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Recent Posts
- Mega Review: Fingbox Network Security and Troubleshooting Device
- Visited: Vivid Sydney (10th Anniversary: 25 May – 16 Jun 18)
- Project: Record a K56flex Dial-Up Modem Connection
- Project: Record a US Robotics “X2” Dial-Up Modem Connection
- Note: Choosing 5Ghz Wi-Fi Channels for 802.11ac in AU
- Analysis: DVB-T2 Australian Television Networks Test Transmission
- Challenge: Send a Fax Without a Landline or Fixed-Line Internet
- Analysis: Mains Power Quality – Voltage, Frequency & Crest Factor (10-19 May 2018)
- Satellite Signal Analysis: What if you have no loop-out port?
- Review, Teardown: TBS 5220SE Universal TV Tuner USB Box
- Review: SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive m3.0 128Gb USB Flash Drive
- Event: CeBIT Australia 2018 Exhibition (15-17 May)
- Project: Generic Electronic 57 LED Hourglass Kit (TJ-56-205)
- Project: Generic 18 Red LED Flashing Love Heart Kit (TJ-56-30)
- Teardown: Generic Wall-Mountable Passive PoE Midspan Injector
- Project: Unbranded Generic NE555+CD4017 SMD LED Chaser Kit (YL-117)
- Tested: eX-power 75Wh Laptop/USB Power Bank (16-19V Output)
- Project: EQKit HBL-22 Breathing Green LED Heart Kit
- Project: Unbranded 38 x 5mm LED DIY Lamp Kit
- Project: Generic Chinese Electronic LED Windmill Kit
- Repair: Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Power Button
- C-band Sats – Part 9: 172E Eutelsat 172B, 180E Intelsat 18, 177W NSS 9
- C-band Sats – Part 8: ~154E Mystery?, 166E Intelsat 19, 169E Intelsat 805
- C-band Sats – Part 7: 142E-150E (?) Unidentified/Mystery Satellites
- C-band Sats – Part 6: 134E Apstar 6, 138E Telstar 18, 140E Express AM5 (?)
- C-band Sats – Part 5: 125E ChinaSat 6A, 128.5E LaoSat 1 (?), 132E Vinasat 1
- C-band Sats – Part 4: 115.5E ChinaSat 6B, 120E AsiaSat 6, 122E AsiaSat 9
- C-band Sats – Part 3: 100.5E AsiaSat 5, 105.5E AsiaSat 7, 113E Palapa D
- C-band Sats – Part 2: 83E G-Sat 10(?), 87.5E ChinaSat 12, 91.5E Measat 3/3a
- C-band Sats – Part 1: Introduction to Satellite Hunting
- Analysis: Optus Fetch Mighty DVR Hard Drive
- Random: 3M Views, Birthday Analysis and Taronga Zoo
- 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
Archives
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- June 2016 (31)
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- March 2013 (31)
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- January 2012 (1)
Tags
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Recent Comments
- Ian Davis on Post-Mortem: Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (A1344)
- Martin on Project: Paeansonic CF210SP CD9088+CD7642 AM/FM Radio Kit
- Alan on Repair: LG WF-T552A 5.5kg TurboDrum Washing Machine
- Felipe on Teardown: Glade Sense & Spray Automatic Air Freshener (SCJ-158)
- lui_gough on Project: Record a K56flex Dial-Up Modem Connection
- Mark on Project: Record a K56flex Dial-Up Modem Connection
- Gerard Gallagher on Tech Flashback: Dick Smith’s Funway 2 Project 7: Pocket Transistor Radio
- ConneXions Blog Site on Mega Review, Teardown: Oukitel A28 Smart Watch
- Sergej Kalinin on Contact Me
- Thomas on Project: Sainsmart Forty-9er “3W” 7.023Mhz QRP CW Transceiver Kit
- lui_gough on Project: Sainsmart Forty-9er “3W” 7.023Mhz QRP CW Transceiver Kit
- Thomas on Project: Sainsmart Forty-9er “3W” 7.023Mhz QRP CW Transceiver Kit
- asdasdffasd on Slow Hard Drive? Things to Check
- Situfer Hm Bm on Post-Mortem: Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (A1344)
- Gwen NG3P on Project: Sainsmart Forty-9er “3W” 7.023Mhz QRP CW Transceiver Kit
- Andrew Wollin on Analysis: DVB-T2 Australian Television Networks Test Transmission
