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- Repair: Mezzo ESM-008 Sewing Machine Power Jack Assembly
- Salvaged: eX-power 75Wh Laptop/USB Power Bank
- Review, Teardown: TP-Link Archer T2UHP AC600 High Power USB Adapter
- Review, Teardown: Unbranded 4-port USB 3.0 Type-C Hub (T-511C/K-UH301)
- Failed Repair: Samsung U28D590D 27″ UHD 4K LCD Monitor
- Review, Teardown: Unbranded AC1200 Dual-Band USB 3.0 Wi-Fi Adapter
- Failed: Okuma CNC Lathe Control IPL 3.5″ Floppy Data Recovery
- Repair: LG WF-T552A 5.5kg TurboDrum Washing Machine
- A Belated Happy New Year?
- Tech Flashback: Western Digital Raptor/Velociraptor Hard Drives
- Tech Flashback: BenQ DW1640 DVD±RW Drive Specialties
- Tech Flashback: BenQ QSuite v2.1
- Repair: BenQ DW1640 DVD±RW Drive Tray with Chinese Belts
- Tech Flashback: Telecom Australia 600-series Adapters & Extensions
- Review, Teardown: LaCie 2200mAh Promotional Power Bank
- Tested: Fake(?) Motorola ED30 Battery for Moto G (XT1032) 1st Gen
- Opinion: Why Everybody Should Care About Net Neutrality
- Salvage, Teardown: DingTong DT-98 8W 403-470Mhz Handheld Transceiver
- Opinion: Transport for NSW 26 Nov 2017 Timetable Changes
- Teardown: Philips BDP2180/79 3D Blu-ray Player with Stuck Tray
- Review: Weekend with the Asus Tinker Board
- Review: Samsung 128Gb EVO Plus microSDXC Card (MB-MC128G)
- Netflix Uses My VHS Cassette Images Without Permission
- Teardown: Generic QC2.0 15W Charger (TCAU15U-050912)
- Moments to Disaster: Hard Drive Failure & SMART Data
- USB Connector Resistance: Another reason for slow phone/tablet charging
- Event: BoM Space Weather Users Workshop (16 – 17 Nov 2017)
- Repair (?): ICOM IC-R75 that won’t turn on!
- Review, Teardown: Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh QC3.0 (PLM03ZM)
- Teardown: Generic CX-FU02+ USB SoftV92 Data Fax HSF Modem
- Random: Tech Shopping in Hong Kong – A Treasure Hunt?
- Repair, Teardown: Edimax IC-1520DP Network Camera
- Problem: Agilent Technologies U1173A Compatibility with Windows 10
- Quick Review: IKEA Lunnom 600lm 5.5W 2200K LED Filament Globe
- Opinion: The Difficulty Behind a “Simple” Recommendation
- Review: Seagate Skyhawk Surveillance 8Tb Hard Drive (ST8000VX0022)
- Quick Review: Samsung 960 EVO 1Tb M.2 NVMe SSD (MZ-V6E1T0)
- Farewell: TBS TBS6925 Professional PCIe Satellite Tuner Card
- Project: A Major Upgrade to My Workstation
- An Incomplete Repair: BladeRF x40 Software-Defined Radio
- Analysis: ‘TWICE – Likey’ Music Video
- Site Update: 2.5M Views, Holiday Plans & Optical Disc Corner
- Visited: SMPTE 2017 Exhibition Sydney (18 – 21 July)
- Review: Sandisk Ultra UHS-I 128Gb microSDXC Card (Up to 80MB/s)
- Review: Mixcder MS301 Bluetooth V4.2 Wireless Headset with aptX
- Teardown: Motorola CableComm Series II Cable Access Unit (MM1012A)
- Tested: “Compatible” Nikon EN-EL14 Batteries vs Genuine
- Tech Flashback: External IDE HDD – USB 2.0 vs Firewire 400 (IEEE 1394)
- Vivid Sydney 2017: Part 3 – Barangaroo Sth, Kings Cross & Martin Pl
- Vivid Sydney 2017: Part 2 – Chatswood & Darling Harbour
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Recent Comments
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Monthly Archives: October 2016
Project, Reverse Eng, Repair: ATmega328-based “Transistor Tester” Kit
A common complaint and reason for the falling popularity of electronic kits is that none of them really let you build something that’s really useful that you couldn’t buy pre-built at a lower cost. I believe this complaint does have … Continue reading
Posted in Electronics
Tagged ebay, electronics, fail, failed, fails, failure, improvise, made-in-china, project, repair, reverse engineer, schematic
7 Comments
Experiment: WD Green Data Recovery – Recovered Data vs Time?
