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MobileAction MA-620 IR USB Adapter

Join the community - in the OCAU Forums! Date  21st November 2002 Author  Sabretooth Manufacturer  MobileAction Vendor  PC Range Other Devices, Internals, Conclusion Other Devices While the MA-620's target audience is mobile phone owners, being a generic IrDA device it can also talk to any other IrDA capable devices. The next test is done with a HP Omnibook laptop. The transfer of an aptly-named file called "1mb" was done to test transfer speeds. A rather uninspiring result - it took 100 seconds to send 1MB across a link separated by 3cm of air. Shocker. So this is why IR isn't a popular method of file transfer. Sending the same file from the laptop to the PC took exactly the same amount of time. An average of 10.24KB/sec isn't anything to be writing home about. Inside You know you've been reading too many Dan's Data reviews when you pull apart a perfectly workable device. Join me while I void my warranty and proceed to display that fact to the Internet. Here goes. The base is held to the shell by 3 philips-head screws. Remove those and the unit just pulls apart to reveal... the guts of a skinned, yet ever-smiling rodent. The plug easily slides off, totally separating the PCB. Unlike Dan Rutter, I can't really say anything clever about what we're looking at - except it's a PCB, there are a few IC's, and the 2 green things atop the poles are LEDs. There are various chips onboard and, the stars of the show, the: infra-red receiver and transmitter LEDs. My old affliction of "New Toy Syndrome" comes back to haunt me every now and then - and I'm afraid that it's happened again. Normally you cannot see the pulses of light when infra-red devices communicate because they're below the visible wavelengths of light visible to the human eye. But due to the design of cameras, their CCDs can actually pick this up. I present to you Exhibit A - a remote control with its button being pressed. Due to the simple nature of IR comms used in remote controls, they just flash a set pattern each time to transmit. If you just look at the IR transmitter you won't see anything, but if you point a camera at it you'll actually see the pulses of the diode: remote.avi (595kB). This next clip is the MA-620 and 8310 having a chat: comms.avi (1.4MB). I probably wouldn't bother downloading it unless you're really really keen to see some little flashing lights. Summary All in all, it's a nifty little device, and the included software certainly helps justify the cost. It's versatile, being able to be used with cameras, PDA's, mobile phones, printers, laptops, other PCs - and probably more. The MA-620 is obviously aimed at mobile phone users, coming with the appropriate software for communicating with handsets, and half a thousand ringtones and even more logos (literally). Similar offerings such as DSE's/Jaycar's kits - while cheaper, don't have any of the associated software, the logos, the ringtones, or the ease of USB connectivity. It does everything which I had hoped it would. Pros: USB Connectivity Plenty of bundled ringtones and logos to drive your neighbours batty. Excellent software. Easy installation. Support for a multitude of mobile phones. Cons: None, really. This review unit was supplied by PC Range and retails for $70. Recommended. << Back OCAU Main Page Select Page Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 -

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