UPDATED - REVIEW & TEARDOWN - IKEA’S sound to light box
Added 2022-07-26 14:31:46 +0000 UTCDue to various life commitments I might not be able to make a proper video this week - but here’s a quickie.
I’m not convinced that this video is worth putting out - but Patrons get a chance to see everything - even the ropey stuff.
Have fun.
VIDEO UPDATED: For your entertainment I've pulled this apart and now I think there's now enough here to issue this as a short video.
Based on your feedback, I’ve added on a ‘teardown’ starting off from where the video previously finished (around the four minute mark)). It’s still a half-baked video about a rubbish device, but now you get to see what’s inside it too.
Unfortunately it turned out I was right about this week getting away from me...so this short video will have to do.
I'm interested to see how the Kenny Everett video fares on Saturday. I hope it does OK, it's got a cart machine to pay for.
Comments
I reckon it's hackable, make a nice Raspberry Pi Pico project..
Gordo
2022-10-21 21:43:43 +0000 UTCIndeed! Teenage engineering make some extremely cool (and expensive) portable synths, this just seems a bit sad...
Gordo
2022-10-21 21:42:36 +0000 UTCThe turntable may have been good, but the cassette player would have been almost guaranteed to be awful so
Yourboy_hampshire
2022-08-05 10:54:14 +0000 UTCweird for teenage engineering to put their name on that. especially with the non-centered default animation. they don't look like they would be any better when tiled either..
Dean Herbert
2022-08-01 02:56:35 +0000 UTCOh noooooo... You broke it! Such a pity.
GraphicsMonkey
2022-07-31 23:58:19 +0000 UTCI did a quick search and stumbled across an Adafruit article which led to this GitHub page: https://github.com/frumperino/FrekvensPanel where someone wrote a rudimentary library to control the LED panel with a microcontroller. No examples shown, though. So your intuition about there being some hacking interest is right on, but it seems limited in scope.
NotTheJohn
2022-07-30 00:34:02 +0000 UTCI’m glad to hear it worked. You’ve got a good memory - it was Tiff Needell, Vicky Butler Henderson and Quentin Wilson at the London Motorshow sometime in the 1990s back in their Top Gear Days. I’d never before witnessed the schizophrenic change that happens as soon as the lights went on. I struggle to amp it to to that level - but you definitely can’t act your normal self if you’re trying to entertain anyone. They really capture this aspect well on ‘The Morning Show’ on AppleTV - the presenters go from hating each other to the best of friends as soon as people are watching.
Techmoan
2022-07-29 20:36:50 +0000 UTCThanks for the update Mat!
MrHammond
2022-07-29 16:37:57 +0000 UTCThe teardown was a fun addition to the video. It makes for a more solid review and I would have no issues with releasing it.
Andrew Shaw
2022-07-29 16:18:44 +0000 UTCNobody else seems to have mentioned the Divoom Timebox Evo here, a device I came across today that sells for £40 at Game and is frankly what this box of LEDs should have been all along. It's a speaker with RGB LEDs, Bluetooth and much better options. As if the Ikea item didn't already seem like a rip off.
Matt Tester
2022-07-29 13:47:48 +0000 UTC...with Gorilla Glue. Good as new. 😁
Grace Robbins
2022-07-29 11:02:19 +0000 UTCJust need an update of being put back together 😀
Ian Stokes
2022-07-29 10:55:08 +0000 UTCI bought a grey desk topper thing as I hoped it would help with exposure issues, but it’s retaining marks already so will probably have to go again.
Techmoan
2022-07-29 10:11:08 +0000 UTCSad that so much effort goes into a product that could clearly deliver much better results. I mean that off centre arrow on its own is bad enough… which idiot in an office gave this the all clear? Sack em.
