tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-776602294831690519.post6001193477536496955..comments2024-03-12T12:15:19.475-04:00Comments on Brick O'Lore: 409Shop Mini Radio TeaseBrick O'Lorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01169151187304356607noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-776602294831690519.post-64059230110573977972016-09-16T14:44:25.178-04:002016-09-16T14:44:25.178-04:00For reference, Wikipedia say "AA" size i...For reference, Wikipedia say "AA" size is 14.5 mm diameter by 50.5 mm length (about .6 inches wide and 2 inches long).<br /><br />The Dorji DRA818V is 19 mm wide by 35.6 mm long. Couple that with a short Lithium battery (something like a 18mm long 1/3 AAA cell or a 25mm long 1/2 AA) and you basically have a radio that's not terribly larger than a AA battery.<br /><br />Of course you'd need to throw in a mini USB port for battery charging and a 1/2 AA battery would maybe last a half-hour at best at 50 percent duty cycle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-776602294831690519.post-86290736296715591202016-09-16T14:32:27.066-04:002016-09-16T14:32:27.066-04:00Parsing this... (is "Baofeng-ology" a ne...Parsing this... (is "Baofeng-ology" a new art/science?)<br /><br />1.) "like the size of an AA battery" -- that doesn't leave much room for heat sinks, so I'm guessing this will be a 1/2 watt radio. Maybe a full watt.<br /><br />2.) Also, I am not sure if they mean the physical dimensions, just the volume, or maybe just the mass (size would usually imply physical dimension, but "like" leaves some wiggle room).<br /><br />3.) I am not sure what "#ahuago" signifies. It seems that "Ahuago" is a common surname on the Canary Islands. This might be "Ahua Go" but I don't see anything in Google for that.<br /><br />4.) Surecom is of course a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of RF stuff. Their web page in English has power meters, antenna analyzers, some small antennas, basic repeater controllers, etc. but no radios.<br /><br />5.) This wouldn't be the smallest radio ever created; I am pretty sure they've had tiny 1/4 watt TV transmitters for spying and/or model rocketry that are like the size of a quarter.<br /><br />6.) I think we can safely say this will be from China. Probably based off of something that already exists rather than a newly-designed thing.<br /><br />7.) "AA battery size" is a not-inaccurate description of the Dorji DRA818V radio-on-a-chip module, but of course adding a battery increases the size of that a bit. You can do some pretty cool things with the Dorji modules; here's an APRS transceiver built out of one + Arduino + GPS + small TFT.<br /><br />https://unsigned.io/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2<br /><br /><br />8.) One of the things that makes radios the size that they are, is the screen and touchpad. I suspect that this radio will have only minimal controls (maybe only a power-on button?) and require a cable to program. It might also not have a speaker or mic... it's a lot easier to put in a 2.5mm 4 conductor plug than a speaker of any quality. It *would* be cool if you put in a WiFi or Bluetooth interface and could control it all from a now-ubiquitous smartphone and/or BT headset. But that feature would also greatly increase the price-point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com