The Sony LinkBuds S is closer to the Sony WF-1000XM4 in design, but the overall volume is smaller and lighter. The earbud increases the contact surface with the ear, and with the eccentric design, it enhances the stability and comfort of wearing. In terms of configuration, the newly developed 5mm drive unit highly flexible diaphragm supports LDAC codec and DSEE Extreme digital sound enhancement engine, and has obtained wireless Hi-Res AUDIO certification.
The earbuds are equipped with a new integrated processor V1 chip, which provides powerful noise cancellation processing capabilities. Support AI intelligent noise cancellation function, automatically detect the noise cancellation scene you are in, and automatically switch between the preset ambient sound and noise cancellation scheme. Support deep neural network (DNN) call noise cancellation function, provide high-definition voice call effect. It supports intelligent free picking, in-ear detection, safe listening, etc., and has a comprehensive battery life of 6+14 hours in noise cancellation mode.
We have also teardown Sony LinkBuds, Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds, Sony WF-XB700, Sony WF-C500, Sony WF-XB910N, Sony XPERIA Ear Duo, etc. Let’s take a look at the detailed disassembly report of this product.
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$198 – Sony LinkBuds S Review
01/ Sony LinkBuds S charging case teardown
Enter the teardown section below to see the internal structure configuration information.
Pry off the charging case cover and take out the cockpit structure.
The function button keycap structure inside the charging case shell.
A two-layer structure is arranged on the cockpit for fixing each component, and the main board is fixed in the middle of the structure.
A battery is set in the groove at the bottom of the cockpit, and the battery is protected by a buffer pad.
The thickness of the sponge cushion has a good protective effect.
The structure on the other side of the cockpit.
Remove the battery fixed by the double-sided tape, the internal structure of the cockpit.
The battery is connected to the motherboard through a socket connector.
Information on the battery label, nominal voltage: 3.85V, charging limit voltage: 4.4V, rated capacity: 450mAh/1.732Wh, from Springpower Technology.
The silkscreen parameter information on the battery cell is consistent with the external label, and the battery model is SP 731834.
The battery is equipped with a circuit protection board, the protection device is covered by black hard glue, and there is a thermistor to detect the battery temperature.
Remove the screws and remove the lower frame of the cockpit.
A rectangular magnet is arranged on the lower frame of the cockpit to attract earbuds.
Two rectangular magnets, larger in size, play a better magnetic adsorption effect.
On the main board at the bottom of the cockpit, the grooves on both sides of the I-shaped main board correspond to two rectangular magnets.
There is also a small board under the main board that charges the earbud, which is connected to the main board through a cable.
Remove the screws and remove the upper frame of the cockpit.
The metal hinge connecting the charging case cover to the cockpit.
Remove the small board that charges the earbud, the bottom structure of the cockpit.
The indicator light guide and another magnet for attracting the charging case cover.
The circuit on the side of the small board that charges the earbud.
The circuit on the other side of the small board that charges the earbud is only provided with a ZIF connector to connect with the motherboard.
Charging case LED indicator.
Pogo Pin connector for earbud charging/communication.
The hall element of the silk-screen XBk is used to sense the magnetic field change (Hall effect) when the charging case cover is opened/closed, and notify the charging case control chip, which in turn informs the earbuds to connect/disconnect from the paired device to realize the function of opening the cover.
The circuit on one side of the charging case motherboard.
The circuit on the other side of the charging case motherboard.
Type-C charging socket, engraved “16271”.
Bluetooth pairing function button.
Resettable fuse for input port.
Screen-printed L3NP TVS tube for input overvoltage protection.
TI BQ25618 charging IC integrates switching charging, synchronous boost converter and voltage protection functions. Supports 22V withstand voltage, reduces battery leakage to 6uA in shipping mode, and is used to charge the built-in lithium battery and to charge headphones.
A boost IC silkscreen 0BHI 1A8 from TI.
The Zener tube of Mitsumi silkscreen A33.
Silkscreen 20401 IC.
