EEVblog

Teardown Tuesday.
CHIPS USED:
RK2738: www.rock-chips....
PT1502: www.szxizhuo.co...
PT4110: monitor.espec.w...
FT690M: www.tgwdz.com/a...
HYM8563S
What's inside the MiGear $30 Colour TFT eBook reader from Dick Smith?

[@TwoScoopsofDestroyer]

For anyone curious, .pdb stands for Palm Database, an e-book format for old Palm Handheld compters.

[@FirstWizardZorander]

I was wondering about that. I used to have a palm m105, as well as a TX, and the .pdb format was used for essentially everything, including image formats and additional program data. I just find it really odd that this format rose to a sort of demi-standard, since a lot of these eBook readers seem to be able to read it.

[@Athrunwong]

I've seen worst, and it was more expensive. Seriously...30 bucks, if it works for what it's built for, i think it is decent enough. the kids i help at the shelter would at least appreciated it.

[@PasanKarunanayake]

For 30 dollars its pretty much nicely built. I wonder what is the actual manufacturing cost for a product like this.

[@Shiraumere]

The part that was cut out and replaced by the flat-flex was probably the volume control ;p

[@Dev850]

It seems to me that the two different connectors for the lcd isn't at all related to sourcing of two different lcd manufactures. It's more likely due to two different screen size variants. This is supported by the small strip of flex connecting the power button /led board to the main board you noted in the beginning of the video.

[@AlTheEngineer]

+Dev Durer My thought exactly!

[@Polite_Cat]

Love these teardowns as usual! Especially on these types of unusual devices like the handifax or this thing.

[@Agamemnon2]

I wasn't expecting that slab of junk to read PDFs at all, so I was slightly suprised :D

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

would be nice for datasheets

[@ZAJBEISTE]

I like your teardown videos, i think it is the best way to learn how it works, what is exacly inside and maby repair it! Kamil from Poland. :)

[@ortzinator]

I thought this was Ashens for a few minutes :P

[@lnro4494]

Bloody hell, are we still doing these?

[@lnro4494]

Bloody hell, are we still doing these?

[@rinhato8453]

+Henry Ly Would you rather get this or a fucking inflatable fucking crown in a Loot Crate? lol

[@andrewweighell]

no it cost more than £1 and did not fall apart as soon as he got it the box

[@WillstDuNichtWissen]

4:44 Input: 5V @ 1 giga amp? Damn, that's a lot...

[@JoannaHammond]

Even I'll admit, for AUD 30, that thing is great.. that's £15! You can't even buy the bloody components for £15!

[@MrBlakBunny]

Actually i found this useful for when my mother wanted an Ebook reader in hospital, and its been useful for displaying images and videos when playing tabletop games, especially when i don't want people dropping my iPad by mistake

[@MickOhrberg]

"One Hung Low" - love it :) Interestingly enough, from Wikipedia: "Rockchip was first known for their RK 27xx series that was very efficient at mp3/mp4 decoding and was integrated in lots of low-cost mp3/mp4 products".

[@indeliblyronnie]

It gets pretty old hearing you rant about the quality of the cheapest products you can find. Either complain about the bad quality in expensive products or compliment the good quality in the cheap stuff, but to spend the majority of the video calling cheap stuff cheap starts to give me a headache. Everyone knows that the cheapest products you can find are steaming dog turds. To your credit, you almost always are pleasantly surprised when you open the device up, so you don't just stick to initial impressions, but you spend a disproportionate amount of time belaboring your initial impression which is always just calling cheap stuff cheap. I don't mean this in a mean spirited way. I quite enjoy your videos.

[@0xbenedikt]

I picked up a 30€ Android Tablet in an Intermarché this summer. It's incredible how cheap they can make and sell these.

[@galileogalilei7844]

A long time ago in one of those Total Quality programs used by big corporations they tried to define quality. The short story and I think it's correct was that a plastic cup could have the same quality or even more than a crystal drinking glass. It all depended on what you expected from it, if you only expected it to hold a liquid without it dripping from below then both had the same quality. If you needed them to don't drip, be lightweight and cheap then the plastic cup had better quality for your use. Same happens with all chinese cheap electronics, if you need to see if your car battery is charged enough to crank your car then you can do it with a $6 chinese meter, no need for a Fluke meter. And of course you get what you pay for, you can't expect the same capabilities and precision from the $6 meter as from a Fluke. The chinese products usually get bashed by people expecting to get $50 benefits from a $5 product, it's not going to happen. This cheap stuff have their own niche market and are not intended to replace the higher priced products. The only bad thing I see with chinese products is the lying on their specs, I doubt a $6 meter is CAT IV certified for example. Anyway, people keep complaining about chinese "quality" and about how the chinese are stealing their jobs but they keep buying the stuff because they don't want to pay extra for a brand name item made in their country, go figure.

