After Hours

Cracking open the Ion iTTUSB Turntable

By · August 27, 2007, 4:04 AM PST · markwkaelin

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  • As promised, we cracked open the Ion iTTUSB Turntable to see what makes this gadget work. The review we published in the TechRepublic Practical Gadgetry blog and the original First Look Gallery are still going strong. Apparently, music and music recording inspire passion in much of our membership.

  • Before

    Here is the iTTUSB in all its glory before I start the cracking open process.

  • Shipped state

    If you look back at the First Look Gallery you'll see that this is what the turntable looks like when you take it out of the box.

  • Platter

    This is the flip side of the platter where the vinyl records sit. The drive belt has been removed from the center spindle.

  • Small parts

    The three small, but very important parts of the iTTUSB Turntable include the belt, the weight for the arm, and the stylus where the sound originates.

  • Plan of attack

    The turntable is held together with these screws.

  • Input / Output

    Power goes in and sound comes out.

  • Off with the feet

    The big rubber feet on the bottom of the iTTUSB turntable keep it steady during playback.

  • Next the screws

    Once the feet are off, the screws are the only thing left between us and the insides.

  • Circuit boards and wires

    Here is the inside of the Ion iTTUSB Turntable. When you think about it -- there is really not much to it.

    The big green circuit boards in the bottom corners are the start / stop switches that control the spinning of the turntable.

  • Regulate power

    As with any sensitive electronic equipment, power regulation and control is paramount.

  • More circuitry

    This board sits right in the center of everything. It is passing power wires to the speed controlling board in the corner.

  • Speed control

    This board controls the turntable RPMs -- 33 or 45.

  • Identification

    Here is a look at the serial number. Manufactured in April 2007, no too bad considering it came to the U.S. on a boat from Asia.

  • Underneath

    The speed control board flipped over to see what is underneath.

  • A closer look

    The speed control board close up. Notice the 33 and 44 RPM buttons in the bottom left corner and the corresponding LEDs.

  • Arm base

    This the stylus arm housing.

  • Arm base lit up

    This image shows the stylus arm housing with a flash. Note the thin wires -- I wasn't willing to risk Breaking something in there.

  • On / off

    Your basic on / off switch. Notice that it is held together with glue and not solder.

  • Side 1

    This is side one of the power and output controller circuit board. This board must house the chips that make USB and RCA output a reality.

  • Flash

    The same image but with the flash on to show more details.

  • The other side

    Here are the chips controlling USB and other outputs.

  • A little closer

    This is a little closer look at those chips.

  • Motor

    This is the motor that drives the belt that drives the turntable.

As promised, we cracked open the Ion iTTUSB Turntable to see what makes this gadget work. The review we published in the TechRepublic Practical Gadgetry blog and the original First Look Gallery are still going strong. Apparently, music and music recording inspire passion in much of our membership.

Related Topics:
After Hours Innovation Hardware Tech & Work

By Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.

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