Apple Pencil (1. Generation) Teardown

Geschrieben von: Walter Galan
Veröffentlicht: 19/11/15
  • Kommentare: 96

Apple Pencil (1. Generation) Teardown

Veröffentlicht: 19/11/15

Teardown

Einleitung

Seit dem Erscheinen des iPads blieb Apple entschlossen, dass das iPad ohne Stylus genutzt werden sollte. Als das iPad Pro mit einem 99 $ must-have Zubehör in der Form eines Stylus erschien, waren wir offensichtlich fasziniert. Was macht den Apple Pencil so besonders? Nach allem, was wir gehört haben, hat er ein paar raffinierte Funktionen, aber wir sind mehr daran interessiert, was im Inneren dieses glänzend weißen Zylinders steckt. Begleite uns, während wir dies herausfinden!

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  1. UdDa36X2dtURsIfE
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    • Apple ist sehr verschwiegen über die technischen Daten des Stylus, aber hier ist, was wir wissen:

    • Bluetooth 4.1

    • Doppelt so präzise wie dein Finger

    • Bis zu 12 Stunden Akkulaufzeit

    • 175 mm (Länge) x 8,9 mm (Durchmesser)

    • Lightning Connector zum Aufladen

    Thank you for the break down! I have been researching why my Apple Pencil 2 will not charge. I was hoping I could replace the battery but you have proven that this is impossible. I appreciate everything you all do to help those of us who do our own repairs.

    Christine Ayala-Sanchez -

    Apple will replace the battery for $29.

    tooki -

  2. PMRBdLIltTVspbsB
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    • Es wird viel über den Pencil gesprochen. Lasst uns diesen kurz mit ein paar anderen Eingabestiften vergleichen.

    • Zuerst: der Microsoft Surface Pen (von einem Surface Pro 4).

    • Zweitens: Der originale „iPad Pencil“ von 53. Er funktioniert am besten mit deren Paper App, und er hat viele gleiche Funktionen wie der neue Apple Pencil.

    • Man kann ihn auch sehr leicht öffnen und die Batterie herausnehmen.

    • Außerdem hat er einen Radierer.

  3. LIokippYmSsRTZ1x
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    • Apple war so großzügig, eine Ersatzspitze beizulegen, genauso wie einen Lightning-auf-Lightning Adapter (der „last minute“ beigelegt wurde), damit die Nutzer ihren Pencil nicht direkt an ihrem iPad laden müssen.

    • Die Lightning Connector Kappe hält magnetisch an ihrem Platz, aber wir erwarten, dass die meisten dieser in den nächsten Monaten verloren gehen.

    • Das Abnehmen der Kappe zeigt uns eine brandneue, noch nie gesehen Modellnummer: A1603. Willkommen auf der Welt, Pencil!

    Where can I purchase the charging piece in the top of the Pencil? I am missing it.

    Stephanie K -

  4. AYpO3JDGZSsZsURA
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    • Um einen Blick in den Pencil zu bekommen, fangen wir mit der Spitze an, welche mit ein paar Drehungen lautlos abgedreht werden kann.

    • Ein kurzer Blick hinein zeigt einen winzigen Metallstab, der weit in die Gummispitze reicht, vermutlich um so nah an den Bildschirm zu kommen wie möglich.

    • Diese berührt vermutlich eine der zwei Emitter in der Spitze, welche dem iPad Pro ermöglichen, den Winkel und die Orientierung des Pencils relativ zum Bildschirm zu bestimmen und den Stiftstrich entsprechend anzupassen.

    • Der Digitizer des iPad Pros sollte die Entfernung von den beiden Emittern zum Bildschirm ermitteln können- und von dieser dann den relativen Winkel des Pencils zum Bildschirm berechnen können.

    I had ordered a replacement tip and was wondering why it wasn’t working. It appears this metal bit inside the tip was missing upon close inspection

    Rick N -

    The linked Youtube video is not viewable - says “this video is private”(?)

    Jordan Hazen -

  5. r5qrLYrkgD2fAIdJ
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    • Wir sind eifrig dabei, einen näheren Blick auf den Radierer Lightning Connector zu werfen, deshalb wir diesen mit unserem guten alten iOpener erwärmen.

