The Ware for August 2013 is below.
I think this ware takes the cake for most complex implementation of this kind of function.
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I would tend to say this is a battery power bank to charge usb devices, that that you probably retired at the same time as you GSII phone, mentioned in the article. The thick traces for power and usb connector would confirm that.
I’m able to recognize only a Sonix microcontroller (SN8P2705A) and a variety of power controller ics. So with that big copper trails only can mean lot of energy, and the usb port can be to charge devices. So, I’m whith gen, it could be a power tank ;)
Beat me to it! Definitely a USB charger, and definitely very complex, including a SN8P2708A microcontroller with 8 12-bit ADCs? Getting those four LEDs (blue?) to show charge as accurately as possible must have been important to them! Or maybe it has a fancier use, like more carefully watching the current draw of the USB device plugged into it.
Too late… yes it is a usb charger. Battery pack (LiPo?) leads, just one button and a host-style USB connector. The complex implementation might mean that it is a few years old – nowadays I would expect to find a dedicated ASIC in one of these.
Indeed, its almost certainly a USB battery pack. Did some quick Google Image searches… and it looks like the Just Mobile Gem Plus is a good match:
http://www.amazon.com/Just-Mobile-PP-168S-Gum-Plus/dp/B007EP889O/
It’s got the black case, a single (centered) connector. It also has the button and light pipes for the LEDs.
s/Gem/Gum
But it doesn’t have a mini (or micro) USB on one side, plus, it’s round on all corners, and this one is convex on one side and has chamfered edges on the other.
Pretty easy to figure out it was some sort of power-related device (SONIX IC on the bottom left plus the FP5138 on the top middle). Also, the two GIANT pads for the battery.
Further investigation and some Google-foo leads me to believe it’s an iWalk 3600mAh Rechargable Universal Battery Backup (http://www.junglee.com/iWalk-Rechargeable-Universal-Battery-iPhone/dp/B00BW4AGWK).
In particular, the placement of the USB and microUSB port line up and the overall shape match quite well.
It’s probably an APC UPB10, given the LED and button placement
It’s probably an APC UPB10, given the LED and button placement.
yep a APC UPB10. Check out the other side of the board here http://bbs.chinabike.tv/thread-25273-1-1.html
Okay, so it’s definitely the UPB10 (http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/ASTE-6Z7VAM/ASTE-6Z7VAM_R1_EN.pdf), but why do they have the data pins connected?
I can’t tell easily what the data pins are connected to, but if you’re going to charge Apple devices, you will need them connected!
Apple devices like to see particular resistances across the VCC, GND, +DATA, -DATA pins in order to assess whether the charger can deliver what the device expects.
http://blog.curioussystem.com/2010/08/the-dirty-truth-about-usb-device-charging/
It’s too late…but I also thought it was a power ‘bank’ when I saw it (before seeing all comments).
This [1] datasheet from ti gives on page 24 and 25 a nice introduction about USB-Charging and how they solve that not so trivial task.
E.g.: “The TPS… integrates an auto-detect feature that supports both DCP schemes. It starts in Divider Mode. If a BC1.2 -compliant device is attached, the TPS… responds by discharging OUT, turning back ON the power switch and operating in BC1.2 DCP mode. It then stays in that mode until the device is unattached, in which case it goes back to Divider Mode.”
[1] http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tps2540.pdf
I know i”m probably off base but looks like a nook touch/glowlight to me.
I think it’s an APC USB Backup Battery Pack.
To be more exact, an APC UPB10 Mobile Power Pack
-reads all other answers- Damn! :(
The first chip I recognized was the bq27000 Li-Ion battery fuel gauge chip.
Battery powered battery charger!