HW 101 - How Things Go Together
How components in an📱iPhone enable user experience
Hey Friends ✋,
So you’re new to the hardware world and have heard terms like PCB, chassis, and RF. You know what cameras, batteries, and displays are but are asking your self:
How does this all go together? What end product features are driven by which components?
Lets do an iphone 12 teardown to illustrate which user features - like faceID or wireless charging are linked to which modules.
First lets define a few terms:
Module
Electromechanical sub assemblies such as batteries, displays, and cameras
PD Part
Mechanical sub assemblies such as your cover glass and chassis
System
The final device or overall assembly of sub modules and PD parts - iPhone in this case
Each module and system has a specific dev team to help design, develop, and execute on the product vision set by product managers and execs.
1.0 Display
What is it?
This is your screen
Which teams make it?
Industrial design, Mechanical, Firmware, Chemical, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing & Electrical Engineering
What product features does it enable?
Super retina, XDR, & 6.1” OLED
2.0 Inductive Coil
What is it?
Series of magnets & coils which produce an alternating electromagnetic field that transfers energy to a parallel coil via induction
Which teams make it?
Mechanical, Firmware, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing, & Electrical Engineering
What product features does it enable?
Wireless charging and Magsafe
3.0 Taptic Engine
What is it?
An actuator consisting of strain gauges as pressure sensors and motors to provide vibrations
Which teams make it?
Mechanical, Firmware, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing, & Electrical engineering
What product features does it enable?
Haptic feedback (3D touch) such as clicks on a stationary screen
4.0 Battery
What is it?
Stores energy
Which teams make it?
Mechanical, Firmware, Chemical, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing & Electrical Engineering
What product features does it enable?
16 Hrs video playback & 65 Hrs audio playback
5.0 Chassis
What is it?
Mechanical enclosure and housing made out of aluminum
Which teams make it?
Industrial Design, Mechanical, Chemical, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering
What product features does it enable?
IP68, water/dust ingress protection, drop protection, mechanical/thermal/electrical protection, housing, form factor, colour, & aesthetics
6.0 Rear Camera Module
What is it?
Assembly of stabilizer, gyroscope, telephoto, ultra wide, and wide sensors
Which teams make it?
Industrial design, Mechanical, Firmware, Chemical, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing & Electrical engineering
What product features does it enable?
Portrait mode, night vision, HDR, 4K video, & slow mo video
7.0 Rear LiDAR Scanner
What is it?
Laser is sent from a transmitter and reflected back from objects to develop a physical map of your environment
Which teams make it?
Industrial design, Mechanical, Firmware, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing & Electrical Engineering
What product features does it enable?
Augmented Reality
8.0 PCB
What is it?
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) or Main Logic Board (MLB) which is the electronic assembly used to connect all electrical components in the system
Which teams make it?
RF, Desense, Mechanical, Firmware, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing & Electrical Engineering
What product features does it enable?
Processing, Wifi, BT, Cameras & more. Anything and everything which is required when the device powers on
9.0 Front Camera Module
What is it?
An array of sensors including a 12MP camera, infrared camera, floor illuminator, and dot projector
Which teams make it?
Industrial design, Mechanical, Firmware, Chemical, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing & Electrical engineering
What product features does it enable?
FaceID, HDR, Night Mode, and Portrait Mode
10.0 Cover Glass
What is it?
Front display housing made primarily of glass but also some plastic supports
Which teams make it?
Industrial design, Mechanical, Chemical, Test, Reliability, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering
What product features does it enable?
Ceramic Shield leading to 4x Drop resistance vs iphone 11
References
Teardown photos provided by ifixit and unitedlex
Thanks for reading!
This is awesome! Can you do one on how to build an enclosed prototype? For instance how one would have something with buttons sticking out and a screen or something like that?