    • Notiz des Autors: der Fakt, dass sie dieses Ding "Pencil", also Bleistift, nennen - und nicht Pen/Stylus - und dann keinen Radierer einbauen, ist absurd.

    • Auch nach einer Erwärmung mit unserem iOpener kann man den Lightning Connector nicht wirklich aus dem Gehäuse nehmen, aber ein kurzer Ruck entfernt diesen vom Pencil.

    • Aber für welchen Preis ... Wir haben definitiv ein Flex-Kabel abgerissen ...

    • Irgendetwas sagt uns, dass dieses keines der Teardowns wird, bei denen am Ende alles wieder zusammengebaut werden kann.

    Did you find any adhesive holding the guts to the case? Could you simply have pushed the guts out through the top instead of cutting the case or does it look like they molded the case onto the guts?

    plink53 -

    You can see the adhesive residue around the metal inner case, looks like hot-melt glue or something very permanent.

    Tom Chai -

    Yes, they could have, and there are videos online showing how to do it.

    tooki -

    Not all pencils have erasers. I still have a set of Swiss made artist pencils which do not have erasers. The programs the Apple Pencil will be used with all have digital erasers and undo capabilities. In my 40 years as an architect, I never used an eraser on the end of a pencil. I always used a separate eraser or an electric eraser. This is not a No. 2 pencil for 3rd grade. The author's comment is absurd and shows his or her lack of experience in using pencils in a professional setting. Sorry for venting, but I'm tired of people making this silly comment.

    johnleestjohn -

    I am an architect with 52 years of experience, and I have been using the pencils' erasers every time. IFixit is correct in pointing out this absurd omission by Apple

    Mark -

    the tip is much more precise than the cap end. to "add an eraser" to the other end, they'd end up with a tip at each end, which sounds pretty absurd to me. frankly it's easier to tap an onscreen control to switch to eraser tool than it is to flip the pencil around in your hand and back

    James Geiss -

    Wacom first introduced styluses with a pressure-sensitive eraser on the other end back in the 1990s. Nothing absurd about it. You can still erase with the sharp tip if you prefer.

    tooki -

    I would Love to not have to click more buttons to make a correction, plus some drawing techniques require a Lot of erasing, which is really annoying to have to operate software to switch between Every Single One of the thousand times in one session. I am an engineer, inventor, and occasionally artist, and at times I can spend All Day drawing. Now try to tell me that saving 10 seconds to switch functions times a thousand times in one day isn't a glorious feature to have! That's a couple hours of your life gone that day doing nothing but operating software while nothing happens. I don't care if it's inefficient from a product weight standpoint! I didn't get the pencil for how minimal it is; I got it to save me time because I'm an expert at fat-fingering touchscreen displays and this was the first way to bring precision to digital that I have with graphite or mouse. Two functional ends would be fantastic.

    Gene -

    I’m an artist, and I just checked my 67 color pencils. Not one of them had an eraser. I have a Pink Pearl, an artgum and a kneaded eraser, but none of them are connected to a pencil. However, I am not an architect, so I cannot speak to that profession’s need for a connected eraser.

    Tom Coleman -

    this is fun too read. When I bought this “pencil” I never expected or thought of the possibility of an eraser at the other end of the stylus. That might or might not have to do with me being an architect ;o) , but I kind of agree with those who think that the way the author of this tear down expects anything called a pencil to include an eraser at the opposite end from the tip is somewhat exaggerated. However, had there been one (or maybe a switch to shift the tip to an alternative function), I believe it would most likely have been an improvement.

    bjoern holst jespersen -

  6. rTRrYJg4uknvQKUx
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    • Nachdem wir Ober- und Unterteil ausführlich seziert haben und keine Stelle gefunden haben, an der wir eindringen können, pfeifen wir auf Vorsicht und fahren die großen Geschütze auf.

    • Beim Zerschneiden des Kugelschreibers Apple Pencil kommt eine Tintenpatrone ein Metallgehäuse zum Vorschein.

