68060 fake rev6

Warning, it seems that there is more false 68060 rev6 (maskset 71E41J) on the Asian market!

I just received a package that contained three! Arg!

In fact they are sometimes 68LC060 rev4 (LC = Low Cost = no Fpu): Some people have scratched the initial registration and then re-printed with 68060 in 71E41J corner ...

The purpose of this article is to show you the true and false, to be sure of your future purchases!

I am sure of what I say here, I had these CPUs hands: I checked everything by myself!

Let's start with the best product by Motorola 68060 is one with the bottom corner of the registered -006 figures:

Attention to them, it is very similar to the first, but it's a fake:

-004 A real product in 2002:

(EDITOR NOTE - I believe the above CPU to be FAKE - 002 with E41J mask)

Finally, here is a summary of the different versions of 68060RC I had and tested here:
rev1: maskset 01F43G (1994, engraved 0.60µm)
rev2: maskset 01G65V (1996, engraved 0.60µm)
rev5: maskset 74E41J (1998, engraved 0.42µm)
rev6: maskset 71E41J (1999, engraved 0.32µm)

exxos back again here :)

I have also noticed another CPU with a 003 mask 75G59Y. I find it interesting is is a RC75 type. I assume it will overclock to 100mhz but probably will run hotter than the later masks. However, according to HERE is has no FPU :( So I guess this CPU can be added to the "bad" batch of chips to save time.

A little story

From 1994 to 1996, the 060 (at 50, 60 & 66 MHz) are produced with 3 versions and manufactured with 0.60um process :

- XC68060RCxx that contains a PMMU and a FPU (Floating Point Unit = Coprocessor).

- XC68LC060RCxx that contains a PMMU but NO FPU.

- XC68EC060RCxx that contains NO PMMU and NO FPU.

These first 060 are manufactured with the 1F43G mask (Rev.1) and accept up to 66 MHz (70% of them).

This mask has several bugs that get no problems on the CT60.

The RC letters define the type of package = PGA (Pin Grid Array) !

 

In 1996, the 1G65V mask appears for the three 060 models without one important bug on copro (F6). 

Later,

- the EC & LC change to 2G65V with NO bugs at all.

- the 'full' becomes 0E41J mask with NO bugs at all too.

 

In 1998, the new 0.42um manufacturing process is used :

The EC & LC prefix change from XC to MC (final qualification) and their mask change from 2G59Y to 3G59Y : 

The 'full' change from 0E41J mask to 1E41J but stays with XC prefix.

 

In 1999, the XC68060RCxx is qualified and the prefix changes to MC with the new 71E41J mask :

This last mask (Rev.6) is manufactured with 0.32um process and has the particularity to be able to run up to 100 MHz !

 

From 1999, the 75 MHz, manufactured with 0.32um process, arrives with 2 versions :

- MC68LC060RC75 that contains a PMMU and NO FPU.

- MC68EC060RC75 that contains NO PMMU and NO FPU.

The problem I have, is I believe the 002 is a Motorola CPU, and believe only the 006 is Freescale. The 02E23G mask is a "LC" version with no FPU. But the 68060 number does not say that, it should say "68LC060". However it gets worse. According to http://www.cpu-world.com/mot_masks/0/02E23G.html It is not even a 060 cpu, its a 040! The 002 number is not listed on the link either. So however you look at it, the numbers all seem to be conflicting.

Its possible it is a XC 060 CPU going with the 002 and could be a older mask , but the white printed mask is still conflicting. I think either way, regardless of what it is, something has been changed and I just conclude its a fake CPU.

Looking though the mask numbers..

Chances are that is the probable correct CPU number to match the 02E23G mask. But again, the 002 number is 001 on that CPU Again, numbers do not match so really there is just not possible to be a genuine CPU with so many conflicting numbers.

<RANT>

I should have a CPU here in a few days time, they look genuine, which is at least something. Most of the images I have been sent they conveniently leave off the side numbers, or take really bad images of them. I also think half these people I am talking to are all the same person as the images they send with the backgrounds look identical. All those looked fake. So out of countless emails so far, I suspect 20 "companies" are the same person, all selling fakes. There is even youtube videos of some of these companies with people showing fake stuff.

I expected there is trouble in finding genuine stuff, but this is madness. I suspect 1 company is trading as 50 other names. All selling totally fake products. The images I have been sent are all conflicting numbers on the CPU, and now its getting worse as its fake 060 cpus in that they are 040 CPUs I have had somewhere around 250 - 300 emails of "quotes" so far. I emailed a few of then, but again, the price some of these "companies" are charging is identical, like $69.50 so I just didn't bother emailing all the other ones. The prices of $59 all different companies all sent similar looking CPUs Best part is some emails arrived 2 mins apart from each other. Then if you check the websites out, they look like totally different companies. Some of the website links do not even work, no site there at all. Fake URL no doubt. most of the ones I have emailed never sent me a image of the CPU. It really is a total nightmare.

It is not even a case of older masks being restamped as newer masks, its totally different cpu's being stamped as 060's when they are 040s. a 50mhz chip is more like a 25mhz 040 CPU Even if you get what seems to be a genuine looking 060 CPU, you really have to watch the numbers as a lot of them are without FPU and there is no EC or LC in the number which going by the mask numbers, it should have!

</RANT>

I am still looking. But at the time of writing I think if you want a genuine CPU, the chances of finding a genuine REV 6 CPU is 99% impossible. Even when you think you have found a genuine looking one, its still a gamble if it "really" is or not until its physically tried and the CPU ident read.

October 25, 2013 UPDATE

I have since been sent in some more images of fake CPU's as shown below.

The CPU if catches the light correct you can just make out it has been reprinted as 004, when you can see the trace of 002 on the right image. Some companies literally grounded down the top of the CPU removing the engraved numbers and reprinting them with a fake mask number.

To date I have been unable to track down a genuine REV6 CPU. I suspect 99.99% of them are reprinted and fake. You can still buy the 060 CPU from Freescale, though they are £500! So I think I will stick to my old 060 CPU as simply not worth the investment!

Finally I obtained a CPU similar to the one above. So after 2 years I finally have a CPU which runs at 90MHz :)

Finally I found the latest version of the REV6 CPU! This one is genuine and I have overclocked to 90MHz. I have a small stock of these (at the time of writing) and can be purchased from my STORE.

Some more 060 CPU arrive looking identical to above. But turns out they are REV5 mask! I managed to run these at about 80MHz but they will not go any higher. One even turned out to be a REV1. So I must have got really lucky with the CPU's I had which were genuine... I guess the hunt resumes..