{"id":418086,"date":"2021-10-13T10:43:40","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T08:43:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=418086"},"modified":"2021-10-13T11:01:23","modified_gmt":"2021-10-13T09:01:23","slug":"worlds-first-usb-c-iphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/smartphones\/418086-worlds-first-usb-c-iphone.html","title":{"rendered":"World’s first USB-C iPhone"},"content":{"rendered":"

A robotics engineer has created the world’s first iPhone with a USB-C port.<\/p>\n

In a recent video posted on YouTube, Kenny Pillonel provides a teaser of a working iPhone X he had modified to support charging and data transfers via a USB-C cable.<\/p>\n

The video illustrates the iPhone charging with a MacBook’s USB-C cable connected to a power brick and being detected when plugged into the MacBook with the cable.<\/p>\n

Pillonel explained that he reverse-engineered the iPhone’s C94 connector with its Lightning standard to make a flexible PCB (printed circuit board) with a USB-C port.<\/p>\n

Once he had drawn up the schematics, he had to shrink the design down, remove the Lightning connector, and install his own creation.<\/p>\n

Below are screenshots from the video showing the iPhone X’s USB-C port and proof that it charges.<\/p>\n

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Replicating his modification won’t be an easy task even for the most gifted tech enthusiast.<\/p>\n

Pillonel is currently doing his Master’s degree in Robotics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and works as an engineering consultant part-time.<\/p>\n

According to Apple Insider<\/strong><\/a>, he spent at least a few months on the project.<\/p>\n

A blog post from May details his thinking behind the replacement and the issues he would face replacing the Lightning port.<\/p>\n

He also posted a video<\/strong><\/a> of a prototype that could charge the iPhone but was still too big to fit into the phone’s enclosure.<\/p>\n

In an update in late September, he said he ordered the flexible PCB required to make the compact iteration of his design.<\/p>\n

There should be more clarity on the entire process in an upcoming video that Pillonel is still editing.<\/p>\n

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In the last few years, Apple has gradually switched most of its devices to USB-C for charging, including its iPad and MacBook Pro models.<\/p>\n

While there have been many rumours about the iPhone also switching to USB-C, the company has stuck with the Lightning port.<\/p>\n

That could soon change.<\/p>\n

Pillonel’s video comes as the European Commission recently proposed legislation<\/a><\/strong> that will make USB-C the standard for charging ports on smartphones.<\/p>\n

If the legislation comes into effect, Apple will be required to add a USB-C port to iPhones sold in the region within two years.<\/p>\n

The video below provides a sneak preview of Pillonel’s modified iPhone X.<\/p>\n