hybridfree/eevblog-posts huggingface dataset:
Reverse Engineering a IR Blaster - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: bizkits
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 12:01:43 pm
content: Hi everyone, recently I purchased a Type C IR Blaster (https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005006058268428.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2deu).It works on an Android with their application Ocrustar.However I want to make it work on a raspberry pi or microcontroller.I pried open the IR Blaster and in it I see a microcontroller WCH 552ED06. But I can't find any documentation on this chip.I did some research and think that it could be a chip which provides USB + IrDA (some kind of IR Specifications)?My next step is to somehow get hold of information on how to write codes to communicate with the chip on a computer.Anyone has any idea how/what I should search in order to start?*attached is the image of the IR blaster

author: zilp
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 12:52:11 pm
content: This is what you are looking for:https://www.wch-ic.com/products/CH552.html

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 01:01:46 pm
content: Quote from: bizkits on April 06, 2024, 12:01:43 pmJust use an IR LED and a simple one transistor driver.

author: bizkits
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 01:24:29 pm
content: Quote from: zilp on April 06, 2024, 12:52:11 pmThanks, but how do you know is this chip?

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 01:27:47 pm
content: Try decompiling the apk inhttps://www.decompiler.com/There's an interesting file:sources/com/esmart/ir/IROTG.javaAnd the functionsendIRDataToExternalDevice

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 01:28:00 pm
content: Quote from: bizkits on April 06, 2024, 01:24:29 pmBecause obvious marking.

author: bizkits
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 01:56:19 pm
content: Quote from: DavidAlfa on April 06, 2024, 01:27:47 pmThanks for taking a look at the apk.Yeah I was looking into that just now and saw that method too. Will try to figure out how to replicate it in maybe a simple app.

author: bizkits
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2024, 01:57:10 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on April 06, 2024, 01:28:00 pmAhhh 552 on the chip! How did I missed thatThanks for pointing that out

author: honeycat
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 24, 2024, 11:57:20 am
content: These might help
Reverse Engineering a LED Light Controller Circuit - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Borillion
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 10:20:15 pm
content: I am trying to reverse engineer the controller circuit for a LED Grow lamp that I use to grow aquarium algae as nutrient export.Unfortunately it has an unknown controller on it but since I can measure the pin state its not too big of an issue to figure out.On the input side it takes 5 volts from a USB cable for power, the usb power wall adapter it comes with is rated for 5v 4A; and on the output side there is what I would guess are dual voltages as the LED PCB's they connect to have red, blue and white LEDs.These shows how the controller functionsPCB ImagesTopBottom (Mirrored)Overlay attemptMeasuring Voltages I see that each LED Array that is lit corresponds to L1, L2 or L3 are connected to ground through Q1 and Q2Blue Array => Black (Vcc) & Red (L2) GNDRed Array => Black (Vcc) & Green (L3) GNDWhite Array => Black (Vcc) & White (L1)Blue & Red Arrays => Black (Vcc) & Green (L3) & Red (L2)I was hoping others would be willing to act as a sanity check, as I work through this?I am trying to figure out the connections to and around Q4 and I am a bit confused as to what I am seeing.Do others of you map this out the same way?Thanks!
Reverse engineering a Mascot 7416 Power Supply - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: LaryPant
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2020, 10:25:54 pm
content: (See attachments for schematic and pictures.)Hello there,I found a dirt cheap - for Denmark - Mascot 7416 power supply in the local used market and I went ahead and bought it with the idea of reusing the chassis, heatsink and transformer to build myself a better power supply.But before doing so, I wanted to reverse engineer the circuit for fun and academia and this is the story of doing that.The Mascot 7416 features an output voltage of 8-16 Volts at a current of 1.6 Ampere, but after a quick test comparing it to a reference LM317 design it turned out to perform quite terrible - there was a lot of ripple on the output. The front panel of the power supply is also pretty useless. There are no banana plugs or similar, but simply two wires coming out of the front.

author: rust_collector
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 03:32:30 am
content: Just for fun, here is the front of an older 7416.Back then, it was called a battery eliminator, which I guess explain the wires.Most of these I have seen, are running small transistor radios, in old peoples kitchens.

