(Topic ID: 333737)

HD63B09EP processor pickiness

By harig

1 year ago



Topic Stats

  • 6 posts
  • 3 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 9 months ago by harig
  • Topic is favorited by 3 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    20230323_121243 (resized).jpg
    20230323_112108 (resized).jpg
    20230323_111919 (resized).jpg

    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider harig.
    Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

    #1 1 year ago

    I read in some forum post that the 63B09E is a possible substitute for the 68B09E e.g. for use in WPC/WPC95 CPU boards (I could not find the post anymore though)
    Some infos about the difference to the 68B09 are here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitachi_6309

    I ordered 1pcs HD63B09EP (Hitachi brand) from Aliexpress some time ago-got lucky as it was no fake and it was working when installed in my T2 and also in my FT WPC89 CPU without issues

    As I reorderd 4pcs from Ali again I was testing around and found out something strange:
    All the 4new HD63B09EP (Hitachi) work great in my T2 CPU, also work in my FT (nonDCS) soundboard but NONE of the 4new work in my FT CPU
    Not working means it usually boots but behaves strange as the message "all bookkeeping data cleared" appears; also entering e.g. the menu is not possible and often the CPU just reboots...
    Also tested with a third original B/W CPU board which also reboots/has the same issues as described above

    what really puzzles me is the case that:
    1pcs OLD HD63B09EP works on both CPUs (T2+FT) but
    4pcsNEW HD63B09EP work NOT on the FT CPU but are fine on T2 CPU and FT soundboard
    Both the T2 and FT CPU are original B/W WPC89 CPU boards ((A12742-xxx) with same type of NVRam installed and "should" be the same except for the gameROM and different country settings (I´m not aware of the revisons-if there are any- of the boards-maybe some components are different/got substituted)

    I think one can not blame the chips in that case as the 4New ones look like NOS to me-they didn´t even have marks from being inserted in a socket when I got them-pics attached-scratches on the bottom made by me

    Someone has encountered something similar or maybe have any hints where I could look for?
    e.g. are the processors operated at the edge of their specs what could explain that they work on one board but not on the other ones due to tolerances of installed components??

    20230323_111919 (resized).jpg20230323_111919 (resized).jpg20230323_112108 (resized).jpg20230323_112108 (resized).jpg
    #3 1 year ago

    Additional info: I assume the chips are not fake as the font of the text looks exactly the same as on some genuine HD68B09 installed on a sys11 Soundboard
    Also acetone does not remove any paint or markings

    20230323_121243 (resized).jpg20230323_121243 (resized).jpg
    #5 1 year ago

    I could swear that it was posted in a pinball forum as an alternative but I was not able to find the post again neither

    Your theory about the game code could be (partially)correct: I swapped the FT GameRom into the T2 cpu (also placed a new NVRAM as I don't want to loose my highscores and settings; flatcable to PDB was disconnected)
    As a result, the FT GameRom in the T2 CPU boots but when finished it resets and the bootcycle starts again. Behaviou is different as described above but it also does not work here
    So in that case it seems it is related to the GameRom

    But why does the first HD63B09EP I ordered some time ago (and to me also looks to be a genuine part of the same brand) work without issues in the FT cpu ...?

    Really strange

    2 months later
    #6 9 months ago

    I found the old thread where the 63B09E was discussed as a possible substitute:
    https://www.flippermarkt.de/community/forum/threads/ic-68b09ep-cpu-kompatibel-zu-63b09ep.248634/
    We also had a discussion there why it might work on CPU boards or not - might be related to NVRAM

    My personal conclusion as follows:
    The 63B09E CAN WORK in WPC CPUs with some limitations (e.g. it seems to sometimes cause trouble with NVRAM- have tested with Ramtron FM1608 DIP only)
    The 63B09E seems to WORK fine on soundboards (tested on WPC and SYS11) - maybe related to the use of ´normal´ RAM there

    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider harig.
    Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/hd63b09ep-processor-pickiness?tu=harig and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.