EEVblog

By David L. JonesTechnology Education

EEVblog episodes

September 28 EEVblog 1774 – PayPal Here Part 2 – Security Boogaloo
Part 2 of the PayPal Here teardown, because everyone wanted to know what was under the anti-tamper security mesh, so lets take a look.
Datasheet: https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/IMX25CEC.pdf
00:00 – We return to the PayPal Here POS terminal teardown
04:11 – They want to stop Skimming hacks, it’s not just the keys
07:39 – Removing the keypad security mesh + a SURPRISE!
11:31 – On-die physical security
12:09 – Removing the card reader security anti-tamper mesh
13:36 – Speculating on hacking this POS terminal
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1773-paypal-here-pos-terminal-teardown/
18 min
September 28 EEVblog 1773 – PayPal Here POS Terminal TEARDOWN
Teardown of the now obsoleted PayPal Here POS Payment terminal.
00:00 – PayPal Here POS payment terminal
03:56 – Teardown
05:10 – Case security clips
06:31 – Battery
08:02 – Security tamper mesh
10:43 – POS Terminal companies and my job at KeyCorp
12:14 – Bye Bye secure keys
14:24 – Battery removal
16:29 – i.MX258 Secure ARM processor
Links:
https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/data-sheet/IMX25CEC.pdf
https://listings.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/pci_pts_poi_sr.pdf
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1773-paypal-here-pos-terminal-teardown/
19 min
September 15 EEVblog 1772 – OpAmp Exam Question 2: Complex Electric Boogaloo
A follow-up to the previous video showing the complex AC impedance answer to the OpAmp exam question.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDEGqme5Z4g
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/how-to-analyze-the-opamp-circuit/
OpAmp playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvOlSehNtuHu2FviAaZaiyXwN41G4b1Lf
15 min
September 15 EEVblog 1771 – A Tricky OpAmp Exam Question
Dave answers an exam question on OpAmps that’s interestingly tricky. Bonus opamp tutorial on biasing.
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33rS0oLULqw
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/how-to-analyze-the-opamp-circuit/
OpAmp playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvOlSehNtuHu2FviAaZaiyXwN41G4b1Lf
00:00 – A tricky exam question
01:45 – What’s missing?
03:11 – The two most important Opamp rules
04:44 – THINK about what sort of exam you are in BEFORE answering the question
07:04 – Capacitive reactance “AC resistance”
08:53 – They want you to use frequency, but also IGNORE it? How does that work?
10:21 – When it doubt, assume a short circuit
10:59 – Solving the first part of the question
12:20 – The 2nd rule of AC circuit analysis
13:33 – Solving the second part of the question, what is the AC gain?
15:29 – There is no need to muck around, move on to the next question
15:58 – Let’s talk about Opamp Biasing
22:59 – Single pole high pass filter
23:31 – Ripple removal filter
26:24 – Conclusion, why is this question is clever?
29 min
September 08 EEVblog 1770 – Rigol RSA800 Real Time Spectrum Analyser TEARDOWN + Reverse Engineering
Teardown and reverse engineering of the new Rigol RSA800 series Real Time Spectrum Analyser, from 4.5GHz to 13GHz.
4.5GHz RSA804
8.5GHz RSA808
14GHz RSA814
https://www.rigolna.com/products/spectrum-analyzers/rsa800/
00:00 – Rigol’s new RSA800 Real Time Spectrum Analyser
06:48 – Teardown
11:42 – RF front end box teardown. Mad Man Muntz
14:55 – Back side of the RF block
16:50 – Reverse Engineering with DaveCAD
22:05 – Attenuator & Preamplifier
23:41 – Interesting split into separate HF and LF mixers
25:47 – Preselect filters
27:33 – Flux residue!
28:23 – HF and LF Mixers and 1st stage PLL
30:58 – Downconversion mixing explained
32:48 – 2nd Stage Active IF Mixer, now we are getting serious
36:01 – Final 3rd stage active mixer
36:57 – Dave is WRONG, but why you might want two ADC’s vs one
39:20 – No Dave, it’s a DAC
40:25 – Speculating on the custom ADC used, and digital quadrature sampling
41:49 – Mystery LTC part, and what on earth is going on here with these PCB couplers?
44:32 – Teardown Conclusion
45:51 – Demo comparison of a DSA815 and RSA808, Real Time vs Swept Analysis
