Monthly Archives: January 2016

Review, Teardown: Xiaomi (Mi) Headphones (ZBW4189CN)

Posted on January 31, 2016 by lui_gough

Xiaomi has impressed me time and again by bringing a variety of quality products in both functionality and design at prices which are extremely affordable. Ever since they introduced their first audiophile grade over-the-ears headphones, dubbed the Mi Headphones, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Review: Generic 4-port USB 3.0 to PCI-E Adapter (STAR-UPCIE201-V1.0, TB01200)

Posted on January 31, 2016 by lui_gough

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 →

Posted in Computing | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Envirobank Container Recycling: A few bugs in the system?

Posted on January 31, 2016 by lui_gough

Environmentally speaking, the concept of recycling makes sense. By recycling, we can save energy and re-use existing resources to create new products from old. The problem often is to do with how such items can be efficiently collected. In some … Continue reading →

Posted in Opinion | Tagged | Leave a comment

Power Outage 30th Jan 2016: Severe weather batters Sydney

Posted on January 31, 2016 by lui_gough

The words global warming and climate change are often said too quickly when it comes to the short term phenomena known as weather. The past fortnight, however, has been one of extremes in Sydney. Many days start off nice and … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Opinion | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Q&A: How Fast are 2X Floppy Drives in Reality?

Posted on January 24, 2016 by lui_gough

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 →

Posted in Computing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Q&A: Why Reformatting a USB Key can Change its Size & Performance

Posted on January 24, 2016 by lui_gough

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 →

Posted in Computing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Tech Flashback: Gold Apollo AL-924-T Synthesized POCSAG Pagers

Posted on January 24, 2016 by lui_gough

Just recently, I posted about my Motorola Advisor pagers, which got me interested in acquiring a more modern style of pager – namely one with a frequency synthesizer so that I don’t have to worry about ordering custom cut crystals … Continue reading →

Posted in Tech Flashback | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Teardown: Sienoc Active Mini-DisplayPort to DVI Adapter

Posted on January 24, 2016 by lui_gough

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 →

Posted in Computing | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Teardown: Digi International Edgeport/8 RS-232 to USB Converter

Posted on January 17, 2016 by lui_gough

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 →

Posted in Computing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Tech Flashback: My Collection of SDRAM – 256Mb & 512Mb Modules

Posted on January 17, 2016 by lui_gough

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 , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Tech Flashback: My Collection of SDRAM – 128Mb & ECC Modules

Posted on January 17, 2016 by lui_gough

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 , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Review, Teardown: Seatay SBOX02503 2.5″ SATA III to USB 3.0 External Enclosure

Posted on January 15, 2016 by lui_gough

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 , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Review, Teardown: Sandisk Cruzer Facet 8Gb USB 2.0 Flash Drive

Posted on January 15, 2016 by lui_gough

Readers familiar with my penchant for exotic storage would probably stare at me in confusion as to why I would be reviewing such a plain product such as this one? Interestingly enough, as with most things that I do, there … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Flash Memory | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tech Flashback: Motorola Advisor POCSAG 512/1200bps Pager

Posted on January 15, 2016 by lui_gough

When I heard last week that the Motorola branding was going to be shelved and replaced by “Moto by Lenovo”, like many others online, I felt a tinge of sadness as if another great tech brand had fallen by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Obituary, Radio, Tech Flashback | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

Freeview Updates: TVS off the air, Ch 7 “New Channel” Coming Soon

Posted on January 10, 2016 by lui_gough

As I haven’t been watching TV very closely as of late due to my excessively busy schedule, I hadn’t noticed that two relatively major things have happened in the Sydney Freeview space. On 20th December 2015, our community TV station … Continue reading →

Posted in Radio | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Review, Teardown: Telesin Yi Action Camera Compatible Batteries & Charger (YI-B&C-001)

Posted on January 9, 2016 by lui_gough

One of the first accessories action camera owners usually purchase is a second battery of some description to give them a little more shooting time. I am no exception when it comes to this. Often the big issue comes down … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Examined: Li-Ion/Li-Poly-based Power Bank Charge Current Profiles

Posted on January 9, 2016 by lui_gough

It’s been a long time since I posted anything about power banks. Believe me, I would have liked to bring you some more reviews, or updates on cycle life testing, but due to my PhD commandeering my dual-measure multimeter I … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Power Bank | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Review: Xiaoyi (Yi) Action Camera (YDXJ01XY) & Waterproof Case (BGX4004RT)

Posted on January 8, 2016 by lui_gough

In recent years, the popularity of action cameras have skyrocketed with the success of GoPro’s offerings finding their way into hands of adventurous sportspeople, motorsport enthusiasts, skydivers, scuba divers, drone operators and even broadcasters. The breakthrough was in the compact … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Radio: Monitoring the 2015 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on HF Radio

Posted on January 5, 2016 by lui_gough

The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event, starting on Boxing Day (26th December), racing a distance of around 1170km from Sydney, NSW to Hobart, TAS, Australia. This race is considered one of the most difficult yacht races … Continue reading →

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