Ant Wakefield
2022-07-29 01:35:42 +0000 UTCI thought the same at the beginning - it must be mechanism speed irregularity. 😃
Grace Robbins
2022-07-28 23:53:10 +0000 UTCAnother useless trinket Well described and displayed by the Master. The effort you put into the teardown was worth the time to show what the guts were. Those who would be able to re-engineer this into something truly unique will find this seriously helpful! Just Another Excellent [extended well] Video!
Stephen Hamme
2022-07-28 23:50:14 +0000 UTCEntertaining update 😃 ✔️Victorinox ✔️Mini-Mat ✔️Tat destruction I just noticed the grey vinyl-textured workspace - missed it on the first video. Have you redecorated? If you already answered this question I didn't notice on the comments (sorry).
Grace Robbins
2022-07-28 23:43:59 +0000 UTCTotally randomly, I had to do a online presentation at work yesterday, which always makes me shit myself a little bit but I remembered something you said ages ago about about seeing a pro TV presenter go from normal human to massively over animated when the camera rolled. I decided to employ the same tactic to present the mundane nonsense I had to deliver and it turns out it works a treat! When in doubt, ham it up!! Feels odd but delivers results!
Ian Dalgairns
2022-07-28 23:17:22 +0000 UTCIt might just be me (being a bit slow after a bottled beverage) but is this new video a bit fast? Seems sped up to me. Could be my phone playing up, maybe.
CBits Tech
2022-07-28 22:24:08 +0000 UTCHere someone modified one replacing the single board computer with another one and rigging up a camera to it: https://spritesmods.com/?art=frekvens
Jammi
2022-07-28 22:09:43 +0000 UTCTeenage engineering themselves seem to host some 3D print hacking stuff for these. https://teenage.engineering/designs/frekvens-hacks
Jammi
2022-07-28 22:03:17 +0000 UTCThe Frekvens line overall was a disappointment. Here in the states it was released in small numbers, and then quickly clearanced. I bought a number of pieces cheap, intrigued with the idea of building a custom boombox. This visualizer was the part I was most interested in, and then ultimately disappointed by since it’s barely better than a toy. The speakers sound good, especially at the price I paid. They really should detect when you have a pair, and then work in true stereo. Instead the only way to get real stereo is to use analog cables. The line was also supposed to have a turntable and cassette player. Never happened. You can 3D print some cool add-ons, but still… the core product should have been better. Close, but no cigar.
bohus blahut
2022-07-28 21:56:51 +0000 UTCGood update. Didn't make the product any less hopeless. :-)
Peter Laws
2022-07-28 21:55:47 +0000 UTCI have a vague memory that they might have got in touch a few years ago and offered to send me something - I looked it up online and it just seemed to make annoying horrible noises - so I turned them down. I’m the wrong person to review any type of synth though.
Techmoan
2022-07-28 21:39:53 +0000 UTCi think they’re only popular based on the brand, they do a range of pocket synths made famous on tik tok. You might guilt them into putting in more effort tho
Yourboy_hampshire
2022-07-28 21:35:19 +0000 UTCI think there’s a reasonable chance that the Kenny carts will breakout beyond the usual crowd…but there’s only one way to find out for sure.
Techmoan
2022-07-28 21:33:07 +0000 UTCafter the last update I'm thinking it's too late
Evan
2022-07-28 21:24:52 +0000 UTCYou mean Jraphics Interchange Format would be correct? I don't think so.
Jammi
2022-07-28 21:22:47 +0000 UTCSurely there’s absolutely no chance that the innards of this are worth anyone in their right mind spending £35 on when far better components are easily available, including full colour displays, for a fraction of the price. I can’t see any scenario where buying one of these would be the wisest option for someone who wants to make anything.
Techmoan
2022-07-28 21:21:43 +0000 UTCI’ll only look at Shorts again if I really have to - but just like TikTok I don’t have a clue and I think I shouldn’t be there. It’d be like me turning up at the local nightclub - embarrassing for everyone concerned.
Techmoan
2022-07-28 21:19:33 +0000 UTCFor modding information to make sense, you'd need to have close-ups of the chips involved, enough to have their codes readable. That way for instance one could figure out whether the microcontroller there is reprogrammable or not, and the latter means it's just a piece of junk.
