Man sells $38 part to enable AirPods Pro case self-repair, USB-C connectivity

Expand / It also sells AirPods Pro cases modified to use USB-C. Explore simulation/YouTube

AirPods are a handy accessory...until the charging case breaks. Functional headphones are useless without a case to charge them. And as one user explained, Apple would rather you buy a brand new case than fix the one you have. Well, considering the e-waste the planet is drowning in and the high price of Apple's wireless headphones, that's an inconvenient truth. But now, if you're willing to break your warranty and trust a smart DIYer, you can get the printed circuit board (PCB) needed to replace the battery in your AirPods Pro case and give it a USB-Port C port. while you're at it.

The mod is from Ken Pillonel's Exploring the Simulation YouTube channel. Pillonel is the same guy who brought you an Android phone with a Lightning port and an iPhone with USB-C. About six months ago, he also posted a video showing how to make a PCB and 3D-printed case to repair first- and second-generation AirPods and retrofit them with USB-C.

On Wednesday, Pillonel brought his mad genius to the AirPods Pro. The DIYer shared on GitHub how to 3D print an AirPods Pro case, as it's hard to open things up to fix them without breaking them.

To go one step further, Pillonel is currently selling the custom PCB he designed that is intended to repair the Lightning port on an AirPods Pro case by replacing it with a working USB-C port. As the world moves to USB-C, including via an EU mandate, it could give the AirPods Pro even more longevity.

AirPods Pro are notoriously irreparable. iFixit gave them a repairability score of 0, saying they are "theoretically semi-repairable", but their "non-modular, glued-together design and lack of replacement parts make repair both impractical and uneconomical." ". With the difficulty in opening cases and the lack of parts available, it's clear that, despite the environmental and financial drawbacks, Apple would rather you shell out the cash for a new case than replace an aging battery or faulty port. .

Pillonel's solution will be too impractical for many, but to make things easier he sells the so-called USB-C Flex for 34.90 CHF (about $38) or 10 for 249 CHF (about $270) .

It also sells a first-generation AirPods Pro case already modified to support USB-C (CHF299/$324); although, he notes, there may be physical flaws, like scratches, "due to the difficulty of modding". That's more than the $249 Apple currently charges for second-generation AirPods Pro, but who am I to dictate the value of USB-C connectivity? PiIlonel says parts will start shipping by the end of April.

As the Pillonel store notes, using these parts from us voids Apple's warranty. Custom PCB is not what you should buy if you are not used to doing your own repairs or don't want to bet expensive tech on a component purchased online from a manufacturer. The custom PCB also does not work with the second generation AirPods Pro released in September.

Nevertheless, Pillonel's work and workshop are a clumsy reminder of just how much easier repairs could be with more support from the tech giants. Apple itself has taken recent steps by launching self-service r...