Date   : Sat, 01 Apr 2006 05:50:22 +0100
From   : "Mike" <profpep@...>
Subject: Re: Now Roms including Was Exile now off topic

> > If you've broken the legs off at the package edge, you're out of luck!
>
> no, no, no :-)  Well, subject to the damaged IC being plastic packaged
anyway.
>
> For EPROMs that may be a problem as they generally seem to be ceramic
packages

Which is what I was concerned about!

> - I suspect that a Dremel tool might be able to do the necessary grinding
work
> there to expose metal, although I've not tried it yet myself.

I once split some defunct EPROMs to make my girlfriend some earrings, (and a
lesson to any others that didn't want to program...). I asked a friend who
ran a dental lab to drill holes in the ceramic for me: she nearly burned out
a diamond drill tip trying. It's very hard stuff that EPROM ceramic.

The 'frit' in the gap is notably softer. I have done it, but it's strictly
for the desperate to get a copy. I had this problem when converting the
firmware for a Husky CNC lathe, which was run by a PDP11. The original
firmware was on 4 boards of 2708's. They ran very hot, and some of the pins
had managed to fuse themsleves to the sockets - a kind of thermally enhanced
corrosion I think. I had to repair a few pins after managing to prise them
off. They were reloaded onto the later 'C' type EPROM card in 2716's. I've
still got the card I made to read the 2708's into my Master 128. (2708's are
evil: they have +12, +5 and -5 volt supplies and run very hot).

||\/||ike.