author: LaryPant
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 07, 2020, 07:33:26 pm
content: Quote from: rust_collector on December 06, 2020, 03:32:30 amAhh, that makes perfect sense!This is not a lab power supply but simply a battery substitute for common appliances around the house, thank you for pointing this out!It is interesting how they did not include the little label indicating which is the positive wire on your older front panel. This must have caused some amount of confusion, especially if these were to be used by non technical people.For those of you who do not speak a Scandinavian language or did not notice this:On the front panel of the newer version there is a little label with the text "BLÅ: PLUSS" which is Norwegian for "Blue: Plus". Mascot is from Norway.Lary

author: rust_collector
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 10, 2020, 08:18:42 pm
content: mascot did make a "lab supply" which was called 719, I do not think they have the greatest reputation, but I do like how they look.
Reverse Engineering a NAND Flash Device Management Algorithm - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2014, 12:23:26 pm
content: An interesting article posted here:http://joshuawise.com/projects/ndfslaveand some commentary here:https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8133450I knew flash technology was getting fairly flakey, but hadn't realized quite how flakey.Makes me want to go back to cutting notches in sticks.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2014, 12:40:26 am
content: Bring back bubble memory.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2014, 04:13:52 am
content: Even worse than being flaky, they have gotten into the habit of storing firmware on NAND flash which results in failure after some short number of years if the firmware image is not refreshed periodically.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2014, 05:08:47 am
content: flash stinks. rotating platters with magnecules are much much better

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2014, 04:38:44 pm
content: At least with rotating media you get audible indication of failure. Click,........, click, ........, click or just an ominous silence instead of a comforting spin up.I remember the old drives where you had to send a SCSI start up command, and then you heard a relay close and the drive slowly ran up to speed, then a clunk of a head load solenoid and a shuffle of the heads across the platters. Giant brown coated platters and a capacity measured in megabytes.

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2014, 07:01:56 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on August 06, 2014, 04:38:44 pmI remember that...I even recorded it to ask a question somewhere about what it means:http://www.rumaxclub.ru/etc/hdddeath.mp3Turn the sound up to hear it.Scary.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2014, 07:54:44 pm
content: Maxtor drive right.............

author: Mr.B
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 06, 2014, 08:39:07 pm
content: Sounds more like a Briggs & Stratton than a Seagate…

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2014, 04:45:33 am
content: Breaks and Struggles at least can be started with a shot of quick start and an electric drill to turn it over, and then mostly will run if held flat out.I only fixed a few dead HDD units enough to get data off when they were sub 80G, using a donor board from another drive ( cheesed user that I took her computer away for a day when it was the winner of the firmware rev number), but the bigger ones are not working, thanks to FE and his designs.
Reverse Engineering a Proprietary SATA connector - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: sajattack
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 04:57:25 am
content: Hello everyone. I have a modern Lenovo Thinkpad (P50) which has a non-standard, proprietary SATA connector, pictured below. You can see it has quite a few pins, more than one would expect from SATA. To buy an adapter cable from Lenovo costs $22. For a f*cking SATA cable!!I've been interested in reverse engineering for a while now so I thought this might be my chance to get started with a relatively simple project. So far, all I've been able to find is a voltage difference of 0.05V between some of the pins. This connector is both power and data (should have 3.3v to 5v) so I'm guessing it has some kind of sleep mode? I'm a total beginner here. How should I proceed to reverse the pinout? I have a bus pirate v3.6a which I was hoping to use for this project.https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/accessories-and-monitors/memory-and-storage/storage/HDD-BO-ThinkPad-Storage-Kit/p/4XB0L63274

author: sajattack
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 05:06:05 am
content: I have an NVMe drive but it's only 250GB. I need a little more room.

author: sajattack
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 06:36:27 am
content: How would you recommend I probe something this small?

author: sajattack
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 07:29:03 am
content: I mean how would I make a connector?

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 08:37:26 am
content: IMHO you will loose less money (in time spent) if you buy the original $22 adapter...

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 10:36:16 am
content: So just to summarize...- You don't know the pinout- You don't have the equipment to probe it and identify the signals- You don't have a matching connector...- If you get it wrong, you will probably blow the Thinkpad interface.Buy the cable.Edit: From the photo, you already look to be making quite a mess of it.

author: Twoflower
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2018, 11:17:42 am
content: Gyro is right. From the picture I would say you don't need the cable any more. The connector is probably damaged beyond repair. These high speed connectors are extremely fragile. Never probe anything on the connectors itself. Only on the solder pads. The third from the right for example looks very damaged.I would wonder if the connector in the current state can be trusted at all. Even if the drive seems to work. Any thermal or mechanical stress (vibration) could cause trouble and might lead to data loss (including all data not just one file).
Reverse engineering a SFP transceiver - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: ali_asadzadeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2019, 06:35:50 am
content: Hi,Today I got my hands on a SFP transceiver, they are very niceI wonder what's inside them and how they are built! give me hints to open it with less destruction, I will share everything in here,I think the main problem with these things is to figure out the laser and the receiver, maybe the rest is easy to figure out.My chinese friends, your input and help in here to find the parts in here or find chinese manufacturers would be highly appreciated

author: hamster_nz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2019, 06:47:51 am
content: Oh, a long wave one. Strongly recommend you don't power it up.You won't see anything (it has an infrared laser) , but has plenty of potential to cause damage to your retinas.

author: ali_asadzadeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2019, 07:56:47 am
content: My intention is to, Do not turn it on, take it apart

author: ali_asadzadeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2019, 11:09:26 am
content: I have opened it upOn one of the Diodes it's a paper with this numbers L9E7U3109the other one with the can on top of it, it has nothing, any Idea about the Laser and receiver part number and prices? who makes them and who is the chinese manufacturer?

author: ali_asadzadeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 19, 2019, 01:43:45 pm
content: Guys do you have any info on the laser and the receiver? who will make them in china? or other places?

