EEVblog
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2015
- What's inside the new Pebble Time Smartwatch?
Dave does a teardown after taking it through the torture test, and gives it a close up view with the Tagarno microscope.
How easy is it to disassemble and replace the battery?
How much do the components cost?
What is the manufacturing quality like?
How does the Bluetooth antenna work?
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From talking with their dev support, the FPGA is used as a display controller for the memory LCD, since it's signaling is different from the LVDS used by common LCDs.
Ben Combee I love how pebble does not care to give away this information.
That display datasheet isn't "half Chinese, half English", it's "half Japanese, half English"...
The unknown component marked "840 3959 1506" is the Apple Authentication Coprocessor.
You should try the same thing with the $24,000 Gold Apple Watch
YOTTAZOID Sure, I'll pick one up tomorrow.
TheDiamondHack A moment of silence for our brothers that fell for it. You will be remembered
TheDiamondHack Guess...
YOTTAZOID Nobody deserves to have to touch the Apple Watch. It's useless.
*watch me start a flame war*
Basile Stathopulos here you find the main problem of attempting to start an apple flame war on this video: hardly anyone has an apple device, we all use android/ wp
The Pebble Time uses a new water resistance standard which means that 30m means.. It will survive down to 30m. It's fine for swimming in salty and chlorinated water as long as it's rinsed off after. They highlighted all that during the kick starter campaign.
FRR What standard is that? No way this thing is rated for 30m continuous submersion. AFAIK there are two standards. The normal ISO 2281 for water resistance, and ISO 6425 for diving watches. The only 30m standard I know of is the usual 3 ATM test, which is as I stated, not water proof.
EEVblog There are many people that go swimming with it and even some that have gone diving with it. I'm not sure how deep they have gone but I'm sure it is not meant for splashes only.
EEVblog It uses ISO22810 so it should be fine for just about all underwater activity under 30m (100ft). Here is a reddit post with a more detailed explanation www.reddit.com/r/pebble/comments/30h1k1/clarification_on_the_water_resistance_rating_of/
EEVblog lol dave do some research before putting your foot in it
EEVblog You really ought to start doing research on the products you're talking about, before making assumptions. Your last few videos, particularly about the Pebble have been rife with errors like this. Pebble isn't e-ink. It is water proof. It uses the connector it does for smartstrap support. And so on.
Thanks for doing this. Gave me confidence to replace the battery and know what parts I am destroying in the process
Wow, I've never seen such an in-depth teardown. I just subscribed and I'll make sure to watch anything else you make! Great job!
Double sided foamy tape ? Nitto Denko probably. Have fun trying to get your hands on that. ;) Cemedine Super-X No. 8008 black would be suited too, I guess.
You know I love this video. This is one of the few videos on UA-cam that dissects consumer electronics and investigates all electronic components used, complete with datasheets. So interesting. Another series that I found was one by MikeElectronics where he reverse engineers an iPod screen. If you know other videos like this, please list them below.
That microscope you're using is awesome.
***** I still laugh when it shows the zoom level ... IN HEXADECIMAL !!! :DDD
That's old school ;)
MrTridac Wait a sec, did they discontinue the HEX number system and no one told me? :)
Mick7sp Well, kinda!
They've hidden it away behind ten layers of GUI muck in consumer devices which amounts to the same thing! ;)
Aadil Shah LOL.. Good to hear, I didn't want to have to learn yet another numeric system, Octal was fun enough. :)
Very informative and fun to watch. Thanks for this Mr.EEV
Another great teardown video!
Thanks for the hard work and analysis.
If you look on the back of the display, there is a part not covered with black tape allowing light to pass through for the light sensor.
Perhaps pebble can hook you up with a fresh glue pad.
They should be reasonably happy with the press they got.
Hi mate.
Although most of what you talked about is way way over my head, this was very interesting. Also, I found it brave that you did not fry it, and just put it back together again.
Thanks,
Marcel.
Thumbs up if you're watching this teardown video before the torture test video :)
seeing dave spazzing around and running in mud looking like bear grylls made my day.
Two videos on day. Nice one Dave.
Great review, it was a pleasure to watch, thanks!
well done eve blog.. Really helpful to understand the concepts of a smartwatch.
Happy 4th from the states! You and your family!