[@chain3519]

I think the second source connector is actually for factory testing by by touching the contacts.

[@8bits59]

I had a similar brand, an eMatic eBook reader, broke within a week. I didn't take the good advice you always give, I turned it on before I took it apart.

[@Gzalo]

The alternative device footprint is for a FM radio module, I had an "mp4" player that had that similar board.

[@Mad.Croatian]

At 14:10 my video glitched out and played a REALLY LOUD sound and scared the crap out of me!

[@RetroGamerVX]

Talking of cheap stuff like this, my friend got a £40 android 7" tablet, I thought it was going to be rubbish, when I used it, it was smooth and responsive and fast. I was so impressed, I've bought me and the wife one each for use when we are at work or lounging around the house :o)

[@7_7nhu]

Wow that ebook reader actually looks pretty nice. It came with everything! Yeesh you commented on EVERYTHING This guy can make an iPad look awful.

[@dazedconfuzed6]

That's because Ipads are terrible. They are made by Foxconn in China, yuck.

[@mrlazda]

jeff darnell Or maybe is just bad design made by Apple Inc in California. or due to crappy parts made in USA (appleinsider.com/articles/12/07/19/made_in_america_apples_supply_chain_increasing_us_production). Foxconn make all products for Sony, Toshiba, Cisco, Dell, Hewlett-Packard... in same factory in China and they are not bad as Apple ones. When I think better all graphic chips are made in China or United Arab Emirates (except of intel) and all AMD processors and so in ( all are made by GlobalFoundries from UAE in Dresden, Germany). China made product with quality how you are willing to pay and Apple pay less then 30$ for iPhone (for all parts and manufacturing) so it is quality they pay for it (I dont know how much is Foxconn price for iPod).

[@LazyBunnyKiera]

I was surprised, for $30 i think it was a pretty decent deal. Could probably put a 3000mAh battery in it without too much trouble. I wouldn't personally buy one for $30, because i don't need one, but if someone offered me one for $10, yeah i'd go for it. i'd probably modify the audio amp with an adjustable $1 one from ebay, and get some volume out of it Just a cheapo junker i could tape to the wall near my work station to view the occasional PDF datasheet on while prototyping.

[@reluttr2]

Was anyone else curious what the button did on the back of the PCB? The one next to the watch crystal.

[@ColdestLivewire]

***** reset key

[@neodonkey]

+Kartal Kapena thermonuclear self destruct button.

[@jerry1378]

15 years ago that would be 1000 $

[@JCHaywire]

I love the EEVblog and these videos, but I am tiring of the disrespectful tone toward the manufacturers of quite innovative products. The innovation, oftentimes, is in the ability to drive the price down so extremely. Yes, we can criticize labor conditions, but perhaps with very little authority--after all, excepting your Chinese viewers, where's YOUR industrial power surge? I'm with the others who affectionately remind you that for the price, these cheap-ass goods are often enough to do the job. We're watching a nation struggle upward as the US once did (and then back down again), Japan, Germany, Vietnam--and these are our fellow electronics hobbyists getting their start. I say live and let live, buddy. I'm all for blame where blame is due, but be careful of dismissing "OneHungLo" companies out of hand for simply being Chinese. There's a word for that, sir.

[@neodonkey]

JC Haywire I feel much the same. Dave rags quite hard on the Chinese and too often, it gets a bit much. Given the budget they've worked miracles. Not everyone lives in a country where they can afford an iPad or a Samsung. And he ragged on that battery, yet they did the protection circuit properly.

[@JCHaywire]

Tripledonkey Exactly. I don't question the man's acumen--he's excellent. I do find that aspect of his presentation completely unnecessary and actually reducing his reputation. Imagine if he would applaud the Chinese ingenuity and development year by year--which, by the way, is remarkable. Otherwise, it's just plain racism.

[@jackwyz22]

i know right? So racist! I can't say that enough!

[@TobyCowles]

Totally agree, I buy a decent amount of cheep China built stuff and I think that they have great bang for the buck, good looking well built watchs, and cheep phones that while they won't blow any one away with speed or quality they are so much cheaper then a iPhone or a s6 and most people don't need that power, besides I like the micro sd slot

[@InfernosReaper]

+Jack Wang I'd say pretty tame for an Aussie, to be honest. I got into a discussion with some about natives populations and it was something special. Not as bad as when I had that same conversation with someone from South Africa, though. To be honest, did you expect him to sing the praises of a fragile device that kinda works and might not last very long just because it was cheap? Usually what you see in that price range is stuff cobbled together out of whatever parts could be found that particular week. While it doesn't conform to proper engineering standards, it's honestly an engineering marvel because it actually works. Personally, I would kinda like to see a video where he takes one of these cheapo electronics and mods it out to be better than it was and see how much it would actually cost to make it decent. Especially, since he overall does seem impressed with this one.

