In mid-2023, Google subtly signaled that its first-generation Chromecast A/V streaming receiver, initially launched in 2013, had reached the top of the assist street. I’d already tore one down, however I had a number of others nonetheless in use, which I promptly changed with 3rd-generation (2018) successors off eBay. And whereas I used to be at it, I picked up a further “tough”-condition one, plus middleman 2nd-generation (2015) and Extremely (2016) well-used units, for teardown functions.
One 12 months (and a few months) later, and a few months in the past as I write these phrases in late October 2024, Google end-of-life’d the whole Chromecast product line, additionally encompassing the 4K (launched in 2020) and HD (2022) variants of the Chromecast with Google TV which I’d already torn down too, and changing all the things with its newly unveiled TV Streamer:
So, I suppose you’ll be able to say I’m now backfilling from a disassembly-and-analysis standpoint. As we speak you’ll see the insides of the 2nd technology (2015) Chromecast:
with the Extremely (2016), notably kitted with the Stadia online-streamed gaming controller:
and 3rd technology (2018) to comply with within the coming months.
Reality be instructed, I’ve additionally bought a few Chromecast Audio streamers available, however as they’re so uncommon and prized by audiophiles (and wannabes like me), I’m loath to (destructively, a minimum of) take one aside. Time will inform if I modify my thoughts and/or get extra disassembly-skilled sooner or later…
Anyhoo, let’s get to ripping down, starting with the gadget I eBay-purchased final summer season, as traditional accompanied by a 0.75″ (19.1 mm) diameter U.S. penny for dimension comparability functions:
As you most likely already seen from the “inventory” pictures I’ve beforehand shared, the twond technology Chromecast marked a reasonably radical bodily design departure from its forebear. I’ll start with one thing which may appear to be a “nit” at first look however was truly a giant deal to many customers. That USB-A to micro-USB cable you see on the left was just one’ lengthy with the first-gen Chromecast; now it’s 5’ lengthy. Far more handy, particularly if you happen to’re getting energy from an outlet-installed “wall wart” versus a TV again panel USB connector:
The gadget itself has extra visibly-obviously advanced. The primary-gen Chromecast seemed a bit like a USB flash “stick”, cigar-shaped with a stubby HDMI connector jutting out of 1 finish. Google bundled a brief female-to-male extender cable with it, which steadily bought shortly misplaced. Now, the extender cable is built-in, and the gadget itself is round in form. This transition has a number of advantages, two apparent and one other conjecture on my half. The extension cable simplifies hookup to a TV’s crowded-connector bottom (and as I’ve already talked about, received’t be inadvertently discarded). Additionally, as you’ll quickly see, the twond technology spherical Chromecast contains a number of Wi-Fi antennae, organized across the partial-circumference of the also-circular PCB. And right here’s the conjecture half: the 1st technology Chromecast was tormented by overheating points, which I’m guessing the redesign assists in mitigating.
I’m calling this the “entrance”, though as I’ve talked about earlier than, I used this time period, together with “again” and “sides”, loosely as a result of, as I’ve additionally beforehand talked about with different units of this sort, orientation is HDMI plug- and cable-orientation dependent, due to this fact inconsistent from one TV and broader setup to a different. Mine’s black (duh); it additionally got here in “Coral” (crimson) and “Lime” (additionally referred to in some locations as “Lemonade”, yellow) shades:
On the backside is the micro-USB energy enter jack, together with a reset swap to its left and a multi-color standing LED to its proper:
When not in use, the HDMI connector magnetically attaches to the again of the round most important physique…for unclear-to-me causes (ease of portability?). I apparently wasn’t alone, as a result of Google dropped this explicit “characteristic” for the third-generation successor:
Right here the HDMI cable is prolonged; the magnet is that shiny rectangle with rounded corners (which I simply realized right this moment is referred to as a stadium, presumably referencing the form of an athletic leisure facility) towards the highest:
Right here’s what the HDMI cable finish appears like:
And as soon as extra again to the again (see what I did there?) of the gadget for a closeup of the varied markings, together with the FCC ID, A4RNC2-6A5 (which has an attention-grabbing historic twist I’ll revisit shortly):
Time to dive inside. From my advance analysis, I already knew that the glue holding the 2 halves of the physique collectively was significantly cussed stuff. This gave me a chance to check out a brand new piece of substances I’d lately acquired, iFixit’s iOpener package, consisting of an extended, slim insulated heat-retaining bag which you set within the microwave oven for 30 seconds earlier than utilizing:
plus different useful disassembly equipment (the iOpener can also be optionally offered standalone):
Strictly talking, the iOpener is meant for eradicating the display screen from a pill or the like:
however I managed to get it to work (with a “bit” of overlap) with the Chromecast, too:
After that, assisted by a few the Opening Picks additionally included within the package:
