I’ve been stock-piling electronics that either people throw away, or things I bought 2nd-hand only to find they are broken.
Looks like the right to repair law is in very slow motion. Not yet enacted be the European Commission. And once it is, member states have like 2 years to actually enact it in their law. Probably even more time before consumers begin to see results.
(edit) I think some US states were the first to enact right to repair laws. So some consumers could perhaps pretend to be from one of those states to demand things like service manuals. But parts and repair is likely more out of reach ATM.
Right to repair won’t be retroactive. The cellphones will still have been epoxied around a battery designed to fail after two years. Hardware that can be repaired won’t be supported by new software, and the new replaceable parts will not fit into products that were built before the right to repair was enshrined in law.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good step in the right direction, and I applaud your effort to reuse and repurpose. Anything kept from the landfill is a win. But you can go ahead and start repairing stuff now. Void warranties, because the warranties are already proven to be worthless. Jailbreak old devices, unlock your tractors, and use open source everything. Better still, stop buying products that can’t be repaired.
What makes you think after the bill is passed, you will suddenly be able to repair everything? I highly doubt companies will start churning out replacement parts for all their older products. More likely it’ll just apply to nea product going forwards
If I had the technical ability to repair them myself, I wouldn’t be waiting. It’s not like the act of repairing them breaks the law, it only breaks warranty with the manufacturer; and these are all out of warranty already.
I only have broken electronics in storage because there’s only 1 day out of the year around here to recycle them. And I have to pay for it! :/