    • Und wir haben den Akku nicht kaputt gemacht ... noch! Sieht so aus, als ob unsere Operationskünste sich endlich auszahlen.

    any possibility of pushing the internal out from the tip?

    dennis97519 -

    This iFixit teardown is one big joke.
    You can heat up the pen and push it out of the case like shown in this video :
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRpMny_...

    Sjaak Spoiler -

  7. LbUxGWkVsdoUeyN3
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    • Phew - war das eine Arbeit! Während wir das Mikroplastik aufwischen und kurz einen Burrito verdrücken, nehmen wir uns einen kurzen Moment, die Früchte unserer Arbeit zu bestaunen: Stift ohne Hülle.

    • Ein kurzer Blick auf den metallnen Zylinder aus dem Inneren zeigt uns eine winzige Tri-Point-Schraube à la Apple Watch.

    • Ein Glück haben wir dafür mittlerweile das Werkzeug. Ganz unkompliziert.

    • Unter der Schraube sind winzige Kontakte, wohl für interne Tests von Apple.

  8. CBJPRulXiiJOEoOB
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    • Nach noch mehr schneiden und hebeln - und einer kurzen Unterhaltung über Lasercutter - sind wir durch die zweite (diesmal metallne) Schicht.

    • Wir werden mit der Antenne und der Akkueinheit belohnt. Kein Graphit im Inneren dieses Stifts.

    • Dieser winzige 3,82 V, 0,329 Wh Lithium-Ionen-Akku hat nur 5% der Kapazität des iPhone 6s.

    • Nur um den Punktestand im Auge zu behalten: Der Surface Pen von Microsoft nutzt eine von Nutzern austauschbare AAAA Batterie. Diese haben normalerweise irgendwas zwischen 0,4 und 0,9 Wh.

    I gotta say, after using the Pencil for an extended period of time, it is nice to just be able plug it in and use it after 15 minutes vs. having to constantly swap out dead AAAA batteries (which my HP laptop stylus uses) due to prolonged lack of use.

    Arthur Shi -

    This iFixit teardown is one big joke.
    You can just open the case with a screwdriver :
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRpMny_...

    Sjaak Spoiler -

  9. F4rh2GDEklUkG4GY
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    • Ohne das Metallgehäuse können wir die appletypische schwarz und golden gekleidete Antenne abnehmen.

    • Jetzt haben wir einen besseren Blick auf das Kabel, das wir vorher zerrissen haben ... es verläuft zwischen Lightning Connector und Akku, inklusive ein paar Chips zum Laden dazwischen (vermuten wir).

    • Am anderen Ende haben wir noch mehr Chips entdeckt, also weg mit dem Akku, hin zum lustigen Zeug - wie dieses klitzekleine Logic Board!

    • Diese kleine Platine ist in der Mitte gefaltet, damit es das meiste aus dem kleinen Platz herausholen kann. Clever!

    I nearly peed myself I was laughing so hard. Ermagersh!

    David Spalding -

    My 1st gen Apple Pencil was not getting charged, so I contacted apple store, they asked me to buy new pencil saying this pencil battery is dead.

    But local shopowner checked and find that battery is good but the problem is with the connector inside pencil. can anyone tell where can I get that part ?

    Suraj Sawant -

  10. 5ibhjx6plRvgpqfU
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    • Was ist das - ein Logic Board für Ameisen? Nicht ganz, aber mit seinen 1,0 Gramm ist es definitiv das kleinste, das wir je gesehen haben. Nachdem die harte Arbeit getan ist, schauen wir uns an, was diesen Stift so smart macht:

    • ST Microelectronics STML151UCY6 Ultra-low-power 32-bit RISC ARM Cortex-M3 MCU

    • ST Microelectronics AS5C Y533 (der auch im 2015 Apple TV verbaut ist)

    • L05286 QS4 VG Z SGP 528

    • EWX 01129

    • Cambridge Silicon Radio (Qualcomm) CSR1012A05 Bluetooth Smart IC

    I wonder what OS runs on the pen and if there's a way of finding this out.

    IOOI SqAR -

    It is using a pretty low power ARM MCU, so it likely doesn't run a full OS

    ianguy -

    not all microcontrollers have an OS.

