How this bench works

Every device on this site is a generic one: not a particular brand or model, but the kind of thing most of them share inside. Each is drawn by hand, from above, in millimetres and at its true size, so the grid on the cutting mat is a real one-centimetre grid for whatever is lying on it.

Scroll, tap the device or press Take off and the top layer lifts away and is laid out beside it, the way repair technicians line parts up so that nothing gets lost. The screws go in the magnetic tray. Scroll back and everything goes back together in the right order.

About the prices

The figure on each ticket is a rough range for what the manufacturer pays for that part when buying in bulk. It is pieced together from published teardown and bill-of-materials estimates and from typical component prices. Real costs swing widely with the model, the year, the factory and the size of the order, and they leave out assembly, testing, software, research, shipping, marketing and profit. A spare part bought in a shop costs several times more.

About the facts

Facts were checked against the sources listed at the foot of each device's service sheet. Where numbers vary between models they are given as ranges or with “about”. If you spot a mistake, it is a mistake, not a secret: the drawings simplify, and a real device may differ.

Please don't try this at home with…

…a microwave oven. Its high-voltage capacitor can hold a dangerous charge long after it is unplugged. Swollen or punctured lithium batteries can catch fire. Here, the screwdriver is safely imaginary.

On the bench

• A generic smartphone · 10 parts
• A generic 3.5-inch hard drive · 9 parts
• A generic wireless mouse · 9 parts
• A generic microwave oven · 11 parts
• A generic electric kettle · 8 parts
• A generic wireless game controller · 9 parts
• A generic battery smoke alarm · 9 parts
• A generic LED light bulb · 7 parts

Inside Things is No. 19 of the Whyarium encyclopedias, a non-commercial hobby project. Type: Familjen Grotesk and Chivo Mono (SIL Open Font License). All drawings are original.