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-rigol-rsa800-spectrum-analyser/
Hi-Res Photos:
Datasheets:
SIS378 Switch: https://www.sicoresemi.com/ueditor/php/upload/file/20250818/1755497980219246.pdf
SIAT116 Attenuator: https://www.sicoresemi.com/ueditor/php/upload/file/20260427/1777277733715489.pdf
LF Mixer : https://www.sicoresemi.com/ueditor/php/upload/file/20250923/1758612877124723.pdf
SIM445 HF Mixer: https://www.sicoresemi.com/ueditor/php/upload/file/20260709/1783577453983448.pdf
SIA070 Amplifier: https://www.sicoresemi.com/ueditor/php/upload/file/20260509/1778310579506957.pdf
SIS119 Absorptive Switch: https://www.sicoresemi.com/ueditor/php/upload/file/20250324/1742806808125089.pdf
SIP052 Phase Converter: https://www.sicoresemi.com/ueditor/php/upload/file/20240627/1719477861130248.pdf
SIA332 Amplifier: https://www.sicoresemi.com/ueditor/php/upload/file/20240924/1727159790115927.pdf
LMX2820 PLL: https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lmx2820.pdf
LTC5577 Active Mixer: https://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/data-sheets/5577f.pdf
0 min
September 08 EEVblog 1769 – Who Needs Three Phases? REPAIR
Can you repair a PSU by REMOVING a component? Well, in this case, yeah, kinda.
Not recommended for new designs, but it works (for now) because the design margins allowed it.
00:00 – My NerdQaxe++ Bitcoin miner has failed. Guru Meditation!
02:13 – Bitmain 1370 chipset thermal paste
03:54 – The flipchip die under the microscope
04:48 – Thermal paste application triggering
06:55 – Time for a new strategy R2. The Vreg temp sensor is now the suspect
07:53 – A look at the open source hardware schematic in KiCAD
https://github.com/shufps/qaxe
09:42 – The TPS53647 4 Phase ASIC Buck PSU controller
https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tps53647.pdf
10:23 – The CSD95472Q5MC Synchronous Buck NexFET Smart Power Stage
https://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/csd95472q5mc.pdf
11:50 – We can try wacking a heatsink on + Jaycar field trip
12:41 – Did that fix it?
14:10 – It’s becoming obvious what the fault is now
16:24 – Thermal camera testing
16:56 – Oscilloscope time on the 3 phase PSU
18:21 – Desoldering time, maybe
19:42 – Will removing this component work?
23:52 – AutoBalance multi-phase buck conversion for the win
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1769-repair-by-removing-a-component/
0 min
August 28 EEVblog 1768 – Mailbag
More Mailbag!
00:00 – Dave & Dylan open random Mailbag
03:49 – DIY bodged laser engraver
04:14 – MPPT Solar charge controller
04:56 – Mixed bags
06:01 – DLP Projector Mirror Arrays
08:05 – TDA2030A Power Amp
08:39 – Analog/Digital combo watch
12:23 – Solar Panels
13:52 – Engineering Spelling + 34401A VFD Replacement
https://hubequip.net/products/hp-agilent-34401a-vfd-to-led-display-replacement-led-conversion
17:58 – Treedix USB Cable Tester
https://treedix.com/
24:33 – Zoyi ZT-XC1 Combo LCR & Multimeter
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4kzCJV5
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1768-mailbag/
0 min
August 20 EEVblog 1767 – Harogic PXN-90 9GHz Spectrum Analyser TEARDOWN
Teardown and detailed analysis of the Harogic PXN-90 9GHz Spectrum Analyser.
https://www.harogic.com/product/harogic-px-series-standard-spectrum-analyzer-receiver/
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1767-harogic-pxn-90-9ghz-spectrum-analyser-teardown/
0 min
August 20 EEVblog 1766 – FAILED Rode PodMic USB Teardown
Dave’s Rode PodMic USB failed, so might as well do a quick teardown before returning it under warranty.
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/rode-podmic-usbs-are-failing!/
0 min
August 20 EEVblog 1765 – This $19 ESP32 Makes Home Automation EASY
Using an Waveshare ESP32 RS485 module on the Brink Flair 400 home air ventilation system to email alert if the inlet pressure goes about 400 pascals. And using Claude AI to generate the Arduino code required.
00:00 – Brink Flair 400 ventilation system
02:04 – Waveshare ESP32-S3-RS485-CAN module
06:32 – Using Claude to generate Arduino code
17:04 – Pirate Mode Activated
24:21 – Installation and testing
0 min