@dharsanK - iPhone 12 Pro Max Retrofit

Retrofitting iPhone 12 Pro Max for Extreme Heat Management & Battery Swappability

iPhone 12 Pro Max Retrofit

CHALLENGE

Design a compact active cooling and battery retrofit system to prevent smartphone thermal shutdown and battery failure in extreme outdoor conditions.

OPPORTUINITY

Engineer an advanced modular cooling solution and swappable battery architecture to enhance device reliability, usability, and performance for high-heat environments.

TOOL

SolidWorks

Ansys Icepak / Thermal Desktop

KeyShot

Notion

Microsoft Teams

TASK

Component and system design

3D CAD modeling and prototyping

Connector and fastener selection for modular assembly

Routing and clearance planning for PCB, flexes, ribbon cables

Thermal simulation and performance validation

Design for manufacturability and assembly (DFMA)

Documentation and portfolio presentation

TIMELINE

3 months

Certain advanced internal re-engineering work—including chassis modifications, connector repositioning, and PCB clearance optimizations—has been intentionally omitted to respect confidentiality and IP boundaries.

BACKGROUND

Advanced thermal management to extend smartphone reliability and performance in extreme environments.

Smartphones designed for typical consumer use frequently experience thermal shutdowns and battery degradation under sustained high temperatures and workloads, especially in desert or industrial field conditions.
Conventional devices offer no active cooling or swappable battery options, making them unsuitable for prolonged use in high-heat, dust-prone outdoor settings.
Field users face severe device downtime, risking data loss, communication failure, or operational disruption in critical missions.
A compact, integrated solution combining active cooling, modular battery design, and internal chassis re-engineering was developed to meet aggressive thermal, space, and durability requirements for rugged environments.

RESULT

Reduced Operating Temperature

Increased Battery Runtime

SOLUTION

At a glance

Vapor chamber

Vapor chamber design

Vapor chamber vs. Heat pipe

Designed a compact, custom-profile vapor chamber strategically positioned to rapidly extract and distribute heat from critical smartphone components, primarily the SoC, RAM, and power management modules. The vapor chamber footprint was meticulously engineered (30 mm × 70 mm × 0.5 mm) to maximize thermal spreading efficiency while integrating seamlessly with a precision-machined aluminum micro-fin heatsink and active axial fan. This design enabled efficient heat transfer, significantly lowering peak internal temperatures (from ~85°C to ~45°C) during intense usage scenarios, ensuring device reliability even in extreme desert conditions.

Engineered a retrofit system for the iPhone 12 Pro Max to address overheating and limited battery life in extreme outdoor conditions.

Developed a compact active cooling stack combining a vapor chamber, aluminum micro-fin heat sink, and axial micro-fan for thermal regulation.

Integrated a swappable high-capacity battery module to extend operational endurance under high power loads, while maintaining structural integrity and user ergonomics for rugged field use.

Exploded view animation

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