Jammi
2022-07-28 21:18:37 +0000 UTCI preferred that as well - it was more real, but I can sense there’s a demand for a bit more.
Techmoan
2022-07-28 21:17:16 +0000 UTCLooks like you managed to improve it! I preferred the original ending "I think it's rubbish" and leaving it like that, as it wasn't even worth your time. Gave me a chuckle.
Big Car
2022-07-28 21:13:55 +0000 UTCThe KE video is a peach - don't fret. I'll pep-talk you with a 1,000 word essay if I need to. 🤍 I'm looking forward to watching the teardown on TV when I get home. Edit: Or send you $1,000 😆
Grace Robbins
2022-07-28 21:11:40 +0000 UTCJunkola..
Shannon Parker
2022-07-28 21:10:17 +0000 UTCYou know I was thinking about your YouTube shorts. I don’t have any concrete ideas but as they’re unmonetized you could play music in them? That was my clever thought. all the music you like in them. You nodding your head super intensely or even violently to an 8 track tape was my only idea - maybe the bgm version of that Phil collins track? Or if you have a rando media version of November rain, you could rise up doing air guitar in front of the desk (with you initially hidden) in time to the solo? Like Slash rises up from the sea in the video
Yourboy_hampshire
2022-07-28 21:08:55 +0000 UTCThis has "something for the man who has everything" written all over it, or at least on a tiny label on the back. Secret Santa material. And you saved me 35 quid.
Mark Grigoleit
2022-07-28 16:29:37 +0000 UTCMy question would be now, whats inside? Is it hackable? Because getting a 16x16 pixel Display in a nice case might be worth the 35€ if you consider the work you would need to throw at such a project, even if you have access to a hackerspace with all the tools, including a laser cutter.
BastetFurry
2022-07-28 07:42:59 +0000 UTCUmmmmmm…. Yep, boring. Fits into IKEA nicely.
Phil Collins
2022-07-27 19:05:42 +0000 UTCIt looked like such a nice option. But even de late 70s Atari disco machine is much more sophisticated. Come on Ikea! I hope you can return it still....
Bas van Schooten
2022-07-27 13:32:17 +0000 UTCI think it is about saving the chips for doing fft. This way you may have a list of memory addresses and the pulse of the mic (which can be cheap as dirt) just moves the index further. Basically save money
Raul Ramos
2022-07-27 12:48:42 +0000 UTCYeah I instantly saw this too and came to the comments to see if anyone else did :)
StevesTechShed
2022-07-27 12:40:24 +0000 UTCI agree - it's rubbish. :-)
Stephen Bell
2022-07-27 09:27:14 +0000 UTCeffectively yeah Teenage Engineering is a design company first and foremost and an engineering company second, most of their products have a really nice look to them that isn't backed up by their performance
Ish Kabibble
2022-07-27 08:16:46 +0000 UTCI actually bought one going off the Teenage Engineering collaboration. I could live with the lack of color and even the pre-rendered animations. Thought it would look cool sitting on my DC block. But it doesn't work there: you need to turn the volume up pretty high before the built-in mic pics anything up. Even placing it on top of a speaker still required sizeable volume 😔
Arun
2022-07-27 07:55:28 +0000 UTC"designed by teenage engineering". Is that code for it being a lazily designed POS?
evilution
2022-07-27 05:28:56 +0000 UTCYour pronunciation of GIF is going to trigger the approximately 30% of people who pronounce it the correct way, and then the other 70% who insist that they're right. And yeah, it's rubbish. There's a tiny chance that it uses power line communication to synchronize multiple units, but I highly doubt it.
VWestlife
2022-07-27 03:24:36 +0000 UTCThe device sucks, I agree. I hate IKEA, my nightmare ex worked there, two years going through the small claims court system when she made fraudulent financial claims against me for revenge. Two years to get it thrown out of court and get shot of her. Also it feels like the arrow points the wrong way
Yourboy_hampshire
2022-07-27 01:26:06 +0000 UTCI was hoping you'd get Teenage Engineering quality at IKEA prices, but barely even got IKEA quality at IKEA prices.