    Likely just a bootloader inside

    dennis97519 -

    I was trying to figure out why they'd add bluetooth???

    iliketurtuls -

    The pressure sensing happens on the pen itself not the screen, so it sends this data along the relative angle to the iPad

    This does make me wonder why not an eraser on the other end...

    Kalvinjj -

    From what Apple has stated officially, it seems that the pen is actually passive in the process of determining position and tilt, in the sense that the Apple Pen has two signal emitters that the iPad Pro itself detects, and then calculates this information from. There probably is at least a minimum level of communication over BT to synchronize the process and generally facilitate everything. The only real sensor data that needs to be communicated is the 'force' level. This is done to offload as much detection and processing as possible from the pen, and minimize the activity of the BT radio. This allows for a much less powerful processor and corresponding battery to be used, generally making things (hopefully) more efficient and, of course, increasing Apple's profit margin. (If I have erred, feel free to correct me.) :)

    JMC -

    Think of a wii mote... what does a wii mote have?

    Bluetooth for communication.

    An accelerometer.

    A gyroscope.

    A camera for IR detection (distance).

    So doesn't that ring any bells?

    What does this thing have?

    An accelerometer (maybe the EWX 11290)

    A gyroscope (maybe L05286)

    A sensor for pressure detection in the tip, including the chip.

    So what is this? A wii mote in apple clothes.

    TarAnTani -

    This is just an intuitive guess, so feel free to delete it, but BT is probably needed, at the very minimum, to serve to relay the information from the variable pressure sensor to the iPad Pro.

    JMC -

    would it be possible to retake the PCB picture with a ruler next to it with inches or Millimetres on it ?

    bwgvanderveer -

  11. Q5ADLnBimqOKy1Si
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    • Zurück zum Stift und zu seiner Spitze, die wir jetzt rausholen, um die Sensormagie zu verstehen.

    • Wir pulen eine der kleinsten Platinen hervor, die wir je gesehen haben und find eine Reihe von drei zusammengehörenden Pins. Drei am Ende der Stifteinheit und drei auf der winzigen Platine.

    • Wenn wir raten müssten, würden wir sagen, sie helfen beim Messen des Drucks, indem sie die Bewegung zwischen diesen Teilen messen.

    • Könnte sein, dass uns dieser Chip mehr darüber sagen kann, wie es funktioniert ...

    • Auf ihm steht 8529043 343S00008-A1

    This iFixit teardown is one big joke.
    You can just open the casing with a screwdriver :
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRpMny_...

    Sjaak Spoiler -

  12. g2BsKFNeYgP1HGey
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    • Die Spitze noch weiter auseinanderzunehmen, scheint nicht sinnvoll, aber das ist okay: wir sehen alles, dank ein paar cooler Fotos von unseren Freunden bei Creative Elektron.

    • Sieht euch diese kleine gefederte Spitze an, mit den beiden im Schaft vergrabenen Emittern.

    • Weil wir's können haben wir noch Bilder vom kleinen Logic Board und dem Lightning Connector samt Kappe gemacht.

    • Glücklicherweise haben wir sie gemacht, als der Pencil noch intakt war, deshalb ist das Kabel immer noch am Connector. Was für ein schönes Ding (zumindest so lange du es nicht reparieren musst).

    I use my Apple Pencil for precision drawing - I usually write with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil on paper. The size of the Apple Pencil tip is actually too big and gets in the way of seeing what I want to draw. I'm used to using a Cintiq pen on their tablets and their pen tips are MUCH narrower. I was actually thinking of milling down the last 2-3mm of the Apple Pencil tip to a diameter of about 1mm or so (which is the tip/barrel diameter on the Cintiq). The trouble is that the xray you show in figure 12 renders the plastic of the tip itself pretty much invisible so I'm unclear what room I have to play with. Do you have any other pictures at possible different exposures that do show the plastic of the tip?

    Mick Mueck -

    May be new tips will come in the future for updates!!! Did you contacted Apple?

    Vr1 -

    So, that spring must be what I see poking out. I've used the pencil everyday on average of 5 hours a day and it has only been two weeks and it's worn down already. Hopefully replacement tips will be made available soon.

