Fitbit Flex Teardown

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Visit ifixit.com for thousands of repair manuals.

Wednesday, October 30, 13

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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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v Visit ifixit.com for thousands of repair manuals.

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?

[email protected]

@EricDosterTwitter

email


mailto:[email protected]






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Our Motley Crew... Most of the iFixit Family


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vVISIT IFIXIT.COM FOR THOUSANDS OF REPAIR MANUALS

We’re From here

“Happiest town in america”

-Oprah


We Wrote...six laptop repair manuals.


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Gorgeous, Glossy photo manuals...just 15 dollars each.


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...(Silence)


Back-up plan:put the content online for free


Today, ifixit.com hosts repair manuals numbering in the

thousands


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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vWednesday, October 30, 13

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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


http://www.idc.uk.com/news-view.asp?id=39

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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VISIT IFIXIT.COM FOR THOUSANDS OF REPAIR MANUALS

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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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VISIT IFIXIT.COM FOR THOUSANDS OF REPAIR MANUALS

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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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v Visit ifixit.com for thousands of repair manuals.Luke FTW!Wednesday, October 30, 13

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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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v Visit ifixit.com for thousands of repair manuals.vibrator motor


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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?


Technology

Fitbit Flex Teardown