Tools & Technique
Pentalobe screwdriver
Sanding tool (used as an improvised plier)
Heat gun
One of the most difficult parts was just getting this iPhone open. The screwdriver was only able to remove one tiny screw at the bottom of the iPhone that holds the phone together. Luckily the screen was slightly popping from that lower half of the phone so I was able to stick a small sanding tool in the corder and twist to separate the two halves. After that it was many many tiny screws and a bit of heat to separate the battery from the base.
Serial Numbers
8212172a – Camera light sensor
H2jtfg8yd1bms – Memory
1971-a 821- LCD digitizer
The Process
Since the iphone was neatly designed to split into two halves I worked on one half at a time.
Side 1: Screen side with parts for camera, microphone, home button, earpiece
Side 2: Bottom side with parts for sim card, LCD, vibration, volume, speaker camera battery, circuit board (memory), sim card
Manufacturing
USA: The blueprint, crystal, specialized parts and processors
Japan, Korea and Taiwan: display panels, chipsets and memory
Europe: gyroscope
Mongolia: Rare earth minerals
China: The final manufacturing
The body of an iPhone is made by aluminum milling and finishing with diamond tools. It takes about 400 steps to assemble the iPhone, including polishing, soldering, drilling and fitting screws. That doesn’t include all of the more complex processes and chemical engineering for things like the battery and processing chip.
Interesting Design Features
I think one of the most interesting things about the interior of the iPhone is how neat it is. It reminds me of the UX design where everything is perfectly placed. It’s incredibly well organized and perfectly splits into two halves. I think this was intentional so that parts were easily fixable. I also think this type of design is in engrained in Apple’s ethos.
The other thing I noticed is that the memory and processing chip are encased. It is not possible to see the chip itself (as far as I know). I think the designers did this as an added layer of protection since that is the brain of the machine…After googling I found this was done to protect the chip from Electromagnetic interference.