Re: C64C case production molds resurfaced

From: silverdr_at_wfmh.org.pl
Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2015 20:34:11 +0100
Message-ID: <54F75E33.1020605@wfmh.org.pl>
On 2015-03-04 20:20, Gerrit Heitsch wrote:

>>> VIC is not that much of a problem. Despite the 6569 running quite
>>> hot it doesn't die very often and there are still lots of them
>>> available. TED is a different story since not as many were made
>>> and the earlier ones (R1 and R2 with '84 datecode) seemed to die
>>> easily.
>>>
>>> I'd be more worried about the availability of the 6526 / 8521.
>>
>> 8520?
>
> No, the 8520 is the CIA for the Amiga.

Right - and quite similar to the 6526 in many respects. AFAIR it was
something like a 6526 stripped from the timer(s) or so.

> If you own a C64 made at the end of 1986, check the CIAs, with some
> luck you will find a 8521R0 instead of a 6526

I see - now when you say it, I vaguely recall seeing something else in
place of the 6526 once or twice ;-) This must have been a case like the
one you mention. Anyway this was a really rare experience. So rare that
I didn't even memorise the markings although I now recall the surprise
that it wasn't a 6526 while it worked.

> (I own a 250466 board with a 8521R0 on U2 and a 1571 with one ).
> Later Commodore went back to the '6526' label,

That explains the scarcity.

> but the die inside is still a 8521.

Which probably is an "augmented" 8520 that gives back what was missing
in order to be fully 6526 compatible.

> The CIAs are not as easy to implement as one would expect. Digitally
>  yes, but then there's the analog side (the way the output drivers
> behave) that will be hard to duplicate with todays technology.

? Interesting. I always thought of 6526 in the digital domain only. What
was so peculiar about the 6526's output drivers. I haven't experienced
any problems interfacing it to other chips… maybe something on the
serial lines?

> Some programs use that with the CIA for the keyboard.

?

-- 
SD!

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Received on 2015-03-04 20:01:21

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