68kMLA Classic Interface

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m68882 made in 2012?

Posted by: johnklos on 2020-01-19 09:05:48 I recently recapped my LC III motherboard and it works wonderfully. I had an extra m68881, but it's only rated at 16 MHz and the LC III is running at 33 MHz, so I decided to buy a faster rated m68882 from eBay for $6. I've gotten lots of fake m68040 and m68060 chips from eBay, so I was a little suspicious, but I installed it, and it's a real m68882! Now the strange part: According to the markings on the package, it was made by Motorola, not Freescale, and it was made in 2012! I wonder why Motorola is still making these. Also, even while running FPU intensive tests, it runs cool, so I'm guessing this is a newer mask made on a smaller process than old m68882 chips made in the 1980s.

Posted by: MOS8_030 on 2020-01-19 10:15:28 Hard to say, the markings look legit. As you point out parts of this vintage should be Freescale branded. Hard to believe anyone was still making C12R's in 2012 but apparently they were since I see other examples out there. The part certainly was not actually made by Motorola, they have no fabs of their own. Perhaps Motorola was contracting with Freescale.

Posted by: Crutch on 2020-01-19 10:18:52 I’ve bought several 68882’s on eBay and all have been legit. It never occurred to me to investigate the markings. Interesting.

Posted by: MJ313 on 2020-01-19 12:01:42 This is great to know, thanks for pointing them out! Just went and bought a couple.

Posted by: johnklos on 2020-01-19 12:02:42 I think the problem is more prevalent with larger ceramic chips where people want one type and there's a glut of another. I have two FPU-less LC040s that were reprinted as MC68040s and I have an MC68060 that's really an EC (no FPU, no MMU). Luckily, there are no FPU-less MC68881 or MC68882 😉

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