Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Amazon Kindle 2 LCD Repair

I was given a broken Amazon Kindle 2 because it was dropped and the LCD cracked.

Find the disassemble guide here on ifixit.com.

Amazon Kindle 2 e-ink LCD part number: ED060SC4(LF)

The e-ink LCD replacement/ED060SC4(LF) on eBay averages $60.  Very expensive.  So for the moment, I'm sitting on it waiting for prices to come down on the replacement parts.


I've also seen the e-ink LCD replacement on Alibaba, I've never tried to buy anything off the website, but it looks promising.  It's a global supplier website so some suppliers have a higher minimum order quantity.




Sunday, February 26, 2012

Fighting Obsolescence : CRT TV

The digital age has made obsolete the CRT TV, and I'm not even talking about the HD CRT TV.  I'm referring to standard definition CRT TV with only 3 types of input:  S-Video, RCA, and RF coaxial.  Consumers are throwing out (hopefully recycling) CRT TVs and replacing them with high definition flat screen TVs (plasma, LCD, LED, etc) with the purpose of watching high definition television programs over air, cable, fiber optic, etc.  However, the internet age is changing the landscape of traditional TV.  Instead of watching TV when the broadcaster wants you to watch the program, consumers are watching TV when they want to watch the program.  Content providers such as Hulu, Crackle, TV.com, YouTube, Netflix, etc, allow consumers to watch content on their own schedule.

What does this have to do with obsolescence?  To accomodate the largest number of internet users, online content is generally 240p (320x240) or 360p (640x360).  This is lower than the lowest definition flat screen HDTV (480p).  Now, the question I ask is, if you want to watch internet content in the comfort of your living room couch, why do you even need an HDTV?

The answer, you don't.