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World's First USB-C iPhone #shorts

Kenny Pi · Youtube · 73 HN points · 4 HN comments
HN Theater has aggregated all Hacker News stories and comments that mention Kenny Pi's video "World's First USB-C iPhone #shorts".
Youtube Summary
Do you know about an interesting RESEARCH PROJECT? I'm looking for a Master's thesis project, starting March 2022, academia or industry!

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This is it. I've finally built the World's First iPhone with a USB Type-C port. It supports charging and data transfers. The first part was about getting the electronics to work. Then the next step was to reverse-engineer the Apple C94 connector and make my own PCB with a female USB C port. Then the schematics for the project were set and tested and the final was to make it fit inside the iPhone! I'm very happy to show you this mod in the form of a Youtube Short. The full length video is coming out soon, I've started the editing.

Blog post for some background: https://kenp.io/iphone_usbc_mod_part_1/

The Strange Parts channel is a good channel you need to check out. Scotty Allen speculates about if the Type C iPhone is feasible. I made that hack happen. #StrangeParts​
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Context:

First USB-C iPhone(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAekbJf4Gsw)

73 points|diablomolecule|27 days ago|20 comments

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28816893

Oct 10, 2021 · 73 points, 20 comments · submitted by diablomolecule
lfaoro
We should inform Apple that we won’t buy any more iPhones until they provide USB-C charging for it.
donkarma
Who is we?
jacobmischka
Interesting. I could have sworn that Strange Parts already did this months ago, but I was apparently thinking of a video where he discussed the project and basically said he didn't feel like doing it[1]. Anyway, congrats on successfully going through "three months of agony"!

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZZIKbidMI0

grishka
He did add a headphone jack to an iPhone 7 tho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utfbE3_uAMA
marcusbrown
Wow, this will make Apple’s argument against EU, asking to do this since a few years ago, much harder to sustain :) Amazing work!
audunw
Do you think Apple would argue that they can’t put USB-C on a phone? Or have they already? I haven’t seen it and it wouldn’t make much sense.

The only consumer oriented argument, which IMO isn’t bad, is that a lot of people have Lightning peripherals for their phones that they’d have to replace. It’s really the only explanation that can explain why they’d change to USB-C on iPads but not iPhones. With laptops and iPads using adapters with most peripherals you’d use there is not a problem. People don’t tend to use something like a FLIR camera with iPad, and such a camera would be extremely flimsy to use on an iPhone with a USB-C to Lightning adapter.

I’m not arguing that Apple shouldn’t switch to USB-C, but I think this is a decent argument why delaying it has been good for a certain subset of customers.

I think they were hoping that they could go all-wireless for consumer iPhone and USB-C on Pro iPhones. They didn’t want to switch before that because they don’t want to send the signal that peripheral makers can rely on USB-C for all iPhones. But wireless charging tech hasn’t progressed as fast they hoped.

danaris
The other argument against the EU directive isn't about now, it's about what happens in 5, 10 years, when our technology has progressed, but the directive still specifies USB-C.
solarkraft
This wasn’t a problem when they standardized on micro USB and USB-C came along
AndrewDucker
They've made it clear that they are happy to update you the latest standards when the standards move on.
mkr-hn
Do any EU laws/directives have sunset clauses? I don't know if that's a thing in this context.
AndrewDucker
From https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_...

Any technological developments in wired charging can be reflected in a timely adjustment of technical requirements/ specific standards under the Radio Equipment Directive. This would ensure that the technology used is not outdated.

At the same time, the implementation of any new standards in further revisions of Radio Equipment Directive would need to be developed in a harmonised manner, respecting the objectives of full interoperability. Industry is therefore expected to continue the work already undertaken on the standardised interface, led by the USB-IF organisation, in view of developing new interoperable, open and non-controversial solutions.

solarkraft
If you offer this for 40 bucks I might do it. Fuck that stupid port.
franklouise09
I Think is Good Option For Fast Charging and many more.
franklouise09
I Think is Good Option For Fast Charging and many more.
slater
.
aman0988
nice
even7
Amazing
even7
Amazing!
chang65
nice
olisha
Really good. Nice
manu03412
It’s really really good. Thanks for this buddy
piku_habib
Wow, this will make Apple’s argument against EU, asking to do this since a few years ago, much harder to sustain :) Amazing work!realy nice!
29083011397778
The micro-soldering and what I assume must be custom (or very small batch) cabling is very impressive, but beyond that: Apple has embedded verification in their hardware from the batteries to (if I understand correctly) the screen itself. The fact that this is even possible without big warning signs throughout the OS is what I'm weirded out by.

I legitimately wish I could just be amazed at the soldering, machining, and dedication. But having to include "Bypassed un-disable-able [0] hardware verification on your own device" makes it all seem a touch more dystopian.

[0] Note that HW verification could (and in some cases does) serve the user. But being unable to bypass it on one's own device doesn't quite sit well with me.

mkr-hn
The trouble is providing a way to bypass security by the user that can tell a user apart from someone who shouldn't be allowed in. Somehow they've bypassed it without such a mechanism. Putting a way in on purpose opens any security on that pathway to implementation exploits.
lozenge
People have always been able to connect an iPhone to arbitrary devices through a cable, the security is that it only speaks certain protocols and prompts the user if something more than charging or headphone out is requested.
tinus_hn
You know that tiny micro usb to lightning adapters are available in stores, right?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images2000x2000/apple_md...

Why would it be hard to adapt this into usb-c to lightning conversion?

dzhiurgis
usb-c to lightning adapters are against the spec. I've still tried cheapest one off fleabay and it didn't work at all.
tinus_hn
Against what spec? There are adapters that come with the ‘made for iPhone’ logo.
Oct 09, 2021 · ah27182 on The USB-C iPhone Mod
10/10 update: Looks like the poster was able to fit the entire type-c adapter into his iphone, exciting stuff! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAekbJf4Gsw
bellyfullofbac
From the pic at https://youtu.be/SAekbJf4Gsw?t=28, looks like he was looking for gaps inside the phone to put some components, and making a super thin board to wire them all together.
KiSM
I'm not sure that was the right link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAekbJf4Gsw
ah27182
Youre right, that’s embarrassing lol. Fixed.
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