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 19, 2019, 05:35:23 pm
content: This will use a directly modulated VCSEL laser and a simple PIN diode receiver, there is nothing very exciting here. The 10Gbit modules use either an eletro absorption or mach-zehnder modulator and may also use an APD receiver depending on reach.VCSELs are very cheap as a bare chip so they might assemble their own laser package. You can buy 1310nm lasers like this with receptacle or pigtail from Alibaba etc. they are not expensive. Even the full SFP or XFP modules from China are very cheap.

author: ali_asadzadeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2019, 06:44:56 am
content: QuoteThanks mikerj, Do you know any specific manufacturer that I can buy in volumes from them, we need to design a custom design solution for our needs, so I need to build it and mass produce it for our needs.
Reverse engineering a simple motorized cat toy - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: gsgx
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2023, 09:09:32 pm
content: I took apart this cat toy recently as my cats didn't really like it and I wanted to take a look inside:https://smartykat.com/products/twirly-top-electronic-cat-toy/.Inside was a very simple circuit board (images attached) which controlled a toy brushed DC motor. When the power button for the toy is pressed, the motor turns for a second or two, causing the toy to roll in one direction and then stop, then after a short pause the motor starts turning again (I forget if the direction always switches back and forth or if it's random each time). It automatically turns off after a few minutes.I attempted to reverse engineer how it works with just a multimeter, see the attached schematic. The problem is that I don't see any markings on either the U1 or U2 chip. I took a look under a microscope and still couldn't make anything out. There's nothing I can do to determine what chips they are other than use a logic analyzer/oscilloscope and find a datasheet that seems to match what I'm seeing, right?My guess would be U1 is some type of microcontroller controlling the motor timing, when it detects a signal on pin 2 it starts outputting on pins 5 and 6 and different intervals to control U2. I'm as sure about U2 though, it gets input on pins 2 and 3 and drives the motor with pins 5 and 8. I'm not sure if pin 4 is some enable/reset type pin, I've never seen pins like that connected with a 2.2 ohm resistor.Does anyone know what this U2 chip could be? Is it some amplifier IC or a motor driver IC? Even if I can't find the exact chip, if I can find a chip in the same package that can do the same thing, that would help me better understand what's going on and potentially make some improvements to the board.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2023, 02:02:47 am
content: U2 looks like an H-bridge. Guessing that R1 is used when braking the motor, suggesting it would move in the same direction each time. Or it just spins a little slower in one direction. U1 is absolutely a microcontroller. People still say "why use a microcontroller when you could use a 555...", but this is why: all of the timing and operational logic and h-bridge control logic in one chip.

author: gsgx
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2023, 02:12:06 am
content: Thanks! I had literally just came across the DRV8871, which I think seems to match U2:https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/drv8871.pdf

author: gsgx
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2023, 02:21:45 am
content: Oops, it's not exactly a drop in replacement. Pin 1 is GND for the DRV8871, not VCC. But it's pretty close, so I get the idea of what's going on.
Reverse-Engineering a Switch Lite Boardview at 6,000 Pixels Per Inch - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: μSoldering
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 19, 2024, 12:59:07 am
content: Electrical engineers and other friends, I recently completed a project to turn finished PCBA's into boardviews with accompanying boardscans you can read about here:https://usoldering.com/switch-lite/. Aside from being a less stressful side-job, I'd like the project to serve as a foundation for other reverse/electrical engineers to build additional interesting content off of. Basically, in the off-chance someone did want to start decapping dies or build a schematic, I'd to (within reason) make their lives easier. I plan on including LCR data from the chip components, and I did get some feedback about impedance measurements for LCD data lines, but is there any other suggestions or feedback from the electrical engineering perspective that I can incorporate? Thanks.
Reverse engineering a thermal sensor - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: drakejest
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2021, 10:08:01 am
content: I would like to use this sensor salvaged from a thermal camera to be used with an arduino.Here is its back viewI have also went ahead and did continuity check on all components to figure out the schematicsIR sensor part is pretty easy to understand, what is the difficult part is how to get a reading on the main thermal sensor in the middle. It does have labels but do not understand them, does anyone have experience using a simillar sensor (no part number sadly to look into the datasheet.)Here is my take on the pie.SoPin 1: it looks like a gate pin for an NMOS used for turning the IR led ON or OFFPin 2: look to be the signal pin for the reciever si i guess i should connect this to an analog pin of an arduinoPin 3: look to be the power supply of the reciever, reading the voltage from its original board its 3.3v. So i should also supply it with 3.3 voltsPin 4, 5, 9, 10: dont know how to connect thesePin 6, 7, 8: Gnd pin

