As mentioned in our previous blog post on Cloning Copying + Duplicating IC’s blog post some IC’s are easier to clone/copy than others.
After a study of the market + ensuring that the IC/PCB is indeed obsolete we will first take your PCB + check that we can clone/copy any programmed ICs on the PCB. We do this by checking the make + model of each programmed IC, these part numbers are usually stamped on the top of the IC + we check it against our database of IC’s that can be programmed. We ensure we can source replacement parts + extract the machine code or hex code from the IC ensuring the chip revision + speed is matched or exceeded. Sometimes we receive IC’s which are not standard pinouts or packages – in such cases we make adapters to convert the IC into the universal programmer adapter type.
Once the code is extracted we view the checksum + view the hex code using a hex viewer in order to ensure data has been read. In 99% of the cases when we see data in the hex file we can duplicate the IC + this allows us to then program a blank IC that we have sourced.
Assuming the cloning process above is successful then the code will work identically to the original IC, will be just as reliable + its functionality is tested in the circuit. The whole process is nondestructive + allows us to copy the original IC without any damage to the original so rest assured your working IC will stay working!
We can help you with your old + obsolete IC cloning, get in touch to see how we can help you.