[Coco] GIME

[Joel Ewy]

On 04/12/2013 02:19 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> Honestly I hardly think they do actually have them.
>>
>> Do you see a BUY NOW button or Send RQF ? Because if it's not Buy Now this
>> means they don't have it but they will got for it. I got negative answers
>> for other parts they claimed having it in their websites.
> Most of the places I was checking out are chip manufacturers and even
> list potential yields.  Of course, you could be right, too but I have
> had considerable luck buying obscure chips that are no longer available
> in the US at all.  That's why I wondered if this is a generic chip and
> anyone with the right number would work or if they contain something
> that makes them unique (isn't that the case with PALs?)
>
> bill
>
Hey Bill,

What I've read is that the GIME is an ASIC (Application Specific 
Integrated Circuit), which is to say a custom chip.  But I don't believe 
that they are (one-time) programmable like a PAL, but rather a custom 
mask was designed for the chip.  If that's the case, the part number 
should refer to the GIME as GIME, not a generic chip that Tandy then 
turned into a GIME.  I'm sure others will correct me if I'm wrong here.

Is it possible that one of these IC houses bought out another that had 
the GIME custom mask as part of its portfolio (I believe they were 
sourced from more than one firm)?  Or could these simply be NOS (new old 
stock)?  Or vapor.

JCE
>>
>> On Fri, Apr 12, 2013 at 2:44 PM, Bill Gunshannon
>> <billg999 at cs.uofs.edu>wrote:
>>
>>> Here's a new question which shoild reveal even more of my ignorance.
>>>
>>> I have heard that the most common chip to fail in the COCO3 was the
>>> GIME.  Correct?
>>>
>>> I have also heard that they are pretty much impossible to replace.
>>>
>>> Except that in doing some searches I have found at least a dozen
>>> places (mostly in China) who claim to be able to provide this chip.
>>>
>>> Is there something unique about the one used by the COCO3 or is it
>>> a plain, vanilla 2645A0001/TCC1014?
>>>
>>> The reason I ask is that I have one or two broken COCO3's in a box
>>> here somewhere from many moons ago and if the likely failure is the
>>> GIME and I can buy replacements, why should I not fix them?
>>>
>>> Oh yeah, and on another separate topic, is there anywhere that one
>>> can buy the little boards that go in a ROM PAK?  I tried removing
>>> the Tandy game chip from one and it seems pretty much impossible to
>>> do without damaging the little board itself.  Is there anyone still
>>> making/selling cartridge prototyping boards?  I am dying to get back
>>> into hardware hacking and I think the COCO is the animal to do it on.
>>>
>>>
>>> bill
>>>
>>> --
>>> Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three
>>> wolves
>>> billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
>>> University of Scranton   |
>>> Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Coco mailing list
>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Long live the CoCo
>>
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>>
>