"Big ass caps" sounds funny in that context. Funny what we see as "big ass" these days in electronics.
Very disappointed with how everything has to be "seamless" in design these days. Chuck some screws and an o-ring in there, dammit! Stop making disposable stuff!
I would not call the pebble watch disposable... I've been using mine quite a long time now, and still get 8+ days per charge...
(I shower and swim with it, making sure to rinse it off with clean water in order to rinse off chlorine, or any other contaminants.)
Epic tear down, thanks!
I've been waiting ages for this. You're a boss (y)
You make ripping thing apart interesting. Keep it up!
Nice teardown. I have the very same model on my wrist.
Magnetometer - there is a compass app for pebble, though it is not very accurate.
Accelerometer - shaking watch switches on the backlight for several seconds.
Light sensor - incoming calls/notifications trigger backlight in dim places only.
Of the latest smartwatches only ESP32 based "TTGO T-Watch-2020" caught my attention, though having OLED display defeats the purpose.
This guy is so technosavy. There's still so much I don't know. I'm going to go read up on small circuitry now.
Great video, btw! I'm buying this puppy tomorrow!
Oh man - just found my new favourite series
crisp detail !! nice one .. loved it 💗
awesome teardown!!!!!
I worked with one of those STM32F4 beasts on one of my master's projects, they're really freaking powerful!
There's a lot of puppy's in there :)
LP1K=(possibly) MIPI transceiver for LCD, see Mike's videos on it.
14690B looks very like to a Maxim part, a custom made or custom configured one.
Also, the LCD datasheet is NOT in Chinese, but in Japanese instead.
Bo Gao any idea where to find a MAX14690 datasheet? Pinouts are available from the MAX32620 Eval Kit's datasheet. The MAX32600 (Wasp) schematic shows that it can use either the MAX14676 or MAX14690 power management ICs.
Was going to wait until the end to comment, But that microscope. Incredible!
I reckon someone on ebay will be making battery replacement kits for the watch available soon with the gasket included.
28:21 Japanese* but I'm just nitpicking, it's a common mistake.
Great teardown, you have redeemed yourself EEVblog Dave :)
The ambient light sensor lines up with the white square on the back of the lcd which probably allows a decent amount of light through. Also, it looks like the frame the lcd is mounted on is the bluetooth antenna. I can't tell whether or not it's electronically isolated from the bezel with the white coating. It looks like a fairly decent antenna design as apposed to just connecting it straight to the bezel and hoping for the best.
Two component epoxy resin is the best way to glue it together permanently.
that display data sheet is not Chinese and English, its Japanese and English.
iFixit did a teardown of this a while back and gave it a 9/10 repairability score. Here's the link: www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Pebble+Time+Teardown/42382
nicely done.
woo this is what everyone was waiting for.
Best teardown........ever
What team size does it take to design (and source the parts for) something like this? Also how much experience does it take (is this doable with what you learn in an undergraduate degree plus prior tinkering)? The company was founded by a recent grad (at the time) and I would imagine his coworkers (at the time) were around the same age / experience. And a couple of other hardware startups also come to mind which are founded by recent grads. Do you need a degree to learn this or can you pick it up via tinkering?
I will bring it to a watch repair shop when the time comes. And I'm getting a new one come holiday time. 😀
You can make part numbers easier to read by smearing a little bit of thermal paste over them and wiping it off. The paste stays in the laser-etched divots making the number stand out.
A watch without a replacable battery... I don't like that idea.
t0f0b0 Me neither.
EEVblog i think of it as, if a battery has lets say 500 charge cycles, and you charge once every 5 days if you are a heavy user. Then that is 6.5-7 years life. By that time you will most likely replace it with a new model or another product.
Wesley Burson Well traditionally watches are something you'll only replace when it physically breaks and is beyond repair. Smart watches are consumables like phones, which are replaced every 1-3 years. I guess Dave and t0f0b0 just don't like the idea of watches being a consumable, and prefer a watch that can last you a lifetime if taken good care of. I'd say I'm with them on that.
i with you there but with it containing parts that will be out dated, It would happen eventually. I do wish it was more repairable, but the iPad is glued together and i fix them all the time. The adhesive is more of an irritation.
t0f0b0 Pebble officially states the battery is not replaceable but from the looks of iFixit's teardown (www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Pebble+Time+Teardown/42382?revisionid=HEAD), it looks like one might be able to replace it
Why didn't they just go with an exterior type button that just pushes against soft rubber which in turn pushes something inside the case so it remains completely sealed while using the buttons?
