Findings of a lifetime :o

[GiGaBiTe]

So one of my clients asked me to come pick up an old computer she didn't want, and also had an oscilloscope and one of those big parts drawer thingies full of parts she also gave to me. I went through the parts bin thingy about 5 minutes ago and found several interesting chips.

The most interesting besides the two i8251 from 1980 was an EFX68000C16.

What would happen if I replaced the 68000 in my genesis with this one and used an external clock generator to get the 16 MHz clock?

[3vix6]

Jealous.. I really want an Oscilloscope! I'm trying to conn my dad out of his (That and his Fluke Multitester), if I can do that and mooch shipping out of him, I'll be home free!

Is the pin layout the same? I know that there are some m68000 series CPUs that are 32bit and not just 16. If it's 16, I would say go for it! Let me know how it goes!

[Tom Maneiro]

WHAT THE HELL IS A EFX68000C16?

It's neither Motorola nor Hitachi nor Crapnetics nor Toshiba... at least according to that part number

Datasheet hunting season! EDIT: Oh, boy, why Google allows those damn part miners!? No datasheet, no specs, no nada...

[GiGaBiTe]

I can't find a datasheet on it either, but here's the chip.



I think it has the same number of pins as the MC68000, it's just thinner, might be made using a different process.

[Tom Maneiro]

Sexy gold packaging. Looks like something from '80s.

Can you tell the MFG date? Mr. Blurrycam shot is not willing to help.

We may have some weird and wonderful piece of history... a 68K from a unknown source!

[GiGaBiTe]

It has 64 pins and the numbers on the top are:

8522 1
EFX68000C16

Nothing anywhere else on the chip. The little manufacturers insignia kinda looks like a delta logo or something.

[Tom Maneiro]

GOT IT!
www.cpu-collection.de/?tn=1&uq=0&l0=cl&l1=68000&l2=Thomson

It looks like this one was made by Thomson:
www.cpu-collection.de/?l0=i&i=1718
That one is an EF68000CM10, but since the chip picture, part numbers and markins are a near match, i'm sure that this one is a Thomson part (FYI, that's an Euro -french?- manufacturer).

Your Thomson 68K was made in week 22, 1985 Good luck finding those datasheets, tho But i think that all DIP-64 68Ks should have the very same pinout... Here is the generic DIP-64 68K pinout, so have fun!

One more thing: die shots!

EDIT2: Your EFX68000 is a HMOS part, so it should be compatible with the model 1 stock part (mine has a MC68000P8)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_68000#Second-sourcing

[evildragon]

I have a ceramic package 68k in one of my Genesis' (may do this to my other model 1)..

This chip came out of a heart monitor..
img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/Evilweredragon/06-24-10_0105.jpg

[Tom Maneiro]

Now that's a sexy VA6 motherboard

Do you installed the EXT serial port at the back? If true, which parts do you used to replace the missing "thingies" behind the port?

[evildragon]

I did indeed install the EXT port myself.. To compensate for the missing parts, I just used wire to jump the connections, as the original parts were nothing more than inductors I believe (like whats on the controller ports).

Weather the EXT port works or not, I do not know. I don't have anything to really test it with.

I'm trying to find a DIP socket so I can do this CPU mod to my VA3 HD-Graphics Non-TMSS (and component video out modified too)