Our Most Common and Obscure School Device Repairs

As technology advances, it seems as though devices are getting more and more fragile. What does this mean for a company that primarily repairs school devices? Well, it means good business for us, but it can give schools a lot of issues. In this article, I’m going to go over the three most common repairs we make, as well as some of the more obscure ones we see.

Screen or LCD Replacements
Screen and LCD replacements are the most common repairs we see on a day to day basis. IPads are prone to broken screens because of their full glass displays. Chromebooks also have a problem with broken LCDs because they are easy to hit when they are open. Screen and LCD replacements are the most common repairs we receive and luckily one of the simplest repairs to make.

Batteries
Batteries are probably our second most replaced part. The most common reason for needing a battery replacement is due to the age and wear of a device. We usually get an influx of a specific device as it reaches a certain age. For example, we just had an influx of iPad Air 1s needing battery replacements since they have reached their sixth year since release.

Frame, hinge, and Cosmetic issues
Our third most common repairs are frame, hinge, and cosmetic issues. IPads have aluminum frames that are easily bent. Because of this, we usually get bent frames along with broken screens. Hinge issues are very common among Chromebooks due to design flaws, or from students who roughly open and close the lid. Cosmetic issues are also a problem with Chromebooks since they are largely made from plastic, and crack easily.

The Obscure Issues We See
Now that we have gone over the three most common issues, let’s go over some of the more obscure issues we see.

Toothpaste in iPads – There is an online rumor about toothpaste being able to fix cracked iPad screens. Because of this, some students rub toothpaste all over their shattered screens in hopes no one will notice. In the end, the student is left with a messy toothpaste covered iPad that we have to clean both in and out.

Expanded Batteries – Expanded batteries in iPads are a fairly common issue, but sometimes the battery can expand more than usual. I have seen batteries that have expanded so much that they were nearly completely round. Going from flat to round is a big and dangerous change.

Broken headphone jacks – Headphone jacks breaking off into headphone ports is a very common issue among school devices, but it’s not one that you would ever really think of happening. We’re not exactly sure how so many students manage to do this, but it happens. Luckily we have a special tool that sometimes allows us to remove them without having to replace the headphone port.

Those were some of the common and more obscure device issues that we see daily. Contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like to know more about K-12 Tech.

Zachary Marvel

Zachary Marvel joined the team in 2017 with the goal of growing K-12 Tech on a national level. While studying economics at Ball State University, Zach observed the increasing demand for local electronics repair services. In 2012, Zach started his first electronics repair company, expanding to three walk-in repair locations and working with a handful of the surrounding school districts to repair their student devices. Upon graduating, Zach commissioned as a finance officer in the Army National Guard. Zach continued to grow both his walk-in repair businesses as well as his school focused operations, and within three years time, the business was servicing over 30 school districts. His vision for K-12 Tech is to create the first full-service electronics repair company in the K-12 industry.