I’m not going to lie, this blog post has been one of the easiest to do, because it writes itself. Talking to this incredibly talented technician has given us a great pleasure, especially because we can learn a lot from each other. Even if we belong to the same industry, the knowledge and techniques we apply on our day to day work can always differ.
Before going straight to the interview, the whole 4Phones España Team would like to thank Álvaro Toledano for his kind time and dedication to answer our questions and give us more information about the Repair Industry.
- For the people that don’t know you, tell us about yourself and your business, who are you and what do you do?
My name is Álvaro Toledano Pérez-Cea, I am an Electronic Engineer and a Specialist in the repair of electronic boards of all kinds. Like many of us, we started with a computer store, but little by little we moved to the repair sector, computers, consoles, tv’s and finally, phones and tablets. The secret of our success was our extensive knowledge of electronics. My partner Alejandro studied Professional Training in Electronics at the Salesianos School and I learned a lot from him.
- Can you share with us one of the most amazing things that you have done or that you’re most proud of?
One of the things that lead us to repair things that others have not been able to, is the combination of points of view. For example, at the beginning I had electronics from the point of view of the circuit designer, from the point of view engineering, but with time and the people that I got to know, like my partner Alejandro Martos, or my good friend Ernesto Cárdenas, I began to see it from the point of view of the repairman…. Combining these two ways of seeing the board I have repaired incredible things, from kitchen robots to electronic aircraft boards or car control units. I currently receive packages from anywhere in Spain with MacBook, laptop or iPhone boards from some stores that are dedicated to repair and when I am on tour in Mexico, I like to visit my friends’ workshops from the other side of the Atlantic so I always learn something new.
- We have been following you for a long time on Instagram and Facebook and we have seen that you tend to promote electronic knowledge a lot. Can you explain why a technician must know electronics in order to do his job well? Are there many technicians who do not know electronics? What would you recommend?
Well ... the vast majority of people who repair, do not have much knowledge of electronics. There are many common damages which are always the same and with YouTube video tutorials anyone can repair them. But obviously if the device that comes to them is not a common failure or it is not from a known brand in which there are known errors, these technicians will probably not be able to repair the fault…
For example, very famous, well-known technicians, with thousands of followers on their social networks, who are experts in repairing Apple phones, are not capable of repairing circuit boards of any other type, like a television or, for example, the board of a refrigerator or a laptop, because they don't really know electronics. We could say that these people are specialized technicians in a type of phone of a certain brand, but if that brand releases another model, they would not be able to repair it until specific advice to be able to carry out the repair appear online.
But, as it always happens, a soccer player or an artist earns more and has more notoriety than a professor and this happens because people prefer to be entertained than to be taught, that is why the technicians follow authentic showmans in their networks. Have you seen the meme that shows a free math class with 3 people watching, and a potato sleeping with 10 thousand people watching, well, something similar happens here. People follow technicians who more than teach, make shows, and others who are very well professors, they hardly have any followers… The world is like that, luckily more and more are being properly trained and more and more technicians are becoming professional.
- Do you think the quality of the products is essential when making a repair? Not only in terms of spare parts, but also the tools that are used on a daily basis.
Of course, the tools we use are essential, the quality of the tool is as important as a the time we spend for the repair. Although with any tool and a little ingenuity you can do almost anything, using a suitable and quality tool is essential for the repair to be better and in an acceptable time. It’s important to remember that in our labs time is money, if making a jumper for example, using a technique takes 15 minutes and with the appropriate tools it takes 2 minutes, then you will be able to do more repairs in a single working day and therefore you will be earning more money, your clients will have their devices in less time and they will be happier… It is colloquially called a win-win.
From my great friend Carlos Domínguez Requena, I learned that good tools were cheaper in the long run, although he was not a telephone technician, he was an installer in a company that set up laboratories, he had a whole range of high-end professional tools, Saws , drills, etc, all brand and high-end within the brand, I thought I was crazy spending so much money on those tools, but the truth is that I realized that I was actually saving, not only in time, if not in durability and that the quality of the work he did was by far the best he had ever seen. And although there are very good imitations, a Ferrari is a Ferrari.
- Finally, and to be very honest ;-) Would you recommend 4Phones to other colleagues in the industry? And if so, why?
You have to take into account several things.
The first thing is that a legally established company has to pay taxes and that is why many of the colleagues used to buying things in China may find it expensive.
The second is availability and speed of delivery, we know that having a stock of products that depreciates every day is very expensive.
For the aforementioned, if you want a spare part or a tool that gives you a guarantee, that arrives the next day at your workshop, that contributes to the well-being of our country, that responds for its products, without a doubt 4Phones is a very good option.
- Any last thing you want to tell us? Feel free to comment on anything ;)
Yes, before finishing I would like to tell my point of view about training and study. Many of the colleagues have the idea that they do not need to train because everything is free on the internet and they are what we call “empirical technicians” (that means self-taught and learning by trial and error). Well, this is a mistake, and it is not only my opinion. People need training and guidance, someone has to tell you how it is done and how it works. The theory that in the end people reach the correct conclusion at their own pace is false. What has cost humanity thousands of years to achieve, you will not achieve in a weekend in your workshop, like for example, infinitesimal calculus or the physics of fluids. Humanity has taken centuries to master it, if someone does not tell you how it works, it will not happen that by magic and with a little a piece of paper you are going to become an expert in that, you need someone who understands it, explain it and open your eyes and in the case of electronics it’s the same. Remember that electronics is a part of physics and has been discovered relatively recently. Someone who has studied this and is good at explaining, should explain to you how it works, you will not get to do it yourself, even if you watch a video. I always like to put the example of an Olympic Gymnast Nadia Comaneci, the Romanian gymnast who got a 10, the perfect score in 1977 won 5 gold medals. Well, imagine that you watch the videos of Nadia, executing the exercise in which she got a 10, look at it a hundred times, or better, look at it a thousand times, and then try to do what she did ... you probably won't be able to do it, and it is almost certain that you will be injured if you try. Watching videos is not worth it, you have to do what she did, train with someone who knows, study the movements with a trainer. This applies for everything in life. If you want to learn something you need to train with a specialist.
Wow! A lot of true words have been spoken in this interview and we surely couldn’t agree more in the importance of studying with a trained teacher. This is why, 4Phones España is planning some nice events and trainings on the future, where we as technicians will be able to share our knowledges of the industry and specific reparation techniques. Stay put, we will keep you posted ;-)
Thanks a lot Álvaro for your time and kind words. If you want to learn more from him, go follow on social media: