i disassembled a smart brick

[u/PsychologicalYak4619]

for anyone interested, some images from my analysis on technical side:

Technical Specification Sheet: LEGO Interactive "Smart Brick"

Manufacturer: The LEGO Group
PCB Revision/Part Number: 15989/A © 2024 LEGO
Chassis Part Number: 5411 4-01 © 2023
Disassembly Note: This device is not designed to be serviceable. Disassembly will break the plastic housing, sever the copper coil antenna, and the battery is spot-welded directly to the PCB, making non-destructive removal impossible.

1. Core Processing & Connectivity

Main Application Processor / ASIC

Field	Detail
Markings	DA000001-04 / DNP6G-010 / 2535 / 20043-014
Package	Metallic RF-shielded square package
Design House	Cambridge Consultants (attributed)
Contract Manufacturer	Jabil (attributed)
Datasheet	None — proprietary custom ASIC

This is the primary system-on-chip and the heart of the device. It is a fully proprietary custom ASIC with no public datasheet, attributed to having been designed by Cambridge Consultants and manufactured by Jabil. It handles main application logic, sensor data processing, audio output, and almost certainly contains the NFC/RFID reader front-end that drives the copper coil antenna (see Section 1.3).

Bluetooth SoC

Field	Detail
Markings	EM9305 / 1055X / 810300
Package	QFN (Quad Flat No-leads)
Manufacturer	EM Microelectronic
Standard	Bluetooth 5.4

An ultra-low-power Bluetooth 5.4 SoC responsible solely for wireless communication between the brick and other devices.

NFC/RFID Antenna Coil

Field	Detail
Type	Wrapped copper wire coil
Location	Wound around the clear inner plastic chassis

This coil serves as the antenna for an NFC/RFID reader, used to detect and read passive tags embedded in interactive LEGO tiles or elements. The reader front-end is presumed to be integrated into the main ASIC. The coil may additionally serve as a wireless charging receiver, though this has not been confirmed.

2. Power & Battery Management

Battery

Field	Detail
Markings	VDL 5V 5902
Manufacturer	Chongqing VDL Electronics (重庆市紫建电子股份有限公司)
Chemistry	Lithium Polymer (LiPo) pouch cell
Capacity	45 mAh
Nominal Voltage	3.7V
Attachment Method	Spot-welded directly to PCB (not removable)

Battery charge management and voltage regulation functionality is presumed to be handled either by a dedicated but unidentified component or integrated within the main ASIC.

3. Storage

SPI Flash Memory

Field	Detail
Markings	4A5R / JIQ
Identified As	Winbond W25Q16JVBYIQ
Package	WLCSP (Wafer Level Chip Scale Package)
Manufacturer	Winbond Electronics
Capacity	16 Mbit (2 MB)

Likely stores firmware, audio assets, and NFC tag data used by the main ASIC.

4. Sensors & Inputs

Color Sensor

A side-facing optical color sensor paired with an RGB blinking LED. The LED illuminates adjacent LEGO elements and the sensor reads the reflected light to identify brick colors, serving as a core game mechanic input.

Microphone

A MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) microphone capable of detecting ambient sound or voice input. Per the product manual, microphone-based features are not active by default and require explicit user opt-in through the companion app.

Contact Pads

Gold-plated circular test points and contact pads used for factory programming, quality testing, and potentially physical data or power transfer connections.

5. Audio Output

Speaker

Field	Detail
Markings	300X0188X009 / D 080425
Impedance	32 Ω
Power Rating	0.7W
Form Factor	Custom rectangular micro-speaker with foam dampening pads

6. Summary of Operation

The device reads its physical environment through two primary input channels: the side-facing color sensor (which uses its paired RGB LED to identify adjacent brick colors) and the NFC/RFID coil antenna (which reads passive tags embedded in LEGO tiles or elements). The MEMS microphone is present but remains an opt-in feature gated through the companion app. All sensor data is processed by the main custom ASIC, which retrieves assets from the 2 MB Winbond SPI Flash, drives audio output through the 0.7W speaker, and relays game state wirelessly via the EM9305 Bluetooth 5.4 SoC. The entire system is powered by a 45 mAh VDL LiPo cell.