Two weeks ago, a “friend” of mine turned up with an external hard drive which was declared dead and wanted to see what could be done about recovering the data from it. Naturally, as no novice when it comes to … Continue reading
Project: YYDZW BH1417F-based Stereo FM Transmitter Kit
While I was browsing the listings of electronics kits on eBay, I came across this particular stereo FM transmitter kit but I didn’t think much of it. In fact, given the chance to buy it, I passed over it twice. … Continue reading
Posted in Electronics, Radio
Tagged ebay, electronics, made-in-china, project, radio, rf, schematic
6 Comments
Data Recovery & File Conversions: Director/Projectors by Internet & Jaz
Earlier in July, I made a posting in regards to a data recovery and conversion project involving Syquest cartridges and Macromind/Macromedia Director and Projector files. As it turns out, that was the beginning of an even more involved project with … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer storage, data recovery, storage, teardown, vintage hardware, vintage stuff
7 Comments
Project: Sainsmart Forty-9er “3W” 7.023Mhz QRP CW Transceiver Kit
Even though I’m insanely busy, it seems I just can’t help myself when it comes to cheap Chinese kits available on eBay. Of course, having built most of the cheap radio-based kits already, there isn’t really that much to build … Continue reading
Posted in Electronics, Radio
Tagged ebay, electronics, made-in-china, project, radio, rf, schematic
2 Comments
Project: CD2003GP+SC3610D FM Receiver w/LCD Alarm Clock (74-108Mhz)
My little “mission” to build random Chinese radio-kits from eBay continues with this rather odd and difficult kit. Unlike the other kits, this is the first to come with an LCD display, but is advertised strangely as FM Radio Kit … Continue reading
Posted in Electronics, Radio
Tagged ebay, electronics, made-in-china, project, radio, rf, schematic
4 Comments
Power Bank Endurance Test – Hillo Power Jin Gangxia (Part 17)
In this long ongoing experiment, I attempt to see just how a “no name” power bank stands up to repeated cycling. My expectations were fairly low at the outset, but it seems I’ve been proved completely wrong, as now I’m … Continue reading
Review: Seagate Expansion Portable Drive 3Tb USB 3.0 (STEA3000400)
I thought my external drive buying spree was over, but this week, I came across a promotion where a Seagate Expansion Portable 3Tb drive was on offer for AU$139 at Officeworks. At that price, it represented the best value amongst … Continue reading
Posted in Computing
Tagged computer hardware, computer storage, review, storage, tested, usb
5 Comments
Experiment: Sydney WFM Broadcast RDS (TMC, RT+) & ACS Audio
Since my last posting about subcarriers, I decided to do a little more digging around and try to understand more about the Open-Application RDS data and try a better approach at recovering the audio from the ACS (otherwise known as … Continue reading
Experiment: Examining Sydney WFM Subcarrier Signals (RDS, ACS)
When I was still in school, I can remember my Dad buying a “special radio” from a broadcaster to listen to some ethnic radio broadcasts. The radio was quite expensive, and it looked and felt just like a regular portable … Continue reading
Video Codec Tests: x264 CRF vs enc_qsv CQ vs x265 CRF in Handbrake 0.10.5
After my earlier attempt to do some codec comparisons, I realized that something went grossly wrong with the “difficult case” clip. Specifically, it was an interlaced video clip which I wanted to use, and I naturally assumed that interlaced encoding … Continue reading
Posted in Computing
Tagged analysis, compression, computer, number crunching, tested, testing, video
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Project: S66D/E 9018-based AM Radio Kit
If you’ve been wondering about all the random radio kits I’ve posted about recently and had the thought “Gee, that guy must’ve just looked for any cheap radio kits on eBay and bought them all!” You’d be absolutely right. In … Continue reading
Posted in Electronics, Radio
Tagged ebay, electronics, made-in-china, project, radio, rf, schematic
1 Comment
Project: 7.023Mhz PIXIE_V3 QRP CW Tranceiver Kit
After I stupidly decided to push the limits on the PIXIE_4.1 and subsequently destroyed its amplification, I wasn’t too concerned. Being the prepared sort, when it comes to low-cost kits, I sometimes buy two in anticipation that maybe some parts … Continue reading
Posted in Electronics, Radio
Tagged ebay, electronics, made-in-china, project, radio, rf
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Review, Teardown: Crest USB 2.0 All in 1 Mini Card Reader (CZUSBCR)
This particular review and teardown is a little different. In fact, this card reader was not one that I had purchased, since I normally swear by my Transcend RDF8‘s as being a decent performing, reliable and compatible reader at a … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged cheap, computer hardware, computer storage, flash, flash memory, made-in-china, memory card, review, teardown, tested, usb
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Project: 7.023Mhz PIXIE_4.1 QRP CW Transceiver Kit
Going along the same vein of “radio kits”, this one is a little bit different. This one is a do-it-yourself PIXIE 7.023Mhz QRP transciever intended for amateur (ham) radio morse code (CW) usage. It doesn’t have many specs, but apparently … Continue reading
Posted in Electronics, Radio
Tagged ebay, electronics, made-in-china, project, radio, rf, schematic
1 Comment