The fixed battery is probably not a problem in practice. By the time the battery has worn out the clock itself will be totally out of fashion and technically obsolete.
FDK Technical obsolesce is a term invented by companies to justify anti-consumer decisions and mediocre design resulting in short lifespan of a product.
foxman105
They could have easily made the battery serviceable by having a removable back plate like a normal watch.
This would not have had any negative impact on the durability and cost.
If anything a removable back plate may even simplify the assembly process and allow use of a mechanically much more robust seal on the face then double sided tape.
FDK The beauty of the 7 day average battery life is much less charge cycles. This cell should last many years longer than one in an Apple watch.
Patchuchan any removable parts would mean less of a water seal. I'd rather have a 200 dollar watch that i have to replace after several years than have one that i have to worry about getting wet just so that i can service a battery that will die well after i would want a new one anyways
tuckersaspy I have a 200 EUR NONsmart watch that has a 100 meters diver certificate, carries stopwatch and an alarm bell (although very silet) and has no rubber seals or batteries in it... it's completely, mechanical. The problem of sealing a smart watch has already been solved by the predecessor, but it requires a very precise component machining... which I guess the companies found unnecessary and rather designed the entire thing as a disposable product... not very confidence inspiring.
are u doing this at 1:30 in the morning> respect!
EEVblog Dave. these motor drivers are special in one thing. they are designed to work with motors with asymmetric load. when your using normal driver for this the asymmetric load causes loss of power going in the motor, It's not much but in pocket watch It makes a big difference.
The fpga could be a configurable device used for the smart bands that are coming out.
plz, make an inverter welder teardown, i really want to see it.
your videos are awesome, very interesting.
The tape used to hold it together looks like a form of 3M's VHB double sided tape. We used it to seal our internally illuminated street name signs.
Is it possible to replace the tiny tactile button on the circuit board? the spring disc of tactile button on my watch seems stuck inward into the button housing and back button is now constantly pressing down.
The Bluetooth setup was actually nicely done,
you had 2 contacts for the top stainless steel cap, While you had 1 contact near the
charge ports that sent the - half of the Bluetooth to touch your skin ,. or if you look at the bottom of the watch you have 2 gold contacts for charging and 2 steel looking ones for your skin to be used for part of completing the Bluetooth antenna
Not to mention you forgot to point out that not only did a little water get in and dried, So did the mud/Dust on the bottom side of the board..
Nice rip down..
Stumbled upon this video expecting something much simpler. Gotta say, LOVE the in depth review. I used to do micro and miniature solder repair on boards like this so it was lots and lots of nerd porn for me. Subscribed!
Is the FPGA used for the smart straps that can work as hardware expansion?
trip over with an apple watch and the glass breaks and it exploads
Cutest PCB ever so many puppies on it!
Samsung does that with their phone screens for some models, I use 2m tape to fix it back in place.
3M VHB tape might do the trick? It's also a double sided foam core tape.
My God !!! Electronic stuffs are very tiny. Resistors are very small
Are these the early models of the the Pip-boy 3000? lol
But seriously, this thing took a beating and still works. I like it.
the litte white window on the display lets through light to the sensor
maybe the 1-mm thick board has something to do with those switches mounted along sides, also? perhaps they needed a 1-mm base for those to sit comfortably and would possibly break if the board was 0.5 mm?
"When I was a boy" hahahaha that line was great! xD
bobby dazzler! he took me to prom. haha, awesome video man!
that was interesing intermezzo while im waiting that agilent insulation meter teardown
Two inductive circuits are probably step-ups for display.
Also may be one of them is just pre step-up for main power. LT3009 in 3v3 schematic in datasheet should be powered by at least 3.75 volts("typical application" scheme at 19:43), which is not low enough for lithium cell.
"Step-up + LDO" can be more preferred than single SEPIC.
P.S. Thank You for this teardown. It was very interesting )
Please make a video on Standard and approved waterproofing electronics it will really help.