author: JJalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 13, 2021, 11:42:59 am
content: It's a thermopile.This is a datasheet of a random thermopile with (what looks like) the same pinouthttps://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0672/9409/files/ZTP-135SR-datasheet.pdf?v=1591981796BR Jonas

author: drakejest
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2021, 11:54:14 am
content: Quote from: JJalling on December 13, 2021, 11:42:59 amSo its 2 sensors in 1 package? how do i extrapolate the temperature using those? i do see a resistance table from the sample datasheet, but how exactly im going to use both of those sensors? just ready the resistance of the thermistor and thats it?
Reverse engineering an ebay headphone amplifier - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: riktw
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2016, 08:44:25 am
content: Hello everyoneA while ago I bought an headphone amplifier DIY kit on Ebay, as I had some issues with it I ended up reverse engineering it as I didn't get a schematic.I posted it on my blog:http://justanotherelectronicsblog.com/?p=166and though it might be of interest for people here.Rik

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2016, 09:05:39 am
content: Pretty shitty them not supplying schematic or even a parts list. Even fully built devices from china often come with a parts list.Prolly too late to leave bad feedback? Kit is only good for practicing your soldering. Not for learning electronics, IMO.

author: riktw
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2016, 10:12:00 am
content: After 3 weeks of emailing they did supply me with a schematic. Or at least they tried.But they emailed me a schematic for a different product :|By then I gave up on emailing as I already reverse engineered the schematic.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2016, 10:18:13 am
content: Similar to the Audiophool amplifier Dave took apart recently in the amplifier section and the power supply side, one copies and does a change from the other.

author: batteksystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2016, 01:18:12 am
content: Quote from: riktw on March 27, 2016, 10:12:00 amPretty typical, I think one sad thing is 99% of those Chinese sellers do not have an idea what they are selling. On the other hands, they sell pretty much everything.
Reverse engineering analog IC - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: stfsux
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2015, 09:05:31 pm
content: Hi,I'm currently trying to reverse the NE556 from thatpictureand I don't understand some layout design.Here is a simple npn transistor that I identified:And this one looks pretty weird for me.If this is npn bjt what a hell is that middle red zone? p+ doped or what?
Identify microcontroller for reverse engineering cheap robot servo - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: ITman496
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2018, 01:08:18 am
content: Hello! I want to make a cool hexapod robot, and I found these actually pretty decent, but more importantly CHEAP serial bus servos on amazon. They are Lewansoul LX-16A servos.http://www.lewansoul.com/product/detail-146.htmlThey have all metal gears, a continuous and angle mode, decent torque at 17kg/cm at 7.4V, you can daisychain them on a serial bus like dynamixel servos and have up to 253 of them. I think it uses the same protocol as them, actually. You can even read motor temperature and current angle back over the serial link! All this for 14.99USD!There are a few downsides, though. The motor is apparently a little overvolted, so if you run it at 7.4 and at max load for long, you're going to fry it. But its a common size, and replacements of a suitable voltage rating can be had for only a dollar or two. I don't plan on maxing them out too badly, and I will run them at a little less voltage.Something really nice is the 3D cad reference they come with appears to be the same one they use to make the servo, as it contains all the gears and internal shafts, the pcb and its mounts, the potentiometer, motor, bearings.. etc. I've never seen that provided as a cad ref before.This brings me to what I want to do. I want to try to see if its possible to add some features to this little servo, like PID control. Right now it appears to have a very basic control loop, with some overshoot if you move fast.I can not identify the microcontroller, and before I design my own drop in replacement PCB, I'd love to see if it was possible to just reflash the firmware on board. I have pulled this number from the top of the cpu, and this is what it looks like:HL 004642GB2634B071ARMSo does anyone know where I can start trying to do this? I admit I have very little experience with microcontrollers outside of the arduino compatible atmega realm..