[@mikeselectricstuff]

The 2 devices on the protection will be a control chip and a MOSFET switch.

[@WhitentonMike]

It really depends on the company that made it. I ended up with an MID unit. I contacted support and they wouldn't help me other than to say return it to the seller. I tore it apart. The back was screwed on under the front display glass. I found out why it wouldn't charge. The battery hadn't even been connected. Now I have a Toshiba Thrive. I love it! 5x the price but 100 times the quality.

[@CarlsTechShed]

Firmware was my first guess because all the tracks are going into the microcontroller but sometimes test points are added there also, simply to test that the microcontroller is functioning OK with the firmware that has been loaded.

[@EEVblog]

Yup, that's about how quick it was!

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Is it actually TFT or the cheaper TN/STN I wonder?

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Plenty of these under various names on Ebay UK for arounf £38 shipped!

[@DanaTheInsane]

Bought a gen 1 Paperwhite at a pawnshop $20 US. A used Kindle beats a no name unit any day.

[@TimothyKing1]

Regarding the power input listed on the back shell, wouldn't 1000MA mean a billion amps? Nice little typo there.

[@LazyBunnyKiera]

***** Well yeah, how else are you supposed to power the eBook's .txt format warp core?

[@portatras]

***** lol

[@robertbackhaus8911]

The termination resistors would have to remain when they switched displays, and they would work fine. The unpopulated pads would be for the backlight LEDs of the alternate panel. It could also be for a better (or worse!) LCD panel

[@greenbanana311]

I see that exact same battery in way too many contemporary consumer electronics, usually without any attached circuitry. 😒

[@MichalKobuszewski]

That HYM8563S looks like a clone of NXP's PCF8563, a I2C real time clock chip. It's like the well-known PCF8583, but without the extra NVRAM. The pinout looks similarly as well. Best wishes from Poland, Dave!

[@abpccpba]

Guitar picks work well. Come in many sizes and thickness.

[@CarlsTechShed]

Those six gold pads to the right of the main processor. Would they be test points or for flashing firmware?

[@JordyValentine]

I really miss Dickies, I could really use a good, cheap, local AUX cable right about now

[@TradieTrev]

ROFL for accepting my video response Dave, Cheers mate!

[@TheEXTRAtesco]

I'd love a segment like this, "Dave's cheep tear-downs" :D

[@EEVblog]

Dick Smith Electronics, commonly called "tricky dicks" here in Australia.

[@dsier]

Did a quick check on Aliexpress, $7 US with shipping to Sweden for the 4GB model.

[@Ts6451]

Well, the problem is mainly that such material tend to be formated for larger screens/hard copy of at least A4 size, and tend to contain a lot of drawings/diagrams/tables and placement critical text. This means that reading them on small displays and resolutions is often difficult and cumbersome, and the low power cpus can be a bit slow... I would suggest trying to get a small portable computer, it is more flexible, as you can use it as a field dev./programming system, not just as a reader

[@jonandse]

I'm curious about the second display connector. If it is used there would be terrible reflections from the stubs to the other connector, right? It also looks like the series termination resistors are close to the connector and not placed in the driver (rockchip) end? Any idea why?

[@MetalPhreakAU]

You have to hold the power button for ~5 seconds to turn it on/off. Plugging in USB turns it on, and it won't let you use it until its finished charging. They used to be $99 so clearly DSE is flogging off all their stock. For $30, you can't complain for a cheap media player & PDF viewer. No way you'd use it for eBook really. eInk all the way for that.

[@BaratheonBC]

curious to know if you could find out the brand and model of the TFT

[@ssj3gohan456]

Honestly, I think this hasn't even been designed from scratch. It looks extremely similar, if not completely equal, to the Rockchip 27xx media development board. Not sure where to find those anymore, but back in the time that I wasn't yet interested in electronics (2004-5 or so) these were pretty popular with hobbyists. Only thing they did with this device was doing a new board design, maybe some creative sourcing, but no real design effort has gone into it at all.

[@gamccoy]

I gotta say for $30, the device is good enough, if not superb. And you have to assume there was still room left over for profit.

[@user990077]

at 16.40 one can see a solder bridge between two pins. By design or defect?

[@jeannepindar5672]

+user990077 Hard to say, but if it's deliberate, that's a bad practice. The traces should be connected outside of the footprint to remove any ambiguity.

[@38911bytefree]

perhaps they are already conected beetwen a little trace and the little mask of this little track gone during soldering. Common to see shorts where they put track conecting two adjacent pins.

[@DC177E]

Where can I get an EEVblog approved/certified spudger?

[@ornotermes]

Well, how far can you actually throw the battery then?

