Super late to the party, but I ripped out the Electric Imp module in one of my GE smart strips and replaced it with an esp8266. After a quick flash and some configuration it's back to being smart. Now with local control via mqtt, no cloud required!
Update: Disassembled the shit out of it, mostly without a hammer. Commutator looks burnt, brushes are extremely unevenly worn, definitely not worth rebuilding.
Heading to Harbor Freight tomorrow for supplies so I can continue.
Me: I'm going to rebuild my starter. It will be
economical and a learning experience.
Also me, after rounding off two fasteners 30 seconds into the project: