Where to find a 40226 pre-asic?

[Spirantho]

Hi everybody,
I recently had a repair enquiry from a gentleman in the States who has a 6128 which is broken. This 6128 is the version which uses the pre-asic 40226 chip.

Does anybody know where I may find one or two of these?

Any information gratefully received

Thanks!

[Bryce]

Unfortunately, the only place to get one of these is from another CPC. There's no known source for them.

Bryce.

[TotO]

And if the other CPC get it working, it should be more easy to use the first board to fix the second. 

[ivarf]

Hi everybody,
I recently had a repair enquiry from a gentleman in the States who has a 6128 which is broken. This 6128 is the version which uses the pre-asic 40226 chip.

Does anybody know where I may find one or two of these?

Any information gratefully received

Thanks!

I am very curious about this, this isn't one of the US CPCs sold in the US back in the days?

[Spirantho]

No, this is a Spanish one apparently. I suspect they didn't use the pre-ASIC anywhere else - at least I've not heard of it anywhere else, and I've seen quite a few CPCs now.


The symptom is a blank screen, no display - I'm hoping it's just that the CRTC part of the Pre-ASIC isn't being initialised.


Going to be fun to try and diagnose, anyway! If anyone has a knackered pre-ASIC machine please let me know!


I wonder if I could remove the Pre-ASIC and put in chips from a normal 6128... though I think that may be quite a bit of effort.

[00WReX]

Out of the many CPC's I have, there is only one that is completely dead.
And yes, it's a Spanish 6128 with the cost down board with 40226 pre-ASIC.
Would love to get that board working but I doubt it will happen.
And I'm sure there's not many of the cost down boards floating around in Australia. 

Cheers,
Shane

[Bryce]

Out of the many CPC's I have, there is only one that is completely dead.
And yes, it's a Spanish 6128 with the cost down board with 40226 pre-ASIC.
Would love to get that board working but I doubt it will happen.
And I'm sure there's not many of the cost down boards floating around in Australia. 

Cheers,
Shane

And I bet it's the Pre-Asic that has failed in it

Bryce.

[SyX]

If only we could get the GA, ASIC and pre-ASIC hardware documents, we could replace it (and improve) using an FPGA or a big CPLDs, jejeje.

[Bryce]

The Plus ASIC would be difficult, but the Classic Pre-ASIC just replaces parts in the standard CPC, so it should be relatively easy to go back to the parts that were used before its implementation.

Bryce.

[Spirantho]

@Shane

How much do you want for it? Another pre-ASIC machine would be very useful to me if I can get it working. Or would you want it back if I did manage to repair it? Postage costs would be reasonable for just the motherboard, and that's all I want....
I'm intrigued now by this machine I never knew existed before.
Is there a way to differentiate the CR Spanish ones from the regular ones, just from a picture? Or serial number?

[TFM]

If only we could get the GA, ASIC and pre-ASIC hardware documents, we could replace it (and improve) using an FPGA or a big CPLDs, jejeje.

Right, finally getting the ASIC back to what it was as prototype: Providing 256 colors (8 bit) for sprites and not only 16 (4 bit).

[SyX]

Is there a way to differentiate the CR Spanish ones from the regular ones, just from a picture? Or serial number?

My Pre-ASIC 6128 has the new Amstrad logo (letters in silver over a gray rectangle) and the serial number is 671-9403169.

[remax]

I don't think pre-asics CPC were spain exclusives...

But they all have spanish inscriptions

[dragon]

The Plus ASIC would be difficult, but the Classic Pre-ASIC just replaces parts in the standard CPC, so it should be relatively easy to go back to the parts that were used before its implementation.

Bryce.

But is litte different internally not?. I mean the cost down is affected by the vram  Rasterization timming if i remember correcty when i test it in my cost-down.

If only we could get the GA, ASIC and pre-ASIC hardware documents, we could replace it (and improve) using an FPGA or a big CPLDs, jejeje.

Right, finally getting the ASIC back to what it was as prototype: Providing 256 colors (8 bit) for sprites and not only 16 (4 bit).

But documents are destroyed by amstrad, so the only way is ula spectrum style, reverse enginnering .

Anyway, the gate array 40007 can be reverse easy with the cpc protoype with the ga motherboard .

PD:add patch the plus bugs to the list.

Related to the pre asic, maybe de source of acids can contain an old stock. As they trade with old chips .

I believe datasheet from amstrad chips exist. I view a program time ago(a proffesional program that cost money). Its the biggest data base of  ic in the world with releases new version all new year. In the demo writing  amstrad chips name returns results, but can not see the details without buying.

[Spirantho]

So it looks like 671- is the prefix for a CPC6128, as that tallies with the one that's being sent to me.


Does anyone know the prefix for a CPC464? I've found 531, 532 and 533 prefices so far, but I suspect they all use the 40010....


Edit: I've now found a 535 prefix which is definitely not a CR mainboard. More research on-going....

[Spirantho]

Looks like this machine needs a new ASIC...

I've seen mention here:
http://www.cpc-power.com/cpcarchives/index.php?page=articles&num=59

of a 40235 pre-ASIC. Is this a compatible replacement? Does anybody have one?

Does anyone have a cost reduced CPC I could buy? I can't fully diagnose this one until I get another pre-ASIC to test with.

Thanks!

[dragon]

Up, i dont think these rare preasic number exist right?. Maybe is a error in the document. : p.  Too rare two preasic versions.

Yeah i know a distributor have it,but it ussless witouth find  a intermediate shop can buy it to for you to the distribuitor .Maybe robcfg have lucky and found it in the future
.

[Spirantho]

Hi Dragon,
Could you PM me where to find the dealer who has it? If it's the one I think you mean, he doesn't have it, it just says he does on his website.... but I really need this chip!


I *have* a shop, by the way - I buy chips in bulk all the time.


Thanks for any help!

[dragon]

Sended, anyway thats remember me i have another old   personal history. My sister know years ago in a discotheque one man working in samsung electronics. For one or another reason thanks to me,(xd). The word amstrad come to the conversation. And the samsung guy tells her former head, have a lot of cpcs stored. The reason was in the 80 decade, the site localitation was a repair service of amstrad .

My sister  gave this her email from samusung guy, i ask her for a 664, and it repond me i take a look as efectly it have a bunch of computers  but i not contact me more so i asume he dont have a 664.

Maybe i have the email  sended in my correo account. You can try with her, its a 0'1 posibilty if i found the email.. But how knows. Maybe it have a motherboard reemplacement or so. I mean supposedly it a have a entire industrial warehouse full of things of cpc. In some place of madrid.

In the other hand,trade in post have not working cpc motherboards, you can ask if one of these have a preasic, if another component not the asic is damaged, you can use it.