Gough's Tech Zone
Reversing the mindless enslavement of humans by technology.
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- 1,948 from 28 Jan 2012 to 28 Oct 2026
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- weekly (116 in the last year)
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Latest
October 2026
- Launch Review: SOUNDPEATS CC3 Pro BT6.0 Dual-Driver Hi-Res Open-Ear Clip-On Earbuds
- Tutorial: Optical Disc “Swap Trick” – Cautions, Caveats, Preparation & Use (ft. PlexERASE, DVD±RW Quick Erase)
- 2026SG Pt.2: Across the Road – Sim Lim Tower (Singapore Electronic and Electrical Centre)
- 2026SG Pt.1: Visiting Sim Lim Square: Singapore’s #1 IT Mall
- Tested: King Disc Technology Corp. Disney-Licensed 8x DVD-R [MID:KDTVVV]
- What’s on That LS-120 SuperDisk? Another Patient Visits the Clinic!
- Tech Flashback: TDK 3.95GB DVD-R (DVD-R395S) Ver.1.0
- Opinion: Death of the “Old Internet”, Unwelcome at X & Thoughts About YouTube
- Project: Lite-On iHAS120 6/DH-20A6S/MSI DH-20AS 6 to Plextor PX-806SA Crossflash for PlexUTILITIES
- Project: A Low-Power Automatic Mains Transfer Switch (of my own …)
- Review: ACEMAGIC Kron Mini K1 Mini PC (AMD R2544, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD)
September 2026
- Tested: 9eSIM V0 eSIM Adapter + Shopback Travel eSIM vs. StarHub Prepaid in Singapore
- 2026LON Bonus: Analysis of Freeview DVB-T/T2 Free-to-Air Broadcasts in London
- Failed: VAVA Portable SSD Touch 1TB (Maxio MAS0902A + Micron 29F2T08EMLCE)
- Post-Mortem, Reverse Engineering: Tomzn TOQ7-125/2P Automatic Transfer Switch (& More)
- Review: Epomaker NEX Pro PAW3950 (42kdpi, 8kHz, 65g) Tri-Mode Rechargeable Gaming Mouse
- Tested: Quality Variation in Blank DVDs & “Bad Batches”
August 2026
- 2026LON Part 7: Hyde Park Cnr, Buckingham Palace, Green Park, St. Paul’s, Guildhall, Wallace Collection (& More)
- Tested: DVD±RW Endurance Round 2 – Part 3: DVD-RAM Comparison & A Dying Drive
- Tested: DVD±RW Endurance Round 2 – Part 2: Results & Failure Modes
- Tested: DVD±RW Endurance Round 2 – Part 1: The Contenders
- Tested: HW-432 XL6009-based 3-32Vin 5-35Vout “4A” Boost Converter Module
- Review: 70mai Power Station Tera 1000 (1200W/1043.9Wh) (PN1020F)
- 2026LON Part 6: Docklands, London Stadium, Holland Park, British Museum, Leake St, Brixton/Borough Market (& More)
- Review: UGREEN Studio Pro BT6.0 Hi-Res Hybrid Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones (HP206, 55687)
- Project: Extreme DVD Overspeed Writing with the Sony Optiarc AD-7280S
- Tested: Sony Optiarc AD-7280S 24x CD/DVD Rewritable Drive (w/New Media & Quality Scan Tests)
- 2026LON Part 5: Piccadilly Circus, Whitehall, Westminster and Greenwich
- Review: Anker Solix F1200 Portable Power Station (aka 757, PowerHouse 1229Wh)
- Review: ALIENTEK T90B 140W Smart USB-C Soldering Iron
- Tested: Usb-Pwr PAK02A-based USB-C PD + Legacy Trigger/Decoy Board
- 2026LON Part 4: Natural History Museum, The National Gallery, Royal Albert Hall, Chinatown & More
July 2026
- 90mm M.O. Adventures: Part 3 – Performance Tests, Sounds & Reflections
- 90mm M.O. Adventures: Part 2 – A Range of Media, Capacities and Standards
- 90mm M.O. Adventures: Part 1 – Acquiring a Drive
- Teardown: Lenovo ThinkPad USB 3.0 Pro Dock (DK1522)
- Mega Review: DJI Power 1000 1024Wh Portable Power Station + Accessories
- Teardown: Planex (PCi) 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch (FXG-081MV)
- 2026LON Part 3: Harrods, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Albert Bridge, Battersea Park, Abbey Road & More
- Opinion: Solar Sharer Offer (SSO) Off to a Craptacular Start?
