's cheap and it has a bunch of surface-mount stuff that I'm not going to service anyway, then I don't care. If it is wickedly expensive and has components I am likely to service, I care. So far I own no hardware like that. I used to when I could barely rub two pennies together to buy an Amiga 2000, but now you can get machines that make it look like a palm pilot for free out of dumpsters.
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I must have been absent the day it was put to a vote that we want "slim" devices that cannot be serviced.
So, let's see... which would you prefer to use?
The Floppy drive is easy to service. Big parts, you can fix the mechanics and solder the components. On the other hand, you are not going to be able to fix your 8GB Flash memory if something internal goes wrong.
Same with things like motherboards and components. Would you rather a machine with discrete transistors or vacuum tubes, or would you rather something with surface-mount devices an
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I wouldn't exactly call that fixing the "internal components." That's just fixing the external connectors, not the Flash memory itself.
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If the Ph.D. student only had one copy on their thesis, which was on a USB stick, and they broke the USB stick, they deserves to fail.
All of my work gets archived twice on 2.5inch USB hard drives, one taken off site, a copy put online where it is stored at a data centre, and I also send copies via email. It's not hard work, and relatively cheap.
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That depends, do I get a 3.5" Floppy drive that can store 8GB of data, so that we're actually talking size/form factor and not asking whether you'd rather have a thimble of distilled water or a gallon of tap to drink for the day?
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That depends, do I get a 3.5" Floppy drive that can store 8GB of data
No, you don't. You don't get such high data densities and get to service them by hand. That's the point. Progress relies on miniaturization, which relies on industrial processes and tools beyond the individual's means.
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You can service an optical drive, and an optical drive can handle those kinds of capacities. You specifically chose an example that encourages "You can have something effective and tiny, or something accessible and potentially fixable, but not both" while leaving out the accessible, potentially fixable, but not tiny option.
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Why would you choose an optical drive over solid-state technology, just because it's "potentially fixable"? It's also a lot more breakable with all those moving parts and scratchable media surfaces. Not to mention a lot slower in transfer speeds.
Also, an 8GB optical drive is in the realm of the surface mount device, with finely tuned lasers. It takes a lot more skill and precision to fix than an old floppy drive. Just not practical for the average tinkerer.
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Just to make a point (if late), an 8GB optical drive is a DVD drive (dual layer) and isn't *that* difficult to fix.
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Don't change the subject.
I'd rather a box with 4 screws that I could open up and service instead of one that's glued shut.
This story is about servicing game consoles that have been designed specifically not to be serviced, not whether or not those consoles should use microchips or vacuum tubes.
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Don't change the subject.
I'm not.
I'd rather a box with 4 screws that I could open up and service instead of one that's glued shut.
But that's not what's being discussed. Would you want your laptop designed that way? Because that's going to be one huge and heavy laptop. Nobody is gluing these things shut. They are just complex and difficult to work with because that's the only way to get so much power in a small space.
This story is about servicing game consoles that have been designed specifically not to be serviced,
No it's not. You're just reading that into it. The consoles are serviceable - how else do you think the companies' technicians service them?
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Think about that statement.
Tell me that the only way to "get so much power in a small" iPhone was to build it so that the battery could not be changed by the owner.
Tell me that the only way to "get so much power in a small" game console was to build it so that dust could not be cleaned out of cooling ducts.
Tell me that the only way to "get so much power in a small" iPod Touch or MS Zune(or pick
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Tell me that the only way to "get so much power in a small" iPhone was to build it so that the battery could not be changed by the owner.
Right. To add a removable battery, you'd either need to use a smaller battery (less battery life) or have a bigger and heavier device.
Tell me that the only way to "get so much power in a small" game console was to build it so that dust could not be cleaned out of cooling ducts.
But dust can be cleaned out of the cooling ducts. This article has a link to a site that tells you how to do it. (or you could just blow it out without opening the device.
Tell me that the only way to "get so much power in a small" iPod Touch or MS Zune(or pick your favorite MP3 player) is to build it so that the audio jack could not be replaced when it inevitably gets a short and one side of the stereo output goes out.
Not sure what you're talking about there.
I understand that you're trying to deny that "planned obsolescence" or even "planned breakage" is fundamental to the design of most consumer electronics,
It may or may not be, but none of your arguments or examples support that conclusion. If planned obsolescence is built-in, then why is it that so many of my devices t
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But while violating the warranty.
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How does blowing the dust out from the outside violate the warranty?
I'm sorry, but your whole notion that manufacturers deliberately make their products to break is absurd. Yes, there are many easy to break items, but they are that way because consumers want cheap things, so they use cheaper components to meet that demand. A company that makes products to fail deliberately is not going to last in the market for very long.
Also absurd is your notion that the design of modern products is deliberately intended
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Because that's going to be one huge and heavy laptop.
