TMS1100 ROM bits


I decapped a TMS1100 MCU to figure out the ROM layout. I chose the MP3438A from the 1979 game Star Wars Electronic Battle Command since Kevtris has successfully dumped the ROM and there is a patent for the game which includes a (slightly different) ROM dump listing.

Thermal decapping with a blowtorch went extremely well. The die looked clean, with just a few spots. I put it in an ultrasonic cleaner with some alcohol, but forgot about it over dinner. After about 90 minutes of being in the alcohol, I pulled it out and looked at it under the 'scope and was upset to see that the top metal layer had oxidized from the water in the alcohol.

I figured that this meant that there wasn't a passivation layer, so it would be easy to remove the top metal layer. After taking a set of pics I put it in some warm HCl, but only about half the metal came off. Next I'll try a little HF and see if that helps.

Taking cues from the F8 PSU and the Sharp SM510 MCU, I guessed the bit layout within each byte correctly; a byte histogram of my file and Kevtris' file matched. It took me a little while longer to figure out the byte layout, though. Once I did, I compared my file to Kevtris' and found 32 1-bit errors, a 0.2% error rate. Once I clean off the rest of the metal, I bet I can fix those.

Here's a quickie composite from ICE, with a little geometry tune-up in PS.

Here's a close-up of the ROM array.

Here's an annotated close-up of the ROM array after an acid bath.

Here's a text file showing the mapping of the ROM bits to row/column of the ROM array picture.

Here's a pic of the output PLA.

Here's a pic of the instruction PLA.

game Patent

Info about the game


Kevtris had also successfully dumped Microvision Vegas Slots, so I was going to hold onto it to play around with dumping the TMS1100 electronically, but Paul Robson is doing a Microvision RetroChallenge, so I decapped Vegas Slots to get a visual ROM dump. Here's an overlay showing the 1 bits. The vertical lines are ground and the horizontal line seperates chapter 1 from chapter 2. When these are rearranged according to the key above, the results are the same as the ROM dump.

Here's a complete die shot of Vegas Slots.

Here's a quickie die shot of Blockbuster.

Here's a quickie die shot of Bowling.

Here's a quickie die shot of Pinball.

I programmed a PIC microcontroller with a TMS-1100 emulator.

Dan Boris's Microvision info and schematics

the Microvision LCD controller


Ralph Baer, "the father of video games", also designed a few handheld games utilizing the TMS-1000 and TMS-1100. The most famous was Simon, but there's also Maniac from Ideal, and the Coleco Amaze-A-Tron.


Amaze-A-Tron

hardware description and pinout

Patent with wiring diagram

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of ROM array

picture of instruction PLA

picture of output PLA


Entex Baseball 3

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of ROM array

picture of instruction PLA

picture of output PLA


Super Simon

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of ROM array

picture of die with top metal layer removed


Entex Space Invader (TI version)

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of ROM array

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed


Coleco Head To Head Football

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of die

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed


Coleco Head To Head Baseball - uses the TMS-1170, the VFD version

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of die

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed


Entex Raise the Devil Pinball

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed


Entex Electronic Poker - uses the TMS-1370, the 40-pin VFD version

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of VFD

front of PCB

back of PCB


Entex Basketball 2

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of PCB showing LED layout

picture of bezel


Tomy Pinball

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of die

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of die

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of PCB showing LED layout

picture of bezel


Mattel Dungeons and Dragons

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of die

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of playfield


Coleco Electronic Quarterback

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

picture of die

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

Output O PLA


Parker Brothers Lost Treasure

hardware description and pinout

electronic ROM dump

picture of die

picture of ROM array

Output O PLA


Coleco Zodiac

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump


Conic Football II

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump


US Games Super Sports-4

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump


Science Fair Microcomputer Trainer

Radio Shack catalog page

Knight Rider program

Simon program

This is an early decap that pretty much went as bad as possible. The die stuck to the plastic, and I over-torched it, then chipped part of the ROM array.

Package marked MP1312 MASL^8414, die marked MP1312A

quickie picture of die

picture of ROM array

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

Output O PLA

Output O PLA with top metal removed

Instruction PLA with top metal removed

raw ROM dump

ROM dump


Coleco Head to Head Boxing

Schematics in patent

hardware description and pinout

picture of die

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

Output O PLA

Instruction PLA

ROM dump

raw ROM dump


Tandy Championship Football 60-2150

hardware description and pinout

picture of die

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

Output O PLA

Instruction PLA

ROM dump

raw ROM dump


Tandy Championship Football 60-2151

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump


Tandy Cosmic 1000 Fire Away - uses the TMS-1370, the 40-pin VFD version

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed

raw ROM dump

ROM dump


Mattel Horse Race Analyzer

Patent with schematic

hardware description and pinout

picture of die with top metal layer removed

picture of ROM array

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed - the O outputs are not connected

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed

raw ROM dump

ROM dump

signals from TMS1100 to HLCD0569 - this sets up the chip for 3 rows (01011) and turns on the PURSE segment at row 1, col 24 (00100 000000000000000000000001 01000 000000000000000000000000 00000 000000000000000000000000)

LCD with all segments on

PCB front

PCB back


Milton Bradley Arcade Mania

hardware description and pinout

die shots

picture of ROM array top metal

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed

raw ROM dump

ROM dump


Gakken Invader 2000 - uses a TMS-1370 in a 28-pin package

hardware description and pinout

ROM dump

raw ROM dump

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed


Fonas 3-in-1 Sports

hardware description and pinout

picture of ROM array top metal

picture of ROM array with top metal layer removed

picture of output PLA with top metal layer removed

picture of instruction PLA with top metal layer removed

raw ROM dump

ROM dump


TMS-1000 Patent

Kevtris TMS1000/1100 info and ROM dumps


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