The Ware for April 2020 was part number 2533-26-42 “PROCESSOR BOARD, LARGE DISPLAYS” from a Rockwell Collins Airshow Moving Map display system (2710-1-1702, “DISPLAY BULKHEAD, 17″ DIGITAL”) used in a Gulfstream G500 series business jet. Apparently the entire system cost over $16,000 new in 2006. The board was intentionally damaged before it was discarded, presumably to prevent it from being refurbished and resold as new down the road, especially given the high markup for such a system.

Thanks again to Jack Whittaker for contributing this guest ware! It was a real stumper, so there is no winner this month.

The Ware for April is shown below.

Thanks to everyone who answered my calls for wares! I’ve only got so many weird gadgets in my place to tear apart, but now I’ve got material for the next couple months. This month’s ware is courtesy of Jack Whittaker!

The ware for April 2020 is the controller board from a Full Spectrum Laser “5th generation hobby laser”. I knew someone would eventually nail it, despite the paucity of details — the XMOS is pretty unique. Congrats to miguel lopez for nailing it, email me for your prize.

I recently had to say goodbye to my FSL laser as the laser power was getting inconsistent — during a cut, it would drop out intermittently, and it would get worse and worse. Probably either the tube leaking CO2 or the power supply gone bad, but I figured it wasn’t worth fixing as laser cutters have come a long way since I purchased this one.

I’ve actually been eyeing the LionsForge Craftlaser as the replacement. The rugged portability of the unit is appealing — the two cutters I’ve owned had degraded performance because both were damaged in separate moving accidents — and it is high-density living friendly with an integrated fume extractor and HEPA filter. That being said, times are tight, so until I have an immediate need I think I’ll be getting by with a combo of 3D printing and outsourced CNC to shops in Shenzhen.

The ware for March 2020 is shown below.

XMOS! There’s a chip that brings back some memories.

Fortunately I still have some weird and miscellaneous gear hanging about my lab that I can take apart to keep name that ware going, without having to leave my home. That being said, I am definitely welcoming guest ware submissions! Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in these strange times.

The ware for February 2020 was a Young Model 32400 “serial interface” wind monitor.

The exact model is tricky, because the 32500 and the 32400 share a lot of the same circuitry, and the electric compass feature is mainly an add-on to the wind sensor so you can get an absolute direction of the wind rather an offset from an arbitrary zero point. So I’ll give Czajnick the win, congrats email me for your prize!

Also, it’s nice to see a tech company from Michigan.