Hello world!
I’m Arthur—technical writer, teardown engineer, researcher, and photographer at iFixit.
I have the illustrious honor of taking devices apart, identifying components, figuring out how things work, and showing others how to fix stuff. In addition, I perform electrical analysis and research how emergent tech works.
A day at the office: working on Google Pixel 3 guides
Education
I graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a master’s degree in electrical engineering, with a focus on control systems and mechatronics. Along the way, I designed high efficiency DC power circuits, grew organic OLED panels in a vacuum, and programmed a small swarm of robots to autonomously navigate and map out a cluttered room. My thesis work involved training neural networks to detect hidden structural faults in commercial buildings using acceleration sensor data. I enjoy both the theoretical and practical hands-on nature of my degree.
Making single pixel OLED panels in vacuum
“By teaching, we learn”
Much of my time at iFixit is spent instructing people how to fix stuff by writing step-by-step repair guides. So far, I’ve written over 180 guides for devices ranging from Rug Doctors to iPads. As I research, disassemble, and document repair procedures, I’m always learning something new. Working on smartphones necessitated a good understanding of how lithium-ion batteries work; writing Rug Doctor guides taught me how to remove rivets— something I haven’t had to deal with in smartphones…yet.
Installing a rivet onto the Rug Doctor
I am also a member of iFixit’s team of teardown engineers, publishing informative, in-depth reports on the inner workings of newly-released gadgets such as the Magic Leap One and the iPhone XS. These teardowns include chip analysis and explanations for complicated concepts (such as waveguides) in layman’s terms.
Identifying chips for the iPhone XS
Interests
I’m curious by nature; I enjoy exploring long-forgotten roads, trying non-mainstream food, and disassembling new smartphones! I like retro, well-designed mechanical machines; I own four typewriters and drive a Suzuki Samurai.
Driving the Sammy on Quatal Canyon road
Teardowns I've Worked On
My Guides
Guides I've Contributed To
Guides I've Helped Translate
My Favorite Guides
Completed Guides
My Stories
iPhone 5s battery & home button replacement
iPhone 5s Home Button
Hi Andrew,
Here’s a guide you can use as a guideline! Hope that helps!
Hi Cabroncito!
The battery door/back glass are the same. You don’t have to worry about cracking it, since it’s already cracked. Be careful not to damage the fingerprint sensor cable shown in step 1! Replacing the battery at this point is a great idea! Good luck with your repairs!
Hi Tom!
It depends on the adhesive. Carefully align the adhesive to the phone by matching the contours. Note which adhesive side is backed by a clear liner, and which side is backed by a colored liner. The clear liner should be removed first. Whichever component the exposed adhesive faces should be the first surface to apply to.
Hope that helps!
Hi Mackenzi!
Please post your question in our iPhone 7 Plus Answers forum. Try to be as detailed with your problem as possible!
Hi Nicholas,
The iFixit kit should definitely have a T3 bit. Please contact our customer support and we will get the issue resolved!
Hi Brian,
Good catch! In this situation, it is alright to keep the battery connected, as long as you do not use metal tools. We usually instruct users to disconnect the battery early on for two main reasons: to prevent accidental damage to the internals via electrical shorts, and to prevent damage to the display backlight circuitry for certain phones.
You can theoretically remove it without breaking it, but there is a significant chance of damage. The curved OLED display is very prone to damage as you try to pry it off the frame.
Hi Simone,
This kit will not remove the scratch. If you are applying a glass protective layer, do not use this kit as it will not help. The product has no positive effect to the glass protective layer.
Hi Mike!
Unless your case is metallic, you don’t need to worry! There are no antennas near the center of the back cover—that’s where the wireless charging coil resides.
You can theoretically remove it without breaking it, but there is a significant chance of damage. The curved OLED display is very prone to damage as you try to pry it off the frame.
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