    Mike Villegas -

  13. 4qFI2FOIPtUKyCWY
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    • Apple Pencil Reparierbarkeit: 1 von 10 Punkten (10 ist am einfachsten zu reparieren):

    • Die Spitze und die Kappe können ersetzt werden, wenn sie abgenutzt sind (oder verloren wurden).

    • Der Pencil ist eindeutig nicht dazu gemacht, geöffnet oder repariert zu werden; du kannst ihn nicht öffnen, ohne ihn zu zerstören.

    • Die Schichten aus Plastik und Metall, die das Innere zusammenhalten, sind unmöglich zu entfernen, ohne diese zu zerkleinern.

    • Der Akku, genug Kapazität für 12 Stunden Nutzung, ist unmöglich zu ersetzen, was dem Gerät eine beschränkte Lebensdauer gibt.

    As for the battery, I'm sure Apple did some initial testing to make sure it could handle enough charging cycles to last longer than the normal time people would have one before they lost it. I'd love to see Apple come up with a Find-my-ApplePencil app. :-)

    plink53 -

    Absolutely! It'd be great if the the pencil could ping back its location using GPS, or cellular, or WiFi, or...wait we have low power bluetooth...hmm, I guess it could tell us if we are in the same 15 foot radius.

    Jeremy1026 -

    Now THERE's a good reason for having BT onboard :D

    Emanon Adespoton -

    What is the range of BT? The "15 foot radius" comment sounds about right - BT would be rather useless for locating it, unless there is some "long-range-high-power beacon mode". As for GPS - how much would that cost? Are there combination Wifi/BT/GPS chips available for a reasonable cost? And then the antenna - can the same antenna receive signals on all three bands (or "on-chip" antennas? I don't know what the status of that tech is)

    But I'd think the biggest problem with "find-my-Pencil" would be that it would have to always be on - thus sucking battery life (maybe they could put solar panels on the outside somehow? (see "Printable anodes for flexible organic solar cell modules" 2004 http://www.ec-ind.com/PEDOT/Printable%20... Don't know if that is still "current" though.)

    jimwitte -

    The cap on the Apple Pencil has a magnet inside. Can you dissect the cap to see what sort of magnet this is, how large it is, how powerful it is, and how it's oriented? This would be greatly appreciated... Thanks!

    steve -

    My dad had an apple pencil he never used and gave it to me for my new iPad Pro however it no longer holds a charge (it had never been used so perhaps never held a charge). Anyway took it to Apple and they said it would cost 110 CAD to fix since its past a year. So zero minutes of usage and no practical repair possible. Hope this stops people from wasting their money on the “Pencil”

    Noel Dillabough -

    Well said. Same situation here. I wish there had been a notice on battery maintenance on the product package. At least tell people that you need to discharge and charge every month or so. Throwing something that had hardly been used. Time for a better alternative.

    Kenneth Cheuk -

    My daughter broke the (apple) pencil lead. Seeing the pictures it seems that it’s screwed and there gives a little hope to find one and replace it. Dear iFixit (lovers) do you know where I could find this as to save from planet garbage the rest of this fully functional Apple Pencil

    David ABITEBOUL -

    I have a pencil which doesn't work since the day I purchased it (problem is I purchasef it from another person, claims it is new)

    went to iStore, said it was originally purchased 2 years ago.

    let's say it was unused for 2 years, battery got drained, do you think it can be repaired or should I fcking throw it

    ric william -

    This is an obvious case where having a replaceable battery would be better than an integrated battery. Apple is banking on customers upgrading to next generation product before the battery needs replacing.

    Underscore Mouse -

    I bought one of these pencils several years ago, when the iPad Pro came out. Worked. Then I didn’t use it until recently to work with my iPad mini 5. Well, it won’t charge. Says something about 3%. Apparently this is just junk now and useless. I won’t buy another. Apple should be ashamed of itself. You have to charge it regularly otherwise the battery dies and once out of warranty, you just have to buy another one. Piece of garbage. I hear the new version is just the same.

    Lynda Botez -

    Rompí la punta de mi Apple Pencil 2 al intentar cambiar la punta. Se rompió por completo? Esto tiene opción de arreglo ? Cuánto puede costar en dicho caso ? Gracias

    Johnatan Lozada -

    You can actually open the Pencil without completely destroying it :
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLRpMny_...