[@KeenanTims]

Not bad at all for $30, better than expected for sure. Looks like you got a pretty good price! (maybe because of the colour?) DealExtreme has a similar looking one for more than 2x the price (sku 44051).

[@mccunecp]

I wonder if the lcd screan be good for anything

[@WhitentonMike]

I noticed the same thing. The RK2738 is bridged between pins 25 & 26. Whoops!

[@EEVblog]

Few would disagree!

[@Knight8365]

Hey Dave; I've found several of these on ebay which have the same keyboard/case layout. Then found some which are touchscreen also. Started poking around and found mympx.org which has a bit of general info and about firmware and how to flash etc.

[@sanches2]

Not bad at all for a $30 device. However the question - whether this class of devices should be created at all, still stands.

[@pyroslavx7922]

From Dicksmith? I didnt know such profession exists...

[@AntiProtonBoy]

That crystal leans precariously close to the resistor.

[@doodh_jalebi]

When I first heard that this thing was $30 only, the first thing which came into my mind was that there must be an arduino in there!

[@ivanv754]

7:40 "And you cannot see the display from a 45 degree angle" Wait, Dave that is a feature!!!

[@1stKwestionable]

Not too bad, and it's $530 something cheaper then my 16gb iPad air :c

[@doitaljosh]

Do you still got the ebook reader? If you do, could you be kind enough to send it to me?

[@MrSoundshark]

for that price id be interested in seeing if it could be rooted and linux or android installed maybe something like dsl distro

[@ItsJustMeMusic]

What’s the point about ebook reader with a tft display? Ebook reader is meant to be as close as real paper. Just use your phone.

[@r2w5]

how did you measure the quartz oscillator?

[@adamadamhoney]

bought one of these, all be it not purple. Has the same strange charging quirks and screen refresh / flicker fails.Only bought it for pdf schematics in the field. Not ideal lol!

[@CarTechGuy]

I think this is great for $30. I have used the e-ink kindles and they were slower than this.

[@mrstijntje]

Spotted a short between two pins around 16 minutes.

[@TopCat2021]

"One Hung Low" brand I love it ! Keep up the good work I love your videos. Dan

[@adisharr]

I have to say for $30, it's much better than I expected it would be. I half expect these to fail out of the box :-P

[@EEVblog]

I claims to be TFT at least.

[@md.mostafakhan4529]

The tft itself could cost double the price.

[@JLSoftware]

Where can I get a "Don't Turn it On..." t-shirt?

[@BeerTower]

that Mitsubishi DRAM was pretty amusing, seeing as they haven't made DRAM for about a decade now. another way they managed to get the cost down, i guess

[@TheXGamer969]

It didn't play h.264 files, it played low-res regular MPEG4.

[@cannnonfoddder]

That 'MiGear' logo looks awfully similar to the Metal Gear Solid logo.

[@jessiedover6561]

Recycled chips and parts in it but i have seen worse. I would say cheap labour would be behind the price break

[@MrKolnis]

It is worth paying $30 to use it for parts :D probably it would be hard to find a cheaper TFT of that size :D

[@TheScrappingJeahaha]

they used a HTC part for the power button, WTF?

[@ondraster]

I suppose one could make new "firmware" for it and make better use of it? :)

[@norm4242]

The packaging probably cost the best part of $1.

[@OhFishyFish]

It's basically a stripped-down tablet, not an ebook reader..

[@NetPatriot]

Looks to me its a budget device aimed at schoolchildren in poorer areas, possibly even in connection with some sponsored government educational project like OLPC.

[@BlackWolf1991]

5v @ 1000 Mega-Amps...you know, it's not just the battery I'm worried about.

[@BBC600]

@Fennec Fox $26.23 USD is the same as $30.00 AUD!

[@frac]

What's wrong with it? $30? Seems like you got good value. It worked, video looked fine. I've spent a lot more for a lot less.

[@liuwaiching9109]

I hope to get this thing on the street of Hong Kong. So far haven't managed to get it. Is a resident of the place.

[@williefleete]

most expensive thing on that would probably be the LCD

[@aptsys]

04:50 5 volts at 1000 mega amps!

[@ajmalghanty]

hey..why didn't you remove the pcb to expose the TFT? maybe you could do something with the panel right? ;) interface to a microcontroller or something like that nah? :P

[@powertechnologie]

Wow carl I am a subscriber to you and on your question I am sure gold pads are firmware flash pads but that is only a pure guess.

[@Daniel15au]

And it's still not fixed, 9 months later :P

[@ElectronicsPubVideos]

Well if I could find a black color one of this for less than 30 euros in europe I would buy it!

[@rod3067]

where can i get it in u.s?

[@IndustrialGoblin]

Mega charging for Mega battery!

[@nerdydev]

$30 that's actually prittiy impressive, wold make a good computer i recon