Phils Arcade
Senior Member
Wondered if anyone on here has tried this out and what you thought of it: Retro Chip Tester Pro
Watched a YouTube video of it here:
Watched a YouTube video of it here:
Retro Chip Tester Pro
- Thread starter Phils Arcade
- Start date
I have 2 x RCT (one @ home and one in my workshop) and I have been using it for a couple of years now.
Excellent is all I can say. Tests all kinds of RAMs. TTL is pretty much covered. With a MicroSD slot it matches read (E)PROMs with database and it can save them to the MicroSD card as well.
Firmware updates comes quite frequently.
Only thing I think is missing is a bigger ZIF socket so prccessors and other custom ICs could have been tested.
My units cost roughly €140 each to build and that is a bargain if you consider how powerful it is.
Excellent is all I can say. Tests all kinds of RAMs. TTL is pretty much covered. With a MicroSD slot it matches read (E)PROMs with database and it can save them to the MicroSD card as well.
Firmware updates comes quite frequently.
Only thing I think is missing is a bigger ZIF socket so prccessors and other custom ICs could have been tested.
My units cost roughly €140 each to build and that is a bargain if you consider how powerful it is.
Retro Chip Tester Pro
retrolemon.co.uk
I bought my RCT "kits" directly from Stephan in Germany (who designed the RCT). It included the main PCB with the surface mounted main chip already soldered and updated with the latest firmware. It also included the DC to DC PCB. Components were bought from my local electronics store and the displays from another source and the same with the MicroSD controller. Takes maybe like 3-4 hours to assemble (obviously depending on how fast you work of course).
I think it's better that you look at the official site (I think the manual is there without having bough it):
https://8bit-museum.de/hardware-projekte/hardware-projekte-chip-tester-english/
https://8bit-museum.de/hardware-projekte/hardware-projekte-chip-tester-english/
Phils Arcade
Senior Member
It does look very interesting, hence asking about it here, even if you have to build it yourself, would be an interesting project. Seriously tempted to give it a go.
There does seem to be a wide range of adaptors to go with it as well. It's the fact that it can validate chips with 12v lines, that many of the newer systems don't handle.
There does seem to be a wide range of adaptors to go with it as well. It's the fact that it can validate chips with 12v lines, that many of the newer systems don't handle.
cliff_poole
Active member
I built one this year and am very please with it. Purchased from Retro Lemon with the Atmega already programmed and soldered.
When you buy from Retro Lemon, they automatically give you access to their downloads site which contains all the documentation and more. The documentation is excellent !, very easy to follow and highly detailed. As well as a BOM, they also go into great detail regarding equivalent parts, so you won't get stuck having to track down anything unusual. The only slightly complicated thing about the build was grading the zener diodes. To protect the Atmega inputs against overvoltage (if the chip under test is shorting and is supplied with -5v or 12v), it uses zener diodes. You'll need a variable bench power supply and a decent meter to make sure they are all within a tight tolerance, it is all explained in the build manual.
Yes, the Atmega can be re-programmed, all explained in the manual.
The basic DC/DC board comes with it, which is probably all we'll need. I also purchased the option of the variable DC/DC, which allows you to test devices slightly under, and over 5V. Not tried it yet but we often talk about bootlegs that need higher voltage, be interesting to try.
You will need adapters to program ROMs due to the addition programming voltage.
I first came across the RCT while looking up equivalents for obscure old RAM chips, I used their device list so often I eventually decided to take the plunge and buy one as I've always bought old chips as lots and built up a large collection over time. The RCT download site has a handy database as an HTML file that lets you search the equivalents list which I use all the time now, so useful.
When you buy from Retro Lemon, they automatically give you access to their downloads site which contains all the documentation and more. The documentation is excellent !, very easy to follow and highly detailed. As well as a BOM, they also go into great detail regarding equivalent parts, so you won't get stuck having to track down anything unusual. The only slightly complicated thing about the build was grading the zener diodes. To protect the Atmega inputs against overvoltage (if the chip under test is shorting and is supplied with -5v or 12v), it uses zener diodes. You'll need a variable bench power supply and a decent meter to make sure they are all within a tight tolerance, it is all explained in the build manual.
Yes, the Atmega can be re-programmed, all explained in the manual.
The basic DC/DC board comes with it, which is probably all we'll need. I also purchased the option of the variable DC/DC, which allows you to test devices slightly under, and over 5V. Not tried it yet but we often talk about bootlegs that need higher voltage, be interesting to try.
You will need adapters to program ROMs due to the addition programming voltage.
I first came across the RCT while looking up equivalents for obscure old RAM chips, I used their device list so often I eventually decided to take the plunge and buy one as I've always bought old chips as lots and built up a large collection over time. The RCT download site has a handy database as an HTML file that lets you search the equivalents list which I use all the time now, so useful.
Yes, the downloadable HTML file with the search field is awesome, and one thing I realized was that I have way more RAM than I thought.
I use the DC to DC board that comes with the RCT and feed 9V into the DC jack (which was some kind of recommendation in the manual) and it's supposed to be possible to use it with USB (5V) I think but then some (many?) chips will not be possible to test so really not an option if you want hassle-free operation.
I use the DC to DC board that comes with the RCT and feed 9V into the DC jack (which was some kind of recommendation in the manual) and it's supposed to be possible to use it with USB (5V) I think but then some (many?) chips will not be possible to test so really not an option if you want hassle-free operation.