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mogwai
Account closed
Registered: Mar 2005
Posts: 5 |
SID burn protection
I am planning to build a SID protection card in order to prevent more SIDs for travelling to silicon heaven.
goto80 and I was discussing the problem and he asked me to build something for him since he was burning so many SIDs during his performances.
Anyway, the reason for posting this topic in this forum is that I need as much information as possible regarding what is causing the problem. So I was wondering if you could give your stories about when you toasted your SIDs.
My guess is that it is caused by ESD. Since the C64 design is using a serial resistor connected to a transistor follower design on the audio output it is probably not caused by excessive current so my only theory right now is ESD when connecting the audio. However it is only a theory and I need as much input as possible.
If you have any nighttime horror stories about the time when your SID passed away, then please tell me. I need as much detailed info as possible regarding what you did, which cables were connected, to what, in what order or if you didn't do anything and it was just dead one morning etc.
Looking forward to your stories.
P.S. Sorry, accidentally placed the question on the coding forum. Don't know how to remove it. Reposting under general discussions.
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Conrad
Registered: Nov 2006
Posts: 849 |
Good thing you asked actually, because I've been worrying about the SID chip in my own c64. For quite a few weeks now it is producing unpleasant spitting noises every time a low filter cutoff frequency is executed, this being an 8580r5 model so it produces much deeper filters than the 6581. The distortion also reduces the volume of sound output slightly and increases back to normal state after a few seconds of silence.
I still can't remember why it's become like this though. It's either for two reasons. Firstly, my computer is a 1991 C64C with no modifications at all (apart from a spray paint :) so the SID chip itself is about 17 years old - thus it may be due to aging, even though it's been cleaned recently.
Or secondly (which I'm thinking THIS is the reason.) I accidentally plugged in a QuickShot QS-137F joystick into port 1, forgetting that the joystick mode was in MSX mode (it has a mode switch for the joystick to be compatible with other platforms using the DE-9 gameport as well as C64). I pressed fire and the whole RAM and screen completely scrambled like hell, looking like a form of power surge. This could well be as you mentioned, ESD, and I'll completely regret what I did if THIS is the reason why the chip is producing those glitches. |
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Tim
Account closed
Registered: Mar 2002
Posts: 467 |
I once fried a sid simply by trying to use a printer on my c64. I have no clue what i did wrong (i actually was carefull and read the manuals), but as a result i never ever hooked up a printer to the c64 just scared shit it would happen again.
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A Life in Hell
Account closed
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 204 |
The biggest killer of SID's for me has been connecting/turning on/turning off amplifiers connected to the audio out. 1 opto coupler later, and that problem went away.
EDIT: i had one friend suggest that this can happen inside the c64 too, and actually hook it between the phyiscal audio-out ping and the chip socket. |
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JackAsser
Registered: Jun 2002
Posts: 2014 |
The SID-chip in my C128 got fried when I accidentally used an Amiga PSU. |
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ready.
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 441 |
to \^_^/: what kind of optocoupler did you use? How did you connect it? Could you please provide a scheme?
thanx,
Ready. |
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Frantic
Registered: Mar 2003
Posts: 1648 |
In my case fried SIDs was always an effect of fiddling with the audio out/video port. There have been no instances of fried SIDs while simply using a machine.
Perhaps no news really, but still..
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ready.
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 441 |
Googling I found this:
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G15396
I ordered some pcs. As soon as I test them I'll post the results here.
Also it would be interesting to read what GOTO80 did to kill all those SIDs. Other big SID killers around?
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Frantic
Registered: Mar 2003
Posts: 1648 |
Well, mr Goto played live a lot and thus connected/disconnected the video port cable a zillion times, connecting it to all kinds of soundsystems. |
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linde
Registered: Jul 2006
Posts: 47 |
alih, how exactly did you do it? I've been too paranoid about breaking the SID to connect my 64 to anything else than the TV so far, but this seems like a good solution. |
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Oswald
Registered: Apr 2002
Posts: 5094 |
back in the days been connecting my c64 to our amplifier with a pair if wires, plugging their plain metal ends into the pins through the din connectors at both ends for ~3 years. (so I could rock turbo outroun, and etc. on the big speakers:) it did no harm. oh, btw that also includes the times until I figured out & learned mostly by trial and error that which wire goes where :) |
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