Cyberstorm PPC - PPC dead

I just received a mail from JJB of AmigaCenter France that my PPC CPU on the Cyberstorm may be dead.
As he can?t do anything about it apart from testing (it hangs when OS4 should be loaded) i?m asking here if someone knows of a way to fix and/or refit the PPC cpu with the same (G2 - PPC603/604e) or a newer model (G3) and maybe also knows someone you would take up the job?

Suggestions welcome

Also, i?m really thinking if i should take the repair at all as the old lady wasn?t doing anything the past 6 months apart from crunching for OGR?

Again Suggestions welcome.

At the moment JJB would repair the CS so that i would get a MKIII when he?s done (that would mean the 68k part repaired the rest dead.

The overall problem which i?m facing right now (as do many others) is:
What if my AOne broke for good?
No backup computer would be there and no hardware to get in a short term...

Thanks in advance

@Raziel

I don?t know about CyberstormPPC, but at least you can send an AmigaOne for repair, that includes CPU module.

I know I?m not going to use my CPU for OGR nonsense when I get my computer mounted and ready

@LiveForIt

I know that

ACube does AOne CPU module repair
AmigaCenter France does AOne MoBo repair

(and both are doing great, btw)

but i don?t know if ACube does PPC repair on classic PPC cards?
(I know AmigaCenter don?t as stated in that eMail i got)

Anyway, i just looked up a thread in a german Amiga forum covering my problem and there it was said that when the PPC on the Cyberstorm is borked, it can?t be replaced due to it (the CPU) being a BGA (piece/chip/part/whatever) and thus (only with an hillarious amount of technique) not replaceable.

Right?

@Raziel

Well the question is if you can get RHoS chips that are pin compatible now days, or maybe there a stock of old once some where.

I think DCE used to repair old PowerPC cards; you better send a e-mail and ask

Hi @Raziel

The overall problem which i?m facing right now (as do many others) is:
What if my AOne broke for good?

That's where I'm at right now cold corpse! It came out of no where real fast.
The summer here stressed it I think. Even my ProView LCD died. Weird things
do happen don't they. Can't make up my mind if I'll send it to AmigaCenter. I'm
not comfortable with sending it -- Michigan to somewhere France.

@LiveForIt

DCE don?t answer Amiga related topics (for at leaast 1 year now), believe me, i tried.

They could do it, alright, but they won?t (unless you are good friend to Mr. Dellert)

@Snuffy

Quote:

I never lost a package, regardless where i sent it (they broke one, but i never lost one)

Go for it, Jean-Jacques is awesome, he fixed mine (one blown chip, the hardware - DMA&USB - fixes and refitted AC97 sound chip!) in just three days.

Really, it?s more than worth a try...go for it.

For the package: Send it secured and via air mail and secure it for worth a 1000? or so, they?ll take care of it

Get your miggy back to life

Hi @Raziel

Get your miggy back to life

Thanks for all the info and experience. I'm working at least confidence.

See if this is public access to you:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11367727@N07/

@Snuffy

Quote:

They are ... neat (Bender taking a picture)

You should get rid of the cable salad in there, though

@Snuffy

Quote:

And when you do it, get rid of the round cables.

Jack.

You could try and get a 604ev cpu, they go up to 350 or 400 mhz

I tried asking the other day but Amiga france wouldnt fit one to mine.

@mike

Some did just that and they replaced the Oscillator, the result was that clock frequency on RAM bus increased and computer started crashing all over the place.

@LiveForIt

I cant see how that can happen..
That's a shame, did they have all three oscillators?

@mike

Thanks for the hint, although i already asked JJB about that
possibility and he denied.

I have yet to determine if it's a problem with getting a
new PPC chip and/or JJB not having the machine to do the
work (Am i right to think the PPC chip is a BGA one and
would need "reballing"?)

I'd think it's the latter one as JJB can do magic with a
soldering iron (proof to be my refurbished AOne - now with
working USB and on-board AC97 sound chip)

Anyway, i did ask Max (Tretene) too and his answer was:
Quote:
well, sounds not as positive as the G3 fixing statement
from ACube's website. but hey it's not a "never" either.

I've often wondered if anyone has ever had their cyberstorms 604e successfully replaced.
Anyone know if this has been done before?
What company or individual would have the necessary skill today to carry out this work presuming it's even technically possible of course!

@Raziel

Quote:

Looks so, compare:

ppc604e
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:IBM_PPC604e_200.jpg
vs.

ppc601 (non-BGA)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:IB ... 01_PPC601FD-080-2_top.jpg

Jack

Edit: replaced the 604 link with the one from wikipedia for consistency's sake.

@Akiko

In fact Jean-Jacques Boulet (AmigaCenter France) has the
abilities, so does Max Tretene (and his team), it's just
that either the partd or the machinery is missing
(leaving out the factor of time/costs et al)

@LiveForIt

Your not supposed to replace the oscillator, that overclocks the bus, your supposed to set the multiplier, look on that page.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~davem2/overclock/csppc.html

@Raziel

The PPC cpu may be alive if the power circuit just in the other side of the PPC cpu broke. That was happened to mine.

Anyway if UAE emulated the CSPPC hardware at least you would be able to run OS4 if your hardware dies. What about a bounty for integrating a PPC emulator into UAE?

@Crumb

Im having troubles with mine too, it doesnt map any memory. That woudlnt have happen to your's too by any chance would it? Im jumping trough hoops trying to get it up and running.