I’ve has this sitting around my house for years now. I was mostly interested in it because it was a piece of broadcast gear which clearly had an ATX computer hiding within.

I recently got a Star Trek TOS reproduction tricorder from The Wand Company to accompany my cosplay at the upcoming STLV: Trek to Vegas 2025 convention. But, more important to me right now than getting a costume ready is the contents of this device!

So in this video I do a full teardown; Though this isn’t a tutorial necessarily, as I shot it whilst figuring things out for myself the first time.

My apologies to anyone that would rather I have preserved this NIB. But remember, Lore was disassembled and he turned out fine! Seriously though, as much as I’d love to preserve this in perfect condition, I purchased it to bring it to a con. It’s gonna get banged up and scuffed at least a little bit as it hangs on my hip. So long as I can put it back together again, it should be no worse off in the end.

Sorry for the ruse in the beginning, but I wanted to show my other costume prop option: An AM/FM radio that seems to have been included with a Japan-exclusive TOS DVD box set! That was an eBay find, as I can’t imagine anyone is still handing out analog radios. I couldn’t find much in the way of details on it, so if you know anything about the device please lmk in the comments!

As usual, this video was *not* sponsored nor endorsed by The Wand Company, nor whatever company was behind the AM/FM radio in the 2000s. :)

PCB Images

I did my best to get a nice rectilinear view of all the PCBs at a reasonably high resolution and with even, sharp focus. I was mostly successful. The lighting might seem to be too shadowy, but I had to use a somewhat oblique light to get most of the component markings to appear legible.

However, I didn’t realize until after all the photos were taken and resized that the markings on both Winbond chips were illegible. But both of those appeared in the video, and I included screencaps below, which should hopefully suffice.

All images are in 2 sizes: Medium and Max Resolution. The Medium size is to make it less cumbersome if you just want to take a quick peek at about 1-3MB; The largest of the Max Res photos is about 12MB.

Medium Resolution

Max Resolution

I got this LeCroy WaveRunner 64Xi-A-N Oscilloscope from eBay because I needed a faster scope than my best 200Mhz Siglent model.

On eBay it looked super clean and in good cosmetic shape, and was shown and claimed to be working. When I received it, it would kinda start up, but the display was blank and overall it was unresponsive. When I went to make this video showing the investigation, it powered right up! Strange.

So I figured I’d just be replacing the RTC battery and upgrading the HDD to an SSD. Turns out it already had an SSD and a new battery. The problem was that it would reboot every time the USB ports were even slightly jostled.

After getting the motherboard out (which is standard-ish mini ITX style), it turns out that the PCB is really badly warped. That’s probably leading to cracked and/or damaged traces, possibly in internal layers. I’d wager that’s the cause of the reboots.

I posted this video more for posterity and in case anyone wanted to see an albeit slow teardown. Apologies for the rambly nature, but this really didn’t go according to plan.

I open up this device from the past to see what it was all about, and how useful the chassis might be for modern purposes.

This is the edited version of a live stream I did almost 2 years ago (just got around to it), so if you want to see all the faffing that went into it, a recording of double the length is available here: https://youtu.be/4_xDG0fsMU4

I test out the new Amazon Glow device, and also completely destroy it via my incompetence.

I’ll admit I was charmed by the full-sized specs of this diminutive laptop (or netbook, as you will), and I have a thing for tiny laptops in general. So I couldn’t resist it when Banggood offered it up to me in a full-on tracking cookie assault of marketing. (That being said, I purchased it from Amazon to avoid paying duties.)

It’s a solidly built little machine, and a solid performer save for one thing: It’s not what I would consider to be a gaming computer. Though it is indeed sold as one, what with it’s somewhat-included side controllers and advertising to that effect.

Sure, it can play some games just fine, but without some kind of even halfway-decent (even mobile-optimized) dedicated graphics chipset, it is just not for the serious gamer.

I do like it, though. I like it a lot in fact. Check out the video to learn more.

And here, as promised, are some gratuitous shots of the motherboard in high-res glory (click for full-size 26MB-ish pics):

I’ve been trying out different streaming tools and software lately, and ultimately I prefer the dedicated hardware approach. The Teradek VidiU Pro has been discontinued by the manufacturer, and can be had for some pretty good deals on eBay.

The VidiU Pro can be used to live stream events from remote and outdoor locations using either WiFi or a connected USB cell modem. It’s also got an ethernet port (and of course a power input) for use in fixed locations. Such as my basement.