My OLPC likes to disagree, that thing is easy to open up, in fact so easy that children can do it with a single screwdriver. It also comes with a few additional unused screws in the case, in case you lose some.
The consoles are serviceable - how else do you think the companies' technicians service them?
With special training and equipment. Just look at a disassembly of an Xbox 360 Slim, that thing is way more complex to disassemble then it would need to when properly designed.
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My OLPC likes to disagree, that thing is easy to open up, in fact so easy that children can do it with a single screwdriver. It also comes with a few additional unused screws in the case, in case you lose some.
And it is very underpowered. Thanks for making my point. And what can you do once it is open? Not much.
With special training and equipment.
Apparently not. Did you even read the slashdot summary? It links to a site that shows you how to do it.
Just look at a disassembly of an Xbox 360 Slim, that thing is way more complex to disassemble then it would need to when properly designed.
So, instead they should should make it a huge beast so tiny percentage of users can conveniently open it? People mocked the 360 on release because it was so huge - what do you think the reaction would have been if it was 50% larger in volume?
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And what can you do once it is open? Not much.
Replace the LCD backlight for example, the display hinge or the keyboard or whatever else is broken. You can't take the motherboard apart, but pretty much everything else on the OLPC.
Apparently not. Did you even read the slashdot summary? It links to a site that shows you how to do it.
That's what I called "special training", you are not going to take these things apart without damage unless you already know what to expect. And of course you might need to grab an unusual triwing screwdriver or torx security bit or whatever, which basically serves no other purpose then making disassembly harder.
So, instead they should should make it a huge beast so tiny percentage of users can conveniently open it?
The by far smal
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The other big advantage of torx is it either fits or it doesn't.
There are at least two types of cross head screws common in the west (philpps and pozi) and afaict there is a japanese standard that is different again. Bits from one family will sort of fit in the others and bits the wrong size from the same range will also generall sort of fit.
Screwdrivers that appear to fit but don't fit very well are a BAD thing, they lead to damaged screwheads which in turn can make it virtually impossible to dismantle a d
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Only if you want to play Crysis on your laptop.
The OLPC is not underpowered for its intended purpose.
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No, but you could get a lot more power into something that size. Again, do you not understand that there are tradeoffs between price, power, quality of construction and form factor?
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Also, having the average person open up their devices is ultimately going to result in screw-ups and an increased volume of customer support requests, which is expensive.
How ever will the watchmakers deal with such a flood of customer support requests?
Whatever would someone do if they opened up their watch, and crushed a gem or lost a screw? If they went complaining to their neighbor, do you think they would get any sympathy? "Oh no, I just bent that escapement. How dare WATCHCOMPANY allow me to make suc
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Stick a warranty seal on it and be done with it.
And that's exactly what they do. But then people like PopeRatzo whine about it being unfair.
I'm not getting your point, as you seem to be making much the same argument as I am, but stating it as if you disagree..
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Can you hear that? (Score:4, Insightful)
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It's the sound of continuity/anti-tamper sensors being added to the external housings of the next generation of consoles...
If consoles can be circumvented to run illegal backups, I'm certain that circumventing an anti-tamper sensor won't be a problem.
I'm sure you're right but I have to ask, "illegal backups"? Is that some fancy way of saying "pirated" or just the de facto standard for backing up games thanks to the DMCA? If you never had an original it's not a backup, it's just a copy.
If all buying a shiny disc does is give me a license to use the data then I'll use it however I damn well please, and here in Canada it's perfectly legal for me to use burnt discs in my console while the originals are stored out of reach of my kids and careless friends.
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Modifying your own console so that you can execute backups that YOU CREATED from original discs YOU OWN is illegal in the USA
No it's not. Not even a little bit.
Modifying your own console...punishable under the DMCA.
That's not correct either. It is the backup copy of the software that violates the DMCA. Buying the game disk grants you a single software license that is limited to the media, the backup is considered a new unlicensed copy.
I can do anything I want to modify my console. It is copies of licensed software that get people in trouble. When that copy is distributed and used by other people who never paid for the game we call it piracy. When the copy is used by the perso
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mostly for out of warranty (Score:2)
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In consoles(which aren't designed for trivial toolless repair) you could presumably build rather more robust ones for a similarly low price and potentially do
Coincidence (Score:2)
That's a stroke of luck, as my brother gave me a broken Playstation 3 yesterday. It's an original "fat" model suffering from the flashing red light of death, which means I'll need to replace the power supply, and the iFixit site has a guide for doing just that.
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There's also a "red flashing light of death" on the PS3, which indicates that the power supply has overheated, and it requires a similar amount of work to fix as the YLOD (about ten minutes). The difference is that with the YLOD the fix is often temporary a further damage has often occurred to the motherboard, which will eventually require replacing.
