Project_Modified provides a solution for e-waste at the level of ordinary users. This project helps to solve this situation from the user’s perspective; revitalising does make and mend spirit to help users upcycle their wasted smartphones to LED lights available at home. Project_Modified is composed of three parts. First, LED lights which is made from disposal iPhone. Second is an aluminium stand which is sand casted using recycle aluminium for hanging LED light. The last is an instruction.
Background_ E-Waste
E-waste is an informal name for discarded electronic products. Among them, the e-waste of mobile phone has been a serious issue because the average use-time of the mobile phone is the shortest. It has resulted in some developed countries, including Europe, to export toxic electronic waste to third world. Guardian has reported that third world have poisoned the food chain and environment.
Background_ Our Obsolete Economy
We are living in the obsolete economic world. New obejcts become old objects faster than ever before. The throwaway culture has increased the number of discarded things. Millions of items are thrown away every year, even though they are only slightly damaged and could be mended. As a result, it has accelerated our society to have a throwaway culture.
Project Starting Point
"Can product design induce the products that are thrown away from an individual’s fingertip to be revivable from the finger?"
We are living in a throwaway culture, getting used to buying and throwing away things over and over. Although there have been hundreds of efforts to consider the situation after using products at the governmental and corporate level, there are not many possibilities that individuals who use and throw away the products can be involved in this problem. This project started from this point.
Project aim
Project aim to propose one of the monotasking products that can be used by utilising the normal working parts out of the old smartphones to guarantee products’ full lifecycle. Plus, this project aims to illustrate and inform how to collect the available components from obsolete phones, and construct a new LED stand light. The reason why providing this information to users is for letting them know the possibilities that users can be responsible for their smartphones’ end.
This shows the process of turning the old and discarded iPhone into an LED light, along with the instruction manual. The PCB, battery, buttons cases and LED bracket are designed for easy assembly (with the iPhone components), using the folding method. Also, the LED is detached from flat layered cable and linked with the extension cable.
In order to increase the usability of the LED module, the LED module and the extension cable are combined. 2 of the 0.1mm copper wires and 3 of the 0.25mm Teflon wires were connected with LED module through micro soldering.
PCB and battery cases prevent the heat from circuit board and battery during working LED light. Also material is from iPhone component what located backside of iPhone touch screen. It is designed by folding method for easy to assemble together with iPhone components.
LED Stainless steel bracket is for LED module. bracket can hold LED module and assemble with LED booster glass which is from discarded IKEA LED bulb.It can help small brightness to much bigger brightness
This shows the completed lighting. It is composed of a circuit board, battery and button cables. The modified circuit board provides the function to control light. Mute button and volume buttons are repurposed to on/off and dimmer switches. The TPU cover encloses the LED module and main module, and the user guide is printed on its surface.
This is an illustration of the parts to the aluminium stand for the light. The stand uses the rest of the materials, excluding the ones used in the LED light modules. The aluminium used in this stand is from the aluminium case of the iPhone, which is produced using the sand casting method.
Soft Mock-up
Patterns for Sand Casting
Each piece is assembled by twisting, they are combined using double-sided screws. The height of the stand is 1600mm once it is completed. The project logo and related information is embossed on the surface of the column.
The stand has two triangular frames. The upper one is for hanging the LED module using a binder clip, which can be easily found in everyday life. The LED light has 4 brightness settings, and it is adaptable for various everyday uses. The lower triangular frame is for the main module.
Since the main module functioned as a real battery in the iPhone, the user can use the LED light wirelessly. Users can also control the on/off or brightness setting using the dimmer switch located on the right-hand side of the module.
