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A friend asked me to buy him an inexpensive TV box. It was no trouble, and I was also interested in tinkering with one for the sake of the stats. So here’s another short review, this time of a TV box built around the already familiar S905 SoC.

I use a soldering station with a hot air gun quite often. But since the station is rather bulky, and lately I’ve only been using its hot air gun, I decided to replace it with a standalone hot air gun, so to speak. Inspection, teardown, comparison—as usual.

After buying an expensive multimeter, I thought I might move on from reviewing this kind of measuring instrument. But apparently, my fascination with tools got the better of me, and when I saw an instrument from the well-known Fluke brand, I decided to get it for a review.

Last time, most of the information about using the phone came from someone else’s perspective. This time, all my impressions of the new DOOGEE X5 MAX will be entirely my own. I’m not exactly spoiled by modern phones—in fact, this is the first smartphone I’ve carried around as my main phone. So, I’ll show it, take it apart, and share my impressions.

About a year ago, I reviewed a small rotary tool. Though why small? If anything, it was actually a large one :) It served me perfectly well for almost a year, but while working with it I found that it wasn't always convenient to use in certain situations. I mentioned the problem to an acquaintance, and he suggested a couple of accessories that fit my rotary tool. So today I'll be showing you both of them in my review.

It all started about six months ago, when my daughter's Samsung Galaxy battery started dying again. Since the phone was outdated both in terms of hardware and software, we started looking for a replacement. Around April, I spotted the Vernee Thor among the new releases, and it really caught my eye. I asked if I could get one to review, and they sent it over. As always, I'll take a look, take it apart, run some tests, and share my impressions after a month of use.

Last month I reviewed the MP2359DJ chip for building a DC-DC converter, and in the comments people suggested a few other similar chips. A little while later, I ordered a couple of different ones for my “assortment,” and recently I received and tested another one.

I'm often asked to recommend a soldering iron that's reasonably priced, offers decent quality, and has temperature control. Recently, I ordered a mini soldering station that might well fit the bill. There are already a couple of reviews of this station on the site, so mine is more of a short addendum to the existing ones.

Some time ago, I posted a review of several types of batteries. This review is a short follow-up, since a couple of the batteries appear in both reviews, although they came from different sellers.

Around March, readers sent me a link to a rather interesting product. And since it’s right up my alley, I ordered one for a review—to try it out myself and show it to everyone else, as they say.

Some time ago—or, to be more precise, at the end of February—a seller from one of the AliExpress stores contacted me and asked me to write about his product. Writing about it wasn’t particularly difficult, and the device caught my interest in its own right. At least, at the time I had an idea for how I might use it. Anyway, if you’re interested in reading about a fairly well-known piece of hardware, read on :)

The idea of finding that perfect multimeter has been on my mind for quite a while. I've already reviewed several multimeters, and I'll link to those reviews here. One of them will also feature in this review. But I wanted something good, accurate, and relatively inexpensive. In this review, I'll show you the multimeter I liked and compare it with its smaller sibling.

It all started when I decided to make a major move from my old computer to a new one, and I decided to start with the drive. Since this is expected to be a major overhaul, there won't actually be a direct replacement; the old drives will most likely be moved somewhere else entirely. So this will just be an inspection, some tests, and, as always, a teardown.

I’ve already told you about the kit for building a 3D printer, and today I want to tell you about my saga of building a laser engraver. It didn’t all go as smoothly as I’d hoped, but I did get a positive result in the end. Anyway, if you’re interested in little desktop machines, read on. I hope you’ll find it interesting.

Memory cards are among the most popular products bought from our online stores and from stores in China. They’re used in tablets, media players, phones, camcorders, TV boxes, and so on. So when I was offered the chance to try out a new memory card, I didn’t hesitate much—it was sure to come in handy. So, here’s a brief look at a small memory card.

People often comment on tablet reviews that a high screen resolution isn't always a good thing. This time, I decided to find out how comfortable it really is to use a tablet with an 8-inch, 1280 x 800 screen, and simply see what an inexpensive tablet can do. And of course, I'll take it apart, modify it, and test it.

I came across a mention of this PWM controller on one of the forums. Since I occasionally build various electronic devices, I decided to order one and give it a try. And since I did order it—and even received it (which doesn't always happen these days)—it seemed like a good idea to test it before confirming receipt. Description, testing, and results are all below the fold.

I've already reviewed several kits that let you build all sorts of useful things for radio enthusiasts. But today I'm reviewing a bigger kit. We'll try to build a recent invention: a 3D printer. I can't say it all went smoothly. I kept expecting something to go wrong, but in the end, I managed to put something together. Anyway, a description of what this is and an attempt at a step-by-step guide are below the fold.