- Power system nerd on Analysis: Mains Power Quality – Voltage, Frequency & Crest Factor (10-19 May 2018)
- gary325 on Review, Teardown: AverMedia C875 Live Gamer Portable HDMI Capture Box (GL710)
- lui_gough on Analysis: Foxtel Satellite DVB-S/DVB-S2 Services
- Matt enfold on Analysis: Foxtel Satellite DVB-S/DVB-S2 Services
Meta
Tag Archives: computer hardware
Review: Toshiba Canvio Ready 2Tb USB 3.0 External Hard Drive (HDTP220AK3CA)
It’s not often, but today we’ve got back-to-back external hard drive reviews. Maybe the Maxtor 4Tb is a bit too big for your liking, or you just want another “good value” alternative to buy. Well, as it turns out, I … Continue reading
Posted in Computing
Tagged computer hardware, computer storage, review, storage, tested, usb
1 Comment
Review: Maxtor M3 Portable 4Tb USB 3.0 External Hard Drive (HX-M401TCB/GM)
Seeing as I’m going to go on a holiday sometime next year, one thing I knew I would need is some portable external storage to keep all my experimental data and to backup the photos I will be taking. Not … Continue reading
Posted in Computing
Tagged computer hardware, computer storage, review, storage, tested, usb
7 Comments
Project: Awakening the Apple Macintosh PowerBook 100
In the previous post, I took a look at the nearly pristine condition Apple Macintosh PowerBook 100 and accessories which were donated to me for some edu-tainment. While it was pretty to be able to look at a piece of … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged apple, computer, computer hardware, portable, power supply, teardown, vintage hardware, vintage stuff
2 Comments
Tech Flashback: Apple Macintosh PowerBook 100 & Accessories
As it turns out, this week was a pretty good week for me. It’s not often something comes in, begging to be played with. It’s even less often that the object in question makes you drop almost everything so that … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer, computer hardware, portable, vintage hardware, vintage stuff
4 Comments
Experiment: Time to EPROM Erasure by UV Lamp & Sun?
I’ve always been fascinated by the beauty of EPROM chips with their erasure windows giving you a clear look inside the package. Because of my fascination, I ended up buying quite a few chips, an UV eraser that needed some … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Electronics
Tagged chip, computer hardware, experiment, storage, vintage hardware, vintage stuff
3 Comments
Wireless Card Whitelists: Failed Attempt at a HP Pavillion dm1-4108AU
After successfully bypassing the whitelist in my Probook 4525s with the help of Dragy, I felt that it was probably worth trying the same technique on my other whitelisted HP, a Pavillion dm1-4108AU. While other pre-patched BIOS for certain dm1s … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Telecommunications
Tagged annoyances, computer hardware, fail, failed, laptop, networking, radio, rf, teardown, upgrade, wireless
2 Comments
Getting Started: Nuand BladeRFx40, XB-200 Transverter, Case & SDRSharp
This is one of those posts that I should have compiled and put up a long time ago, but never really got around to. Right now, I probably shouldn’t be blogging (since there are more pressing things to attend to), … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Radio
Tagged computer hardware, new stuff, newstuff, radio, rf, sdr, usb
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Wireless Card Whitelists: Breaking the HP Probook 4525s Whitelist
