EEVblog 1590 - Cheap $33 Boombox Teardown

[EEVblog]

Is a modern $33 boombox from Kmart any good?

[SiliconWizard]

OK it's a nice piece of crap!

[golden_labels]

SD card socket and USB port facing up. How many drops of water or how much dust is needed to render them useless?

[RoGeorge]

That will make an ideal audiobook player in the kitchen.  I bet it sounds better than a Bluetooth speaker.  Plus, it doesn't need periodic recharge.  Decent look, works from mains, doesn't take much space, and has physical knobs and buttons, which is a huge advantage in a kitchen, when compared to a touch screen or an up/down volume switch.

Totally worth $33, I like it! 

[aqarwaen]

i think theys radios are targted for older generation.like people who are 70+ years old.i seen similar radios innursing homes etc then visting my grandparents. reason they are a cheap and older people dont complain so much as younger people.

[MLXXXp]

Dave loves to peel off the clear protective scratch prevention stickers, for the "sticker aficionados", but he left the one on the tuning dial after taking the one off of the cassette door.

https://youtu.be/-g-MD69V0CU?si=gV4V0Yf5f68m2VJG&t=112

[EEVblog]

Dave loves to peel off the clear protective scratch prevention stickers, for the "sticker aficionados", but he left the one on the tuning dial after taking the one off of the cassette door.

  

[VK3DRB]

That "The jack of all trades, master of none" comment made me laugh.

Kylie Monogue in mono in the 80's would sound the same on a modern $20,000 system.... crap. But Queen, yes there is a big difference.
Maybe someone who buys one of these as a birthday present would say he's just a poor boy from a poor family - spare him his life with this monstrosity.

I did notice a few others things. The etching on the PCB was dodgy on the left side. Also noticeable was the PCB inverted F antenna for Bluetooth. The BT audio chip is a JTEB14F5A which is one of those ultra low cost chips.

The factory in China has a factory code F100630. Is is where all the K-Mart Anko products are made. But there is no location or address on the web... I wonder why. The product DOES have the RCM mark on it and is double insulated. So its a winner winner, chicken dinner from a compliance perspective.

[Muxr]

i think theys radios are targted for older generation.like people who are 70+ years old.i seen similar radios innursing homes etc then visting my grandparents. reason they are a cheap and older people dont complain so much as younger people.

Was thinking the same thing.

[SiliconWizard]

older people dont complain so much as younger people.

Ah, makes sense! That must be why the elderly in some nursing homes can be treated like shit for years and everyone's happy.