Another AliExpress Wonder???

[watchmaker]

I just HAD to try this.  https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806171665566.html

There are a lot of nice ICs in it, a high quality zif  and a nice display.  Not all is lost if it is worhtless.

Tried it to ID Ics and it works.

Not sure about the test functions though. 

The issue is that who knows what it reports?  In grad school, while working on my Ph.D. I was assigned as the research methodology consultant to a cardiologist creating a risk factor score for heart attacks based on the Framingham study (simple multivariate regression). He was using a friend for coding the reports.  I had to tell him that the report program was nothing but a "print" command and a pseudo-random number generator.

Since then, I have been very skeptical of test processes I do not understand unless they are created by known trusted sources.  Very sad that today there are so many vanity pubs in science and the art of assessing the professional reputation of an author is lost.  The rise of pseudo science.  And far too many journal retractions.  Oops, rant.

I just ordered the parts needed to assemble my RetroChip from DigiKey (PITA, but only about $130) and I will compare the test results. 

[thm_w]

Tape or lift one of the pins and run the test, see what happens.
Obviously its not going to catch every single failure mode, but if one of the inputs is shorted, or one of the outputs is short, it should detect that.

[watchmaker]

Yes, it reports fault.  There seems to be an issue with the Li battery and its charging ckt.   Even when the charge LED is green, it works correctly randomly.  May be a bad example, or just not ready for prime time.  Interstingly, it is easy to return.  Sent me a label to ship it to a return center in Deleware.

The Diode test away off.  7.8V for a 3 V LED.