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2018, 05:57:33 am
content: Quick Google shows it's likely to be aNuvoton MINI54ZDE. Appropriately enough, also found in drone control boards.

author: ITman496
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2018, 08:47:11 am
content: Interesting! It appears that this might be the same Mini54 chip that the older version of the Teensy series used?A quick google does not show any native support for this chip with the Arduino ecosystem so in terms of reprogramming this with my current skill set, I may be out of luck.

author: neutronstar
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 16, 2021, 09:00:43 am
content: Hey, did you ever get a PID control loop working with these motors? (inside the motor or outside) I'm working on a project with these same ones and PID control would be awesome!
Reverse Engineering Circuit Boards with White Soldermask - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: electronupdate
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 16, 2016, 03:48:27 am
content: Recently I was looking at a circuit board with white solder mask (extracted from an LED light bulb). The trouble with white (and black) solder masks is that they are opaque which complicates circuit tracing. The green solder masks are somewhat transparent.... but these white and black ones really hide the traces.One technique I have been having quite a bit of success with is using the free general purpose photo editing program called "GIMP". Their is a subtle difference in color of the solder mask over a trace which can be accentuated using the color --> curves function in the program.Video here which shows how details can be teased out of a photo:http://youtu.be/y3gf2DHwzhY
Reverse engineering constant current supply of LED lights - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: drakejest
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2021, 08:42:57 am
content: A blackout happened in my are and when the power came back there was a brief period where the lights flickered and suddenly i have 5 LED lights that are not working anymore. I inspected the power supply and 3 of them have a blown capacitor and 1 have a MB10S ic legs were totally melted, and 1 is not so obvious. Since i have a project where i need to buy part from LCSC i might as well get all parts used in this power supply so i dont have to order new ones.The power supply are very cheaply made from the looks of itI have already removed the blown capacitor on the image above (right side of the first image)and i have already tried to reverse engineer the circuit but i do not know if its correct as something does not makes any senseResistors are unlikely to be burnt, but just in case i have ordered them, same with both electrolytic even upgraded them to nichicon branded ones, I have also ordered MB10S from diodes incorporated (not the chinese brands ic). The 7 pin IC though is i could not find what are they, does anyone know what they are? because i assume they have a high chance of being burnt.Another weird thing is the transformer(>?) it looks like one but it seems to be used as an inductor. there is only 1 coil , it has 4 pins though but they 2 are shorted to each other.(apologies for the overly large pictures i dont know how to shrink them)

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2021, 12:22:33 am
content: It's a non-isolated buck regulator.This should be the company that makes it, although they don't list the 9506 there:http://www.sdsemi.com/products/Here is perhaps a more exhaustive list that does include the 9506:http://www.dianyuan.com/upload/community/2018/08/13/1534155267-24200.pdf

author: Terry Bites
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2021, 03:09:57 pm
content: https://how-to.fandom.com/wiki/How_to_identify_integrated_circuit_(chip)_manufacturers_by_their_logosSee if you can find the logo here.
Reverse engineering Fluke Linkrunner Wiremap - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: silversthlm
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 09:27:56 pm
content: Hi,I have an older Fluke Linkrunner the problem is that the Wiremap adapter is no longer for sale and i need one.On the unit itself there is a port named MAP, i think its probably a "Wiremap" circuit in there.If i want to check cables for open leads i can plug one end into the "LAN" port and the other into "MAP".The Linkrunner then shows me if the cable is ok, if not it shows me which leads are open for example.Now i want to measure between a rj-45 socket and another, so i need the Wiremap adapter to plug into one end.I opened the Linkrunner unit and im currently trying to reverse engineer the circuit.The resistors was quite easy to figure out the values of since they are marked.But then i have 4 black SMD componets which are marked “U” = unknown on my schematic.At first i thought they where diodes, but i tried measure them with my DMM and it shows no voltage drop in diode mode.If i measure resistance over them i get some values, probably because there are other stuff in parallel.How can i figure out what they are without removing them?Are my schematic looking ok?

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 10:20:56 pm
content: Welcome to the forum, in future perhaps you could use the search feature prior to posting as there are many subjects that have more than likely been discussed previously or you might find an existing thread which is still open for further discussion.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/reverse-engineering-the-fluke-wireview-identifiers/

author: silversthlm
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 10:25:25 pm
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on January 18, 2017, 10:20:56 pmHi i have seen that thread but because this is not the exact model from what i can see, i decided to make a new thread to not confuse.The circuit is similar but not the same

