Here’s an old HDSPA 3G USB modem stick that I got with a mobile phone contact many years ago. As it’s now very old tech, and I have a faster modem, not to mention that I’m no longer with Orange (Robbing <expletive>), here’s a teardown of the device! The top
I’m no fan of power inverters. In my experience they’re horrifically inefficient, have power appetites that make engine starter motors look like electric toothbrushes & reduce the life expectancy of lead-acid batteries to no more than a few days. However I have decided to do a little analysis on a
Following on from my review, here are some internal views & detail on the components used in this radio. Below is an overview of the main PCB with the top plate removed from the radio. Most visible are these MOSFETs, which are Mitsubishi RD70HVF1 VHF/UHF power devices. Rated for a
I have recently begun to create an archive of all my personal data, and since LTO2 tape drives offer significant capacity (200GB/400GB) per tape, longevity is very high (up to 30 years in archive), & relatively low cost, this is the technology I’ve chosen to use for my long term
This is the control unit for a Routemaster system, that downloads traffic information for the area local to the vehicle. Here is an overview of the unit, in it’s aluminium box. Here is the unit with the top cover removed, showing the pair of PCBs.
I thought this would be of interest, as it’s from a drive circa 2001, (DVD-CD-RW). It’s the biggest & most complex optical block I’ve ever seen, with totally separate beam paths for the IR CD beam & the visible DVD beam. It also combines the use of bare laser diodes
This is a standard 13A UK main power plug – with a twist. This one requires no tools to open or connect. The top cover is slid off the top, after turning the red cam with a coin to unlock it. Manufactured by Plugco – a Google search of this
An old IDE interface Zip drive. This fits in a standard 3.5″ bay. Top cover removed from the drive, IDE & power interfaces at the top, in centre is the eject solenoid assembly & the head assembly. Bottom is the spindle drive motor. Head assembly with the top magnet removed.
Old iPod with damaged screen. Here is the front with the Click Wheel. Cover removed from the back, here the HDD is the biggest visible part. Back cover removed from the unit, here is the back of the screen & the main PCB. Back cover with the battery & headphone
Here is a cheapo 500W rated ATX PSU that has totally borked itself, probably due to the unit NOT actually being capable of 500W. All 3 of the switching transistors were shorted, causing the ensuing carnage: Here is the AC input to the PCB. Note the vapourised element inside the