| Nice project indeed. Just 1 nitpick - all vintage parts, and then a PIC uC just to generate a clock & reset? Grr.. ;-) > And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why we validate our Supply Chain :-) I've got a nice collection of vintage chips, and they're going nowhere. One reason being that with few exceptions, I know what type of equipment they were pulled (or hand-unsoldered) from. Mostly done by myself. Or that I have seen them in action, as in: tested, known good. Or have gear to test 'm in. ~15y ago it was relatively safe to order vintage parts online. These days, it's a crapshoot. You might get relabeled parts (different speed grades, NMOS vs. CMOS etc), parts where function of vintage IC is programmed into a gate array & packaged in original-looking housing (that may work but differ subtly from original part), random IC with markings changed that has no relation to what markings say (so it won't work & may even cause damage elsewhere when powered up), just housing + pins but no IC inside, etc etc. Anything is possible these days. There are some nice YouTube video's diving down the "fake IC" rabbit hole. Thing is, in many cases I wouldn't even mind buying a 'recreated' part as long as it's a functional replacement, and seller is honest about what's being sold. Or say, a slower speed grade if that fits requirements. But it appears almost uniquely Chinese approach to just LIE about what's being sold. For example: the bulk of Z80's on eBay the 20 MHz version for like €1..2/pop, even though original part costs 10x that (yeah Z80's are still sold new !) and (cheap) pulled / "New Old Stock" parts will be 4..6 MHz parts with few exceptions? Yeah, right. Vintage or relabeled, "who cares, it works?" seems the attitude. It's that lying I hate, not the less-desirable-IC in some subjective way. Sell whatever you want just be honest about what's in the box & how it was obtained. |