- Quick Review: HW-443 CH224K-based USB-C PD Trigger Board
- Teardown: A Generic 7-Port USB 3.0 Hub That Wasn’t
- Speedy DVD Burns – Part 3: Burns Gone Wrong
- Speedy DVD Burns – Part 2: Gotta Burn Fast
- Speedy DVD Burns – Part 1: Introduction & Quality Scanning Speed Examined
June 2026
- Review, Teardown: Epomaker Carbon60 60% DSA Low-Profile Wireless Mechanical Keyboard
- Tested: TOMZN TOQ7-125/2P 125A 2-Pole 220V Night Light Series Automatic Transfer Switch
- Review: ALLPOWERS VOLIX P300 (300W/256Wh) Portable Power Station
- Review, Teardown: TP-Link Tapo P100 & P110 (Energy Monitoring) Mini Smart Wi-Fi Socket
- Notes: Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport (YSWS/WSI) Provisional Radio Frequencies
- Quick Review: EARU Electric Automatic Transfer Switch (80A & 125A 2P Version)
- Visited: Vivid Sydney 2026 “Lights, Music, Mind & Food” (22 May – 13 Jun)
- 2026LON Part 2: Different Perspectives – In Search of a View
- Review, Teardown: at (Mibo Electric) Wi-Fi Tuya DIN Rail Smart Switch “Circuit Breaker” (AT-SY1-TSW)
- RoadTest Review: element13 Foil Headwave Aluminium aTtenuator DevKit
- Visited: ElectroneX Electronics Design & Assembly Expo (3-4 June 2026)
- Tested: Unifino 4x DVD-R for Data & Video (UTJR001001), 8x DVD-R for Data (IMC JPN-R01)
May 2026
- Tested: Imation i-Pro 8x DVD-R, Mitsubishi 8x DVD-R, Verbatim 16x DVD+R & Generic 16x DVD-R
- Tool: Power Station Payback Calculator
- 2026LON Part 1: Public Transport – The Arteries & Veins of a City
- Analysis: The New Default Market Offer (DMO 8) & The Solar Sharer Offer
- Tested: Princo 1x 4.7GB DVD-RW General Ver 1.1 Disc
- Quick Review: Generic Air Duster vs. Wolfbox Super Power Turbofan MF100 & MF200
- A Strange Disc Tested – The Partially-Silvered CD-R
- 2026LON Part 0: A Risky Trip, Air India Experience & In-Flight Connectivity
- Quick Review: Acer TravelMate Spin P4 (P414RN-51) (14″ FHD, i5-1135G7, 8GB/256GB)
- Notes: Counterfeit Power Cables – A Fire Waiting to Happen …
- Review, Teardown: Epomaker TH99 Pro USB/2.4G/BT5.0 Hot-Swap 96% Keyboard w/LCD, Knob & RGB LEDs
- Project: BD & BDXL Archive (2026) – Media & Initial Scans (VERBATIMk, TDKBLDRNC, CMCMAGBA5, RITEKBR2)
April 2026
- 2.5GbE Tests: Intel I226-V, Fenvi RTL8125B PCIe NICs, Horaco Switches (ZX-SG8T1 & ZX-SG4T2)
- Random Catch-Up: H[NY|BD] Reflections, Salvaged PC, VodaQuirks & Public Transport Observations
- PSA: Clean Your Fridge’s Refrigeration Coils/Vents, or Replace an Older Fridge with a Newer/Smaller Fridge
- Quick Review: Maya Mobile Travel eSIM
- Now Unwelcome: Why I Left OzBargain & The Link-Hostile Nature of Internet Discourse
- Mega Teardown, Repair: VTOMAN FlashSpeed 1500 “1548Wh” Power Station (PB-58)
- Teardown: A Dead Arris CM8200B NBN HFC DOCSIS 3.1 NTD
- Tested: eSimFLAG “Unlimited Data” Travel eSIM
