RE: very strange C64 fault

From: Pete Rittwage <peter_at_rittwage.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2017 09:36:48 -0400
Message-ID: <f0fa0ec7fe5a3c691ec4aec25051ab24.squirrel@rittwage.com>
> Hallo Pete,
>
>
>> I have a stack of "partially failed" chips.
>
> Weird. In the 30 years that I have repaired C64 I ran into exactly one
> faulty, in this case: dead, VIC-II. About six other faulty/dead ones were
> to blame to lightning, broken power supplies and human errors. Only the
> 6510 did better: none.
>

Unfortunately I do have a stack of probably a dozen from over the years.
Not nearly as many as PLA, but quite a few. It has accelerated recently...
I think age is getting them more than anything. I always wonder if it's
best to cool them or let them run hot. I have done both and it doesn't
seem to change their life either way. Eventually they just don't come up
when powering on one day.

These are NTSC, not PAL, so it could be different life spans on them
between us also due to design differences. :)

They usually just go black/dead, but sometimes will have odd color issues
or other weird effects like this. I would say out of the ones that aren't
just "dead" maybe 2 or 3 will work but with these glitches.

I have only seen one dead 6510 also. It was in a MAX that I got a few
years ago. I was quite relieved as that was an easy fix and didn't require
impossible to find parts!

-Pete

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Received on 2017-04-18 14:00:55

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