Texas Instruments

Intel Expands List of Thunderbolt 4-Compatible Chips Due to Shortages

Home News (Image credit: Intel) Sometimes small chips cause major problems. According to a report from Igor’sLab, Intel recently had to allow its partners to use previously uncertified USB Type-C and Power Delivery controllers from Texas Instruments with its latest Tiger Lake platforms, as well as previously-uncertified discrete Thunderbolt 4 JHL8440/JHL8540 ‘Maple Ridge’ controllers. Every personal… Read more

NZXT N7 Z590 Motherboard Review: Unique Style, and Capable

Our Verdict NZXT’s N7 Z590 is a full-featured Z590 motherboard that includes two M.2 sockets, Intel-based Wi-Fi 6E, capable power delivery, premium audio, and more. It’s a well-rounded mid-ranger for Intel’s Z590 platform, though for a similar price, there are other options with more and better parts. For + Wi-Fi 6E/2.5 GbE Networking + Improved… Read more

Rotel RC-1590MKII and RC-1572MKII preamps benefit from raft of upgrades

Home News (Image credit: Rotel) Following the recent announcement of its second-generation 14 and 15 Series amplifiers, Rotel has now taken two of its preamplifiers into their next generation. The new RC-1590MKII (pictured top) and RC-1572MKII (below) replace the original, 2015- and 2017-released models, elevating the designs with performance upgrades that include “over 75 critical”… Read more

CircuitPython Powers TI-84 Plus CE Python Graphing Calculator

Home News (Image credit: Mr. Posnanski) Math class just got even more fun! If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on the new TI-84 Plus CE Python Graphing Calculator from Texas Instruments, you now have the opportunity to tinker with CircuitPython! That’s right, it’s not just for the Raspberry Pi Pico and other microcontrollers…. Read more

Rotel 14 and 15 Series MKII amps benefit from high-end Michi technology

Home News (Image credit: Rotel) Rotel has announced sequels to some of its 14 and 15 Series integrated amplifiers. The A14MKII, RA-1572MKII and RA-1592MKII are second-generation models that leverage design elements from the brand’s high-end Michi Series, benefitting from upgraded circuitry and components. The A14MKII (£1195, $1600) – the successor to the A14 – is… Read more

Go read Bloomberg’s interactive and educational breakdown of the semiconductor shortage

The global chip shortage has been a growing concern in the tech industry (and it has even grabbed the interest of the US president) as it starts to affect the production of more and more products, from cars to graphics cards to game consoles. For a great explanation of all the factors that have led… Read more

Apple’s HomePod mini reportedly has a secret temperature and humidity sensor

Apple’s HomePod mini smart speaker has an as-yet-undisclosed temperature and humidity sensor in its casing, Bloomberg reports. The sensor’s exact location was confirmed by iFixit, and it appears to be placed away from the speaker’s internal components so it can measure the external temperature. The exact sensor used is a 1.5 x 1.5mm HDC2010 Humidity… Read more

Rotel Michi S5 / P5

Our Verdict With the superb construction, elegant design and perfectly natural sound of the Michi P5 and S5 combo from Rotel, the only question left to ask is ‘how much?’ The pair offer awesomely low noise with huge output and do so in a gorgeous package. For Superb sound Prestige appearance Great built-in DAC Against… Read more

iFi Zen Phono

Our Verdict iFi has been bold in its ambition and the Zen Phono encourages the listener to have the same level of aspiration For Clean, detailed performance Well balanced Lots of features Against Not class-leading timing At What HI-Fi?, we often recommend investing in a decent entry-level phono stage to complement the growing market of… Read more

Quick Look: Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock

Introduction I would like to thank Corsair for supplying the review sample. The Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt dock in many ways reminds us of the Elgato Thunderbolt 3 docks, but offers a different set of I/O. Corsair acquired Elgato a while back, so the TBT100 is a result of having that knowledge and expertise in-house now… Read more

Apple AirPods Max: this is how they are made inside between drivers, logic cards and microphones

As per tradition as soon as they are presented new Apple products, also comes the so-called teardown or the disassembly of the various components. In this case a very interesting phase for the new Apple AirPods Max headphones. Here’s why. by Bruno Mucciarelli published 19 December 2020 , at 14: 31 in the Apple channel… Read more

ASUS ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming WiFi in the short test: hardly better than its predecessor

Side 1: ASUS ROG Strix B 510 – XE Gaming WiFi in the short test: hardly better than its predecessor AMD’s new Ryzen – 5000 – Processors deliver a very good performance and can convince in all disciplines for the first time. So it’s no wonder that the Zen 3 CPUs are in great demand…. Read more

Review Rotel A11 and CD11 Tribute: solid construction, modest shape, neutral, detailed sound

Audio manufacturer Rotel has approximately sixty years of experience building amplifiers and sources. An amplifier is usually the heart and central control center of an audio set, regardless of the price. Rotel pays a lot of attention to the power of its amplifiers, regardless of the price. In our test room is the A 20… Read more

heise + | The first 25 years in the history of microprocessors

Intel likes to portray itself as the inventor of the microprocessors. However, under patent law, this honor goes to Texas Instruments. How did it all start? The first 25 Years in the history of microprocessors The early years x 86: Birth of an industry Z 80 forever RISC & CISC AIM Alliance Texas Ranger Article… Read more

Tubettaja made Doom work with the power of potatoes

Tubettaja Equalo used about 45 pounds of potatoes to produce enough power to run Doom with a graphical TI 84 calculator. Doom is a game that has been tuned over the years to work on virtually any device from refrigerators to printers and ATMs. Recently, Doom was even in the headlines about running a pregnancy… Read more