Teardown: Dissecting Lenovo’s Sensible Clock Important, a non-Google Google Assistant

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Sensible units are an more and more frequent presence in residences, typically in multiples per tackle, and starting from audio-centric good audio system (additionally with microphones) to extra succesful screen-inclusive (and generally additionally camera-inclusive) merchandise. Branded examples of the previous embody Amazon’s varied audio-only Echo units and Google’s House (now Nest) merchandise, together with Apple’s HomePod Mini (supporting the corporate’s Siri expertise). And within the latter camp are Amazon’s Echo Present and Google’s House (once more, now Nest) Hub variants.

Each Amazon (with Alexa) and Google (with its Assistant) have additionally strived to realize assist for his or her “good” ecosystems inside different firms’ merchandise, with various levels of success. Lenovo is a very curious instance. So far, it’s developed two generations’ value of the Sensible Clock Important, a voice-controllable “clock radio on steroids.” Lenovo has additionally developed two generations’ value of the higher-end Sensible Clock, which provides touchscreen assist, however whereas each Sensible Clock generations assist Google Assistant, the corporate switched from Google Assistant (Gen 1) to Amazon Alexa for the just-introduced Gen 2 Sensible Clock Important.

Equally curious to me is the truth that Lenovo is a China-headquartered (albeit worldwide) firm; many Google providers are blocked by China’s Nice Firewall. And eventually, whereas ordinarily the differential between bill-of-materials (and different) prices and worth is the definitive determinant of revenue or loss for a consumer-electronic machine, in these circumstances, I think Amazon and Google could also be subsidizing their companion’s (Lenovo’s, on this explicit occasion) merchandise’ prices as a way of increasing their ecosystems.

To wit, in the present day’s teardown sufferer is the first-generation Sensible Clock Important, which I purchased refurbished late final summer time from VIPOutlet by way of eBay for below $18. Equally, shortly earlier than I started scripting this, Greatest Purchase had them on sale, model new, for $25. I’ll begin with a “inventory” picture:

And here’s a promo video:

Since mine was a refurb, it arrived already de-boxed, albeit nonetheless with a protecting sheet of plastic over the 4-inch (10.2-cm) diagonal entrance. Right here it’s accompanied by its “wall wart” and an as-usual 0.75-inch (19.1-mm)-diameter U.S. penny for size-comparison functions (the Sensible Clock Important has dimensions of 4.8 × 2.5 × 3.3 inches [121 × 64 × 83 mm] and a weight of 11.6 oz. [328 g]:

And right here’s a close-up of the specs of the “wall wart”:

Overviews of the again and sides of the unit showcase its engaging (IMHO, not less than) gray cloth cowl for the white plastic chassis beneath:

Let’s now focus in on the highest:

Because the Sensible Clock Important (in contrast to its Sensible Clock greater sibling) doesn’t embody a touchscreen, Lenovo added bodily buttons for:

Quantity up/down
Play
Alarm (on/off)

You’ll be able to supposedly additionally snooze the alarm by tapping anyplace on the highest, though I used to be unable to discern definitively how this latter functionality is carried out. My guesses are both by way of an accelerometer (they’re tiny, so maybe it’s there and I simply couldn’t find it) or by way of sound picked up from the front-mounted microphone array. Within the latter case, the microphone mute swap would seemingly defeat the operate, though it seems that regardless of the “faucet” sensor is, it seemingly works together with the ambient gentle sensor (which can briefly override “mute”). Talking of which, right here’s the mute swap, amongst different issues:

To its proper is a USB charging port for a tethered smartphone or different machine; the Sensible Clock Important will get firmware updates over Wi-Fi. And on the left is the ability enter.

Now let’s flip the machine the wrong way up:

Each rubber “ft” have markings on them, together with however not restricted to the all-important (for analysis functions) FCC ID, O57CD4N341Y. These “ft” had been my first-attempt path to the within of the machine, which proved fruitless. So I turned my consideration to the entrance, aided by a skinny, flat-head screwdriver:

Already seen are the 2 microphones at prime, with an ambient gentle sensor between them and towards the left aspect, and, in fact, the array of LEDs. The “display” on this case is only a translucent piece of plastic. Talking of LEDs, and earlier than going additional, I assumed I’d briefly join energy to the machine and present you what the boot-up sequence seems like:

On the finish, there’s additionally an audible notification by way of the system’s 1.5-inch 3-W speaker to attach the machine to the Google House app on a Bluetooth-equipped cellular machine to finish setup:

Eradicating the 4 Phillips screws seen within the earlier images was a seemingly apparent subsequent step ahead, however it initially solely led to frustration: Not solely may I not then disconnect the 2 wiring harnesses proven right here, I couldn’t confirm how they’d ever gotten linked throughout preliminary system meeting within the first place:

However then I noticed that the meeting to the appropriate within the earlier picture was really a two-level “sandwich”:

Already seen on the show PCB is (amongst different issues) an IC labeled:

V1110
3112

It’s situated alongside the PCB marking “SN3112,” which I’m guessing references a 12-channel LED controller from Si-En Expertise. Additionally seen are two TM1652 LED driver ICs from Shenzhen Titan Micro Electronics, one on both aspect of the PCB. I’ll save a pry-away of the Faraday cage on the system PCB for later.