Around two years ago, I posted this article decrying the whole situation where several laptop manufacturers have imposed artificial restrictions in the BIOS firmware against replacement of wireless cards (and other hardware) with other physically compatible units from other sources, … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Telecommunications
Tagged annoyances, computer hardware, laptop, networking, radio, rf, teardown, upgrade, wireless
5 Comments
Melb2016: A Super-Special SyQuest Side Quest (Part 12)
At last, the promised final special part of my Melbourne trip has arrived. The difference is that this part didn’t really have anything to do with my trip to Melbourne at the beginning, and started long before I even had … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback, Travel
Tagged computer hardware, computer storage, data recovery, melb2016, recovery, storage, teardown, vintage stuff
15 Comments
Tech Flashback: The (beautiful) EPROM Chip Collection
It’s been a busy and draining week and a bit in Melbourne, and it’s consumed the vast majority of my energy just to get everything unpacked and put into order. However, things have been getting a little too quiet around … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Electronics, Photography
Tagged chip, computer hardware, macro, photography, rom, vintage hardware, vintage stuff
4 Comments
Project: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION of V.90/V.92 Modem Sounds
Just recently, there was a surge in traffic to my old legacy dial-up sounds pages. While I did my best with the equipment I had at the time to capture the sound of dial-up modems, I always knew that my … Continue reading
Posted in Audio, Computing, Tech Flashback, Telecommunications
Tagged audio, computer hardware, modem, telephone
8 Comments
Tech Flashback: Even More Internal PCI Dial-Up Modems
Regular retro-technology service continues with this blog post. I showed some of my vast collection of dial-up equipment in the past, especially my internal PCI modems, but because of the bleak future of voice-band modem technology, I sought to obtain … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Telecommunications
Tagged computer hardware, modem, phone, telephone
2 Comments
Project: Examining VGA BIOS from Old Graphic Cards
I suppose they say, once you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Indeed they are right, because now I have a ROM programmer, I couldn’t stop pulling teeth chips just to dump them. Aside from motherboard BIOS chips, … Continue reading
Project: Make a Netcomm RoadsterII USB Modem work in Windows 7 x64
Over the weekend, I had some hankering to get some voice-band dial-up modem action happening just for curiosity sake. I stumbled across my pair of old-reliable Netcomm Roadster II USB V.90 56k modems which seemed like good candidates for an … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer hardware, improvise, modem, mods, phone, telephone, telephony
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“Sigh-Quests”: More forgotten cartridges arrive, but fail to turn up data
A while ago, I was in contact with a reader about their long-forgotten set of Syquest cartridges and their Syquest drive. As it turns out, it was a set of 88Mb cartridges with matching drive, connected to a computer of … Continue reading
Posted in Computing
Tagged computer hardware, computer storage, data recovery, fails, vintage stuff
4 Comments
Review: Generic 4-port USB 3.0 to PCI-E Adapter (STAR-UPCIE201-V1.0, TB01200)
If you’re still running an age-old dinosaur system like me (well, make that around six years old), then you’re probably feeling the pinch from not having quite enough USB 3.0 ports. Maybe you have none at all. I’m lucky that … Continue reading
Q&A: How Fast are 2X Floppy Drives in Reality?