    Sjaak Spoiler -

Tinte & Feder

Walter Galan

685544 Reputation

49 Kommentare

What vice did you use to hold the iPencil while you opened it? I need one.

Calion -

I actually used our economy suction vise, it's pretty hefty and very stable :)

Andrew Optimus Goldheart -

Care to tear apart the female-to-female Lightning adapter? Interested to know the pinout!

Jake -

I'm quite sure just a parallel connection.

Ryo Saeba -

Could we get a tear down of a Surface Pen? #3 maybe #4?

Eric Pellegrini -

I'd also like to see how the lightning connector flexes inside its base, like in the YouTube video that destroys the pencil by flexing it around connected to the iPad, would you open it up please?

TheBlackBunny -

“The battery, enough for a 12 hour run, is impossible to replace, giving the device a limited lifespan.”

Other lithium-ion batteries are rated for perhaps 1000 full-charge cycles, suggesting that a person using this pencil 8 hours every weekday would see a 6-year life.

That's a crude SWAG… perhaps you could estimate how “limited” the lifespan really is.

WaltFrench -

It also happens that Lithium Ion degrades with time using it or not, undercharge, overcharge (granted, the charging circuit won't allow these 2), or temperature variations.

So it could go well down to ~2 years before needing too frequent charging.

Also since it's a pen, it will fall a lot, this will also lower this value.

Probably the pen will last long enough but it's definitely a product made to be replaced along the iPad or something like this.

Kalvinjj -

I would have given it a 0 out of 10 . Having to completely destroy something to service it is counter logical.

Apple is supposed to have the best engineers in the world but look what they've done.

If the Apple Pencil were made in my shop it would have a threaded end to open the case, a fully removable battery and an inner liner pcb that would slide out. Add a Qi power receiver for wireless charging and there would be no need for connectors of any kind.

Steve Jobs was right. Pens are bad.

woodytus -

It would probably also be twice as thick and 5 times heavier.

scottjl -

The cap on the Apple Pencil that protects the Lightning connector has a magnet inside... can you dissect the cap to show what sort of magnet this, how large it is, and how it's oriented?

steve -

I don't blame Apple for not making it fixable. That's pretty hard at this scale. Two co-workers and I developed the active stylus for the DROID XYBOARD (http://www.a4c.com/product/motorola-droi...) a few years ago, and it doesn't come apart without a long soak in 100% isopropyl alcohol (0% water, obviously) to soften up the assembly adhesives. But at least it ran on an easily replaceable and surprisingly easy-to-get AAAA battery, getting about 6 months of life per battery.

Dan Wagner -

The MCU part number is misstated in the article. Its an STM32L151... (not STML151...). It is part of ST Microelectronics ultra low power STM32L family. Relay a wonderful part to work with and fully capable of running quite a few different micro kernels and RTOS variants in addition to easily scheduling bare metal code using its fifteen level nested vectored interrupt controller.

gdh22 -

Exactly the same as any other Cortex M in the world.

santiagogf89 -

But what is the pressure sensitivity? I can't find it listed anywhere. This is the only video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaIQ5SvK...

Nat Russell -

Repairing a pencil, really? I believe that repairing this is beyond the capabilities of anyone without a microscope, on account of it *being a stylus*. This shouldn't have a repairability score.

Elizabeth Myers -

Whoa, Apple pencil is unnecessarily complicated re-invention of what's out there. Take a look at Samsung S-pen teardown. It's simplicity in itself, no parts to replace, no battery to replace. S-pen is brilliant.

coldspring21 -

The S Pen doesn’t have pressure sensitivity on a 12.9 inch screen nor is it Bluetooth.

jsbrock -

Pressure-sensitivity, which the S-pen does not have, requires either a battery in the stylus, or another layer of magnetic coils under the screen to enable a no-battery stylus. Clearly Apple decided not to go for the option that adds thickness to the tablet.

tooki -

Step 10. Does the logic board boot loader could be upgradable???

Does a simple iBeacon has any hardware that may facilitate the proximity task? Why Apple did not included the proximity of the Pencil at the Notification Center if it was lost? What is missing???

