IT Repair Class Syllabus

Class introduction and registration@ HERE

 

Week 1 Parts of a computer

  • CPU
    • Role it plays
    • Form factors (LGA, PGA, BGA, SECC)
    • Frequency, cores, and manufacturing process
    • AMD vs. Intel
  • RAM
    • Role it plays
    • Form factors (DIMM, SODIMM)
    • Frequency, timings, DDR vs. DDR2 vs. DDR3 vs. DDR4
  • GPU
    • Role it plays
    • Form factors/interface (PCIe, MXM, BGA, integrated)
    • CPU vs. GPU (core type, count)
    • AMD vs. Nvidia
  • Storage
    • Role it plays
    • SSD vs. HDD
    • Form factors/interface (2.5”, 3.5”, SATA, M.2 SATA/NVMe)
  • Cooling
    • Role it plays
    • Types of cooling (passive vs. active, air vs. liquid)
    • Key components (thermal paste, heatsinks, heatpipes, fans, vapor chambers)
  • Motherboard
    • Role it plays
    • Simple anatomy of a motherboard (socket, connectors, CMOS battery, VRM, etc.)
    • Form factors (ATX, micro-ATX, mini-ITX)
    • Desktop vs. laptop motherboard
  • PSU
    • Role it plays
    • 80-Plus rating, efficiency, safety
    • Choosing a safe and appropriate power supply

HW: Learn more about computer components, e-waste, iFixit
Week 2 Servicing a desktop

  • Grounding yourself
  • Turning off the power supply and de-energizing the capacitors
  • Removing the side panel
  • Replacing a CPU and cooler
    • AMD method
    • Intel method
  • Replacing a GPU
    • Power connectors (if any), then screws, then socket latch
  • Replacing RAM
    • Levers
  • Replacing an HDD/SSD
  • Replacing fans
    • Four screws, 3-pin vs. 4-pin
  • Cable management
    • Extra cable length goes in the back
    • Modular PSUs are better for cable management
    • Loose cables can get lodged in fans or damage other components

HW: Learn more on building a PC

BONUS HW: Practice opening your desktop!

  • Make sure you have all the right tools (this is a good starter)
  • Ground yourself
  • First, take a look at the inside
  • Try easier procedures, like how to remove the RAM and GPU (if present)
  • Don’t touch CPU pins or connectors!
Week 3 Opening a laptop

  • Four main methods:
    • Removing the bottom panel only
      • Common in new, higher-end laptops like the Dell XPS 15
      • Easiest to perform--preferred design choice
    • Removing the keyboard and optical drive to remove the palmrest
      • Common in older laptops, and current entry-level laptops
      • Still easy to repair, but more annoying than a bottom cover
    • Removing the screen (on devices like tablets and the Surface Book)
      • Common in many tablets
      • Requires cutting through adhesive which must be replaced
      • Only do this if absolutely needed and if you have the time, experience, and parts
    • Laptop Massacre (reserved only for the Surface Laptop 1 and 2)
      • Absolutely unserviceable
      • Just...no

  • General trends: https://sites.google.com/view/shs-it-club/faq
    • Older, thicker Windows laptops are almost always serviceable
    • Most, but not all current Windows laptops are also repairable (XPS 15, etc.)
    • Touch Bar Macbooks are not repairable
    • All Macbook Airs cannot be serviced
    • Pre-2013 Macbook Pros are slightly more repairable

HW: Look at some guides on how some laptops are opened

BONUS HW: Practice opening your laptops!

  • Make sure you have all the right tools (this is a good starter)
  • Ground yourself
  • Read through your laptop’s opening procedure on iFixit
  • Don’t lose small parts
  • Practice is important for any repair!
  • If it’s too hard, practice first on prior easier steps
  • Don’t open Microsoft Surface devices except the Surface Laptop 3
Week 4 All about thermals

  • Thermal system components
    • Vapor chamber
    • Heatpipe
    • Heatsink
    • Fan
    • Reservoir, pump, radiator (desktop only)
    • Copper vs. aluminum vs. graphite
  • Heat-generating components
    • CPU
    • GPU/VRAM
    • VRM
    • SSD/HDD
    • PSU
  • Thermal throttling
    • Every 10 C increase in temperature decreases lifespan by 50%
  • Types of thermal transfer
    • Conduction
    • Convection
    • Radiation
  • Thermal paste
    • Increases thermal conduction
    • A must for any overheating CPU/GPU
    • Conductivity measured in W/mK
    • Not electrically conductive
    • How to apply thermal paste: pea-sized dot for standard CPUs and GPUs, line for non-square dies
  • Thermal pads:
    • Also increases thermal conduction
    • Lower thermal conductivity but better structural integrity
    • Best for lower-heat components like VRMs, VRAM, and SSD
    • Can be used to conduct heat to aluminum/magnesium chassis in laptops
  • Liquid metal:
    • The highest thermal conductivity
    • Corrodes aluminum, electrically conductive
    • Very risky to use
    • Made of gallium, indium, and tin (Galinstan)

HW: 
Week 5 Tentatively postponed until I can get my hands on console hardware

Console repairs

  • Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite common repairs:
    • Joy-Con drift
      • Don’t throw away “broken” Joy-Cons!
      • Use alcohol to dissolve any debris
      • If alcohol doesn’t work, replace the joystick
      • Test drift in system software
    • Battery failure
      • Replace battery with part from iFixit
    • Overheating
      • Reapply thermal paste
    • Screen damage
      • Replace screen with part from iFixit
  • Xbox One/One S/One X common repairs (will void warranty):
    • Overheating
    • Hard drive upgrade (can be done)
    • Fan failure
    • PSU failure
  • PS4/Slim/Pro common repairs:
    • Overheating
    • Hard drive upgrade
    • Fan failure
    • PSU failure
Week 6 Phone repairs

  • Phones are the most difficult to repair--require suction cup/prying
  • Proprietary screws require iFixit kit to open
  • Some phones open via the display while others open via the back
  • Most common repairs:
    • Screen can be either easy or difficult to replace, depending on front/back entry
      • Front entry (all iOS devices besides iPhone 4, some Android devices): 
        • Remove any exterior screws, use suction cup to lift screen
        • Don’t lift screen completely before disconnecting fragile cables
      • Rear entry (many Android devices): 
        • Unscrew/unclip/unglue the rear cover
        • Use heat to soften glue, followed by alcohol
        • There are a lot of tiny parts and you’ll have to disassemble the whole phone--stay organized, take pictures to remember where things go
        • The display may be easy or hard to separate--use iFixit repair manuals to check
    • Battery: 
      • Usually glued in to a varying degree
      • Check for adhesive pull tabs
        • If present, use tweezers to grip and wind the adhesive around it
      • Use 99% alcohol to dissolve adhesive if no pull tabs present
      • When prying out the battery, be careful
    • Charging connector:
      • May be soldered to the motherboard or on its own daughterboard
      • Very hard to solder tiny pins--only replace it yourself if it’s on a daughterboard
  • Don’t open folding phones

Summary

  • Repair: 
    • Reduces e-waste
    • Breathes new life into old and broken devices
    • Improves user experience and extends device lifespan
    • Gives back to the community
    • Offers jobs
    • Is fun
  • “Warranty Void if Removed” stickers are illegal (but this law has been ignored for a long time)

Final questions
Week 7