Tag Archives: review

Review, Test & Teardown: BlitzWolf BW-S6 30W QC3.0 Dual-Port Charger

Posted on April 7, 2019 by lui_gough

It’s a bit of a shame that some of the mobile phones out there which have Qualcomm chipsets and are capable of quick charging are shipped with regular “plain old” 5V/2A chargers. As an owner of various Xiaomi phones myself, … Continue reading →

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RoadTest Review: Eaton SmartWire-DT System

Posted on March 3, 2019 by lui_gough

Thanks to element14’s New Year’s Grab Bag RoadTest, I was the lucky recipient of a RoadTest kit that had been sitting around for six years. The kit from Eaton is for evaluation of their SmartWire-DT control panel wiring system which … Continue reading →

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Failed, Teardown: Cowin E7 Pro Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones

Posted on February 16, 2019 by lui_gough

It looks like I haven’t been entirely fortunate with Cowin products. After the HE5A failed, I reverted to using the E7 Pro for my day-to-day commuting needs. Just this week, the E7 Pro failed as well, which doesn’t do much … Continue reading →

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Quick Teardown: Mini VGA2HDMI Converter

Posted on February 2, 2019 by lui_gough

With my recent upgrade to 4K monitors, I’ve come to realise that VGA has (at long last) become obsolete. There are no analog interfaces at all on my new monitors – so how am I going to connect my vintage … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Teardown: Cowin HE5A SportFree Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Earphones

Posted on January 26, 2019 by lui_gough

It was only a few months ago in November I was reviewing the Cowin HE5A SportFree ANC Wireless Bluetooth Headphones. While I was generally satisfied with the compromises the package entailed, I did mention that the lack of protective casing … Continue reading →

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Review, Teardown & Test: Portable USB 18650 Li-Ion Rechargeable Fans (x3)

Posted on January 4, 2019 by lui_gough

It’s summer in Australia and this one is another scorcher! Our summers do get somewhat hot, but not usually this hot. Data from my own weather station in my backyard shows that the temperature over the period from Christmas Eve … Continue reading →

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Event: Sony Alpha Sessions Sydney (6-8th December 2018)

Posted on December 30, 2018 by lui_gough

I’ve always been interested in photography – in fact, that’s probably what I focused mostly on during my major holiday in 2016. Of course, being interested doesn’t quite equate to being good at it – but I’m still trying. Being … Continue reading →

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Review: ADATA Ultimate SU650 480GB 3D NAND SSD (ASU650SS-480GT-R)

Posted on December 19, 2018 by lui_gough

Solid state drive (SSD) pricing has taken a pummelling over the last few months with a global flash oversupply. There has rarely been a better time to buy an SSD, especially when considering that many online stores have discount codes … Continue reading →

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Review: EEVBlog HVP-70 (70Mhz) & Micsig DP10013 (100Mhz) High Voltage Differential Probes

Posted on December 16, 2018 by lui_gough

Updated [7th Jan 2019] – Error in interpreting noise values due to oscilloscope 10:1 probe setting which I had missed has been fixed. — It seems I’ve been using the excuse of Christmas Sales to justify my recent increased spending … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Quick Review: LG 27UD59-B 27″ UHD 4K IPS LED Monitor with Freesync

Posted on December 13, 2018 by lui_gough

Around last Christmas, I built myself a new workstation that bought me from a Phenom II X6 1090T (2010) up to a Ryzen 7 1700 (2017). Amongst the things I did not upgrade, that caused the most consternation was my … Continue reading →

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Quick Review: Xiaomi Wiha Screwdriver Set (JXLSD01XH)

Posted on December 13, 2018 by lui_gough

Around this time, the temptation of flash sales and discounts lead even the thriftiest of people to open their wallets, myself included. If anything, I’ve often deprived myself of something hoping to find a better deal in the future when … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY | Tagged , | 1 Comment

RoadTest Review: Rohde & Schwarz HMP4040.04 Programmable Power Supply

Posted on November 25, 2018 by lui_gough

Thanks to the generosity of element14 and Rohde & Schwarz, I was lucky enough to do yet another RoadTest of a pretty expensive piece of gear. Say hello to the Rohde & Schwarz HMP4040.04, a 4-channel 384W Programmable DC Power … Continue reading →

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Review: Cowin HE5A SportFree Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Earphones

Posted on November 18, 2018 by lui_gough

Updated 26/01/2019 – see end of article for more details. With most new phones beginning to omit the headphone jack, most users have begun a mass migration to Bluetooth wireless audio solutions. Many of these are traditional headphones which are … Continue reading →

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RoadTest Review: Molex 2.4Ghz/5Ghz Antenna Kit

Posted on November 11, 2018 by lui_gough

It’s been another busy weekend getting a few things done – one of which was this review of Molex 2.4Ghz/5Ghz antennas offered through the element14 RoadTest program. While antennas are probably not the most interesting devices to be testing, they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Radio | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Review, Teardown: Alcatroz Airmouse Duo2 Wireless Mouse

Posted on November 3, 2018 by lui_gough

Being increasingly reliant on mobile devices to get some level of work done, I had a sudden need for another Bluetooth-capable mouse. While the Logitech M337 continues to serve me well with its rather unusual colour scheme, I was looking … Continue reading →

