Looking for "non-existent" IC datasheets

[jaem]

Hello,

I'm looking for datasheets for a couple of ICs that I pulled out of some old boards, and I'm having no luck...

The first is a Motorola L8242
- the only hit on Google that isn't spamdexed junk is a site selling lingerie with the same model number, so there's no point in looking there
- I phoned Freescale, and they couldn't find any mention of it in their archives - they said it looked like a date code, rather than a part number
- I phoned Freescale again, and they said that it may be a company-internal part number from the manufacturer of the equipment I got it out of, however, it was just a board when I got it - I'll try looking up the numbers silkscreened on the board, but I don't know if that will help


The second is a Pioneer PD0011A
- again, I tried Google, with no results
- I e-mailed Pioneer, but I haven't received a reply


Any help with this would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

[haklesup]

What package, pin count?
What function do you think it is (function of board removed from)
Any other markings at all?
can you post a photo? Macro

Might it be LM242 (which seems to be a dead end anyway)

The Pioneer part shows up in google searches just mostly on taiwan distributor sites http://wt.hqew.com/Buy/Inventory/Search ... rd=PD0011A but I was also unable to actuallyu locate the datasheet. maybe one of the distributors will email it to you

[jaem]

sorry, I meant to include some of that...

the Motorola is a 14-DIP
and the Pioneer is a 22-DIP

The board was silkscreened with "Decoder IC" under the Pioneer chip; no idea what the other one is...

[jaem]

sorry - not intending to **Bump**...

I got an e-mail from Pioneer, and they said that they "don't have datasheets for their ICs"... go figure! They sent me a page from a service manual containing it, and it's used in a laserdisc player - based on it's location, and the limited (one page) view I had of the circuit, I would hazard a guess that it might be either something to do with video, or the remote control - all I know is that it's a decoder of some sort.
I checked Google, and - of course - I couldn't get the full manual without paying $30 or so...

anywhere else I could check?

[bodgy]

For parts, check the surplus parts stores.

BGMicro or Goldmine, for instance often have end runs of OEM marked parts.


Colin

[Bob Scott]

I got an e-mail from Pioneer, and they said that they "don't have datasheets for their ICs"... go figure!

Oh, oh. Sounds like Sony. Sony makes their own semiconductors and keeps any data sheets about them secret. You only get to see them if you work there, like I did a long time ago.

Bob

[MrAl]

HI,

Just some ideas which may or may not be the chip you are looking
for...


There is a 8242 microcontroller.

There were chips made to use with the 8080 CPU in the 8200 series.
For example, the 8224 clock driver chip which is usually used with an
18 MHz crystal which is used to drive the 8080 cpu chip clock.

The "L" could stand for 'low power'.

Just some guesses.

[haklesup]

If it's made by or for Poineer products, then it probably has something to do with Audio or video. Being a small DIP device without much heatsinking, I doubt it is a final amplifier but it may be an audio decoder (like dolby) of some sort in the preamp chain.

Are you trying to repair some equipment? Use some unknown chips you have or just determine if this chip is worth investigating further for a project? You really need to give us more clues about the origin of your module and intended fate.

Reverse Engineering the circuit leaving unknown ICs as just black boxes can be very helpful in determining function and you automatically get an example application circuit out of the deal. On the other hand, if this is just an isolated module without the parent equipment, RE could just be a dead end (with too little schematic).

As a rule of thumb, DIP devices of Digital origin often have power pins at the corners while analog devices often have them in the middle of the side or scattered. Not a hard and fast rule but a good clue. A large number of passive components also suggests analog function.

[jaem]

If it's made by or for Poineer products, then it probably has something to do with Audio or video. Being a small DIP device without much heatsinking, I doubt it is a final amplifier but it may be an audio decoder (like dolby) of some sort in the preamp chain.

it said "decoder" on the PCB underneath the chip

Are you trying to repair some equipment? Use some unknown chips you have or just determine if this chip is worth investigating further for a project? You really need to give us more clues about the origin of your module and intended fate.

no - I just pulled it out of something, and I wanted to see if it was useful.

Reverse Engineering the circuit leaving unknown ICs as just black boxes can be very helpful in determining function and you automatically get an example application circuit out of the deal. On the other hand, if this is just an isolated module without the parent equipment, RE could just be a dead end (with too little schematic).

unfortunately it was a broken-off half of a board that I got from a friend

As a rule of thumb, DIP devices of Digital origin often have power pins at the corners while analog devices often have them in the middle of the side or scattered. Not a hard and fast rule but a good clue. A large number of passive components also suggests analog function.

thanx for that - I'll check it out. I actually have a pinout, but only with abbreviations, which don't convey much to me. When I get time, I'll post the page from the manual that Pioneer sent me.

thx