- Note: USB Charging & Mains Power Sockets on Sydney Trains Intercity Mariyung Fleet
March 2026
- Teardown: UGREEN Finetrack G Item Finder for Google Find Hub (CM916, 65543P)
- Project: Building an Optical Drive Tower of Power (& Associated Challenges)
- Tested: How Many Times Can a DVD±RW Be Rewritten? – Part 2: Methodology & Results
- Tested: How Many Times Can a DVD±RW Be Rewritten? – Part 1: The Contenders & ECMA Standards
February 2026
- Tested, Modified: YX-Q01 Two-Way Automatic Mains Switch Module
- Notes: Westinghouse EasyCare 500 8kg Front-Load Washing Machine (WWF8024M5WA) Energy Usage
- Project: DVD-RAM Testing feat. New-Old-Stock Ver 2.x (2x/3x/5x) Discs
- Tech Flashback: Acard ARS-2050B 1-to-11 CD/DVD/BD Duplicator Tower (ft. MSI DH-20AS 6 DVD±RW Drives)
- Review: Eskimo eSIM for Tourists & Travelers – Global/Regional & Long Expiry
- Review, Teardown: Novoo RG100 GaN 100W Wall Charger (2xUSB-C+1xUSB-A, NCAU100D-123K)
- Review: Kolet “Next Gen” Travel eSIM
January 2026
- Tested: DVD-RAM2 – The Fastest, Most Reliable, Rare Rewritable DVD (ft. Asus DRW-1814BLT)
- Tech Flashback: Recordable HD DVDs – Few Recorders, Slow, Flaky Performance & Even More Shortlived
- Tech Flashback: HD DVD – A Format Abandoned Soon After Birth
- Tech Flashback: Blu-ray, but Not As You Might Know It! (feat. BD-RE V1.0, Professional Disc)
- Tech Flashback: Blu-ray Disc – The HD Format War Winner (incl. LDC/BIS Scanning)
- Update: Telstra’s Free Calls to Santa 2025 (#HOHOHO) – New Tricks & Out-of-Office
- Tech Flashback: Archival Discs (Mitsui Gold, “Designed for Photo Applications”, Verbatim PhotoSave, Memorex Pro Gold Archival)
- Review: TP-Link Deco X80-5G – A Good 5G Modem or Not?
December 2025
- Tested: Mitsubishi 2x DVD-R (DHR472U1/5, Made in Japan) [MID:MCC00RG200]
- Review: Imuto 1.5V Li-Ion AA (2400mAh/3600mWh) Battery + Charging Station Set (TF-CD-009LDC)
- Notes: When Your Ecoflow App Not Working Leads to a Networking Workaround
- Review: esim.io OneSIM Worldwide Travel eSIM
- Review: Singapore Airlines Exclusive Global Roaming eSIM for 118 Countries (via Pelago, by Frewie)
- Tested: JXND XJS4056-based Mini-USB Li-Ion/Li-Poly Battery Charger Module
- Tested: Printable.2 “as seen on www.dvd-recordable.org” DVD-R
- Quick Review: XTAR L4 Pro 1.2V Ni-MH & 1.5V Li-Ion AA/AAA Smart Battery Charger
- Tested: USB-C Barrel Connector Adapters (5.5mm OD, 2.1/2.5mm ID)
November 2025
- Where Are They Now? More Discs Uncovered ft. Pressed DVD9s, CD-Rs, DVD±Rs & BD-Rs (Part 3)
- Review: Samsung 256GB Bar Plus (MUF-256BE4/AM) & USB Type-C Flash Drive (MUF-256DA/AM)
- Quick Review: PNY Turbo Attaché 3 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive (P-FD256TBOP-GE)
- Tested: Ritek 16x DVD±R ft. Traxdata Magic Silver, ValuePack, Maxell & Hi-Disc
- Analysis: Telstra’s Free Calls to Santa 2025 (#HOHOHO) – Actual Number & What’s New?
