The robotics engineering student who made a name for himself replacing an iPhone’s Lightning connector with USB-C is at it again. But this time he’s bringing a USB-C AirPods charging case into the world for the first time.
Ken Pillonel got $86,000 for the iPhone. No word yet on whether crazy money will come his way for the AirPods case.
Engineer creates first USB-C AirPods charging case
Pillonel showcased the world’s first iPhone with a functional USB-C port last year. He sold the iPhone for $86,000 on eBay. Then a German modder made a reinforced, waterproof one, but it didn’t sell as well.
Now Pillonel is showing off custom AirPods with a USB-C charging case rather than Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector.
“Don’t you find it annoying that you have to carry multiple chargers with you every day?” he asks in his brief new YouTube video, below. “Yes, me too. Let’s do something about it.”
Open source project
Pillonel managed to design a custom flexible PCB that allowed him to fit the necessary USB-C charging hardware inside the AirPods case, he told The Verge. And he said he will make the project open source so others can attempt it, too.
In addition to his short video of the USB-C AirPods on YouTube, he said he plans to release a longer video with more details soon.
Besides the USB-C iPhone and USB-C AirPods, Pillonel also added a fully functional Lightning connector to a Samsung smartphone.
Apple opposes proposed EU legislation that would require the company to offer a USB-C port on devices like the iPhone. Apple installs USB-C ports on some devices, like the newest MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPad Pro, iPad Air and iPad mini models.