That vibration motor driver seems pretty sophisticated, apparently detecting the resonant frequency of the rotating weight and adjusting the drive to keep it rotating at that frequency, for maximum vibration efficiency. So the verbose product title is somewhat justifying.
I am guessing that you couldn't find the watch crystal because they are using the internal low speed oscillator in the MCU. The STM F series micros all have an internal low speed (32k) and high speed oscillators. The only issue is that those don't work with battery backup. But since this is a battery powered device anyway they don't need that at all.
Given this review, I must ask something that has been boggling me, which is: Given the breakdown you've done of the pebble, could the screen be made bigger? I would assume for the battery would be more difficult since there is already a lack of space inside. Thanks
iFixit has great kits for cracking things open and stuff, you might want to check it out. It's quite good.
EEVblog any chance for a further teardown of the display module? I'm interested in seeing what layers are inside of the plastic frame as well as the LED backlighting; e.g. does Pebble use plain white LEDs or RGB LEDs? Thx!
Yes I did enjoy this video, it would be wicked to see the latest clever super watches stripped down, any chance?
The datasheet for the display actually is Japanese:D
After all the display is made by Japanese.
EEVblog You actually showed the modern day use of a Cross-Hatch ground plane: on a flex-board.
That is some serious planned obsolescence there.They could have easily used screws (watches have been using it for years while being 100m+ water resistant). They went out of their way to make it so you would not have an easy time replacing that battery.
Hey Dave..would you mind to tear down your Timex Watch as well and explore how it has survived after the mud run ?
This may be a silly question but when you say "Ambient light sensor" is that an LDR or a specific component for sensing "ambient" light?
Pierce it tells the watch if your out in the sunlight or in a dark room.
Nice tear down Dave.
I have the Sony Smartwatch 3, can you do a tear down of that sometime? :P
You never found an official clock crystal, I wonder if that's maybe because it is Bluetooth connected to your smart phone which will have updates from the net and pass them on to the watch. maybe they have a crude RC clock instead. This could be made much smaller and the regular updates would seem seamless.
Nice to see you made a better job of getting into this watch than you did your Flir camera, at least you can still use this watch. :)
You mentioned the RAM content of one of the IC's half way through, the LP1K which had 64K, my goodness, the BBC micro of the early eighties only had 32K and that was as big as a house compared to this tiny IC.
I know we have reached a limit in the smallness of things and are having to change to building the equivalent of tower blocks to get things done faster but this really hits home the advancements of electronics and how I wish I could see the next 100 years....
Keep up the good work Dave,
BEEEEAUUUTIiIFUUUL!
My glass fell off! How do I glue it back on? Any idea? Thanks!
the unidentified chip you found in-between the two select buttons might be the compass, or pedometer, if pedometers are a chip. it's the only thing that makes sense to me, knowing that pebbles have both of the aforementioned sensors
what size are those SMD passives? is that A205?
Use E6000! My favorite adhesive. It's epoxy and hot glue's secret lovechild.
the ambient light sensor hardly has a fiber optic tread leading into it around the screen?? just a thought..
Maybe the IC between the IMU and magnetometer is for debouncing? Doesn't the MCU have debouncing built-in?
No. I swim with my watch pebble all the time. It's fully submergible.
That cluster of caps near the switches could be some sort of noise reduction system. That's what it looks like to me
Perhaps the board thickness (or thinness) wasn't relevant due to the rest of the odds and ends in the case: i.e. the vibration motor and weight are the thickest parts, so it doesn't need to be any thinner than that once populated... How many layers on that PCB, they might have needed the thickness/layers to breakout all the pins from the FPGA, processor, memory, etc in such a small board...
I think its a 6 layer PCB based on markings.
What kind of glue can be used to stick back the glass....name of the glue to make it waterproof
Need a tip for making the screen pop off? Wear it in a hot tub. Mine didn't survive that hehe.
Did you try to flash that exposed chip eventually?
This smartwatch is somehow useful but there are also downsides. That's why I prefer the modular smartwatch from blocks. I find it very useful and more innovative. The best thing is, It's fully customizable and you can control its features based on your needs or lifestyle.
It's sad that pebble went out of business. I contacted the company that bought them out, Fitbit, to ask them to reconsider their choice to shut down pebble.