Tearing Down a Bistable Cholesteric Display I recently dug out my bistable cholesteric display and decided to see how it works after being inspired by Big Clive's teardown. This nifty gadget, which allows you to write and erase with just a button, operates on bistable cholesteric crystals without needing constant power. Measuring the clear voltage showed around 30V, and a little experimentation confirmed its dependency on polarity. Despite a minor spark mishap, it's still a neat, low-power device. If you're interested, you can grab one from AliExpress for some hands-on fun. 12 August 2025
16 bit mini handheld video arcade Disassembling a 16-bit mini handheld video arcade revealed a fairly uncomplex interior with most of the functionality being handled by a blob chip on a single-sided PCB. Despite the simplicity, the impressive design manages to fit 156 games into flash storage on a multi-layered daughter board, which helps simplify the main board's design. While not as hackable as hoped, the teardown provided an interesting glimpse into the device's construction. 26 January 2024