Electronics and technology blog    /    Page 31

I’d posted two reviews of SANMIM power supplies and was about to start on a third when I remembered that my main electronic load can handle only 60 W, while the power supply is rated for at least 70 W. So I decided to make a few upgrades to the electronic load while I was at it.

My second power supply from SANMIM, this time a model from the low-profile series—that is, a “flat” 20 W unit with a 12 V output.

It's been a while since I reviewed a power supply, so I decided to make up for that by buying a few different compact units. As usual, this review will cover the inspection, tests, and conclusions.

A while ago, I reviewed a T2 receiver, and we also talked about how its functionality could be expanded a little by adding WiFi to the usual features. The problem was that receivers don't work with just any adapter, and my experiment with two "guinea pigs" confirmed that. During the discussion, someone told me which chip the adapter needed to use for the T2 receiver to "see" it. So I bought one and decided to put together a short review and report.

I got hold of a few compact step-down converters, bought just to “try them out”—they’re very cheap, after all. Today I’m reviewing a pair of almost identical, yet different, boards.

I came across a small voltmeter/ammeter board on Taobao and decided to order one and give it a try. Turns out I made the right call—but more on that in the review.

I've already reviewed voltage converter boards with QC support, but you always want more: more power and support for more standards. So I ordered several different models to try out. Rather than write three separate reviews, I decided to cover them all in one.

It’s already May, and I haven’t reviewed a single computer yet, so let’s fix that. Today we’ll look at a model that stands out from the crowd in its own way. Design is a matter of taste, of course—some people like one thing, others something else—but you have to admit this one is definitely original. As always, the review covers the exterior, teardown, tests, conclusions, and a final summary table.

My work often puts me in situations where a device connected to a computer via USB must not have a direct electrical connection to it. Otherwise, this can cause anything from severe interference to complete loss of functionality, as well as interaction between the computer’s power supply and the device under test. There aren’t many ways to solve this, and the simplest is to use galvanic isolation.

I’ve run into situations more than once where controlling devices directly from a computer over USB is easy to set up, quite reliable, and inexpensive, but still has its drawbacks. The main ones are that you’re tied to the computer and that simple adapters don’t provide galvanic isolation. This adapter was bought to solve all of these problems.

Here are a few coupons for TV boxes.

Sometimes you need to keep a small device, such as a router, powered without interruption. Using a regular "UPS" for this is both expensive and impractical, so low-voltage UPS units are used instead. Today I'll take a look at a couple of them.

Back in winter, news came out that RuiDeng was planning to release a new USB tester. I was particularly interested in this model, and now I have one in hand to test. This review covers the tests, as well as why this particular model caught my interest.

In today’s review, I want to show you various types of sockets that, in my opinion, are perfect for all kinds of power supplies and electronic loads, even though they were originally designed for use in audio equipment.

Not long ago, I reviewed some really "wild" and mysterious transistors marked IXUS, which I bought on Taobao for an electronic load. But some time has passed, and I've decided to take another risk and order a few more types of transistors that are designed from the outset to operate in DC mode, making them suitable for use in the power stage of electronic loads.

It’s no secret that television is gradually switching to digital broadcasting. Actually, no—it switched over a long time ago, and for at least the past 4 years they’ve been promising that they’ll “switch off” analog broadcasting any day now. But sooner or later, it will happen, and some owners of older TVs will be left, as they say, “up the creek without a paddle.” The TV itself will be like a suitcase without a handle: no use to you, but too good to throw away. But if you’re still happy with your old TV, you can add digital TV support with a small set-top box, which is what I’ll be talking about today.

Lately, I’ve been getting more and more different batteries to test, so I decided to pick up a couple of simpler holders to complement my powerful universal holder. Today I’m reviewing two of these simpler—and therefore less expensive—holders.

Continuing the topic of devices with VFD displays, I want to tell you about a rather interesting product: a fairly accurate ammeter-voltmeter that could come in handy for a hobbyist.