The problem for me is that the VidiU has a built in battery for portable use, meaning that when I shut off my equipment at the main PDU, the VidiU stays on until the battery runs out. Not the end of the world, but it’s made more inconvenient by the power switch being very small and on the back of the unit. Because I’m gonna be cramming it into a 1U rack shelf, the switch is out of reach.

Hence I opted to just disconnect the battery, as I don’t foresee using it wirelessly. It’s not a very complicated procedure (I just snipped one wire as if diffusing a catastrophically boring explosive) but you may enjoy seeing the innards of the device regardless.

My endeavors in live streaming continue. This time I’m disassembling a Sonic Foundry Mediasite Recorder from over 12 years ago.

That device was also capable of live streaming events, so it’s only fitting that I’d disassemble it live. I guess.

The Echo Look

I’m working on a full review-type-thing of the Look, but who really cares about that? I’m sure people will want to see the insides of it, though.

The most interesting two things on it are an Intel RealSense SR300 module (minus its visible light camera), and what’s basically a full Intel PC motherboard. In fact, here are the main specs:

• Intel Atom x5-Z8350 (SR2KT) @ 1.44Ghz (1.91Ghz burst)
• 8GB Samsung eMMC Flash NAND Storage
• 8GB Elpida LPDDR3 RAM
• Broadcom 802.11ac + 802.11b/g/a/n + Bluetooth (Not sure of the version)

The hardware is fantastically made and well put together, and overall is very clever considering they stuffed all of it into a diminutive cylinder!

The Reassembly

I did put the Look back together after all was said and done. And I think there were only like 2 screws left over! :]

Unfortunately it didn’t work for very long, nor very reliably. Something about hacking off all the shielding and generally manhandling all the components maybe had something to do with it.

But if you wanted to see a Look’s boot-up and camera sequence with its proverbial shirt off (the LEDs being the only real aspect of interest), then here’s your chance! Yay.

IC List

This is by no means comprehensive, but it covers all the major stuff with applicable part numbers:

• Intel Atom x5-Z8350 (SR2KT)
• Samsung 8GB Flash NAND (KLM8G1GEME)
• Elpida 8GB LPDDR3 (F8164A3MA-GD-F)
• TI PMIC (SND9039A2)
• Winbond 16mbit Flash Memory (25Q16FW1Q)
• Intel RealSense (SR300)
• Broadcom WLAN + BT (BCM43570KFFB8)
• Dual Diaphragm Speaker (?)
• Camera – 1080p? (?)
• Discrete microphones x 4 (?)

Closeups

Here are some shots of the components. I’m warning you, the linked files are fairly hi-res, so beware if you’re on a low-power mobile device. But hey, at least you’ll get some good detail.

If you’re curious as to the relative scale of each component, the full-size photos were all shot using the same camera setup and position. This means that there’s pretty much a 1:1 correspondence in scale between the various images. (Not true for the thumbnails, tho.)

Also of interest:

• The “flash” illumination LEDs consist of 4 pairs of warm and cool white. As such, the Look can output light at varying color temperatures, probably in the area of 2700K – 5000K (that’s just a guess). From looking at high frame rate video, it appears that they are PWM-controlled, so the 4 LEDs of each temperature could be set to varying degrees of apparent brightness.
• The blue “Echo ring” LED packages have red, green, and blue chips (sorta your standard RGB dealies). There are only 6 of them, but they do a very good job of making a convincingly smooth chasing effect when viewed through the front cover.
• The WiFi (and possibly BT) antennae are at the bottom of the unit.

Stay Tuned

As I get questions and/or investigate further on my own impetus, I’ll update this page. And as I said, there’s a forthcoming “full” review of the Look. Don’t forget to subscribe and yadda yadda yadda follow blech burp social media blah blah. (Just google ScottDotDot if you really want to.)

Another sh*tty power strip

Welp, they’ve done it again. Any by “they”, I mean people that make poor quality electrical devices. Specifically Yellow Jacket, which is a Woods brand, which is a Coleman Cable brand, which is probably somehow owned by either Warren Buffet or the Koch Brothers.

I got this for $16.22 during an Amazon lighting deal, and even though that’s not a terrible price, the poor quality construction and the basic lie about the materials is what really angers me.

Join me as I disassemble and then curse at this poor excuse for a power strip, in my newest installment of first world problems.

