fitbit flex teardown
DESCRIPTION
Clearly not built with serviceability in mind, but maybe that's okay with this device. Fitbit's new fitness tracker, the Flex, packs a lot in a tiny package with durability to boot!TRANSCRIPT
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‣ iFixit: Who we are, what we do, and the importance of repair.
‣ Fitbit Flex Teardown: A look, inside and out, at Fitbit’s newest life assistant wristband.
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Where are we going?
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Online Platform for Creating & Distributing Visual Instructions & Capturing Data
Booth # 1537
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‣ Marketing / BD / Hats Upon Hats!
‣ I spend most of my time encouraging people to take things apart & convincing companies to make it easier for them to do so.
‣ I like building & rebuilding things: ask me how to fix your sink or remodel your kitchen.
WHO’S THIS GUY?
@EricDosterTwitter
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Our Motley Crew... Most of the iFixit Family
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We’re From here
“Happiest town in america”
-Oprah
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We Wrote...six laptop repair manuals.
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Gorgeous, Glossy photo manuals...just 15 dollars each.
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...(Silence)
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Back-up plan:put the content online for free
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Today, ifixit.com hosts repair manuals numbering in the
thousands
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Our web traffic
exploded
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‣We are building an online community of people sharing repair know-how.
‣We will make it :
EASY for anyone to share repair knowledge
SIMPLE for people to fix their devices
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Repair 1.0
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1990: How to be a mechanic‣ Figure it out
‣ Repair manuals
‣ Trade school
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2013: How to be a mechanic
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Repair 2.0Learn from the world
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Mechanic of people use ifixit to fix their own things
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Umbrellas!Umbrella repair in India.
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Earl kaplanFixing PCs for kids.
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Repair Anywhere
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Now people can follow along
in the field
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Electronics go
everywhereRepair manuals should, too.
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Our manuals are
open source and free
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Fix the world.
We can fix anything.
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‣ It depends on who you are : Does it make environmental sense to throw it away?
‣ Manufacturing an iPod Nano emits 68 pounds of CO2
‣ Catch 22 : It’s expensive to fix a VCR because the expertise isn’t common, and there is little demand for parts.
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Does it make sense to fix a VCR?
Industrial Design Consultancy: http://www.idc.uk.com/news-view.asp?id=39
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Cell Phone Monitor TV Peripheral Desktop
1416
1717
21
Electronics Trashed in 2005
(% of respondents in past 12 months)
Consumer Reports 2006 e-waste study
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in 2005, the u.s. buried electronics containing:
‣77 million pounds of lead
‣ 183 thousand pounds of mercury
‣ 1.3 million pounds of arsenic
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Reduce, Reuse, repair. Then recycle.
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So, we like devices...a lot.
a lot, a lot.
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iPhone 5disassembled
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Tools of the trade‣ Pro Tech Kit
‣ Lots of bits (just in case)
‣ Dental tools
‣ Spudgers!!!
‣ Magnetic Mat
‣ Keeps track of screws
‣ Screws stay put
‣ Heavy Hitters
‣ Hobby knife
‣ Rotary tool
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Initial Thoughts: Repairability
‣ Ease of access?
‣ Non-existent...
‣ Modularity?
‣ Probably not...
‣ Is that okay?
‣ It might be.
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But iFixit, you like repairable devices; how might that be okay?
It is true—we do really love repairable devices. The Flex does seem quite impenetrable, but such design choices may make the device last longer. More time on your wrist means less time in a landfill.
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So far, so good!The Flex is easily removed from and installed into the included wristbands, so we can rest assured that a damaged band will not ruin our Flex experience. And those waterproof contacts will assuredly extend life expectancy.
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Model number easy to identify
Insertion arrow has to count for something...
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on to the device carnage!
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‣ LED light guides
‣ serve as the display for the device
‣ Bluetooth Antenna
‣ communicates with other devices and the Flex dongle
‣ A small bit of the motherboard
‣ obviously not built for repair, a bit of the motherboard comes off stuck to the antenna
Repairability Check: Removable Components?
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This device isn’t going back together...let’s get in deeper!
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motherboard
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battery
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…and that’s it!
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The challenge of building a compact device?
You need to make it awesome
with a motherboard and battery
and a circular vibration motor
and make it ultra-durable
water-proof too, please
and 5-day battery life
in the next 12 months
for $100.
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but waitthere’s more!
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Tech specs: NFC‣ Near Field Communication
‣ Establish radio connection between small devices in close proximity
‣ Enables a tap to launch the Flex mobile app
Fitbit Flex
‣ Compatible with select NFC devices and dongle
‣ 0.6” x 0.4” x 1.8”
Nexus S
‣ First Android with NFC capabilities
‣ 4.8” x 2.48” x 0.43”
Galaxy S4
‣ Best-selling Android device wish NFC
‣ 5.38” x 2.75” x 0.31”
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STMicroelectronics 32L151C6 Ultra Low Power ARM Cortex M3 Microcontroller
Nordic Semiconductor nRF8001 Bluetooth Low Energy Connectivity IC
Most likely the accelerometer IC
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Nothing on the back??
‣ No chips on the back means room for:
‣ Vibrator motor
‣ Battery
‣ Antenna
‣ LED light guides
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‣ Inaccessible (non-replaceable) battery limits the life of the device.
‣ Impossible to open without destroying the device or compromising waterproofing.
‣ Internal repairs are infeasible.
‣ Solid waterproofing, no moving parts. and lightweight construction mean a durable, longer lasting device.
‣ The wrist strap is waterproof, durable, and easy to install.
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What makes it a 2 out of 10?
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¿QUESTIONS?
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