This post comes about because of a question from Matson on a very early post of mine about USB Floppy Drives. He wants to know how fast 2x drives are in reality, as there are no hard numbers floating about. … Continue reading
Q&A: Why Reformatting a USB Key can Change its Size & Performance
Just recently after I had posted my review of the Sandisk Cruzer Facet USB key, a regular reader sent me an e-mail which noted in a concerning tone that reformatting the device causes it to lose about 12-13Mb of storage, … Continue reading
Teardown: Sienoc Active Mini-DisplayPort to DVI Adapter
For those who don’t upgrade their displays very often, slowly, they can find that their displays fall behind in terms of connectivity options. More modern graphic cards offer an array of multi-monitor output options, but mostly using DisplayPort (DP) or … Continue reading
Teardown: Digi International Edgeport/8 RS-232 to USB Converter
In the things that have happened to me last week, getting a Digi International Edgeport/8 donated to me was one of the more exciting events. A Little Bit of History It wasn’t that long ago that if you wanted to … Continue reading
Tech Flashback: My Collection of SDRAM – 256Mb & 512Mb Modules
This posting continues an earlier posting which explores my collection of SDRAM modules. In this post, we look at the larger 256 and 512 megabyte modules. 256 Megabyte Modules Mitsubishi MH32S64APHB-6 Mitsubushi is a name you would normally associate with … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer hardware, dram, memory, ram, storage, vintage hardware, vintage stuff
11 Comments
Tech Flashback: My Collection of SDRAM – 128Mb & ECC Modules
Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory, or SDRAM for short, was the JEDEC standardized successor to the asynchronous DRAM used in SIMMs. Demonstrated in 1993, and the de-facto type of memory by 2000, it was employed by later Pentium I systems … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer hardware, dram, memory, ram, storage, vintage hardware, vintage stuff
4 Comments
Review, Teardown: Seatay SBOX02503 2.5″ SATA III to USB 3.0 External Enclosure
What happens when you have a few 2.5″ SSDs lying around after an upgrade? One option is to convert them into external SSDs for fast work usage. Not having any enclosures to use, I decided to consult online for some … Continue reading
Posted in Computing
Tagged cheap, computer hardware, made-in-china, review, storage, teardown, tested
5 Comments
Experiment: ZIP Defect Lists & Software-Enabled Write Protection
With my last post testing the write-protection with just one cartridge, we didn’t demonstrate any PLIST changes. While I took the GLIST changes as indicating the lists being both “fluid”, more concrete proof was desired in case one of the … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer hardware, experiment, storage, testing, vintage hardware, vintage stuff, zip
2 Comments
Tech Flashback: More ZIP Defect Tests & Trouble In Paradise Utility
Once you get started on something, often times, you realize there are things still left to be done. Indeed, this post comes about because of my previous experiments inspired by Matson’s comments, and this time, he came up with another … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer hardware, experiment, storage, testing, vintage hardware, vintage stuff, zip
5 Comments
Experiments: ZIP Disk Defect Lists, Mode Page Changes, Protected Cartridges
This post is going to get quite long, filled with walls of text, and ultimately not of any great interest to the majority of modern tech-people unless somehow you’re interested in ZIP drive behaviour, so feel free to skip this … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer hardware, experiment, storage, vintage hardware, vintage stuff, zip
1 Comment
Quick Review: Samsung 850 EVO 1Tb (MZ-75E1T0B) Solid State Drive
Solid-state drives are something that I can rarely get enough of, as high performance storage has a big impact on the time spent waiting on a computer to get data-heavy tasks done. As someone who has enjoyed this, I had … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Flash Memory
Tagged benchmark, computer hardware, flash, flash memory, review, storage, tested
4 Comments
Teardown: Alcatel 3AU 04805 ABAA & LSE LSF2070 ADSL Microfilters
While rummaging around my old equipment box, I came across some in-line microfilters which I have collected as spares from discarded modem boxes or from places where they suspect having filter problems and have had their filters interchanged with a … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Electronics, Telecommunications
Tagged computer hardware, networking, teardown
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Tech Flashback: Rambus DRDRAM RIMM and CRIMM Modules
Rambus DRDRAM (or RDRAM as it was sometimes known) was a proprietary memory technology championed by Rambus and Intel as a (potential) successor to SDRAM. As memory bandwidth requirements rose in the early Pentium 4 era, there was a need … Continue reading
Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback
Tagged computer hardware, memory, vintage hardware, vintage stuff
4 Comments
Random Compu-Maintenance: Dusty PC & Stuck Power Button
Computers and their peripherals around my place are generally reliable, but occasionally some things do happen. As a result, I’ve grouped these two recent happenings into one posting. PC: “… help me!” Just last weekend, my brother barged into my … Continue reading