At SudoRoom and Fix-It clinic we are building out a core of stewards for Sudoroom’s Chromebook/laptop refurbishing, conversion to Linux and long-term support program. (We) plan to bring some converted and convert-able Chromebooks to play with in upcoming hardware hack night/ Fixit clinic sessions!
Problem: Hundreds of thousands of Chromebooks are being discarded!
Background:
“Chromebooks have become popular computing devices with school systems and libraries: school system adoption and purchase of Chromebooks rapidly accelerated during the pandemic as school systems needed to support distance learning. However: all Chromebooks have an “Automatic Update Expiry” (AUE) date after which they no longer receive Chrome OS updates. For individual Chromebook owners this means that their Chromebook gets less and less useful and less secure over time.
However: for organizations that own lots of Chromebooks enrolled in Chrome Enterprise Enrollment (e.g. schools and school systems) it means they have to stop using them immediately.
Even though they are mechanically and electronically functional they are of little value to computer refurbishers because they have no domestic resale value. My understanding of what is happening at the moment is that computer refurbishers sell Chromebooks to recyclers that send them on to Indonesia, the Philippines, or Vietnam where they are being harvested for the one or two computer chips with residual value: the rest is e-wasted locally. So, sadly, we are exporting our e-waste overseas again. Doubly sadly: we are creating e-waste out of items that potentially have lots of useful life remaining.
“It is possible to modify and thus upcycle Chromebooks that have reached their AUE date into general purpose computers: this involves removing the “write protect” mechanism, usually a screw or a piece of foil. On some Chromebooks write protect is disabled by simply disconnecting the battery. However, that requires some physical disassembly and modification that computer refurbishers are unwilling to undertake: they can’t justify the labor cost.
Fixit Clinic will assist schools, libraries, and other agencies in keeping Chromebooks in service in our communities – to keep in our schools, to distribute to students or their families, to give to the local Library, to give to the economically disadvantaged in our communities. We will do this by teaching and empowering students, youth, and residents to modify Chromebooks into general purpose computers that can be repurposed for use by themselves or by others in their communities in need of a laptop.