- Review: XTAR 1.5V AA LR 3000mAh USB-C Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
- Review: QCY H3S LDAC Dual-Driver Bluetooth v6.0 ANC Headphones
- Review: Klook Travel eSIM (RedteaGO)
- Tech Flashback: Double-Sided (4.7GB x 2) Recordable DVDs (Data Home, SuperX)
- Tech Flashback: Maxell DVD-R for Authoring (or Not?)
October 2025
- Review: Truely – Unlimited (5GB then 512kbit/s) Switchless Travel eSIM
- Project: VBUS Fixer (When 5.5V is Just Too Much for Your USB Devices)
- Tested: Printable.1 “as seen on www.dvd-recordable.org” DVD-R [MID:VANGUARD]
- Tested: Pro-Feel DVD-R for Video 4x (PF DR120PW4X50PS) [MID:VANGUARD]
- Review: Thermal Master P3 Android/iOS/Windows USB-C Thermal Camera (256×192/25Hz/35mK)
- Quick Review: Knowledge Zenith (KZ) PRX 4th-Generation Planar Diaphragm IEMs
- Quick Review: Qwertykeys Pearl Milk Tea Custom Keycaps
- Tested: CE8301 Boost, XL2001 (HW-676) & XL1583 (HW-681 Clone) Buck 5V USB Power Modules
- Review, Tested: XTAR 2600mAh 1.2V Ni-MH AA Rechargeable Battery
September 2025
- Tested: DSN-MINI-360 (MP1482-based) 2A Buck Converter Module (4.5-18V In)
- Teardown: A&D Medical UA-651SL Blood Pressure Monitor
- Quick Review: Samsung Bar Plus 512GB USB 3.2 Gen 1 Flash Drive (MUF-512BE4/APC)
- Project: A Poor-Man’s Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor (ABPM) ft. A&D UA-651BLE
- Notes: Motorola moto g84 5G USB OTG Problems – Bad VBUS?
- Review: QCY MeloBuds N70 LDAC Hi-Res Bluetooth 6.0 Dual-Driver ANC TWS Earbuds
- Tech Flashback: The Solid-State Hybrid Drive (SSHD) ft. ST500LM000
- Tested: Amethystum Storage Technology 100GB 2-6x TL BDXL BD-R (BDR-M100BAZ)
- Project: U3SplitV1 – Breaking Apart a USB 3.x Host Port (for Desperate Times!)
- Review: EarFun Air Pro 3 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling True Wireless Earbuds
- Review, Teardown: JBL Tune 520BT Wireless On-Ear Headphones
August 2025
- Quick Review, Teardown: Thermaltake Argent MB1 RGB Mouse Bungee
- Review, Teardown: XTAR 1.5V AA CLR 4300 2700mAh Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery
- Review, Teardown: LIMETA EB40 10000mAh 2xUSB-C 2x18W BLE Energy Bank
- Review, Teardown: Novoo RG68 USB-C (x2)+USB-A 67W GaN Wall Charger
- Flashback+: Pioneer 1x DVD-RW (DVS-RW47B/U) and a DVD-Rot Issue?
- Quick Review: Orico 25PW1-C3 2.5″ USB-C 5Gbit/s Hard Drive Enclosure
- Review, Teardown: Origimagic Comet C1 Mini PC (Intel N97, 16+512GB, 2.5GbE)
- Experiment: Verbatim UltraSpeed+ 32x CD-RW on Non-US+ Drives?
- PSA: Validate Your Storage! JMicron JMS583 + KIOXIA BG4 Series SSD Issue?
- Notes: CD C1/C2 Error Quality Scanning – Modern vs. Older Drives, Software
- Mega Review: Enova Gyrfalcon S4000 Pro Universal Charger & Analyzer
July 2025
- Where Are They Now? Semi-Loved Recordable DVD/CDs Get Tested (Part 2)
- Analysis: How SEO/AI Spam Got Onto a Government Domain & More
- Quick Review: MOONDROP Space Travel 2023 True Wireless Stereo ANC Earbuds (MD-TWS-022)
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