Gough's Tech Zone
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)
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)
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
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
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
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?
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)
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?)
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
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