Teardown: Sharp Air Purifier FU-Z31

Air purifier has become an essential appliance in every home and especially during the hazy season, it sells like a hot cake. I bought this back in 4 years ago when the haze problem became intolerable in Malaysia. This is a basic air filter with HEPA filtration with Plasmacluster Ion feature from Sharp. I took this opportunity to tear it down when it requires thorough cleaning since the day I bought it. Let's get our curious mind going and look what's inside.

This is what inside the air purifier looks like. Simple isn't it?

Up closed at the motor and ionizer unit

Basically there are 3 sections on the controller board.
Left section - Front panel controller circuit. Middle section - AC switching circuit, Right section - Power supply circuit

Rear view of the controller board and where the brain is located

To know more about and which one suits you, visit air purifier guide: http://www.reviews.com/air-purifier/

Teardown: Malaysia SmartTAG

The "Touch 'n Go" card was first introduced in Malaysia in 1997 is an electronic payment system using Philips MIFARE system. The card is not only used in toll payment but also widely used in parking and public transportation system. Soon enough an on board vehicle device toll collection SmartTAG - acronym in Malay Sistem Membayar Automatik Rangkaian Tol  or "Toll Network Automatic Payment System" was introduced to complement with Touch 'n Go card. SmartTAG was designed, developed and manufactured by Teras Teknologi Sdn Bhd, a local company and with the intellectual property rights by an Austrian company known as EFKON Gmbh. The main function of the SmartTag is to relay data between the card and toll system using infrared technology. 

Taking the SmartTAG device apart is pretty straightforward. Just removing the battery cap and one Philip screw head will separate the casing. Basically there are three main electronics parts: main board, pick-up coil and the liquid crystal display. In order to to have a better view of the main board, I will need to desolder the 6-pin header connector from the pick-up coil board.

Top casing removed reveals the mainboard. This side consist of the main controller and Infrared LEDs