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IC Decap – MaxLinear MXL261 DOCSIS3 Tuner / Demodulator

Time for more silicon pr0n! When Virgin Media supplied me with a new modem, they requested I “recycle” the old one, so naturally it got gutted for the component parts. This particular IC is the frontend of the RF tuner. Unfortunately no datasheet is available, but I did manage to find some info in a press release. The sections are clearly identifiable, the RF section is on the left, while the rest of the demodulating logic is hidden on the right under a metal layer.

MXL261 Die
MXL261 Die – Click to Embiggen!

The MxL261 is based on MaxLinear’s low-power, digital CMOS process RF and mixed-signal technology.  It is a single-die, global standards, digital cable front end with integrated splitter, two 100MHz wideband tuners, four QAM demodulators and a four-channel-wide IF output.

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Vivicam 5190

Front
Front

A 5 megapixel digital camera from Vivitar. Visible here is the lens, viewfinder & flash.

Back
Back

Rear of the unit showing the LCD & user control buttons.

Cover Removed
Cover Removed

Front frame removed showing some of the internals. Shutter assembly & lens in centre, battery compartment at left.

Rear Cover Removed
Rear Cover Removed

Rear frame removede, showing the LCD module & tactile switches.

LCD
LCD

LCD module removed from the PCB

Flash PCB
Flash PCB

Flash PCB removed. Transformer is fed with the 4.5v from the 3 AA cells & steps it up to ~300v DC for the flash capacitor. A pulse transformer energizes an electrode next to the Xenon flash tube with ~5kV to ionize the gas.

Main PCB
Main PCB

Main PCB removed. Internal flash ROM & RAM IC visible above the SD card socket. USB connector is at the top right, next to the piezo buzzer.

CPU
CPU

Main processor on reverse side of the PCB.

Image Sensor
Image Sensor

Closeup of the CMOS image sensor with the lens assembly removed.