E-Waste and the Illusion of Progress

Published On 9th March, 2025
Post Type: Deep Dive

Electronic waste has become an unavoidable consequence of modern consumerism, yet shockingly little is being done to address it. Companies like those on AliExpress flood the market with millions of cheaply made LED rings and LCD screens that barely last a handful of uses—while simultaneously boasting about their commitment to ‘Net Zero’ and ‘Sustainable Materials.’

But it’s not just budget manufacturers contributing to the problem. Tech giants like Apple—and to some extent, even Samsung—sell millions of overpriced gadgets with little to no regard for repairability or end-of-life disposal. Every single iteration of the AirPods has scored less than one on the iFixit repairability scale (see here), and once disassembled, they’re practically impossible to put back together.

These companies show little concern for what happens to their products once they’re obsolete, nor do they seem to care about the conditions in which they’re manufactured—as long as they keep selling. Meanwhile, a bizarre social stigma has emerged around buying second-hand tech, as if using last year’s phone somehow makes you outdated. You must own the latest and greatest, or you’re not ‘cool.’ Telecom providers like EE fuel this mindset, encouraging customers to ‘Upgrade to a new iPhone every year!’—even when there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the one they already own.

I’m guilty of this mindset too. When I first discovered AliExpress, I impulsively bought a dozen microcontrollers and Arduino kits—each costing less than a cup of coffee—without considering whether I’d ever use them. Unsurprisingly, most of them ended up buried in a drawer, collecting dust.

Fortunately, I had a wake-up call when I stumbled upon DankPods’ channel. I immediately fell in love with the idea of tearing down gadgets, exploring their inner workings, and figuring out whether they could be salvaged. Now, I’ve got my sights set on the legendary iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit, and I’m already eyeing the neglected electronics around my room as future disassembly projects. Once I upgrade to the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, my Soundcore Life P2 earbuds will be the first to go under the knife.

But circling back to the bigger picture, it’s disheartening to see just how much perfectly functional technology is discarded in the name of progress. I wish there were a way to change this—to make repairability mainstream, to shift the conversation. Maybe, just maybe, I could create the world’s first truly repairable and user-serviceable devices...

Soundcore Life P2 Review -

Published On 7th March, 2025
Post Type: Review

At first glance, the Soundcore Life P2 earphones might seem like just another Chinese AirPods knockoff. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. These earphones have served me exceptionally well the entire time I've had them, and I rarely say that about tech products.

When I first got the earphones, they didn’t seem like much to me. In fact, due to my media-induced fear of Bluetooth earphones causing cancer, I tossed them into a drawer and forgot about them. But, boy, was that a mistake. I eventually rediscovered them while cleaning my bedroom one day and decided to give them a chance to prove their worth. From that moment on, I started using them everywhere—while walking, exercising, and even just sitting at my laptop. These earphones have it all:

The Many Positives:

• Excellent sound quality – They sound just as good as wired headphones.
• Great battery life – Long-lasting power that keeps up with daily use.
• Comfortable fit – They sit snugly in-ear, making them perfect for extended use.
• Effective noise cancellation – Whether there’s an annoying baby crying or a power tool buzzing outside, popping these in makes it all go away. Unfortunately, the noise cancellation isn’t toggleable, but that has never bothered me.

• The charging case is bulky – It’s extremely thick and uncomfortable to keep in a pocket. While I appreciate the large battery, the case’s design isn’t pocket-friendly at all.
• Connectivity issues – The earphones struggle to connect to new devices and often get confused when multiple devices try to pair with them. This can lead to frustrating minutes spent troubleshooting.
• Weird Bluetooth pairing – The earphones appear as two separate devices in the Bluetooth menu: Soundcore Life P2 and Soundcore Life P2 L. If you connect to the wrong one, it can be confusing.
• Linux compatibility issues – I’ve had countless issues trying to use these on my Ubuntu laptop. They often refuse to connect or randomly disconnect for no reason, showing a lack of optimization for anything outside of Windows and Samsung devices.

The Perfect Earphones (Sorta)

Published on March 6th, 2025 | Updated April 16th, 2025
Post Type: Review

Finding the best headphones for everyone is nearly impossible. Some people may prefer excellent noise cancelling, while others might enjoy the sounds of their environment – we're all different. In my case, it's a little bit of everything: I want incredible sound quality, with just a touch of toggleable noise cancelling, and I need solid battery life for those long car journeys and plane rides.