Vr1 -

Find-my-ApplePencil app. :-)

Would it ever be available?

Vr1 -

My apple pencil started making a weird clicking noise and the nib is kinda crooked, I sent it to apple care and they said they wouldn't fix it ro give me a new one since it was accidental damage, but I've just been drawing with it for 2 months, any idea how to fix this or why this happened ?

rcarreno -

Probably dislodged nib or cracked nib holder internally due to user pressure from the side. I noticed when using the pencil it is alot more prone to accidental side pressure due to the extra large tip. You could try using the replacement tip, but that might make it worse since chances are the nib holder cracked internally. (BTW, I am not the the author of the teardown article …just educated guesses on my part.)

Eric Hemingway -

what’s the size of the pcb?

Tej -

The tip is a horrible design. A tiny piece of metal sticking out with a removable, read “movable,” plastic part to protect it is a recipe for disaster. The tip on mine was snapped off just from being in my bag, with the nib on. Like a cheap plastic pen. A $99 waste of unrepairable money. If Apple sells a product accessory for one of their products, they should make the product capable of holding and protecting it like the Samsung Galaxy Tab did with their pen. That was a very sleek design.

ehor31 -

Does anyone know how to turn the pencil on and Bluetooth pair to the iPad Pro with out connecting it in the iPad Pro port? I have an iPad Pro I bought for $50 but the tristar is messed up I can charge the iPad on a flepow dock turn it on let it start up then the iPad says 1% then plug up an official iPad charger restart the iPad and it will be at 100% but the port does not work with the Apple Pencil or does the official iPad charge show the device charging. I just want to short the pencil on so I can pair it.

TRAVISNICELY83 -

iFix it !? more like iBreak it. LOL ok iTear-it-down. You’re after my own heart. long time Spiderman Fan. Beautiful article, clean pictures. i Like, OLE!

FVP

fvrrljr -

So, mine and my co-workers pencils died from what I can guess is lack of use and the battery dies down past the point the charger chips will let it charge. Does anyone know if I can jump start the charging process (I have done this before with a small trickle charge to get a lithium battery up to the safe charging point) using any of those 4 test points visible through one section of the tube? I have mine cut open exposing the metal inner tube but don’t want to cut that one open if there is any chance of getting to the battery in anyway.

James Armstrong -

Good news, I actually fixed two apple pencils. They really need a big note on the box, that you must charge once a month or so or the internal battery will die and not charge. One I found where power was easily accessible and forced a charge bypassing the charging circuit then it started working and charging. The other had a bad ground connection on the - side of the battery and I was able to fix that. Now I just need to turn some really nice pencil shells on my lathe ;)

James Armstrong -

Encouraged by James comment, bought two pencils very cheap on eBay. One had the tip broken, but a good battery, and connected to iPad. The front end is spot welded to the inner metal tube, so it can’t be replaced. The only thing that I could do was to cut it open to see how it how everything was placed. Despite getting detailed x-rays, it is impossible to cut it open with a dremmel tool without also damaging the tiny flex cables. I damaged the flex cables, But at least it gave me an idea about what’s where, and I thought that with the next pencil, I’ll do a better job.

On the other pencil, the LiPo had swollen and destroyed. Trying to just cut the inner metal shell was impossible. There are several places where spot welding has been done, including the battery terminals, and it is not possible to separate the battery from flex cable without damage, which I did. I don’t see how someone can do that without causing any damage. I also damaged the incredibly thin blue tooth coax cable.

Ahmad Rana -

Muchas gracias por vuestros vídeos. También a los traductores. Saludos.

Juanma Glez. de Audicana -

Question. How does apple replace the battery in the Apple Pencil, because according to the link below, they can and do change the battery for 30$

https://support.apple.com/ipad/repair/se...

Henry Phillips -

By opening it correctly (there are videos on YouTube showing how to do it) instead of the drunk gorilla approach taken here. The author of this teardown apparently had no idea that things can slide inside of other things, and thus chose to Dremel the plastic case, rather than to simply slide the contents out…

tooki -

i am done with apple product.

i have two phones, an iPad Pro 12,9 2nd gen, a Macbook air, Mac Pro, an Apple Watch , a dozen of Apple care pfff., and already bought my second pen and it stopped suddently juste a couple of month after the garantee.

