Here’s how the creator of the first USB-C iPhone future-proofed AirPods Pro

Robotics engineer Ken Pillonel was the first to transform iPhone to work with a USB-C port in 2021. Since then he created a way to do the same for the AirPods case and even open-sourced his process. Now Ken is back with the first USB-C AirPods Pro. Here’s how he did it and how you can too if you’re adventurous enough.

Here’s how the creator of the first USB-C iPhone future-proofed AirPods Pro
AirPods
08-02-2023 12:55

In addition to adding the convenience of USB-C to AirPods last summer, a big part of Ken’s motivation was showing that opening up and replacing the battery in an AirPods charging case was possible – a much more eco-friendly alternative compared to Apple’s recommendation of buying a new one.

After successfully modifying the AirPods charging case, Ken got a lot of requests from people to do the same with AirPods Pro.

Apple doesn’t design its AirPods Pro case to be opened (rated 0/10 for repairability by iFixit), but it is possible – although the process may create some damage. So along with designing a custom USB-C PCB and bracket, Ken created an AirPods Pro bottom case replacement too.

And just like he did with his project last summer, he’s filmed the process and made the resources for anyone to do the same available for free on GitHub. You can check out more details on his website too.

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