That's why I've decided to get the Galaxy Buds3 Pro. I know, it’s a steep price for what might seem like some generic earphones, but hear me out. The buds (which I’ll refer to from here on out) feature great noise cancelling, which can be toggled on or off, they sound fantastic (24-bit / 96 kHz), and they look even better. Yes, they’ve clearly borrowed a lot from Apple, including the design and case, but why reinvent the wheel when you can use a proven design that feels and looks good? It’s definitely better than Microsoft’s dinner plates, in my opinion.

These buds seem promising, even though I haven’t got them yet. They even feature 'AI' technology, whatever that means… The only thing (aside from the crazy price) that gave me pause is the battery life. The buds supposedly last 6-7 hours, and 26-30 hours with the case, which isn’t quite enough for me. My current earphones, the Soundcore Life P2, offer fantastic battery life – they lasted me almost an entire 24-hour coach ride, and I can’t remember the last time I charged the case. While I’d keep using them, I thought it was time to upgrade to proper earphones and fit into the Samsung 'ecosystem'.

Another feature I love about the buds is their design. Though the white version clearly takes inspiration from Apple’s AirPods, Samsung has added its own touch. The blade lights on the sides of the buds look awesome, and the pinch controls aren’t bad either. The case has a flat bottom (how rude!), so you can stand it up without it toppling over – unlike the AirPods case. I really like the see-through top too. If one ever comes out, I’d love a completely transparent case so you could see the inner workings of the buds. The closest we have right now is this, but I’m hoping for full transparency.

The buds offer plenty of customization through the Samsung Wearables app, and there's even an Equalizer for all those music supernerds (don’t worry, I want to be one too eventually)! I love the control you get over the buds and all the little details Samsung has included. However, one downside I’m not a fan of is the ‘walled garden’ approach. Many of the buds' features are only available on the latest Samsung phones. Here are a few examples:

• Ultra-high-quality audio up to 24bit/96kHz is available on Galaxy S24 series, S23 series, Z Fold6, Z Flip6, Z Fold5, Z Flip5, and Tab S9 series with One UI 6.1.1 or above
• Galaxy AI features are supported on Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold5 series, Galaxy Z Flip5 series, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Z Fold4 series, and Galaxy Z Flip4 series as of May 2024
• Galaxy AI features will be available for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices. Different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties.

How To Hack Your Badger

Published on March 5th, 2025
Post Type: Guide

I recently came across the wonderful Badger 2040 W while looking for cool project ideas, and it grabbed my attention immediately. I waited a little while, and as soon as they were in stock, snatched it up from thepihut. The delivery super speedy, and within only a couple days, it was sitting right infront of me.

I madly tore open the box like a child on Christmas day, strapped the battery on the back and plugged it straight into my laptop. It was very easy to program, especially using Thonny, and within a couple of minutes I had got the hang of it (which is rare for someone like me!)

My next mission was this: wire up a RC522 (or PN532) module, and start making a makeshift tag reader, so it looked could come near key fobs and the like and print their tasty data. This wasn't too hard to do, and I followed this awesome guide to make these instructions:

Note: these instructions will work best on Ubuntu.

1. Snatch up your handy dandy soldering iron (in my case, a cheap chinese one).

2. Solder up your RC522 module to the Badger (ow!), following this wiring diagram:

3. Connect your badger to your device of choice and load up Thonny.

4. Use this amazing GitHub repo to download the required files, unzip the file and open rfidEmulator - this is where all the required files are.

5. Navigate to /examples, and upload emulate.py and icon-emulate.jpg onto there.

6. Navigate to /icons, and upload the rfid-symbol.png there.

7. Unplug the Badger from your device, press the reset button and find 'emulate' in the examples menu

8. Try it out and have fun!

About Me

Published on February 18th, 2025
Post Type: Personal

Welcome to my totally rad blog! My name's Henry, and i like messing around with electronics and other cool stuff like that.

I also have a youtube channel where I take broken electronics apart, look at them in detail and even try fix them, which you can find by pressing this link.