I decapped a TMS1100 MCU to figure out the ROM layout. I chose the MP3438A from the 1979 game Star Wars Electronic Battle Command since Kevtris has successfully dumped the ROM and there is a patent for the game which includes a (slightly different) ROM dump listing.
Thermal decapping with a blowtorch went extremely well. The die looked clean, with just a few spots. I put it in an ultrasonic cleaner with some alcohol, but forgot about it over dinner. After about 90 minutes of being in the alcohol, I pulled it out and looked at it under the 'scope and was upset to see that the top metal layer had oxidized from the water in the alcohol.
I figured that this meant that there wasn't a passivation layer, so it would be easy to remove the top metal layer. After taking a set of pics I put it in some warm HCl, but only about half the metal came off. Next I'll try a little HF and see if that helps.
Taking cues from the F8 PSU and the Sharp SM510 MCU, I guessed the bit layout within each byte correctly; a byte histogram of my file and Kevtris' file matched. It took me a little while longer to figure out the byte layout, though. Once I did, I compared my file to Kevtris' and found 32 1-bit errors, a 0.2% error rate. Once I clean off the rest of the metal, I bet I can fix those.
Here's a quickie composite from ICE, with a little geometry tune-up in PS.
Here's a close-up of the ROM array.
Here's an annotated close-up of the ROM array after an acid bath.
Here's a text file showing the mapping of the ROM bits to row/column of the ROM array picture.
Here's a pic of the output PLA.
Here's a pic of the instruction PLA.
Kevtris had also successfully dumped Microvision Vegas Slots, so I was going to hold onto it to play around with dumping the TMS1100 electronically, but Paul Robson is doing a Microvision RetroChallenge, so I decapped Vegas Slots to get a visual ROM dump. Here's an overlay showing the 1 bits. The vertical lines are ground and the horizontal line seperates chapter 1 from chapter 2. When these are rearranged according to the key above, the results are the same as the ROM dump.
Here's a complete die shot of Vegas Slots.
Here's a quickie die shot of Blockbuster.
Here's a quickie die shot of Bowling.
Here's a quickie die shot of Pinball.
I programmed a PIC microcontroller with a TMS-1100 emulator.
Dan Boris's Microvision info and schematics
the Microvision LCD controller
Ralph Baer, "the father of video games", also designed a few handheld games utilizing the TMS-1000 and TMS-1100. The most famous was Simon, but there's also Maniac from Ideal, and the Coleco Amaze-A-Tron.
hardware description and pinout
hardware description and pinout
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
Entex Space Invader (TI version)
hardware description and pinout
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
Coleco Head To Head Baseball - uses the TMS-1170, the VFD version
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
Entex Electronic Poker - uses the TMS-1370, the 40-pin VFD version
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of PCB showing LED layout
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of PCB showing LED layout
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
hardware description and pinout
hardware description and pinout
hardware description and pinout
hardware description and pinout
Science Fair Microcomputer Trainer
This is an early decap that pretty much went as bad as possible. The die stuck to the plastic, and I over-torched it, then chipped part of the ROM array.
Package marked MP1312 MASL^8414, die marked MP1312A
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
Output O PLA with top metal removed
Instruction PLA with top metal removed
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
Tandy Championship Football 60-2150
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
Tandy Championship Football 60-2151
hardware description and pinout
Tandy Cosmic 1000 Fire Away - uses the TMS-1370, the 40-pin VFD version
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
hardware description and pinout
picture of die with top metal layer removed
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed - the O outputs are not connected
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
signals from TMS1100 to HLCD0569 - this sets up the chip for 3 rows (01011) and turns on the PURSE segment at row 1, col 24 (00100 000000000000000000000001 01000 000000000000000000000000 00000 000000000000000000000000)
hardware description and pinout
picture of ROM array top metal
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removedGakken Invader 2000 - uses a TMS-1370 in a 28-pin package
hardware description and pinout
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed
hardware description and pinout
picture of ROM array top metal
picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed
picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed
picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removedKevtris TMS1000/1100 info and ROM dumps