I went to the LEMON store with my Apple Pencil so they can explain why my pen stopped working since I am able to pair it with my Ipad pro.

And the only thing they can tell me is I don’t know. It's better to buy a new one.

F. THEM.

keepthecarrunning88 -

Will I have to buy a new Apple Pencil because literally the pressure sensitive part the golden part is in half should I bring it to Apple and see what they do or just buy a brand new Apple Pencil and waste another hundred dollars I am so sad after one year of owning it I am dropped it and broken.

AppleTopic -

By chance you would know where to acquire such battery type?

Ezfar Afh -

So regarding the 1st Gen pencil’s battery dying, I have a Public Service Announcement.

I purchased the 1st Gen pencil about 2-3 years ago when we got a new iPad, misplaced it for nearly a year until the last week (Oct 2020). Obviously the Pencil had discharged and seems to have lost all capacity to charge. Apple’s Support page clearly states for Battery Replacement (Pencil replacement in reality) the cost is $29 for Out of Warranty. For any other reason, the cost is $79. Apple Support acknowledged this, but here’s the kicker. You have to send the Pencil in. IF Apple finds that indeed its only the battery, then its $29, BUT if they find something else its $79… the customer gets no say. Once you send it in you are authorizing a charge of up to $79, Apple doesn’t email you to ask if you just want to discard it if its over $29… they just bill you with no recourse (no refunds, no partials). What a horrible way to treat your customers.

So beware of Apple’s Pencil, my recommendation buy something else.

Joe Smith -

Should have unscrew a nut at the tip side... It is visible after you remove the tip of the apple pencil 1

Dr. Kaustubh P. Patil -

I just dropped my Apple Pencil and the tip touched the floor. Then it’s not working anymore. What should I do? Is there anyway to fix it? Can it be fix just by changing the tip?

Tinyo -

agh I got the same problem and sadly there was no way to fix it, I even asked apple and they charged me $70 for a replacement so i just ended up buying a new one sad life $100 wasted, be careful with the apple pencil its not very durable and very hard to fix :(

AppleTopic -

Do yall ever tear down the China’s finest knock offs from that Wish app?

Travis Philips -

добрый день, можете что нибудь посоветовать. у меня ручка упала и наконечник сломался. сделал он это по хитрому. половина осталась внутри ручки, самостоятельно ее не вынуть

Ася Шамхалова -

Very interesting. Thank you for the good work. A question please, why would a pencil show signs on crack towards the nib? could this be battery outgassing? the pencil has had no accident and is used accordingly and only 3months old. Your opinion would be appreciated.

etheltattoo -

The end of my apple pencil broke off. (The end with the charger thing sticking out.) How can I fix this?

Ele-Hanna Hutchison -

Has anyone managed to fix this pen ? :-D

Jakub Ślipiec -

Sonarpen Teardown Please

Marlon Rodríguez -

I now have 3 Apple Pencil carcasses. I dropped the 2nd one and the tip stopped working. I had misplaced the first one, bought the 2nd one, then found the first one. You guessed it… battery died in the meantime. I bought a used one for $40 from an online dealer that was advertised as working, but it wouldn’t charge past 3% (luckily they refunded my $ and told me to keep it.) I’ve ordered an open box unit from EBay for $65, hopefully it will work. I’m not ever buying brand new products again without reading ALL of the fine print. Apple should be ashamed of themselves for not including the “don’t let this item sit without charging it daily” info on the outside of the box. This made me super paranoid about my Apple Watch, too, but it seems to be ok sitting by the side of the bed (I have issues wearing it daily, it hurts my arm.) Anyone want some pencil carcasses, lol.

Rita McKinney -

как всегда аксессуары от яблока дорогущие одноразовые изделия ( читай презервативы) очень сожалею что не могу купить что то того же класса но нормальное и ремонтопригодное

Симха Бредун -

Can you do tear down of Apple Pencil 2 nd gen as to replace drained battery

Rutuj Pawar -