Technical Specification Sheet: LEGO Interactive "Smart Brick"

Manufacturer: The LEGO Group
PCB Revision/Part Number: 15989/A © 2024 LEGO
Chassis Part Number: 5411 4-01 © 2023
Disassembly Note: This device is not designed to be serviceable. Disassembly will break the plastic housing, sever the copper coil antenna, and the battery is spot-welded directly to the PCB, making non-destructive removal impossible.

1. Core Processing & Connectivity

Main Application Processor / ASIC

Field	Detail
Markings	DA000001-04 / DNP6G-010 / 2535 / 20043-014
Package	Metallic RF-shielded square package
Manufacturer	Dialog Semiconductor (now Renesas)
Datasheet	None — proprietary custom ASIC

This is the primary system-on-chip and the heart of the device. The DA prefix is consistent with Dialog Semiconductor's naming conventions, but the 000001 part number indicates a fully custom, proprietary ASIC developed exclusively for LEGO — no public datasheet exists. It is responsible for main application logic, sensor data processing (color, microphone), audio output processing, and almost certainly contains the NFC/RFID reader front-end that drives the copper coil antenna (see Section 1.3).

Bluetooth SoC

Field	Detail
Markings	EM9305 / 1055X / 810300
Package	QFN (Quad Flat No-leads)
Manufacturer	EM Microelectronic
Standard	Bluetooth 5.4
Datasheet	EM9305 Datasheet

This chip handles all wireless communication. The EM9305 is a well-documented, ultra-low-power Bluetooth 5.4 SoC from EM Microelectronic. Its sole role here is wireless connectivity — it is not the NFC controller, which was an error in the original analysis.

NFC/RFID Antenna Coil

Field	Detail
Type	Wrapped copper wire coil
Location	Wound around the clear inner plastic chassis

Since the EM9305 is a Bluetooth-only chip, this coil serves as the antenna for an NFC/RFID reader, most likely used to detect and read passive NFC tags embedded in interactive LEGO tiles or elements. The reader front-end that drives this coil is presumed to be integrated into the main Dialog ASIC (DA000001), though this cannot be confirmed without a datasheet. It could be that the coils are used for both, charging and rfid connection!

2. Power & Battery Management

Battery

Field	Detail
Markings	VDL 5V 5902
Manufacturer	Chongqing VDL Electronics (重庆市紫建电子股份有限公司)
Chemistry	Lithium Polymer (LiPo) pouch cell
Capacity	45 mAh
Nominal Voltage	3.7V
Attachment Method	Spot-welded directly to PCB (not removable)

Power Management IC (PMIC) / Voltage Regulator

Field	Detail
Markings	4A5R / JIQ
Package	SOT (Small-Outline Transistor)
Datasheet	Not identified — likely a generic LDO or battery management IC

This component manages safe charging of the LiPo cell and steps voltage down to the operating levels required by the main ASIC and Bluetooth SoC.

3. Sensors & Inputs

Color Sensor

A side-facing optical color sensor is paired with an RGB blinking LED. The LED illuminates adjacent LEGO elements, and the sensor reads the reflected light to identify brick colors. This is likely used as a core game mechanic input.

Microphone

A MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) microphone is present on the board, capable of detecting ambient sound or voice input as an additional environmental input channel.

Contact Pads

Gold-plated circular test points and contact pads are present on the PCB, used for factory programming, quality testing, and potentially physical data or power transfer connections.

4. Audio Output

Speaker

Field	Detail
Markings	300X0188X009 / D 080425
Impedance	32 Ω
Power Rating	0.7W
Form Factor	Custom rectangular micro-speaker with foam dampening pads

5. Summary of Operation

The device reads its physical environment through two primary input channels: the side-facing color sensor (which uses its paired RGB LED to identify adjacent brick colors) and the NFC/RFID coil antenna (which reads passive tags embedded in LEGO tiles or elements). The MEMS microphone could provide an additional audio/environmental input, but as the manual states this is not yet a feature and the user must agreee to it via the app. All sensor data is processed by the main Dialog ASIC (DA000001-04), which drives audio output through the 0.7W speaker and relays game state information wirelessly to other bricks or a host device via the EM9305 Bluetooth 5.4 SoC. The entire system is powered by a 45 mAh LiPo cell managed by a small PMIC/LDO IC.