Robert Currie
2022-07-27 00:30:18 +0000 UTCOne of the best summing up of a product review I've seen! Sorry you had to spend £35, but it may well have saved many of your viewers £35!
Dungeoneer
2022-07-26 20:07:39 +0000 UTCOk, it makes a bit more sense conceptually when you look at it in the context of the other pieces. Still, too expensive for what it is, and too understated for my tastes. If I'm going to bother with a lightshow I want more color, and more varied movements that react to the sound. I want something gaudy.
Dawn Anthes
2022-07-26 20:04:08 +0000 UTCThat thing is underwhelming. Thanks for testing it, so we don't have to :)
Andreas
2022-07-26 19:56:57 +0000 UTCThank you for this quick review, Mat. I guess it doesn’t require more than 4 minutes to prove that this product is utter garbage. Unbelievable stuff like this actually makes it to market.
Arjan Kooij
2022-07-26 19:53:27 +0000 UTCIf you already have an addressable LED grid why *not* make it actually respond to the music that’s playing? What a waste!
Evan
2022-07-26 19:45:04 +0000 UTCElk meat is awesome. Would make for luxurious meatballs! Fit for Guide Michelin. Most recipes call for 50/50 pork/beef mix, though. 🤓
Per Hedetun
2022-07-26 19:30:00 +0000 UTCLast time I was in IKEA, my mother was convinced the meatballs were made from moose.
Brad Jones
2022-07-26 19:22:54 +0000 UTCIkea's little demo/promo video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlUwALQZ2mY&t=30s was enough for me not want one. Now I really don't want one.
Scott Seligman
2022-07-26 18:46:31 +0000 UTCI saw this in my local Ikea last week, (London) took a photo of the box to research it more when I got home, forgot, but I think you've saved me £35, does not look that great!
Hugo
2022-07-26 18:24:16 +0000 UTCOn the video, it looks like i piece of trash. Reactions are really slow
Jan Miksa
2022-07-26 18:05:48 +0000 UTCIs it just me, or even though you've said you're going to release fewer videos, yet it feels like you publish very often nowadays. Not that I'm complaining. :)
István Nagy
2022-07-26 17:54:37 +0000 UTCUpon closer research, it may not be as bad as originally perceived: https://about.ikea.com/en/behind-scenes/products-design/2018/06/07/get-the-party-started-with-frekvens https://about.ikea.com/en/newsroom/2018/03/28/ikea-collection-frekvens-receives-red-dot-award-2018-for-product-design FREKVENS is apparently a modular system, comprising other "blinkenlight" type devices, as well as speaker modules and sources (including a turntable!) Seems a bit pricey, sure, but staying true to their design bureau's name — FREKVENS might be a good fit in a teenagers bedroom, much like a boombox with all the bells and whistles of yesterday.
Per Hedetun
2022-07-26 17:37:12 +0000 UTCSpend another £175 and you'll have 6x the disappointment. Hmm, not even colour.
Michael Thwaite
2022-07-26 17:03:38 +0000 UTCOMG - you're right! It really looked like something ... plus you could stack them and then ... [brightly lit crickets]
Peter Laws
2022-07-26 17:01:36 +0000 UTCMy first thought when watching was that the lack of 3.5mm input was a shame but no, no it wasn't. Maybe it's hackable? Probably not worth it.
Matt Tester
2022-07-26 16:56:09 +0000 UTCI think you've made a significant discovery. After testing out a couple of dozen audio visualizers, you've found one that actually looks more interesting from the back.