Though the partial disassembly I’d carried out was enlightening, additional progress was nonetheless hampered by the aforementioned cabling. Clearly there was one other strategy nonetheless mandatory to completely get to the insides, so I redirected my flat-head screwdriver’s consideration to the again aspect. Preliminary efforts had been once more irritating, till my twisting inadvertently revealed that the again panel was really a two-piece meeting:

Eradicating the now-exposed two Philips screws acquired me the place I subsequent wanted to be:

At this level, you may be questioning should you’re seeing issues. Permit me to reassure you that your eyes and mind are certainly functioning accurately; that actually is a hoop of LEDs, which shine by way of the translucent rear finish, implementing a user-controllable–depth “night time gentle”:

Inside-access thriller solved, let’s proceed:

The chassis isn’t significantly memorable—loads of holes for each the speaker’s sound and any system-generated warmth to flee:

What’s contained in the chassis is, unsurprisingly, a lot extra fascinating. Again aspect first; there are these LEDs once more, now extra clearly discernible:

Subsequent, the left aspect, displaying an fascinating wire-connected “sticker” (maintain that thought):

And the appropriate aspect, offering a peek at these two front-to-back wiring harnesses:

The underside view is dominated by an odd-looking mesh “strap” (once more, maintain that thought):

Now, let’s have an preliminary have a look at the 4 top-mount switches, together with that earlier-mentioned speaker:

And now let’s get the speaker out of there:

Disconnect the cabling from the system PCB and you may have a look at the transducer standalone:

Yet another wire left to sever:

And the rear and system PCBs are actually free from their earlier shared captivity:

Not a lot to put in writing dwelling about on the now-visible rear PCB again aspect, not less than for now (as soon as once more, maintain that thought):

And I’ve admittedly spoken too quickly re: the system PCB: There’s another wire harness (which is not less than paying homage to, if not in actuality, an antenna connection) to go:

Earlier than persevering with, let’s take one other peek at these switches from a distinct vantage level:

Right here’s the now-fully seen again aspect:

Already notably identifiable are (left to proper) the:

Take away the Faraday cage and one other chip beneath it comes into view:

A Micron IC is labeled:

9YP77
D9SHD

Which, because it seems (see the “FBGA Code” entry), is the MT41K256M16TW-107, a 4-Gbit DDR3-1866 SDRAM.

Flip the system PCB over:

Pull off its Faraday cage and what you’ll discover beneath isn’t terribly thrilling, both:

A Macronix MX30LF4G28AD-TI 4-Gbit SLC NAND flash reminiscence. Why Lenovo selected to put the two discrete reminiscence units beneath Faraday cages on this design versus different circuitry (or, for that matter, nothing in any respect) is admittedly baffling to me.

We’re within the dwelling stretch, however there are just a few extra issues I need to present you. Returning to the now-PCB-less foremost meeting:

Eradicating the strip of tape alongside the highest didn’t do something significant. Extra typically, the aluminum portion is stubbornly glued in place. That mentioned, there’s nothing notable left within the inside anyway. However the exterior nonetheless incorporates a few curiosities:

That grounding strap (I’m guessing that’s what it’s—readers?) first, which I’d briefly talked about earlier, extends from the again to the aluminum plate on the entrance, the place it’s glued in place. On the again, it ends at a “pad,” for lack of higher phrases (detail-oriented readers could have already observed one other caught to one of many 24 solder-point arrays on the entrance of the system PCB):

Right here’s my guess as to this explicit pad’s operate (once more, readers, your conjectures are additionally welcome). The back-side positioning of that “pad” coincides with the situation of a 15-solder-point array on the rear PCB. My supposition is that the 15-contact array finds use instantly and/or together with a doubtlessly initially enhanced-function USB connector on that very same PCB, for testing and closing programming (language assist for a specific finish market, for instance) throughout system manufacturing. As soon as these steps are full, the again PCB is positioned in its closing place, within the course of grounding the solder factors and precluding any additional unintentional ESD- or otherwise-induced sign activations.

Now for that foam- and glue-covered cable that routes from the antenna-reminiscent connector on one finish of the system PCB to a sticker on the meeting’s different aspect:

Certainly, it’s an antenna:

The Sensible Clock Important, reflective of the Broadcom BCM43456 inside it, is specified to assist each the two.4-GHz and 5-GHz Wi-Fi bands, together with 2.4-GHz Bluetooth. How a single antenna spectrally accomplishes all of that is one thing I’m admittedly baffled about. I didn’t see any visible proof of extra PCB-embedded antenna buildings (which could, for instance, discover use for the short-range Bluetooth-based preliminary pairing operate—the machine can’t be used as an elementary Bluetooth speaker, so long-range reception isn’t strictly mandatory).

Lastly, let’s return to the entrance meeting. First step is to take away that mini PCB (disconnecting it from the ambient gentle sensor within the course of):

The twin MEMS microphones come into clear view:

All that’s left is to rigorously apply a bit extra “elbow grease” to separate the LED-array PCB from its white plastic environment:

And that’s a “wrap” on one other more-interesting-than-initially-expected teardown! Reader questions and ideas are, as all the time, welcomed within the feedback.

—Brian Dipert is Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line e-newsletter.

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