Trying to fix A1 CPU module

Hi all,

I'm dragging this one from AW.net (a bit more up-to-date and hopefully more coherent):

<b>Introduction</b>
The short story behind this post:
My cpu is broken and celebrated a year of waiting for replacement.
Before that AmigaOne was my main (solely used)computer. For a while I managed get along with
my trusty old A1200 but besides being an X11 terminal (browser/email) and music player it is not a solution anymore.
After realizing that a whole year passed I got sick of waiting for A1 cpu modules to materialise (too many false hopes and silences in Amiga scene).

The fact is that I'm not the only one with same problem so it would be cheapier to obtain modules in quantities bigger than one and to find someone to perform the fix.
I desided to stop waiting before the idle hardware becomes ancient and to do some research before starting to push things around. Some research was done without use of public forum and ( imho) at this stage this forum is the right place to go to.

<b>The plan</b>
The plan is to desolder the old cpu and resolder a new one. This requires that the daughterboard is intact and only the cpu is broken.
The cpus can be obtained and I am currently trying to contact a reseller (the have XPC7455RX933PC model, that is one of the models that came with A1s).

Replacing the CPU can be done in "comercial" rework facilities (I am currently checking some) or at home using hot air gun or other means (imho, less preferable option due to lower quality of equipment etc.).
An extensive description of DIY process of CPU replacement was kindly provided by Ole-Egil and Jean-Jacques from AmigaCenter. Note that, afaik, no home-made reeoldering of A1 CPU was performed so far. This seems to be last resort.

This thread is targeted mainly towards potential performers of the replacement and owners of modules with broken cpus who wish to fix them. Potential demand might attract skilled people capable of performing the task skill- and equipment-wise.

If you own a broken cpu module, have any comments (hopefully constructive) please post here, or PM/e-mail me.

TIA,
Jack

Welcome jack...

to stay up-to-date, i'll be in, really looking forward to
some good news

Hope you can gather some more...

Hi Jack,

This is probably a silly question as I imagine you've
checked everything else a million time over, but are you
certain it's the CPU that's dead?

I know Sicky, when he had an A1, bust his CPU. In the end he
managed to get hold of a new CPU board somehow. Something tells
me this will be an impossibility now though. He posts
from time to time on AW, so you could probably PM him there.

At any rate good luck with it all.

Cheers,
Bean.

@Raziel

Quote:

Thanks for the invitation It's really a cool place here for an amigan, no fame wars and quarrels so far... Let it stay that way.

Quote:

Doing my best. My fingers ache from writing those e-mails and googleing. Now hoping that my mobo,while it is being shipped back from France, won't receive the same treatment as your module got...

Jack

@Bean

It was diagnozed @AmigaCenter/France. Afair it is the most ``official' repair place for A1. I got lots of good recomendations from ppl @ aw.net and even Eyetech when they were up told me to send it there.

Anyway, the cpu is removed from the module now and the whole bunch of dead A1 pieces is heading back here these days (I expect some issues with the customs, they've got some silly combination of old british+turkish laws with some modern ones. For example: if one sends an item to be fixed abroad and receives the same part number with different serial number, import taxes apply to it again Really stupid imho.

Jack

@Jack

here,s hoping its fixable and quickly
A day without my A1 would be so bad i love it so much

@poweramiga

Quote:

Thanks

@all

A bit on prices (per CPU, very fresh info):
removal and placement of CPU at rework station (in US): 85US$
placement only: 55US$

Now the missing piece is the price of the CPU(querying the XPC7455RX933PC one)

Jack.

@Bean

I think Sicky managed to get his through stellardreams, but that was a one of iirc.

@Jurassicc

StellarDreams are not alive atm (at least according to some pointers I fished in Google)
Thanks for the info anyway.

Jack

Hi Jack,

I'm also waiting for a CPU module replacement.

Jacques

@Jacques

Quote:

I assume that your is broken. If so:
Welcome to the club
Do you want to the cpu replacement to be performed on the existing module if nothing turns up in near future?
(just collecting info for the scenario where a batch of CPUs is cheapier/easier to get than single CPU)

Jack

I know Swisso (Raoul - excuse spelling) was looking at Freescale replacement CPUs, even got some samples from them I thought?

You might want to try seeing if he managed to get anywhere with his idea?

@Rudei
Quote:

Sure. I am currently trying to get some quotes from surpluss resellers. Maybe he can share experience. You say he got them from Freescale? When? Where?

Is it his nickname here?

Big thanks,
Jack

Check PM.

Ta

Quote:

Uh, boy, that would be awesome...thanks Stephen

@ssolie

Quote:

These are news. Crossing fingers for Adam (and for the mobo getting in one piece from France:) ) Is it smell of modules in the air or what?


Jack

@rudei

When I spoke to Swisso at BB4 he had not managed to get a working CPU module (somebody was attempting to affix one of the modules he obtained onto the old daughterboard IIRC). I think we will all know about it when it is back up and working again.

@Chris:

Do you mean he obtained broken modules or something?

Jack

@Jack

Bad wording on my part. He obtained some sample CPUs from Freescale, and sent one of those along with his broken CPU module to... somebody... and I can't remember the outcome exactly, I think the new CPU replaced the old one on the module but it still didn't work for some other reason (still relating to the CPU module).

Is that any clearer?

Chris

@Chris:

Quote:

Aye. 10x.
Jack