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Troubleshooting and Repairing

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Troubleshooting and Repairing , ". ...' . .. ",,/) TROUBLESHOOTING & REPAIRING YOUR TM COMMODORE 64 TROUBLESHOOTING & REPAIRING YOUR TM COMMODORE 64 ART MARGOLIS FIRST EDITION FOURTH PRINTING Printed in the United States of America Reproduction or publication of the content in any manner, without express permission of the publisher, is prohibited. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information herein. Copyright © 1985 by TAB BOOKS Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Margolis, Art. Troubleshooting and repairing your Commodore 64. On t.p. the registered trademark symbol "TM" is superscript following "64" in the title. Includes index. 1. Microcomputers-Maintenance and repair. 2. Commodore 64 (Computer) I. Title. TK7887.M374 1985 621 .3819'584 85-4640 ISBN 0-8306-0889-3 ISBN 0-8306-1 889-9 (pbk.) Questions regarding the content of this book should be addressed to: Reader Inquiry Branch Editorial Department TAB BOOKS Inc. P.O. Box 40 Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214 Contents Test Point Charts ix Introduction x 1 Interpreting the Symptoms 1 Common Symptoms 1 Dead Computer-Garbage Display-Empty Display Block-NoColor-No Video, Sound OK-No Sound-External Device Troubles Diagnostic Programming 5 PEEK and POKE-Diagnostic Programs Inside the 64 8 Complex Interface Adapter-Microprocessor-Video Interface Chip-Sound Interface Device Troubleshooting Charts 15 2 Disassembly 16 Removing the Top 16 Removing the Circuit Board 19 Disassembly as a Cure 24 Visual Inspection 26 Ground Plane Short-Board Defects Cleaning 28 Static Electricity 28 What Is It?-Wrist Strap-Additional Problems 3 Chip Location Guide 31 Drawing a Guide 31 Chip Survey 34 Microprocessor-Complex Interface Adapters-Video Interface Chip-Sound Interface Device­ Random Access Memory-BASIC ROM-Kernal ROM-Character ROM-Color RAM-Other Board Landmarks Sockets 39 Using the Location Guide 40 4 Chip Changing Techniques 42 TTL, DTL, and RTL 42 Three-State TTL 46 MOS Chips 48 DIP Package 50 Socketed Chips 52 Chip Removal-Chip Replacement Soldered-In Chips 55 Desoldering-Resolderi ng 5 LSI Chips 57 6510 Microprocessor 57 6526 Complex Interface Adapter 61 6567 Video Interface Chip 65 6581 Sound Interface Device 69 6 Random Access Memory 73 Static RAM 74 Dynamic RAM 77 Memory Refresh-Memory Layout-Operation-Timing-Refresh Timing 7 Read Only Memory 90 Block Diagram 93 Character ROM 96 Kernal and BASIC ROM 97 BASIC ROM-Kernal ROM-Jump Tables Programmable Logic Array 102 82S100Pi nout-PLA Inputs Service Charts 107 8 Other Integrated Circuits 109 7406A Hex Inverter 109 74LS08 Quad 2-lnput AND Gate 111 74LS74 Dual D Flip-Flop 114 74LS193 Up/Down Counter 116 74LS 139 2-4 Decoder 118 74LS257 Quad 2-lnput Multiplexer 121 74LS258 Quad 2-lnput Multiplexer 122 74LS373 Octal D-Type Latch 126 4066 Quad Bilateral Switch 130 556 Dual Timer 131 Other Chip-like Components 136 9 System Block Diagram 138 Block Diagram 138 MPU and Dynamic RAM 140 MPU and ROM 143 MPU and CIA Interface 143 MPU and VIC II 147 MPU and SID 151 10 Servicing Logic Gates 153 Decimal and Binary 153 Hexadecimal 156 PEEK and POKE 158 Gates 158 YES Gate-NOT Gate-AND Gate-OR Gate-XOR Gate-NOR and XNOR Gates Gate Testing Technique 172 11 Servicing Digital Registers 174 Flip-Flops 174 74LS74 D Flip-Flop-74LS373 D Latch-74LS193 Up/Down Counter-556 Dual Timer Computing Registers 183 Shifting-Clearing-Complementing-Increment, Decrement, and Jump-ANDing and ORing 12 6510 Microprocessor 192 Addressing 192 Stack 194 Arithmetic Logic Unit 195 Shifting-Logic Manipulations Accumulator 200 Instruction Set 202 Instruction Byte-Fetch and Execute Index Register 206 Flag Register 207 Interrupts 209 Vector Addresses 21 1 Other Pins 21 1 Testing 211 13 Memory Maps 214 6510 I/O Port 214 Default Map 217 I/O Signals 217 Memory Decks 218 Reading and Writing to the Decks 221 Other Possible Maps 222 PEEKing and POKEing the Map 223 14 Clock 224 Sine Wave to Square Wave 224 Working Frequency 225 6510 Timing Control 228 Other Timing Signals 230 Address Signals-Data Timing-Reading and Writing to Peripherals Testing the Clock 233 15 Address, Data, and Control Buses 236 Address Bus 236 Address Assignments-Address Bus Connections Data Bus 239 Control Lines 241 R/*W Line-*IRQ Line-Reset Line-r/>O and r/>2 Signals Testing the Bus Lines 242 Using the Tester-PEEK and POKE Tests-Control Line Tests 16 Complex Interface Adapters 253 Addressing and Controlling 253 Internal Data Transfer 255 Timing 255 Write Timing-Read Timing 1/0 Ports 257 'PC and 'Flag Pins 259 Timers 259 Real Time