Electronics and technology blog    /    Page 46

Last time, I covered the input stage of a switching power supply, the bridge rectifier, and the filter capacitors. Now it’s time for the next stage: the inverter. This is the most complex and extensive part, but also the most useful.

Not long ago, I was asked to write a little review of an IRULU product. I decided to give it a try out of curiosity. A quick heads-up: this is a very basic tablet, but I’ll test it just like all the others. And of course, there’ll be a teardown.

At the very beginning of the year, I posted a review of a Voyo mini PC based on the new N4200 Apollo Lake processor. I was quite impressed with its specs, but I also mentioned that there was a lower-end version of this processor. Today, I'm reviewing a netbook built around it. As usual, we'll take a look around, take it apart, run some tests, and compare the N4200 with the N3450—or Pentium with Celeron—along the way.

Almost exactly a year ago, I published a review of the debut model from a manufacturer that was still unknown at the time, Vernee. You can say a lot and criticize its shortcomings, but in any case, the Thor model they released first turned out not to be so bad after all, and one of these “firstborns” has been under my watch for more than a year now. So today I’ll tell you about the next phone in the Thor lineup, show it, and compare it with the previous model, sometimes “face to face.” And, of course, there’ll be the obligatory teardown.

I’ve already posted videos about individual parts of a power supply, but after thinking it over, I decided I hadn’t done it the right way—or, more precisely, not in a very logical order—so I’m putting that right. With this article, I’m starting a short series called "How It Works", where I’ll go through all the sections of a typical switching power supply one by one, explain what they do, and point out where components can fail.

The Sun is an indispensable star in our solar system. Every day, it brings light, warmth, and an enormous amount of energy to our planet. Over time, the Sun became more than a source of life-giving energy for us: it became a source of energy for industry and other human activities (for example, solar panels). Since this energy can be considered “clean” (it does not pollute the environment), harnessing it has enormous potential.

Although smartphones are becoming more advanced and feature-packed every year, they still have some drawbacks. One of them is how long their batteries last. Usually, the more features a device has, the faster it runs out of charge. This means many of us have to carry various chargers with us almost all the time—which isn't always convenient.

Wi-Fi technology is widely known and used almost everywhere. As technology has advanced and internet access has become easier, many people have started using its capabilities virtually all the time. On average, people around the world spend more than 5.5 hours a day “online,” and few stop to consider that Wi-Fi technology could be used for some other purpose.

I use various terminals quite often, although I usually solder the wires to them. But I was offered a more convenient tool for the job. In fact, it was a whole kit for working with wires and terminals, so I decided to try it and see whether it really is more convenient.

Who hasn’t ever stepped outside and realized they’d picked the wrong clothes for the day? This situation is so common that it could even be considered one of humanity’s “global” problems. When it’s cold, you can still put something over your outfit (a blanket, for example), but when the weather is warm or hot, that isn’t always an option.

Somehow, my reviews of AHD cameras have completely distracted me from the more common IP cameras. I’ll try to make up for that with this review. This time, when choosing a product to review, I also tried to find the best possible value for money. Read on to see how that turned out.

Lately, we keep being amazed by how many of our technological fantasies continue to come true. First and foremost, of course, we have the creativity of famous writers, artists, and screenwriters to thank for this. Drawing inspiration from their work, we are moving closer to the vision of the future we imagined for ourselves many years ago.

These days, people often struggle with a lack of physical activity. Many will recognize this routine: they wake up, go to work, spend 8-9 hours sitting, then come home and spend another 4 hours sitting (in front of the TV or computer). This kind of lifestyle cannot go unnoticed, and it does nothing to benefit a person's health. More and more people are beginning to realize this and switch to a healthier lifestyle.

Humans were the first beings on our planet to invent music. Music has been, is, and will remain an important part of human life. Throughout history, it has evolved, changed styles and playback methods, yet it has always held special significance for people.

I happened to come across a small, but presumably interesting, item and thought it would be worth taking a closer look. It’s not a very common tool—I’d even call it niche—but it can be quite useful in some situations.

I decided to answer a couple of questions people asked me in the comments on a video. This might be useful to other readers too.

Today, humanity strives for optimization, comfort, and simplicity. These impulses drive us to take a fresh look at everything around us, spot shortcomings and bottlenecks, and automate and improve them. One common shortcoming is an inconvenient shape or size. As a result, we have already made computers smaller and their displays thinner without sacrificing performance.

Virtual reality is a human-created information and technology-based world that responds to interactions with it and conveys changes back to the user through various senses. This field is becoming increasingly promising and is already being used in areas such as education, video viewing, and gaming.