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Not So Smart: TP-Link TL-SG105E V3.0 5-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch

Posted on November 3, 2018 by lui_gough

I’ve made a few mentions about VLANs in the recent past as it’s something that I find quite useful along with virtual APs with managing an ever-increasingly-complex home network. But as some more “basic” edge equipment may not be able … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Review: Philips 25W Vintage T30 Filament & 4.3W Classic Design LED Globes

Posted on October 20, 2018 by lui_gough

In an earlier review of the IKEA Lunnom Filament LED Globe, I noted the increase in popularity of vintage mood lighting and the number of incandescent “carbon-filament lookalike” globes that had flooded the market just as incandescent bulbs were being … Continue reading →

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Quick Review: Strontium Nitro 16Gb Class 10 UHS-I MicroSDHC Card

Posted on October 20, 2018 by lui_gough

If you like to tinker with single-board computers, then you probably have a bunch of Raspberry Pi (or equivalent) boards all needing a microSD card to boot from. Often, for simple projects, the card doesn’t have to be anything too … Continue reading →

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Review: SanDisk Ultra Flair 128Gb USB 3.0 Flash Drive (SDCZ73-128G-G46B)

Posted on September 30, 2018 by lui_gough

Once in a while, out of need or out of desperation to use a discount coupon, I end up buying something, often technology related. This time, it was the latter case, so I went and purchased something I knew would … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Flash Memory | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

RoadTest Review: B&K Precision BA6010 Battery Analyser

Posted on September 29, 2018 by lui_gough

If you’ve been wondering why it’s been quiet around here for a while – it’s because I’ve been unusually busy. One of the things I’ve been working on is a review of the B&K Precision BA6010 Battery Analyser I received … Continue reading →

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Tested: EDUP 11AC 1900M Dual-Band USB 3.0 Wireless Adapter (EP-AC1621)

Posted on August 17, 2018 by lui_gough

In my quest for more wireless throughput, my hAP ac with three-stream 802.11ac wireless seemed to be the right choice. The problem was that I had absolutely no three-stream capable equipment to use with it – so I wasn’t seeing … Continue reading →

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

Teardown: D-Link DGS-1005A 5-Port & TP-Link TL-SG1008D 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch

Posted on August 12, 2018 by lui_gough

After bathing in nostalgia looking over my old switch and hub, it’s time to come clean – there’s a place for Fast Ethernet and that was a number of years ago. While some of the old equipment might still be … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Teardown: Mikrotik hAP ac & hAP mini Routerboards

Posted on August 5, 2018 by lui_gough

After my house move earlier this year, I was in a bit of a networking dilemma. As every self-confessed nerd knows – internet access is critical. I recently upgraded to a TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 access point at the other … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Review: Cowin E7 Pro Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones

Posted on July 5, 2018 by lui_gough

UPDATE (02/2019): Unfortunately, the review unit has failed due to a defect in the earcup hinge – see full teardown here. As a result, I no longer recommend this unit. For anyone who travels frequently on public transport or is … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Tablet, Telecommunications, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tested: Canton-Power DDO603SA 3.3V Buck-Boost Converter Module

Posted on July 3, 2018 by lui_gough

If you like to experiment with electronics, sooner-or-later you’re going to build something you’d like to use in a portable way, perhaps running off batteries. While things that run off 5V are easy to cater for, as USB is ubiquitous, … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mega Review: Fingbox Network Security and Troubleshooting Device

Posted on June 21, 2018 by lui_gough

Earlier this year, I visited CeBIT where I stopped by the Fing stand and had a chat about their app and Fingbox device. The Fingbox was pitched as a network security and troubleshooting device which worked with the Fing app, … Continue reading →

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Review, Teardown: TBS 5220SE Universal TV Tuner USB Box

Posted on May 26, 2018 by lui_gough

Recently, I embarked on an adventure to scan the C-band satellites in the sky. Unfortunately for me, my TBS 6925 tuners are both rather unwell and my Prof Revolution S2 8000’s are not doing much better by showing similar “bursts” … Continue reading →

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Review: SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive m3.0 128Gb USB Flash Drive

Posted on May 20, 2018 by lui_gough

It doesn’t happen very often, but once in a while, I need a new USB flash drive. This time around, I was looking for something cheap, of reputable make and 128Gb capacity. Interestingly, looking around my local computer shop, the … Continue reading →

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Project: Generic Chinese Electronic LED Windmill Kit

Posted on May 9, 2018 by lui_gough

I’ve always been someone to enjoy constructing electronics kits from a young age. Even though I’ve become more experienced at soldering and more knowledgeable about electronics, I still find constructing new kits therapeutic and enjoyable for a bit of weekend … Continue reading →

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Review, Teardown: TP-Link Archer T2UHP AC600 High Power USB Adapter

Posted on March 31, 2018 by lui_gough

I had looked at a relatively cheap dual-band 802.11ac dual-stream USB Wi-Fi adapter recently and it seemed that the pain of single-band Wi-Fi solutions may be soon coming to an end. Unfortunately, that adapter did have some design quirks and … Continue reading →

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