NXP K32 L2B series microcontrollers, built-in ARM-M0 core, customized models for Sony; used to realize charging case control functions such as charging and discharging module management, battery power management, indicator light control, and headset communication.
02/ Sony LinkBuds S earbuds teardown
Enter the earbud teardown section and open the cavity along the parting line.
The internal structure and configuration of the rear cavity.
The microphone pickup hole inside the cavity.
The bottom of the rear cavity is fixed with a plastic cover by a snap, on which is printed the LDS antenna and the touch detection electrode.
The other side of the plastic cover.
Back cavity bottom structure.
The main components of the earbud are fixed in the front cavity through the frame, and the main board unit is arranged on the top of the frame.
Two microphone structures set on the side.
Take out the motherboard, the other side is the new integrated processor V1 chip.
There is a sponge pad isolation protection between the main board and the battery.
Remove the microphone from the frame.
Fixed frame structure.
The internal structure of the front cavity, the positive and negative electrodes of the battery are connected to the metal dome on the cable.
The battery is fixed by double-sided tape.
The earbud uses a steel shell button battery, model: Z52H, voltage: 3.85V, capacity: 0.21Wh, from ZeniPower.
Internal wiring circuit of the front cavity.
Laser carving K57A’s MEMS microphone is used for voice calls and noise cancellation function pickup.
Laser carving M3 18931 MEMS noise cancellation microphone, used for active noise cancellation and call noise cancellation pickup.
Connect the metal dome of the negative electrode of the battery on the cable.
Connect the metal dome of the battery’s positive terminal.
Remove the cable, the bottom speaker unit structure.
Circuit inside the cable.
Optical in-ear detection sensor, used to take off the earbud to pause music playback, and wear it to automatically resume playback.
Sony’s newly developed 5mm driver unit, soldered to the cable.
The acceleration sensor of silk screen 5L 1DR is used to realize the acceleration sensing of earbud and provide support for 360 live sound effects.
Metal dome used to connect the bluetooth antenna and touch detection electrodes.
Silkscreen XF 05 IC.
Silkscreen 761PK4U1 integrated battery protection IC.
Sony’s new integrated processor V1 chip, model “GSBR-0001”, provides powerful noise processing capabilities and higher noise cancellation accuracy for earbuds. Efficiently process ambient noise captured by the new microphone and perform reverse acoustic wave cancellation to provide an immersive, high-quality audio experience.
After actual measurement, the length of V1 chip is about 10.55mm.
The width is about 7.65mm.
All components of SONY LinkBuds S true wireless noise cancellation earphones.
03/ Summary
In terms of appearance design of SONY LinkBuds S, the charging case adopts a rounded square design, which is very small and light, comfortable to the touch and skin-friendly, and easy to carry. The size of the bean-shaped in-ear earbuds, which continue the classic design, has also been greatly reduced, and the overall stability and comfort of wearing are enhanced by optimizing the in-ear curve and eccentric design. With four sizes of silicone eartips, it can be used by more people, and girls with relatively smaller ears can also wear it comfortably.
In terms of internal structure configuration, it still maintains the high level of Sony. The structure design is unique, clear and comfortable, and the high degree of modularity also facilitates disassembly. The charging case has a built-in Springpower 450mAh 3.85V high-voltage battery, uses a Type-C interface input power supply, and the port is equipped with a resettable fuse and TVS tube. On the motherboard, TI BQ25618 charging IC is used, which integrates charging, boost converter and voltage protection functions for charging the built-in lithium battery and earbuds. NXP K32 L2B series microcontroller for multi-function control of charging case.
The earbud is equipped with a newly developed 5mm driver unit, and two MEMS microphones are used for active noise cancellation and precise pickup of the call function. With the new integrated processor V1 chip, it provides powerful noise processing capability for earbud, and realizes high-quality wireless audio experience for music and calls. The built-in battery is Zhili 0.21Wh 3.85V steel shell button battery, which is connected to the circuit through metal dome, which is convenient for maintenance and replacement. Optical in-ear detection sensors and accelerometers are also used to support more functional applications.
Source: 52audio
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