Andy Ihnatko
2022-07-26 15:34:09 +0000 UTCUh, yeah, so ... good video, of course, but of a not-so-hot product. Apparently, I have photo-sensitive OCD, a syndrome I just made up. The default arrow (and the other one) has a single line of lit elements defining the middle (arrow's shaft?). Sadly, there are an even number of LED columns, so the "center" (or "centre") has an off-by-one error. And now I can't unsee it. And neither can the rest of you. Perhaps in a future firmware update they can make the arrow "shaft" two LEDs wide ... :-D Lol - not going to happen.
Peter Laws
2022-07-26 15:31:43 +0000 UTC"Not impressed by it at all, I think it's rubbish" - nice and dry conclusion :-D. Not to the landfill, take the processor out, replace it with an Arduino and program some more impressive less rubbish stuff into it :-P.
MrHammond
2022-07-26 15:29:17 +0000 UTC35 squid for instant landfill - Corporations are cutting out that tedious middle step of having a product do something useful and lasting a long time between the store shelf and the garbage bin. Efficient!
Guy Incognito
2022-07-26 15:10:40 +0000 UTCYou are a very naughty lady :)
CBits Tech
2022-07-26 15:02:53 +0000 UTCAs a Swede, let me just say: de lighten de boxen moosiken swingen børk børk børk!
Per Hedetun
2022-07-26 15:00:08 +0000 UTCHope you kept the receipt Mat - what a pointless bit of tat.
Steve Lyon
2022-07-26 14:55:41 +0000 UTCQ̶u̶i̶c̶k̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶u̶n̶ ... No, no 😲 that's not sounding right... No matter how quick it is, I'll have to wait a couple hours to watch it. 🫤
Grace Robbins
2022-07-26 14:55:35 +0000 UTCJeez, what a rubbish device :(
Mark Elliott
2022-07-26 14:54:03 +0000 UTCThanks for saving me 269 DKK, 30 minutes on the bike along heavy traffic, 30 minutes in a megastore and a headache. I'll just ride around for a couple hours along greener roads instead. It looks nice enough though. Can't help but wonder if it can be easily improved with an Pi Pico and some amateur programming. But I have more than enough projects going already.
Oscar Røhling
2022-07-26 14:49:37 +0000 UTCIt's a great video, clear and to the point. Please put it out there to prevent people spending big money on this rubbish.
Rolf Dekker
2022-07-26 14:49:22 +0000 UTCNew *to the UK* Just like Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen.
Techmoan
2022-07-26 14:44:33 +0000 UTCYep I was already saying to myself it was rubbish, glad Mat said the same. Just something for landfill! To have gone to all that trouble designing and manufacturing it, it wouldn't have taken much in terms of cost and time to have made it something more satisfying and interesting. I've done better effects with RGB LEDs using an Arduino and addressable LEDs and for less money.
Leigh
2022-07-26 14:44:12 +0000 UTCTruly disappointing, especially for 35£. But I guess that's Teenage Engineering for you.
joosep vesselov
2022-07-26 14:43:11 +0000 UTCOh cool. Teenage Engineering are well-known in the electronic music 'space' for very expensive, very hipster but often quite remarkable music gear. This looks a bit rubbish though. edit: very rubbish
Taras Young
2022-07-26 14:42:03 +0000 UTCYou put it so simply - "it's rubbish" :-))
Paulius Kriščiūnas
2022-07-26 14:41:16 +0000 UTCWhy does it say these are New? This is part of their collaboration from early 2020 isn’t it? The IKEA website really is utterly useless.
Kirk Northrop
2022-07-26 14:41:14 +0000 UTCThat's disappointing.
Allan Clipperton-Boyer
2022-07-26 14:40:17 +0000 UTCThat's a lot of money for... That. I think you'd get more from a Pixoo device personally! Good video either way 😊
Dan Milner
2022-07-26 14:40:12 +0000 UTCWow that would've been slightly disappointing even if it'd been a fiver. :-)
Michel
2022-07-26 14:39:13 +0000 UTCI love the ropey stuff, thanks as always and have a great rest of your week.
Colin Bartlett
2022-07-26 14:34:58 +0000 UTC
