Found A3640 Upgrade Service

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fitzsteve

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Hope this is the right place to post :cool:

I'd like somebody to upgrade my A3640 to 33mhz by performing the overclock mod and fit a cooling fan. Would I need a 33mhz CPU or would the 25mhz unit be overclockable?

I'd also like to have the capacitors replaced at the same time as I get random boot issues so think maybe that woud help.

If anyone can give me a quote for this job including tracked postage back to me in UK I'd appreciate it (y)

Cheers!

Steve.
 
@dopefish I'd love your help :D

But I must give you something for your time!

Do you think I should grab the 33mhz CPU as per Tajmaster's post? (Thanks for the link by the way) or should we see if my current CPU is up to the job?

Thanks so much for posting (y)

PM me all the details and I'll get the parts payment over to you.

Steve.
 
Hey Zetty, nice to see you back on the Prowl :cool:

Think I'll grab one of those 33mhz CPU's then as it sounds like a good idea.

@d0pefish, I'm sure we'll figure something out, I've got plenty of Amiga bits and pieces if there is anything you need ;)

Once I have that CPU and a decent Fan/Heatsink I'll get it all off to you, if you could PM me your address that would be awesome.

Again thanks for helping me out (y)

And don't worry about the Ram, nothing is a waste of time for the peeps of this great board!

Steve.

edit just bought the CPU :)
 
Hey d0pefish,

The 040 is socketed, so no worries there - I should have mentioned that sorry!

I'll send to you by recorded delivery as that covers it for £40 which is what I paid for the board, on the way back I'd like it special delivery which will be about £6 becuase my post delivery here is shockingly slow and I'll be too excited to wait a week for it ;)

As for the further upgrade, if you think you can do it mate and you're happy to take on the extra work I have the faith that you can do it (y)

I think the best thing to do though is get the board booting reliably first, so perhaps change the caps and soak test it?

Cheers! :D

Steve.
 
Firstly, Steve, I hope you dont mind me asking DopeFish if he would be willing to do the same service to my A3640? Please accept my apologies if you do and PM me and Ill edit my post :)

@Dopefish

I was going to attempt the delay line mod (not the caps although I wanted them doing too) but tbh my soldering is VERY poor and would rather someone in the know such as yourself do it. Would you be willing to do mine as per Steves A3640? Its a v3.1 board with socketed CPU as per the pics in my thread and I already have the 33Mhz CPU too :)
 
Excellent, we're good to go.

As PMed, we'll go for Phase 1 first - service the caps, replace the CPU, install oscillator socket and test for stability.

Then we can slot in the 66MHz crystal (gets halved to 33), do the necessary minor mod as described in the guide, and stress-test again.

At that point we can decide if you'd like to go any further :)

Unless there's anything you'd like to add, I'll probably get the order in in the next day or so :)

Cheers :):beer:

---------- Post added at 16:15 ---------- Previous post was at 16:11 ----------

@Dopefish

I was going to attempt the delay line mod (not the caps although I wanted them doing too) but tbh my soldering is VERY poor and would rather someone in the know such as yourself do it. Would you be willing to do mine as per Steves A3640? Its a v3.1 board with socketed CPU as per the pics in my thread and I already have the 33Mhz CPU too :)

Of course mate! :)

Actually that helps - capacitors need to be ordered in minimum quantities of 10. Your board can be the other 5 - they'd be in my spares box otherwise! :)

Would you like the same plan as above? (I'm calling it "Phase 1") :)
 
@d0pefish :bowdown:

By the way forgot to ask for your paypal address to pay for the parts (y)

Steve.
 
Stupid me, I should have included it with my postage address. :oops:

On its way to you in a sec, along with the same to Tajmaster :)
 
Woot! Thanks dude :) Im happy with whatever way you suggest to proceed :)

PM your deets and the amount you are asking for it all inc :)

Thanks VERY much, I woulda killed this board had I tried it! :) Now I just need to get my SIMM sockets on the A4000 fixed! LOL!


Excellent, we're good to go.

As PMed, we'll go for Phase 1 first - service the caps, replace the CPU, install oscillator socket and test for stability.

Then we can slot in the 66MHz crystal (gets halved to 33), do the necessary minor mod as described in the guide, and stress-test again.

At that point we can decide if you'd like to go any further :)

Unless there's anything you'd like to add, I'll probably get the order in in the next day or so :)

Cheers :):beer:

---------- Post added at 16:15 ---------- Previous post was at 16:11 ----------

@Dopefish

I was going to attempt the delay line mod (not the caps although I wanted them doing too) but tbh my soldering is VERY poor and would rather someone in the know such as yourself do it. Would you be willing to do mine as per Steves A3640? Its a v3.1 board with socketed CPU as per the pics in my thread and I already have the 33Mhz CPU too :)

Of course mate! :)

Actually that helps - capacitors need to be ordered in minimum quantities of 10. Your board can be the other 5 - they'd be in my spares box otherwise! :)

Would you like the same plan as above? (I'm calling it "Phase 1") :)
 
In your Inbox now mate :)

£9.17 covers the parts. Steve is going for a special delivery return - not sure how much it would cost - I'm not great at estimating costs for postage :Doh:

About a fiver should do it, probably less for standard 1st class recorded - I can refund excess either way. (y)
 
hi guys,

ive just done the very same mod to my A3640 (v3.1) and its happily running at 33mhz ...

although id like to try for 40mhz ....

Anyway i have fittted a nice heatsink and fan and it is rock solid and stable and is a big improvement over the 030 at 33mhz that was in my A4000....
 
