Fred's right - this stuff is similar to epoxy glue - it won't melt with anything you can easily do at home.
If you are really, really interested in getting under it though, my son, currently in Dahlgren VA, is a Micro Miniature repair tech in t\he Navy - and he "has ways" normal humans don't have. I could ask him if he thinks he could get the potting off, but I sincerely doubt you would be able to read any meaningful chip information after. I used to do this kind of thing myself hundreds of years ago - more from curiosity than anything else. I woudl not anticipate things to actually work after, if you know what I mean. JC On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 7:47 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > 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 > -- Eschew obfuscation and pompous prolixity. Light a man a fire, he is warm for the night. Light a man afire, he is warm for the rest of his life.
_______________________________________________ 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
