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CPS3 error codes - has anyone figured them out?

kazuo

kazuo

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I'm dealing with a SIMM (possibly two) that seems to have gone bad. I'd like to try to fix it, but I'm not really sure what to do besides reflowing the chips (already tried). I'm not super excited about the idea of trying to shotgun replace all of the flash chips, so I thought I'd try to make sense of the error codes that are thrown during rewrite attempts.

Occasionally, I'll get error 16, and other times, I will get error 26. It's pretty clear that the second digit in the error codes indicates an issue with a specific SIMM slot (in this case, slot 6), but what the heck does the first digit represent? Is there some way I can use that to try and figure out which flash chip(s) may be at fault? I've narrowed the issue to the SIMM by moving it around different slots; the error then migrates to whichever slot I put it into.

Thanks for any insight!
 
This might not be a SIMM issue but a logic IC issue…I wonder if any of the CU383’s at 1H, 2H, 3H or 4H (located along the bottom of the SIMM7 slot) might’ve come loose or are on their way out.

Might be worth trying to reflow these ICs first & seeing if that clears up your errors.

EDIT: I’m an idiot; I see that this problem migrates with the problem SIMM you’re moving. This has got to be a flash chip issue…are you sure those SMDs are reflowed all the way? When I’ve had similar SIMM issues that a reflow was able to fix I’ve had to recheck my work several times…those pins are bastards to get right given how close they are to one another.
 
I swear I checked every single pin, multiple times, under a microscope, and nothing was loose.. now I'm finding loose pins all over the place. Reflowing them doesn't seem to work, even moderate pressure with a pick sends them flying loose. I have no idea what is going on here, I've removed ALL the chips, cleaned the pads and am now using fresh solder and flux, still having issues with some pins not bonding to the pads.. I've reflowed other SIMMs before without a problem, so this is INCREDIBLY frustrating for me.

I'll keep trying and report back!
 
FWIW my bare finger applying pressure to each chip did the trick for me with two SIMMS I was able to get running once again. I think you just need more pressure.
 
Tried it again, I pressed as hard as I could, tried different flux (Hakko!), brand new 60/40 solder... same result. I even tried scuffing the legs of the chips with a brass wire brush before attempting another reflow just in case it was oxidation or something. Didn't make any difference. I have no idea what is going on and I'm kind of tired of wasting time on this. Probably going to send it to someone with a hot air station and/or more skill and see if they can figure it out.

Appreciate the help!
 
That stinks. The only other thing I can think of off the top of my head is that you might have a trace or two not making continuity with the SIMM edges. Did you happen to check & see if you have any traces that might be deteriorated?
 
GoldenGlover said:
That stinks. The only other thing I can think of off the top of my head is that you might have a trace or two not making continuity with the SIMM edges. Did you happen to check & see if you have any traces that might be deteriorated?
Click to expand...

It's not an issue with the traces or the pads, everything is intact except for one pad that came loose (but still has continuity; I ended up adding a bodge wire anyway). The legs on the flash chips just straight up won't bond with the pads. Both clearly have solder bonded to them individually so I'm completely at a loss as to why these joints are so weak.

Darksoft said:
It was explained here: https://www.arcade-projects.com/thr...-almost-at-the-end-error-26.29382/post-418976
Click to expand...

Thanks DS. I understand the meaning of the second digit in the error code (it's the slot with the issue, and how I confirmed that the problem was with the module, and not the slot itself), but the fact that the first digit keeps flipping between "1" and "2" makes me suspect that gives more detail as far as something else that might be wrong. Or is that not the case? I was thinking it could refer to which "side" of the module could be the issue, but I honestly have no clue.

Big_P Big_p said:
There is a limit to how many times you can reflow solder on on an IC .Eventually brittle intermetallics form between the copper pad and the tin in the solder and can give problems similar to what you are experiencing.

Make sure you clean everything really well then try again.
Click to expand...

I completely cleaned everything and re-did it twice already, same result.
 
kazuo said:
I completely cleaned everything and re-did it twice already, same result.
Click to expand...
The only other explanation for a jumping ic that I can think of is the popcorn effect, more commonly known as hygroscopic flux. If the flux is old it can absorb moisture from the air (especially in humid conditions) which can cause components to jump like popcorn in a pan. It typically happens as the flux heats up but well before the solder flows.
 
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