I used to be inside, with minimal beauty injury to the case (though I nonetheless harbored no delusions that my remaining disassembly steps could be non-destructive)
Right here’s the within of the highest half of the case:
And right here’s our first glimpse of the PCB topside, full with a sizeable Faraday Cage:
Did you discover these three screws holding the PCB in place? what comes subsequent:
Girls and gents, we’ve got liftoff:
That is nonetheless the PCB topside, however alongside it (to the left) is the first-time revealed inside the highest of the case, full with a LED mild pipe meeting, a dallop of thermal paste, and a spherical grey heatsink that does double-duty because the attractant for the HDMI cable connector magnet. Additionally be aware the reset swap within the decrease left edge:
Flipping the insides the wrong way up first-time reveals the PCB underside; this time, the LED is clearly seen. And there’s one other Faraday cage, to which the dallop of thermal paste connects:
Let’s return to the PCB topside, particularly to its Faraday cage, for elimination first:
In previous teardowns, to get it off, I’ve relied both on pretty flimsy-tip units just like the iSesamo:
Or simply brute-forced it with a flat-head screwdriver, which inevitably resulted to each a mangled cage and PCB. This time, nonetheless, I pressed into service one other new device in my arsenal, iFixit’s Jimmy, which within the phrases of Goldilocks, was “excellent”:
As you could have already inferred, two of the three earlier screws did double-duty, not solely holding the PCB in place throughout the decrease half of the case but in addition retaining the PCB-connector finish of the HDMI cable intact. After eradicating them after which the Cage, the HDMI cable was free:
I’m positive that within the earlier pictures you already seen a second dallop of thermal paste between the massive IC within the decrease left quadrant and the Faraday Cage:
A little bit of rubbing alcohol cleaned it off sufficiently for me to ID it and the opposite parts on the board:
The beforehand paste-encrusted IC within the decrease left quadrant is Marvell’s Armada 88DE3006 1500 Mini Plus dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 media processor, an uptick from the Marvell Armada DE3005-A1 1500-mini SoC within the first-generation Chromecast. To its proper, barely seen underneath the Cage-mounting body, is a Toshiba TC58NVG1S3HBAI6 2 Gbit NAND flash reminiscence; curiously, its predecessor within the first-gen Chromecast, a Micron MT29F16G08, was 16 Gbit (8x bigger) in capability). Within the decrease proper nook is a chip marked:
MRVL
21AA3
521GDT
which iFixit believes implements the system’s energy administration management capabilities. And within the decrease left nook is one other frame-obscured Marvell IC, marked as follows (you’ll must belief me on this one):
MRVL
G868
524GBD
whose identification is unclear to me (and iFixit didn’t even trouble taking a stab at), though it apparently was additionally within the first-gen Chromecast. Readers?
Flipping the board again over to its underside, and going via the identical Faraday cage elimination (this time additionally with preparatory thermal paste cleanup) course of as earlier than:
Reveals our third dallop of thermal paste, contained in the second (underside) cage within the design:
Time for extra rubbing alcohol-plus-tissues:
The dominant ICs this time are a Samsung K4B4G1646D-BY 4 Gbit DDR3L SDRAM to the precise (this reminiscence time round, the similar capability as with the first-gen Chromecast) and Marvell’s Avastar 88W8887 wi-fi controller (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and FM, not all of those used). At this level, I’ll refer again to the “attention-grabbing historic twist” teaser from earlier than. For one factor, the Avastar 88W8887’s precursor within the first-gen Chromecast was an AzureWave AW-NH387, a 2.4 GHz-only Wi-Fi (plus Bluetooth and FM receiver, the latter once more unused) controller. This time, nonetheless, you get dual-band 1×1 802.11ac, reflective of the multi-PCB-embedded-antenna array you see across the PCB sides.
And what about Bluetooth? Right here’s the place issues get actually attention-grabbing. At its preliminary 2015 introduction, Bluetooth capabilities have been innate within the silicon however not enabled in software program. A few years later, nonetheless, Google went again to the FCC for recertification, not as a result of any of the {hardware} had modified however simply because a brand new firmware “push” had turned on Bluetooth assist. Why? I don’t know for positive, however I’ve a idea.
Initially, Google relied on a wonky app referred to as Gadget Utility that compelled you to leap thorough a bunch of hoops in a poorly documented particular sequence and with exact step-by-step timing to ensure that preliminary activation to efficiently full:
Subsequent setup steps have been accomplished via the TV to which the Chromecast was related over HDMI. Google subsequently switched to doing these latter setup steps over its Google House app, initially launched in 2016 and considerably revamped in 2023, as an alternative, which presumably leverages Bluetooth (due to this fact the subsystem software-enable and FCC recertification). However for legacy units, preliminary activation nonetheless wanted to happen over Gadget Utility.
And with that, closing in on 1,800 phrases, I’ll wrap up for right this moment. Your ideas are as-always welcomed within the feedback!
—Brian Dipert is the 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 publication.
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