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Comment by bogwog | Hacker News Reader

Maybe if these docs get released it will help independent repair shops.

No kidding --- the vast majority of third-party repair information is available only because of lax security, and it's far more detailed that what the companies will ever willingly release.

Laptop schematics are still relatively easy to find these days, but unfortunately the search results are flooded with people trying to sell them; they used to be even more freely available several years ago. (Google tends to want to ignore the word "schematic" in a search query, unless it is in quotes. Make of that what you will...)

My impression is that they already have it... somehow. Louis rossmann frequently shows schematics on his youtube channel when doing repairs.

I always assumed those were Chinese reverse engineered. They do some absolutely insane reverse engineering over there.

Not reverse engineered. Most laptop schematics, including MacBook ones are definitely leaked original schematics from the OEM. Many have the OEM logo, internal part numbers and engineering notes written on it.

My Amiga came with fold out schematics in the manual. Arguably, manufacturers should be required for to provide them for every device sold.

I'm pretty sure Apple manuals used to include schematics, before they made the Macintosh and decided users shouldn't be able to open their computers without special tools.

At some point, you get so good at reverse engineering, you no longer need to try to engineer an original from scratch. Why bother? Just wait for the new thing, reverse it, then make it yourself a year later. Hell, the "new" is being sent to you anyways to manufacture, so it's easier to just "request" the plans from the company making rather than doing the reversing.

No, those are just schematics leaked from production lines especially repairing stations inside the factory. Computers used on production lines and repairing stations sometimes doesn't even have Intranet access, they just copy those PDF files over.

Then someone sneak the SD card or thumb drives out with the files on it.

yeah, he and his shop are really shady

Can you expand on the shady part a bit more? I’m curious to hear about it.

Why do you say this?

Finding these for released computers isn't difficult.

Or they will get branded as terrorists.

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