Getting ready to offer new services

 Soon to be available: laser engraving services!

I will soon be offering laser-engraved goods and services. Wooden & slate coasters, signs, small boxes, games and puzzles, metal business cards, etched glasses, etc.

Working towards reopening

 I am in the process of getting my business back up and running. I am not sure which direction it will take, but phone and tablet repair will not be part of it. Since I am out of touch with the windows operating system, I will likely not be offering repair services for that either.  Right now I want to focus on computers being used for creativity and entertainment. There are plenty of other techs in the area that work on windows machines and office systems. 

 I have officially closed. Phone repairs are not for me and I've drifted too far away from using Windows to be of much use with that system. My day job takes my energy, leaving little enthusiasm for the repair business, etcetera.

I'm planning on re-starting some day with fresh ideas, but for now I'm closed.

Working toward re-opening with new services.

 I am working toward re-defining this business in 2021. It will still be Choate's Custom Computers, but with a new focus. Phone repairs will no longer be a regular service, due to lack of support for independent repair by the major phone manufacturers.

Repairs will be available for miscellaneous devices, including some phones and tablets.

PC services will focus less on Windows repair, and more on support for specific software and hardware. I will focus more on custom computing systems for specific tasks. Small, lightweight, and portable systems based on Linux, and Raspberry Pi will be more of a focus than Windows systems.

'Retro Arcade' systems will be supported, with services for building, configuring, and modifying multiple-system arcade machines.

Also offered will be some basic services for musical instruments, such as guitar setup, cleaning and repair.

Starting to re-open

 I'm getting things sorted and have moved my workbench and am finishing other projects. CCC can start taking clients again.

With a few exceptions, I may stop replacing Li-ion batteries. If I had a proper workshop, things would be different, but I no longer want these batteries in/at my place of residence.
I may even stop working on certain devices altogether. Some decisions need to be made before I do any official re-opening.

Broke my phone, ironically

My phone is broken until I can get a new screen for it. Please send any text messages or voice mail to: 707-397-5090

Still Closed

STILL CLOSED - I need to do some car repair and cannot drive beyond Mendo Village for the time being.

Re-organizing

Over the next weeks I will be working on coming up with a reliable way to receive devices for repair, while being mindful of stay-in-place restrictions for all involved. Hopefully I will be able to get back to doing repairs soon.

CLOSED FOR NOW

CLOSED FOR NOW

Due to the obvious reasons, I am closing my repair services until further notice.

EMERGENCY REPAIRS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR FIRST RESPONDER AND CRITICAL SERVICE WORKERS ONLY

Emergency repairs available will be limited to what will soon be listed below:

• iPhone Screens:

• SE x1 avail.
• XS LCD x1 avail. (cheap qual. compared to original) - last resort option only
• 6-regular x2 avail.
• 6S-regular x2 avail.
• 6+ x2 avail.
• 6S+ x2 avail.

• iPhone Batteries:

• 4 x1
• 4S x1
• 5C x1
• SE x1
• 6 x1
• 6S x1
• 6+ x1
• 6S+ x2
• 7 x2
• 7+ x1
• 8 x1
• 8+ x1

• iPhone Charge Ports:

• 6 x1
• 6S x2
• 6+ x1
• 6S+ x3
• 7 x1

• Other iPhone parts:

• Speakers, cameras, misc. small parts for most 6 and 7 series phones

Hunker down, take care, and I'll see you on the flip-side.

John 

Limiting iphone repairs

I am considering making some extreme limitations upon which iphone models I will work on and which jobs are available. 6/7/8 series iphones will have pretty much all repairs available, but as models get older (such as the 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus), the parts will be available by order only.
I have also decided to not work on "flagship" models (current best models) unless the owner has no other option. If the phone qualifies for warranty or insurance work, I will say to send it to the manufacturer.

8/X/XS/XR series phones rear glass replacement

Concerning rear glass (phones with a glass rear panel).
If rear glass is in need of replacement on iPhone 8 and beyond, I will only order a new rear case with the glass and camera lens already installed. Replacing glass alone on these models is a complete pain in the ass. When chipping off the rear glass, these phones will likely receive cosmetic damage. Money and time will be saved by transferring the phone to a new chassis.

Refurbished original screens for the iPhone 11 series are becoming available on the repair market. Pricey, but available.
No other parts yet for these phones are available and I do not work on them as of yet.

X and XR phones can now get lower cost LCD screens

Thanks to availability of LCD screens for the X and XR, I can now get new screens for $75-95 (+tax and labor). X and XR screen repairs can now be much more affordable. New aftermarket OLED screens are also available. Refurbished OLED original (OEM) screens are also available at a premium price point. Brand new OLED OEM screens for the X/XR/XS series phones will not be available.

Coming soon... Functional* replacement home buttons for iPhone 7/7+/8/8+ phones! Some phones get smashed in the home-button area of the screen, resulting in a physically damaged home button. Previous replacement buttons for the 7 and 8 series phones were for cosmetic function only. Now I can get functional* replacement home buttons, which restores home/return, long-press, slide-up, and double-tap functions to the button. *With exception of secure-id.

Reviews

I had put up my 'reviews' page, where customers could post comments, only to take it down again. Once a review was posted, it was hard to read due to the page theme. The rating system was subscription-based if I wanted advanced features, such as custom themes/colors, etc. I was ok with that, but when their site messed up the new subscription process, I gave up. I will add a ratings page when I get the issues sorted.

Some mild re-designs to the layout of the website are underway. Things may get weird for a while.

I am around today, and can work on devices. However, I am in the middle of replacing the starter motor in my car. I will be available later in the day, but will be dedicated to car repair until noon at the least.

Testing a re-design of the logo. I think I prefer it without the giant C :)

Some re-arranging today. The right-column is now the left column, and the page width has been narrowed to 900 pixels. This should accommodate more mobile devices when displaying this page.