I was searching for an “affordable” power distribution unit for some video-related equipment in a rack. The Technical Pro PS9U looked very appealing with its multiple light-up switches on the front, because they made me all sentimental and wistful for the days of switched under-monitor PDUs.

It took a dark turn when I looked at the negative reviews on Amazon, wherein one person uploaded pictures of a melted-down unit. I still bought the PDU, not because I wanted to use it, but purely because I wanted to take it apart for YouTube.

And indeed the Amazon review turned out to be accurate. I would not feel comfortable using the Technical Pro PDU in my house. In my opinion as a random guy on the internet, it is a fire hazard, is poorly made, and shouldn’t even be on the market.

For my actual use, I also bought a Cyberpower CPS-1220RMS PDU. It’s a bit different than the Technical Pro in that it doesn’t have independently-switched outputs, offers surge protection, and is rated at 20A rather than 15A (though “rated” is a strong word in the case of the PS9U). That’s just on the surface, though. Inside, the Cyberpower shows every mark of quality and clearly supports its 20A rating.

In the video I open up the Cyberpower, just to show you what a quality PDU should look like. The comparison between the two products is day and night, even though I got the Cyberpower unit for a mere $15 more (on sale). It’s absolutely worth the higher price (even when not on sale).

The bottom line here is that when it comes to power distribution — be it rack-mounted or a typical power strip style — you should spend the extra money to get the higher-quality unit. Your fire insurance provider will thank you, as might your family (if it comes to that).

Here are some collapsible LED “camping” lanterns from Etekcity. The reason I put “camping” in quotes is because there is no sign of waterproofing on these things.

I suppose if you’re camping in the desert they’d be fine.

Wait, no they wouldn’t be. Because one out of the four didn’t work, and the soldering was abysmal. If you want to see details, I do a tear down in the video.

A company called Divine LEDs (now called Vont) got in touch with me out of the blue to ask if I’d be interested in doing a review of their Solar Motion Sensor Light. I said “sure”, but with the caveat that my review would be honest, good or bad.

As it happens, I like this little light. It seems to be well designed, and does what it promises: Light up dimly when it gets dark, and then brightly when it detects motion. It has what looks like a LiPo cell inside that’s charged by the solar panel.

Of course, only time will tell if the light is any good. I’ll save my final judgement until after it survives (or not) a New York summer and winter.

For those of you that are curious, here’s a couple of close-ups of the circuit board:

Side note: I say in the video that Vont is located in New York. On Vont’s website they list a 718 number, which is Queens / Brooklyn. However, the Divine LEDs Google+ page shows their location as Las Vegas, and the Divine LEDs website shows Hong Kong.

This is a quick very long video about two “smart” watches, one which isn’t all that smart and another which is more of a phone than a smartwatch.

In case you want one for some reason, here’s where I got ‘em:

Bluetooth U80 Smart Watch (AliExpress)

KEN XIN DA W1 Smart Watch Phone (AliExpress)

Don’t take those links as an endorsement, though I do kinda enjoy the Ken Xin Da watch for music and emergencies on the go.

I had been looking for a cheap and cheerful USB power supply for general charging of phones, tablets, and plenty of etcetera. Hence I ordered this ORICO 4-Port USB Charger with high hopes!

I never have too much optimism when it comes to crap from AliExpress, but not only did this ship from California, it also seems to be a really good buy.

Some of the testing I did on this was inspired by Clive at bigclive.com who does an absolutely obsessive number of teardowns on his YouTube channel. If you haven’t heard of him and you like that sort of this, give it a look! (Plus he has a much better accent than I do.)

And finally, as promised in the video, here are some full-size macro shots of the PCB:

This video features a review and teardown of the Intel Mini PC G2 manufactured by — uhhh — Random Chinese Company 5000.

Did it ship with tons of bloatware and malware? Is it too good to be true that it comes with a full copy of Windows 10? Are the specs worth a damn in the real world? Watch me ramble on about it to find out!

If you want to buy this cylindrical masterpiece mediocrity, a link to the original AliExpress listing is below (which may be way out of date by the time you read this). Note that this is not an endorsement and I don’t receive one penny if you do end up buying it.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/In-stock-High-Quality-Windows-10-MINI-PC-Host-32G-Memory-Bay-Trail-CR-2-4G/32596403800.html

Not every product from China is crap, but in the “Let’s Open” series I’m buying stuff that seems really good on paper, but has a whiff of the toilet about it.