Is it shaped like a dome over the printed circuit board? If so, it's a "chip-on-board" assembly, where the silicon die is wired directly to the PCB. See http://www.siliconfareast.com/cob.htm.
If that' is the case, the "black glop" - the encapsulation resin - isn't so much to hide the chip as to protect it. And since it's a resin, it's not going to melt with a heat gun. Removal is sometimes performed in labs for test or for reverse engineering purposes. Last time I saw a resin removal, it involved warm fluorhydric acid, not something you'd want to try at home. -- Fred On Tuesday 20 April 2010 00:17:03 Clyde Cottingham - [email protected] wrote: > I'm not an expert, but I would try heat - a heat gun. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Adam > To: [email protected] > Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 10:47 PM > Subject: [mhvlug] Hidden Chips > > > What's that cheap black glop that hardens that they put over chips > when they don't want anyone to be able to see the numbers on it? More > important, how can I remove it and read whatever numbers are on the > chip? The board and chip don't need to be functional, and time isn't > much of a concern. Thanks in advance for any suggestions! > > BTW, the camera it's from was part of Linux's libgphoto2 project, > helping implement support for the JL2005B/C/D chips, often found in > "toy" digital cameras (USB ID 0x0979:0x0227). > > Adam > > _______________________________________________ > Mid-Hudson Valley Linux Users Group http://mhvlug.org > http://mhvlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mhvlug > > Upcoming Meetings (6pm - 8pm) MHVLS Auditorium > May 5 - Crack and LLVM > Jun 2 - Android > Jul 7 - July 2010 Meeting _______________________________________________ Mid-Hudson Valley Linux Users Group http://mhvlug.org http://mhvlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mhvlug Upcoming Meetings (6pm - 8pm) MHVLS Auditorium May 5 - Crack and LLVM Jun 2 - Android Jul 7 - July 2010 Meeting
