Hey kids! Want to help your school and learn about electronics repair at the same time? Google launches a Chromebook repair program for schools. Chromebooks are hugely popular in schools because of their simple operating system and easy management, but the hardware in any educational environment can really take a beating. So why not learn to fix them yourself?
Google’s new repair site includes a guide to setting up repair facilities for Chromebooks, advises schools to set up a dedicated area for repairs, a front desk where “customers” can drop off broken devices and describe problems, and a skills tracker board. for students.
Acer and Lenovo are the only two OEMs participating in the repair program, and Google has disassembly instructions on the Chromebook repair site for select models. The repair guides are great, with tons of detailed photos and drawings showing the location of each screw and cable, and instructions on how to make a USB recovery stick. The manuals also warn that you’ll void your warranty if you attempt a repair, but that you probably won’t do a self-repair if you’re still under warranty.
The site doesn’t offer much guidance on where to buy parts or what tools you’ll need for repairs, and only instructs schools to “visit your device manufacturer’s support sites” for help. The conductors also all stop at screwdriver work and don’t cover things like replacing components with a soldering iron.
Google says a school repair program would not only get the school’s computers up and running again for little money, but also provide students with valuable repair skills and could even be an introduction to an IT career.