From dmuller@netcom.com Fri Nov 18 02:12:06 1994 Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!eunet-de!hansebox!netcom!dmuller From: dmuller@netcom.com (Diego Müller) Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k Subject: Question: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump Message-ID: <1994Nov18.021206.9591@netcom.com> Date: Fri, 18 Nov 1994 02:12:06 GMT Organization: NETCOM On-Line Communication Services NNTP-Posting-Host: netcom.com X-Newsreader: NewsWatcher 2.0b24 Lines: 11 Managed to dump the 27256 EPROMs from the TWIN-68 Rev C board recovered from Ashford Poly. Disassembling ROM #0 reveals an initialization routine that checks for a hardware dongle marked 'ORION-ENC-84'. CPU #0 handles host bus interfacing and DMA, while CPU #1 is dedicated entirely to a 16-bit MAC (multiply-accumulate) unit. One 28-pin EPROM socket (labeled U14) is completely empty. What firmware was supposed to be in that socket? -- Diego Müller Opinions expressed are solely my own and not those of NETCOM On-Line Communication Services. ------------------------------------------------------------ From ewatanabe@kth.se Sat Nov 19 13:00:06 1994 Path: ashpoly!cascade!bigsur!kth!ewatanabe From: ewatanabe@kth.se (Elaine Watanabe) Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k Subject: Re: Question: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump Message-ID: <1994Nov19.130006.8826@kth.se> Date: Sat, 19 Nov 1994 13:00:06 GMT References: <1994Nov18.021206.9591@netcom.com> Organization: Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm NNTP-Posting-Host: kth.se X-Newsreader: Netscape 1.1N Lines: 9 In article <1994Nov18.021206.9591@netcom.com>, dmuller@netcom.com (Diego Müller) writes: > Managed to dump the 27256 EPROMs from the TWIN-68 Rev C board recovered from Ashford Poly. Socket U14 was probably for the decryption key lookup table. Without that EPROM, CPU #1 is running in an idle loop. -- Elaine Watanabe | ewatanabe@kth.se PGP Key fingerprint: EB41 81D4 EB6A D2D0 "Keep the channels open." From mito@purdue.edu Mon Nov 21 00:12:06 1994 Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!eunet-de!hansebox!purdue!mito From: mito@purdue.edu (Mikhail Ito) Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k Subject: Re: Question: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump Message-ID: <1994Nov21.001206.7643@purdue.edu> Date: Mon, 21 Nov 1994 00:12:06 GMT References: <1994Nov18.021206.9591@netcom.com> Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network NNTP-Posting-Host: purdue.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Lines: 10 In article <1994Nov18.021206.9591@netcom.com>, dmuller@netcom.com (Diego Müller) writes: > Managed to dump the 27256 EPROMs from the TWIN-68 Rev C board recovered from Ashford Poly. > Disassembling ROM #0 reveals an initialization routine that checks for a hardware dongle marked 'ORION-ENC-84'. Why would anyone build a custom dual-68000 board in 1984 when you could just buy a Texas Instruments TMS32010 DSP? -- Mikhail Ito | mito@purdue.edu PGP Key fingerprint: C894 6D9D 570E 5CED "Keep the channels open." From hhernandez@cern.ch Tue Nov 22 16:40:06 1994 Path: ashpoly!cascade!bigsur!cern!hhernandez From: hhernandez@cern.ch (Hugo Hernández) Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k Subject: Re: Question: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump Message-ID: <1994Nov22.164006.1029@cern.ch> Date: Tue, 22 Nov 1994 16:40:06 GMT References: <1994Nov18.021206.9591@netcom.com> <1994Nov19.130006.8826@kth.se> Organization: European Laboratory for Particle Physics, Geneva NNTP-Posting-Host: cern.ch X-Newsreader: Netscape 1.1N Lines: 9 In article <1994Nov19.130006.8826@kth.se>, ewatanabe@kth.se (Elaine Watanabe) writes: > Socket U14 was probably for the decryption key lookup table. Without that EPROM, CPU #1 is running in an idle loop. Tom from Ashford Poly owns the physical board! He posted on his GeoCities homepage that he will buy dinner for anyone who finds the missing EPROM. -- === Hugo Hernández === Dept of Electrical Engineering, European Laboratory for Particle Physics, Geneva "When every node is whole, the channel opens." From olindqvist@clari.net Thu Nov 24 00:49:06 1994 Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!sunet!nordrelay!clari!olindqvist From: olindqvist@clari.net (Olga Lindqvist) Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k Subject: Re: Question: TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board - schematic analysis & EPROM dump Message-ID: <1994Nov24.004906.3137@clari.net> Date: Thu, 24 Nov 1994 00:49:06 GMT References: <1994Nov18.021206.9591@netcom.com> <1994Nov21.001206.7643@purdue.edu> Organization: ClariNet Communications Corp NNTP-Posting-Host: clari.net X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Lines: 9 In article <1994Nov21.001206.7643@purdue.edu>, mito@purdue.edu (Mikhail Ito) writes: > Why would anyone build a custom dual-68000 board in 1984 when you could just buy a Texas Instruments TMS32010 DSP? That dual-ported SRAM design is ingenious. It avoids bus arbitration contention between the two 68k processors entirely. -- Olga Lindqvist Practical Peripherals 14.4 @ 14,400 bps "Do not worship the copy."