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UM25C USB Power Meter

UM25C USB Power Meter
UM25C USB Power Meter

Here’s a nice little feature-packed USB power meter, the UM25C. This unit has USB-C along with the usual USB type A connectors, along with a bluetooth radio for remote monitoring of stats via a Windows or Android app. Construction is nice, it’s a stack of two PCBs, and polycarbonate cover plates, secured together with brass posts & screws.

Back Cover
Back Cover

The back cover has the legend for all the side connectors, along with the logo.

USB Micro Input
USB Micro Input

Down the sides are the user interface buttons, and here the Micro-B input connector. The 4-pin header is visible here that takes serial data down to the bluetooth section.

USB-C Connectors
USB-C Connectors

The other side has the remaining pair of buttons, and the USB-C I/O. I don’t yet own anything USB-C based, but this is good future proofing.

LCD Display
LCD Display

Removing the top plastic cover plate reveals the small 1″ TFT LCD module. This will be hot-bar soldered underneath the screen. There’s an unused footprint next to the USB input connector, judging by the pin layout it’s probably for a I²C EEPROM.

Main Board Components
Main Board Components

The underside of the top PCB has all the main components. The brains of the operation is a ST STM8S005C6T6 microcontroller. It’s at the basic end of the STM range, with a 16MHz clock, 32K flash, EEPROM, 10-bit ADC, SPI, UART & I²C. The main 0.010Ω current shunt is placed at the top left of the board in the negative rail. A couple of SOT-23 components in the centre of the board, I haven’t been able to identify properly, but I think they may be MOSFETs. The large electrolytic filter capacitor has a slot routed into the PCB to allow it to be laid flat. Providing the main power rail is a SOT-89 M5333B 3.3v LDO regulator.

Bluetooth Radio
Bluetooth Radio

The bottom board contains the bluetooth radio module, this is a BK3231 Bluetooth HID SoC. The only profile advertised by this unit is a serial port. There’s a local 3.3v LDO regulator & support components, along with an indicator LED.

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iPod

Front
Front

Old iPod with damaged screen. Here is the front with the Click Wheel.

Cover Removed
Cover Removed

Cover removed from the back, here the HDD is the biggest visible part.

Mainboard
Mainboard

Back cover removed from the unit, here is the back of the screen & the main PCB.

Back Cover
Back Cover

Back cover with the battery & headphone jack PCB.

Battery
Battery

Closeup of the Li-Ion battery.

Front Removed
Front Removed

Front removed from the unit, the touch sensitive Click Wheel PCB is folded away from the mainboard here.

Buttons
Buttons

Tactile switches underneath the Click Wheel.

HDD
HDD

1.8″ hard drive. Toshiba MK3008GAL.