March 24, 2013
GLONASS module Geos-3 : Weekend die-shot
Geos-3 - GLONASS module, designed by R&D Center "GeoStar navigation" Ltd..PCB has 3 chips: K1905VM1JA designed by Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Microelectronic Research Institute "Progress", SiGe RF-frontend GEOS2RF designed by Saphyrion and 4-mbit serial flash memory MX25U4035Z.
Read more →
February 21, 2013
Part II: How to «open» microchip and what's inside? Z80, Multiclet, MSP430, PIC and more
In this article we'll continue cracking microchips open. If you've missed first article - it's here.«Canonical» way of opening microchips:
Cut a small hole in the center of the chip with a dremel:
Read more →
February 21, 2013
February 21, 2013
PIC12C508 : Weekend die-shot
PIC12C508 - one of the "old" PIC's. Manufacturing technology - 1200nm, the oldest we've seen in microcontrollers being sold at the moment.
February 21, 2013
MSP430F122 : Weekend die-shot
MSP430F122 - 16-bit microcontroller made by Texas Instruments. What's interesting is that die is marked as MSP430F123, with larger flash size.
February 21, 2013
K565RU5 : Weekend die-shot
K565RU5 (pin-compatible to 4164 DRAM chip) - 64 Kib DRAM chip, heart of most of amateur computers made in late soviet times and early 90's. There was also RU7 chip (256 Kib) but it was hard to buy.Die size 5645x2612 µm.
February 11, 2013
Moscow's metro MIFARE/RFID chip : Weekend die-shot
Since February 2013 you can find Sitronics-Mikron's RFID chips inside Moscow's metro tickets, instead of NXP ones which were used before.Mikron chip is 20% smaller. Die size 610x526 µm.
Significant part of chip area is used by passive components:
