Tools

Level Up Your Pro Tech with Our 3 New Expansion Modules

In my opinion, there’s no better fixer than MacGyver. He’s earned such high accolades for his ingenious, in-the-field fixes that Oxford added his name as a verb to their dictionary:

MacGyver: Make or repair (an object) in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand.   

Try as I might, I will never be MacGyver. When stakes are high, I usually fold under pressure—so I doubt I’ll be deactivating bombs with a paperclip any time soon (or even beating Overcooked 2). But I have something MacGyver doesn’t have: a Pro Tech Toolkit. And so far, I’ve never encountered an electronics repair where my Pro Tech didn’t have the right tool for the job.

But I’m a novice repairman at best—and I know more advanced repairs call for more advanced tools than the Pro Tech itself can offer. Thankfully, our Engineers designed a few new expansion modules for the Pro Tech with an assortment of tools and accessories to compliment your favorite toolkit and expand your repair capabilities. There are three new modules on the block, and when you combine all three with our Pro Tech Toolkit and Marlin Screwdriver Bundle, they create the ultimate Repair Business Toolkit. Here’s a deep dive into the tools that come with each Pro Tech Module.

Repair business toolkit

Expansion #1: The Pro Tech Disassembly Module

Just like the name suggests, the Disassembly Module has all of the specialized tools you might need to help you take apart your electronics. It includes:

  1. Digital Caliper: Digital Calipers can measure interior and exterior dimensions, as well as the nd depth of small holes and recesses. This is especially useful in conjunction with iFixit repair guides, where screws are identified in millimeters to the nearest 0.1 mm. For example, replacing an iPhone 6 display assembly requires removing six different sizes of screws, and reassembling with the wrong screws can damage your phone. Our Digital Caliper is a great way to measure screws and ensure that incorrect reassembly doesn’t happen.
  2. Pointed Tweezers: Our Pro Tech Toolkit contains two of our three ESD-safe Pro Tweezers, the Angled and Blunt. This third style is perfect for the most precise of work and rounds out the set.
  3. Nylon Tipped Straight Tweezers: The Pro Tech Toolkit includes Reverse Tweezers with our nylon tip, and this is a more traditional pair that you squeeze to shut. Nylon tipped tweezers are non-conductive and can be used on live (but low voltage!) circuits.
  4. iOpener: The iOpener is the safe way to heat and soften adhesive, making it easier to pry open anything glued shut. Useful for tablets, smartphones, and anything using adhesive to hold components together.
  5. Magnetic Project Mat: The best way to stay organized during a repair. Use the included dry erase pen to draw device diagrams or lay out repair steps in order to keep track of screws and small pieces as you take something apart.
  6. Heavy-Duty Suction Cups: This pair is necessary for removing the screen from pre-2012 iMacs. Also useful for prying open iPads, iPods, or removing the lower case from newer MacBook Pro models.
  7. Spudger: Everyone’s favorite tool for poking, prying, scraping, and wedging. It’s made of rugged ESD-safe glass-filled nylon. It’s soft enough that it won’t scratch plastic components. It’s tough enough to handle some serious abuse. It comes in the Pro Tech already, but we think it’s so useful that we’re including an extra pair.
  8. Halberd Spudger: It’s the Spudger’s funky cousin, with a thin slicing blade and a sharp hook for grabbing. Great for cutting through adhesive behind displays, cleaning thin crevices, and pulling cables. iFixit Teardown Engineers love it.
  9. iFixit Opening Tool: This has two different profiles for prying and wedging into thin gaps. Try this tool first when you’re splitting a seam or levering up a glued-in component. Designed to break before your device does, you should be sure to keep a few on hand—the Disassembly Module comes with 6!
  10. Plastic Cards: Thin, stiff, and non-conductive, these are about the size and shape of a credit card. Especially useful for lifting up big flat batteries, like in a Retina MacBook/Pro or most tablets.
  11. iSclack: Two suction cups on a hinged set of pliers. Lets you get a hold on the front and back of a small, smooth device to pull them apart. Highly recommended for any iPhone 5 or newer repair, also useful for lifting up the glass on iPads, Surfaces, and other tablets.
  12. iFixit Opening Picks (Set of 6): Thin and flat and made of non-marring plastic. Good for opening thin gaps, slicing adhesive, maintaining a gap in partially adhered glass to prevent the adhesive from resealing while you work on it.

Diagnostics pro tech module of the pro tech toolkit

Expansion #2: The Diagnostic Module

Sometimes the hardest part about repair is troubleshooting what’s actually wrong. Each of the tools in the Diagnostic Module will help you key in on the problems with electronics devices. The module includes:

  1. Battery Blocker: This awesome custom tool is specifically useful for a few devices where you can’t disconnect the battery without first removing the logic board: iPad 2-4, iPad 4, and the 12” MacBook all require this tool for a safe repair.
  2. iFixit Screen Saver: Screen cleaner in a spritzer bottle. Great for cleaning the back of iPad glass before reassembly, and for cleaning the outside of any display to properly finish up a repair.
  3. Dust Blower: Gently blow dust out of the way without spitting in or on your device.
  4. Microfiber Cleaning Cloths: Clean without leaving a big, linty mess or chunks of paper towels behind. Works great on screens and other glass parts.
  5. Anti-Static Brush: An ESD-safe, non-conductive cleaning brush that’s great for dusting off PCBs or scrubbing contacts inside devices.
  6. Precision Utility Knife: A razor-sharp blade with break-off sections to ensure you’ll always have a fresh sharp edge for a good long time. Great for for a variety of uses, from cutting out adhesive shapes to opening boxes.
  7. Digital Multimeter: The most diagnostic part of the Diagnostic Module. Use this tool to test voltage from a battery and anything else you feel like checking in a circuit.
  8. Portable Anti-Static Mat: Establish an ESD-safe workspace wherever you are. Includes a grounding wire with alligator clip and a grounding wrist strap.
  9. Tesa 61395 Tape / 2 mm: After you slice through adhesive to open a device, you need to remove and replace that adhesive to properly close things back up. This tape is a good generic size for resealing and re-sticking anything that you had to unstick. Use the utility knife to cut to pieces to length.
  10. Polyimide Tape / .5 inch: Electrically insulative tape that is essential for working on certain iPads. Also useful on many devices where you may need to prevent short circuits and grounding from nearby boards.
pro tech toolkit module

Expansion #3: The Pro Tech Movement Module

The Pro Tech Movement Module primarily consists of our handy dandy iFixit messenger bag, but it also includes all the fun swag you need to show off your fixer pride, including:

  1. iFixit Skill Badge: A fixer’s badge of honor.
  2. iFixit Lapel Pin: What better way to stand behind your gadgets than wearing your support on your sleeve? Or on your collar? Or on your lapel? Or on, well, you get the idea.
  3. Carabiner: A staple in every fixer’s toolkit.
  4. Repair Manifesto: Because if you believe in repair, we don’t think you should keep it a secret. Hang our manifesto in your workshop and show everyone you want to fix the world.

There’s always more than one way to fix something. That makes every repair different—even the ones you’ve done a dozen times on the same device. Whatever happens to be in your toolbox the moment you’re faced with a fix will determine your course of repair action. And if you happen to have all 3 of our new Pro Tech Modules in your toolkit, broken won’t stand a chance against you.