author: turbotim
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 29, 2017, 05:24:48 pm
content: Quote from: silversthlm on January 18, 2017, 09:27:56 pmIf you're still interested, I happen to have a "LinkRunner Wiremap" bought in error for my Link Runner AT 1000 (not recognised by it, I need the "Wireview" cable ID's.
Reverse engineering JDSU network identifiers. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: monkey_magic
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2025, 12:27:45 pm
content: I’ve seen a similar topic in here on the Fluke wiremap IDs, so I guess this is the best place to post this.Mine is a similar story – I have several of the JDSU /Test-um/Blackbox Lanscaper/Lanroamer network testers, which come with an optional kit of 8 ID remotes.They are good testers but sadly long discontinued and the remotes seldom come up for sale here, and are expensive when they do.This is an example of the kit:I’d like to try and make a set of remotes, but I only have #1 ID to go off.I’ve sketched out the schematic, and included some pictures – there seems to be very little to it and I assume the ID is determined by the value of the resistors.I’m unsure of the significance, if any, of the difference between the 5DY and 5DX diodes? – as far as I can see these are SOT-23 packages, but haven’t found much else on them.I was thinking of trying to re-create the design in discrete components and see if it correctly registers the ID, and then swap different resistor values, or use some pots to figure out the missing IDs.Obviously the ideal solution would be to find somebody who has a set who could check, but that seems unlikely.I do know somebody with some, but they are not local and not that easy to open up, so I can’t really ask them to do that.I don’t believe there is any easy way to determine the values externally.I’d be grateful for any advice or tips.

author: jwet
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2025, 02:43:55 pm
content: That's a pretty good puzzle- you have the main unit and one gadget. If you ignore the shield for a bit, you just have a unique series R with diode on each standard pair location. Can they be rented borrowed or somehow accessed. You could make up a tester with an arduino that could energize a port pin and bring back the line to resistor that went to the ADC. Your arduino software could account for the diode drop etc. You could feed each wire with a 1K resistor from a port pin and then take the other end to a 10k R that goes to the ADC. You'd get the raw values and then do some algebra.If you're not into micros, you could do the same with a cable that has a 1k on the feedpoints and a 10K or so on the returns. Measure the voltages on the 10K's with a DMM and do the math in a spreadsheet. Maybe you could make this lash up and send it to your friend with a 6 pack of good beer. It would only take a few minutes to go through a set and record the values.Good luck.
Reverse engineering LED and phototransistor - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Medo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2013, 08:14:02 pm
content: Hi,Anyone has idea how to figure out which LED and photo-transistor are used on unknown PCB?I am trying to reverse engineer one circuit and I am kinda stuck. I know that LED is IR (ok, I assume that) because I see no visible light while it works but I have no idea at what length does it emit.And no, I don't have any special opto-equipment.PS: Circuit in question is Agilent's IR transmitter, U1173A.

author: envisionelec
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2013, 04:56:10 am
content: You don't need special optical equipment. Just use a CCD or CMOS element camera such as a cell phone or digicam.
reverse engineering: MC2 LED toy purse - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2019, 02:16:54 am
content: Big Clive recently did a video about a toy purse that has a RGB LED panel that can easily be reused.What I wondered about is rather than reusing just the panel, maybe the controller can be reused as well. So I attached a logic analyzer to the I/O lines going into the mystery blob chip and captured some waveforms. I didn't go much further since the controller appears to be very limited, but maybe someone would like to take a look at the waveforms anyways.
Reverse engineering modulated audio data - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: holozip
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 12:43:38 pm
content: Hi folks,I have an OSD unit onboard a model aircraft, which monitors battery life, speed, heading, altitude etc - and then overlays the results on top of a live video feed. It also modulates a data stream onto the audio channel, making the data available to accessories such as antenna trackers, or an iPhone app that plots the location on a map.I'd like to reverse engineer the audio and use the data stream for use in my own projects, but I know very little about how to identify the encoding scheme.Here is an example of the audio I found on youtube:I've tried running the audio through the various modes available in sdr-radio without any success.Can anyone help point me in the right direction?

author: philpem
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2014, 02:35:55 am
content: It's probably something simple like FSK or 2PSK, but you'd need an uncompressed sample of the audio to confirm that. Trying to work from the compressed audio in a Youtube video would be a fairly difficult feat...
Reverse engineering of LCD driver die - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Leonhard Bandilla
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2020, 12:26:17 pm
content: Hello,I have a project where I have to reverse engineer a PHR803-T laser pickup head from a HD-DVD (predecessor of Blu-ray). I have basicly everything I need, but there is still a small 12 segment LCD in the path of the laser that they use for some kind of optical aberration correction. It has a small piece of silicon on the flex PCB that takes the twelve signals from the LCD and somehow processes them and it puts out what I think are 4 data lines (maybe SPI) and PWR and GND. While reverseingineering it came loose as it wasn't soldered but directly bonded to the flex PCB. It took a look at it under the microscope and I have made some photos using a camera I just held to the eyepiece of the microscope. There are a lot of identical elements and what I think is a OTP, so maybe it is a PLD? I would really like to know more about this IC, maybe someone has experience in this or can help me analyze it. I think if I want to get even more information, I'll have to get a HD-DVD player with the pickup, but maybe someone can get some informations out of this photo. I have more photos, but this one is the best of them.
reverse engineering old chip on glass lcd display - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: menash
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2018, 08:53:08 pm
content: Hi everyone!I have an old lcd display laying around that i try to reuse it (pictures attaced). I have no idea from which device i took it..my goal is to drive it with arduino uno.so what i know:-there is sticker with the text "7127FFA" on the back of the screen - found nothing in google.-in the glass (almost impossible to see) i found "NCOG39" writen into the glass - again nothing in google.-let's number the pin from 1 to 8 when the pin near the red dots is pin number 8. I tried to do some measurments on diod mode, and i found that if choose pin 3 as ground and and run with the positive prob on the other pins, i get those results:pin 1: 0.62vpin 2: 0.6vpin 4: 0.78vpin 5 to 8: 0.8valso if i connect the positive prob to pin to and again run on the other pins i get:pin 3: 0.61vpin 4: 0.69vpin 5 to 8: 0.71vany other combination that i tried - read nothing.do you have any idea how can i identify the pins?thanks!

