Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Cloud
  • 5G
  • Big Data
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Cloud
  • 5G
  • Big Data
  • See All Topics
  • Sponsored
  • Newsletters
  • Forums
  • Resource Library
TechRepublic Premium
Join / Sign In
After Hours

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

By Wally Bahny August 24, 2008, 3:59 AM PDT

Image
1
of 11

100_0794.jpg
100_0794.jpg
Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Box Cover

Box Cover

The Belkin Nostromo n52te (Tournament Edition) SpeedPad controller box.

As you may remember, TechRepublic Cracked Open the original Nostromo n52 back in November 2007.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Opened Lid

Opened Lid

Opening the lid of the box reveals the n52te encased in a plastic bubble. Belkin wants the buyer to test out the comfortable grip.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Box Back

Box Back

The back of the box gives a few bullet points of information on the device as well as a preview of the configuration software.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Hidden Screws

Hidden Screws

After removing the nine screws and attempting to open the case, I found two more screws hidden under the non-slip pads.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Thumb Section

Thumb Section

One of the screws that we removed from the bottom was all that was securely holding the thumb section in place.

Disassembling the thumb section amounted to the removal of six more screws.

All that this circuit board consisted of was some diodes, resistors, and contacts for the 8-way joypad and the small button above it. The n52te uses now-standard silicon touch buttons.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

The Rest of the Thumb Section

The Rest of the Thumb Section

Button “15”, also in the thumb section, has its own circuit board. Yet another silicon contact button, as well as diodes and resistors, but this board also contains three small LEDs to power the indicator lights.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Wheel

Wheel

Next, I removed the Wheel circuit board. Once again, small diodes and resistors were scattered on this board and there is a larger LED which lights up the wheel. The wheel is a standard mouse wheel with scroll and click abilities. There is no side-scroll ability.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Main Board

Main Board

Here we have the bottom side of the main board. This must be where all of the interesting stuff is, because all we’ve seen so far is diodes and resistors.

Here we can see where the switch from the back plate comes through.

Also shown are some chips marked C475 and what must be a relay marked “AA20PF” or “AA2OPF”. The C475 chips are resin mold capacitors capable of handling 4.7[5] microFarads at 16 volts. I was unable to find any thing on the AA20PF with either spelling.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Main Board - Front

Main Board - Front

Shown here is the front-facing side of the main circuit board. The only thing of note here other than more C475’s is the large chip that is just off center. This chip must be the main processor for the device. It has three markings on it: “MC98JW32”, “FC6L41Y”, and “CTA0730”. I am unable to find anything about those three markings.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Fully Disassembled

Fully Disassembled

The Belkin Nostromo n52te fully disassembled. Other than a large number of screws, there is nothing impressive about the construction of the device. Other than three marked components, all it contained were resistors, diodes, LEDs, and contacts for the various buttons.

Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

Lit Up

Lit Up

After putting the n52te back together again, I plugged it into my computer. Sure enough, the keys, scroll wheel, and indicator are lit up. I also tried the switch on the back. It controls the backlighting on the keys and scroll wheel, but not the indicator lights in the thumb area.

Stay tuned for a review of how well the n52te works!

  • After Hours
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller

    Your email has been sent

Share: Cracking Open the Belkin n52te Controller
Image of Wally Bahny
By Wally Bahny
  • Account Information

    Contact Wally Bahny

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Wally's content

TechRepublic Premium

  • TechRepublic Premium

    Enterprise IoT calculator: TCO and ROI

    Internet of Things devices serve a number of useful applications, such as environmental, asset or inventory monitoring/control, security functions, fitness devices and smartwatches. There is an array of IoT functions for both consumer and business purposes, but determining the total cost of ownership and the return on your enterprise investment in a widespread or large-scale ...

    Downloads
    Published:  June 6, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 7, 2023, 9:15 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Employee political activity policy

    No matter where in the world an enterprise operates, politics is going to play a major role in the lives of its employees. Depending on the country and the current political situation, it’s possible for affiliations, candidates and political parties to become a driving passion in your workforce. While an actively engaged workforce taking interest ...

    Downloads
    Published:  June 6, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 7, 2023, 8:42 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Diversity and inclusion policy

    The importance of diversity and inclusion in any given organization cannot be overstated. It establishes a level playing field, brings together people with different backgrounds, perspectives, traditions and ideas and enriches company culture by ensuring fairness and tolerance. This helps build a more effective and collaborative workforce which enables the business to run in a ...

    Downloads
    Published:  June 5, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 6, 2023, 9:27 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Development lifecycle policy

    Software development is a complex process that involves a specific series of steps (known as the development lifecycle) to transform a concept into a deliverable product. The steps involved with creating the finished product must be carefully adhered to yield the best results, reduce inefficiencies and maximize customer satisfaction. The purpose of this policy from ...

    Downloads
    Published:  June 5, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 6, 2023, 9:15 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium

Services

  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information

Explore

  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Twitter
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on Flipboard
© 2023 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Property of TechnologyAdvice