Clock 259 Interrupt Control Register 262 Serial Data Register 265 Operation 265 CIA1-CIA2 Testing 268 17 Video Interface Chip 269 Operation 269 Special Address Lines 271 Data Bus Connections 271 Modes 275 Displaying Characters-Character Fetch-Character Color-Character Modes-Bit Map Modes Sprites 280 Other VIC Features 283 Raster Register-Interrupt Register Light Pen 285 Video Output 286 Testing 289 18 Sound Interface Device 290 Pinout 290 Special Inputs 291 Operation 291 Registers 295 First Voice Registers-Voice Control Register-Envelope Generator Register-Other Voices-Filter Registers-ModeNolume Register-Writing and Reading-Pot Registers-Osc 3/Random Register-Env 3 Register Timing 303 Testing 303 19 Inputs and Outputs 305 Control Ports 306 Expansion Ports 306 Audio-Video Ports 309 Serial 1/0 Ports 309 Cassette 1/0 Slot 31 1 User Connector 312 20 Power Supply 313 Trouble Locations 313 Fuse Considerations 316 Source Checking 316 The Main Line 317 Appendix Master Schematic 319 Index 349 Test Point Charts Figure # Chip # Chip Job 6-4 21 14 Color RAM 6-14 4164 Dynamic RAM 7-3 2332 Character ROM 7-8 2364 Basic ROM Kernal ROM 7-12 82S100 PLA 8-1 7406 Hex Inverter 8-3 74LS08 Quad 2-lnput AND 8-6 74LS74 Dual D Flip Flop 8-9 4044 Phase/Freq Detector 8-1 1 74LS193 Up/Down Counter 8-14 74LS139 Decoder 8-16a,b,c 74LS257 Multiplexers 8-17 74LS258 Multiplexer 8-21 74LS373 Octal Latch 8-25 4066 Quad Switch 8-27 556 Dual Timer 8-28 74LS629 Dual Voltage Osc 12-16 6510 Microprocessor 16-8 6526 CIA 1 16-9 6526 CIA 2 17-15 6567 VIC II 18-1 6581 SID ix Introduction When I first turn on my Commodore 64, there is The analogy has often been given that the pro­ a pause between the time the switch is flicked and grammer can be compared to the driver of a car. the blue on blue picture comes on with the READY Just as the auto driver does not need to know how sign and the blinking cursor. It's little more than the car's engine burns gasoline, the programmer a second, but the pause makes me nervous. The does not need to know how the computer's circuits thought always flashes through my mind: come on, are consuming electricity. When the auto breaks fellow, come on. down, the driver takes it to a mechanic for the fix. Unfortunately, with the millions of 64s in dai­ In the same way, a programmer can take an ailing ly use, even though the 64s are quite reliable, they 64 to a computer tech for the repair. You could are still only assembled pieces of electronic gear. think of this book as the manual the tech refers to On any given day there are many of them that do as he makes the necessary tests to get the machine not come on. If yours is one of the unlucky, what back into operation. can you do? Obviously, the reason why your little However, this book is much more than that. favorite is not coming on have to be discovered. Besides the needed specific information on voltages will That is what this book is all about. Even though and parts, this is also a training course to give Com­ you might be a top programmer or an expert com­ modore 64 owners the information that, added to puter operator, the troubleshooting and repairing programming skills, will give you the missing of your 64 can only be accomplished by approaching dimension that will enable you to gain mastery over the machine from a different point of view. It will your computer. be easier to gain the technician's viewpoint if you In order to be able to figure out and repair a are a programmer or operator, but the approach is circuit failure in your 64, you must first of all be a new one and requires a different dimension of able to picture in your mind how the circuit is work­ thought. ing. There are also tried and true electronic service x pathways that have been developed over the years. view of a chip showing the exact pinout. The name By following these methods and using your puzzle of each pin is given and, where practical, a sketch solving abilities, you will be able to locate defec­ of the chip's insides. Then arrows point the direc­ tive components or connections. Once the trouble tion of the signal flow. Attached to each arrow is is pinpointed, which is the most trying part of a re­ the actual reading you should receive if you probe pair job, then the rest of the chore is either replac­ the test point with a logic probe or vom. ing the part or repairing the connection. The readings were all made on my Commodore The starting point of any repair is to carefully 64 with my logic probe and vom. The readings were analyze the symptoms of trouble. The computer not taken when the computer was first turned on with coming on is only one symptom.
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