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2018, 05:27:31 pm
content: A bit of googling for “cog lcd 8 pin interface”, in the image results, showed an eerily similar one on this page:http://www.instructables.com/id/Salvaging-Liquid-Crystal-Displays-LCDs/And it has a pinout. Give that a try.
reverse engineering old chip on glass lcd display - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: menash
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2018, 08:36:22 pm
content: **that uploaded by mistake for some reason it doesn't let me remove it**Hi everyone!I have n old lcd display laying around that i try to reuse it. I have no idea from which device i took it..so what i know:-there is sticker with the text "7127FFA" on the back of the screen - found nothing in google.-in the glass (almost impossible to see) i found "NCOG39" writen intothe glass - again nothing in google.-let's number the pin from 1 to 8 when the pin near the red dots is pin number 8. I tried to do some measurments on diod mode, and i found that if choose pin 3 as ground and and run with the positive prob o the other pin i get those results:pin 1: 0.62vpin 2:pin 4:pin 5 to 8:
Reverse Engineering Old Serial GamePad and JoyStick - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: devinmcelheran
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 11, 2017, 05:23:32 pm
content: So, a while back, I came into possession of an early 90s serial gamepad and joystick. I was wondering if it would be reasonably easy to reverse engineer the outputs in order to work with my Arduino or whatever else I decide to connect it do? Would something like this require a full serial connection completely with a protocol, or could I splice some wires and grab the output directly?Thanks.

author: NottheDan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2017, 10:33:02 pm
content: Serial joystick? Never heard of such a thing. Are you sure you are not mistaking the Atari joystick port connector for a serial one?

author: sentry7
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2017, 11:33:58 pm
content: Quote from: NottheDan on February 11, 2017, 10:33:02 pmActually, the NES controller was a simple piso shift register. It was a fascinating design, really.@devinmcelheran,If there is a manufacturer or other info, I would search for a schematic. If you have a scope, you could also monitor the output and press some buttons/controls and see what's mapped to what. Just a rough idea.
Reverse engineering RF RC Wall Socket... dodgy way to switch relay? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: formatc1702
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 20, 2019, 08:04:47 pm
content: After years of watching the EEVblog, finally posting for the first time!BackstoryI got myself some cheap RF (433 MHz) wall plugs/socketslike these, to switch some lamps in my living room.One of the applications does not require switching mains voltage, just a TTL high/low signal.To be able to control this from the same remote (supports 4 addressable receivers), I am taking one of the receivers apart, reverse engineering the schematic, tapping the IC's output pin that switches the relay, and removing the mains plug since I'll be powering it from a 5V supply anyway, together with the electronics to be controlled.The findingsYou can see the PCB and my reverse engineered schematic here:https://imgur.com/a/xEXbE66.Fairly simple stuff. What was new for me (Mech.Eng. by training, electronics hobbyist) was to see the arrangement of two Zener diodes in series to generate the separate 5V for the electronics (5.1V zener Z1, between VDD and VSS), and the 24V for the switching relay (23.5V zener Z2, between VSS and V-).If I traced/measured correctly, the relay is switched off by essentially SHORTING Z2 across Q2 (Vss to V-) and relying on R4 (200 Ohm, the only low voltage THT resistor on the board) to dissipate the excess power?Did I reverse engineer this correctly? If so, is this technique a common thing? If not, where did I go wrong? Also, what's the purpose of D5 near Q1? (Mistake in the drawing: anode of D5 goes to VDD, not VSS)Note: In my case, I will directly apply 5V between VDD and VSS, so Z2 will remain unpowered and no current will flow through R4, either. However, I am still curious about the original intent behind the design.Thanks in advance!

