Although Panic's Playdate handheld is small and won't be available to early adopters until next year, iFixit was able to get a look at the device before then. "Unfortunately, it didn't include any games, so a teardown wasn't really what it was meant for," iFixit stated. This is for anyone who might be jealous that the company had a unit earlier than them.
Panic
iFixit dismantled the handheld to reveal a small number of internal components. The Playdate features a 180MHz CPU, 16MB of memory, and 4GB flash storage. The battery is 2.74 Wh and has about 25% of the capacity of an iPhone 12 power cell.
Playdate's fold-out crank is what you are interested in. According to iFixit and Teenage Engineering, a cylindrical magnet was embedded into the shaft. This magnet is used in conjunction with a Hull Effect sensor to trigger an input from a crank. This is a simple, but durable design that will last. The only thing this crank will not do is drift. Drift. Drift.
Panic
Although it isn't a Framework laptop, it is clear that Panic and Teenage Engineering created the Playdate with at minimum one eye towards repairability. iFixit discovered a charming sticker on the device that stated "breaking" and not "removing" the components. This would void the warranty. The battery and the headphone jack were the most vulnerable internal components. They are modular or easily replaceable. Although components like the USB-C port and display will be more difficult to replace, the Playdate is DIY-friendly enough to enjoy modding scenes like the Game Boy Advance.