In your Inbox now mate :)

£9.17 covers the parts. Steve is going for a special delivery return - not sure how much it would cost - I'm not great at estimating costs for postage :Doh:

About a fiver should do it, probably less for standard 1st class recorded - I can refund excess either way. (y)

Got it the PM (y)

Ill package it up tonight and send over the dosh via Paypal :) Im not bothered about a postage refund tho mate, just mega happy you are willing to do this :)
 
I'm glad I managed to get Anthony to upgrade 3 of my A3640s to revisions 3.2 (one included a 30Mhz version) before he disappeared into the deep south for a year

good luck!
 
Thanks guys :)

@Slayer Anthony is an awesome guy - very knowledgeable and a gentleman. I look up to him in my electronics endeavours :)
 
@Slayer Anthony is an awesome guy - very knowledgeable and a gentleman. I look up to him in my electronics endeavours :)

He is indeed, I once I asked him what I'd need to get going with soldering etc if money wasn't a concern and he replied with a very detailed email listing all the machinery and gizmos I'd need and loads of advice, maybe I should ask him if I can publish it? :cool: I've kept the email because ONE DAY, I hope to start down that road and of course I do want the right tools for the job! and having over 100 Amigas to tinker with will help :shhh:

Sounds like you're well down that road d0pefish, nice work! :nod:
 
Any input on the proposal above, Zetr0? :)

To be fair I would say you have it pretty much covered, all I can say is just dont underestimate the amount of time to do the work (including testing) =)


If you'd like to turn this into an experimental project (that carries quite a bit more risk) and aim for 40MHz, you may have to replace/uprate the GAL logic chips as Zetr0 says. I can remove and socket the current GALs (would need sockets) but I don't have a GAL programmer or any chips, although I think Zetr0 might have at least the programmer. Maybe a revisitable thing in the future?

I do indeed have a GAL programmer, I do need to get a PLCC adapter for it though =)

They have my favourite series of capacitor, the Panasonic FP high-temperature, long-life, low-ESR surface-mount range, ideal for computers. Your A3640 needs five of these at 22uF, 16V. I have chosen a 22uF, 25V part (costs no more than the 16V part and is the same size) and these are £0.44 each ex. VAT. (£2.20 total ex. VAT)

good to see another panosonic fanboi on the site (y)

The GAL chip sockets if wanted:
7x 28pin PLCC sockets: £0.47each ex VAT.
3x 20pin PLCC sockets: £0.46each ex VAT.
(add an extra £5.49 which includes VAT)

Only thing I can add here it ensure a good quality socket - reduces breakages, improves connectivity, and reduces any slew rates akin to PLCC sockets.

Oh - forgot to ask - is your A3640's 040 socketed? I haven't looked at my one for some time and can't remember if it

All A3640's that I have encounterd are socketed 040's \o/ YAY \o/


Although a 25Mhz 040 can clock to 33Mhz there is NO guarantee of it.. the beauty here would be the possibility of clocking the 33mhz further up (37/40)

I have here two XC040@25 that can only run at 25 - they wont go to 33/40 at all (with or without RAM)

Now, where 37 doesn't seem that much more than 33 - let me explain that over another 10% increase in workload - such that a 33mhz 040 would achieve 24MIP's - the 37Mhz would achieve 26MIPS (as well as a good FLOP bonus too =) )

what ever Steve decides to do and what D0pefish can do, I would love to see a how-to with pictures =D
 
I can reprogram the GALs for you if you want to drop them round at some point D0pefish. Ideally you want U209 at revision -03 and U204 at revision -02 -- this will essentially upgrade the board to 3.2
 
To be fair I would say you have it pretty much covered, all I can say is just dont underestimate the amount of time to do the work (including testing) =)

Naturally - of course, matters can always be complicated by the unexpected. :) We'll start (relatively) simple and work our way forward as per Steve's wishes. (y)

I do indeed have a GAL programmer, I do need to get a PLCC adapter for it though =)

Would you recommend any particular model(s)? I may want to invest in one for future projects. :) I have my trusty Willem for some casual EPROM flashing, but that's all it seems to support.

good to see another panosonic fanboi on the site (y)
I like the pretty colours some of them come in; black and gold FM series - awesome! Oh, they're alright as capacitors too. :LOL:

Only thing I can add here it ensure a good quality socket - reduces breakages, improves connectivity, and reduces any slew rates akin to PLCC sockets.
Actually that's a very good point. I've tried Multicomp ones from Farnell recently, and they do the job - not as heat-resilient for reflow as I'd hoped though; ended up hand-soldering them with the 0.12mm tip, which turned out absolutely fine. I might try the 3M ones next, a little pricier but may be more robust.

Although a 25Mhz 040 can clock to 33Mhz there is NO guarantee of it.. the beauty here would be the possibility of clocking the 33mhz further up (37/40)
I was thinking that "all 25s will run at 33" is a rather broad statement - has there been any extensive testing? I'd agree with the benefits of having a spare, and a part that has even more potential. :)

what ever Steve decides to do and what D0pefish can do, I would love to see a how-to with pictures =D
As I've said to Steve, I'd be glad to write-up the work and take plenty pictures to keep everyone up to date with what's happening :D I'm quite looking forward to it!

I can reprogram the GALs for you if you want to drop them round at some point D0pefish. Ideally you want U209 at revision -03 and U204 at revision -02 -- this will essentially upgrade the board to 3.2
Now THAT is VERY useful to know as you are on my way home from work! That's much appreciated Hikey :D Forgive me, as I haven't played with GAL/PALs yet, but are you saying that they are erasable and rewritable like EEPROMs?

Cheers! :)
 
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