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Similar place for fixing LCDs: badcaps.net forum (Score:4, Informative)
Mind-boggling? (Score:2)
it's mind-boggling that the manufacturers don't provide people with an easy way to open the case up and blow it out.'
I do not think that word means what you think it means. Or your mind is defective.
You can blow most game consoles out by spraying them with compressed air. There's two strategies for this that I know of. One is to do it in the reverse direction of flow, with the system turned off. The other is to do it in the direction of flow, with the system turned on. I could see doing the reverse and then the forward. Use a can of air, or turn the regulator way down on your compressor. You do have a regulator, right?
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The other is to do it in the direction of flow, with the system turned on.
Works better the closer the can of duster is to the fan... Until you knock a blade off the fan, either by hitting it with the tube of the duster or overreving it. Of course you can work around that by shutting off power and shoving the duster tube inside the device, until it starts knocking (poorly/barely attached) connectors off.
Its the type of task you can usually hack your way thru and doing a half-way job does well enough most of the time usually without damage, but actually doing it right is apparentl
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Its the type of task you can usually hack your way thru and doing a half-way job does well enough most of the time usually without damage, but actually doing it right is apparently harder than you expect.
I have more than a little experience doing this. You don't HAVE to do a great job, and indeed there is no point, because it will just get dusty again right away. "Good enough" is good enough.
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The fact that ANY air flows through this mess of plastic and metal is amazing! You actually DO need to take it apart to get the dust out.
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It isn't that difficult, with a little Googling. The one questionable item (which you can find on the Internet) is that drive signature file. But I did it all recently in about 5 minutes. Bought an XBox360 Arcade with no hard drive. Bought an hd case from DealExtreme, a HD from newegg. Run a simple command-line utility, pointing it to the signature for the right size hd (up to 250GB). Put the drive in the hd case, put it on your Xbox, and you're done. Connect to the net, install updates, you want, et
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The above AC is talking about the original Xbox, not the 360. Changing the drive on an original Xbox at the least requires softmodding, so you can get the EEPROM key. Then you connect the new drive to a PC running Xbox HDM, build the filesystem, and lock it with the original EEPROM. It's easy, but not a 5 minute job unless you have a hard modded system which can disable drive locking entirely.
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How do they get around ban's from swapping parts (Score:2)
How do they get around ban's from swapping parts?
yes M$ likes to ban you for swapping the HDD (some times) and the DVD?
Pretty cool (Score:2)
I like this. Video game console repair and mod tutorials are scattered all over the internet. It will be nice to have them all in one place. The PDF download option is a bonus.
My question is, who owns the contributions? If I write up a guide to fix a console, what's to stop iFixit from taking that and locking the best features (like PDF download) behind a paywall like Instructables did?
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We are a free, open repair manual wiki. We're finalizing an XML schema for the manuals, and we are going to do regular data dumps to archive.org. If you want to take all the manuals + PDFs and post them on your site, please do. This is too important to risk someone locking it down-- the world needs an open repair manual.
I love it. Too bad that's not mentioned in the summary, it might have gotten more attention. Next time I fix something I'll do a write-up for you. I have a couple SE/30s that need recapp
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Oooh! (Score:1)
Repairing own gear is cool, but... (Score:3, Interesting)
...one reason it's cheap is it's disposable.
Me lubs MilSpec equipment, but would hate to pay that much for rugged repairability when not required.
Mind-boggling...Really? (Score:1)
Really? It seems pretty simple to me:
1. Build product.
2. Make product so that it's life is artifically gimped by not being able to do the easiest of things like 'blow it out'.
3. When product dies early, customer spends more money to replace originaly gimped product.
4. Rinse, repeat.
Seriously, they seem to build most 'consumer electronics' to
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This doesn't make sense for consoles as they sell them at a loss hoping to make up the money in software sales. So every new console a user would ahve to buy would mean another $100 or so the company would be in the hole. It is far more likely the case that they do this to make modding more difficult. Granted, it's not going to stop someone dedicated to modding their console, but it'll stop a lot of curious kids that just want to try cheating or pirate some games (Yes, the "omg I just want to make some b
Great idea (Score:3, Interesting)
I like the idea of putting all this info in one place. I see this more as being a place to put info about repairing older hardware, though. Since not everyone has the know-how and tools to work on today's super-small electronics. If I find the time, I shall endeavor to consolidate all my NEO-GEO arcade hardware repair knowledge and add it to the wiki. It'd be cool to see them including usability mods too, if they haven't already. Like RGB video mods for older consoles, to compliment the regular repair info.
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We welcome anything on iFixit that enables repair. We define repair as anything that makes something work longer. Useful upgrades certainly fall into that category, and we'd love your contributions!
AC, you're right, Youtube is useful-- but it's not a replacement for a service manual. It would be much better to have one, trusted place to go to learn how to work on something than to search through videos. The other side of this is that this information needs to be easy enough that your mom can follow it. Mumb