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2019, 05:28:13 am
content: I did not look at the schematic (please attach the images here instead), but if it is based on a capacitive/resistive dropper then shunting the output to switch off the relay is normal because those supplies are essentially constant-current sources and always need a load to prevent their output voltage from rising up to the mains.

author: formatc1702
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 21, 2019, 08:45:46 am
content: Thanks! The keyword "capacitive/resistive dropper" was a new one for me.I found anapp notethat explains it nicely and even includes an example with multiple stacked zeners as in my case.Still not quite sure about the roles of R4 and D5, however... any hints?Why is Q1's emitter connected to VDD (via D5) *and* V+ (via R9)?I have attached the images below as well.
Reverse engineering Sanyo Denki PMSM servo amplifier - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: MrWifiHifi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2024, 05:02:33 pm
content: HelloA while ago, I got to a decommissioned servo amplifier for a synchronous motor (PMSM). I am very interested in the solution, since it is solved analogically. But the problem is that most of the ICs are hybrids from Sanyo. So far, I haven't been able to get enough of at least the block diagram of the individual circuits or the datasheets. Could someone advise me where they would sit and if they could be obtained? It would help me a lot, as I am interested in electric drives and would like to understand how this driver for PMSM worked. At the moment, I have no idea what type of control could have been used there (scalar or vector control), as it was a converter for 3 pieces of PMSM for moving the X, Y and Z axis on the CNC mill.The mentioned circuits have the designations:SH2006C - gate driverSH2004BSH2035SH3035SH2016SH3050SH2018SH2001BSH2020SH2021BSH3013SH2015BSH2014BSH3021BSH2012BI will be very grateful for any useful information. Thank you very much in advance.
Reverse Engineering SPI tools - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: margce
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 17, 2021, 12:13:26 pm
content: Hi all! My first post here after reading for a long time! Hope you can help me with the following questions.I'm in the process of reverse engineering a SPI communication between two devices, note this is my first time attempting such thing. At the moment I'm using a Saleae 8 Pro to capture streams of data, I save those dumps in CSV format and then run them through a C parser app I wrote from which I get something like this as a result:- MOSI and MISO data in Hex format.FRAME, MOSI, , MISO1, 00 00 3F C6 , , 00 00 00 002, 08 10 80 22 , , 08 00 BF D83, 00 00 00 00 , , 00 00 3F C64, 08 00 BF D8 , , 08 00 80 125, B8 01 06 26 , , 00 00 00 006, 09 10 80 2A , , 08 00 86 2A7, 00 00 05 14 , , B8 01 06 268, 0A 00 86 3A , , 09 00 85 2E9, 00 00 00 00 , , 00 00 05 1410, 08 00 85 26 , , 0A 00 80 22I've been able to detect certain patterns and decoded some commands but I can see this taking a lot of time. So I'm wondering if there any tools which can take data as input and identify and highlight patterns I haven't found.After a quick google search I ended up on papers about using deep learning to achieve such thing, would that be the best option? Any thoughts? Should I just keep doing it "by hand"?Thanks!Martin

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2021, 02:26:56 pm
content: SPI is just shift registers, talking about a "protocol" makes no sense. It's not like serial where you have X-on/X-off flow control etc.And what you're seeing on the lines 100% dependent on the devices attached, the topology (large ring, star with chip selects or mixed), register length etc.SPI bus analysis is a pure hardware job. Might be useful for production testing, though.
Reverse engineering the Electronic Sackbut - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Deactivated-1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 27, 2022, 12:50:26 am
content: I need some help with trying to reverse engineer the electronic sackbut prototype, I can't find almost any pictures on it.I only found 2 high res pictures. one was ideal, which was a shot of the whole circuit inside the unit. another one was of a 3 tube module which it's barely useful because of how low the F-stop was set on the camera.then there's another slightly lower res picture I found on a twitter post, was of the top cover of the unit, shows some components clearly.lastly I got 2 low res pictures, basically useless, only shows that one tube is gone to airI also found 2 videos, one was of a guy turning it on, saying how they're gonna document everything, imo he didn't have a clue what he was doing but besides that there hasn't been any updates for years since that video. and another was about vanilla ice talking about it out of all people, which had some pictures in it that I haven't found anywhere else.so does anyone have any other good pictures of it?or any documentation, it seems that the 3 tube unit I saw had some 12AU7-esc tubes, seeing from the pin configuration (12 volt heater wiring, and pins 1 and 6 for the plate), and the plate structure looks like an 12AU one
Reverse polarity protection with MOSFET and what about ESD - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Pluscrafter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2018, 06:10:06 pm
content: I want to build my own flightcontroller and want to protect the power input from reverse polarity(two ESC's release their smoke). But there is there a problem with ESD when you mount the Mosfets "naked" and is a Zener diode enought for protect the Gate ?

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2018, 10:49:01 pm
content: Yes, usually a resistor and zener is added to the standard circuit to provide gate voltage limiting. A TVS on the outside protects generally against ESD and surge.Tim