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Here are pictures of the Atari Flashback Portable internals. The only thing I wonder is what could be hiding under the black blob?? Core ROM maybe?
Note: Demarcation on the mat in the background is 1" for reference.

 

Excuse the reflection of my smartphone on the screen.

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Edited by TheEditor
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I've been hoping someone would be reckless with their pricey new acquisition open up an AFBP and post pictures, so big thanks! ;P

 

The only thing I wonder is what could be hiding under the black blob?? Core ROM maybe?

The glob-top is most likely covering the system's microcontroller, which in this case is AtGames' Monkey King chip. See the "MK" written on the PCB? It refers to the chip's name--though maybe it is in fact a Monkey King 2, given that it actually says "MK2." While this is the first retail application of the chip I'm aware of, it's been a few years since Monkey King was originally developed and added to AtGames' arsenal of chips (which includes Noza (SMS/GG on a chip), RedKid/RedKid 2 (Genesis on a chip), and Titan (an ARM implementation that has powered all of AtGames' Flashbacks, until now--Monkey King is apparently the next-gen Titan)). So, it's certainly possible this is a newer revision of Monkey King. The debug mode just displays "MK," though, not "MK2."

 

The ESMT chip is 8 MB of SDRAM (which I'll note is 4X the amount that was in the CV FB, INTV FB, and AFB5). I can't see what's written on the other packaged chip, which is presumably the flash memory containing the games. Can you post what's printed on it?

 

Again, thanks for the photos!

 

onmode-ky

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been hoping someone would be reckless with their pricey new acquisition open up an AFBP and post pictures, so big thanks! ;P

 

 

November 24th... did it first. :D

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/254611-atari-flashback-portable/page-20?do=findComment&comment=3637891

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Ah, I fell behind in the forum starting around Thanksgiving, and it didn't help that that particular thread blew up with posts like crazy. Thank you for your bravery as well! It's interesting to note that your pre-production revision of the PCB doesn't include the AFBP's eventual product ID (AP2632) but does include "FB7" in the name. Maybe they had considered bringing the new chip to the FB7 as well, at one point.

 

I tried to identify the flash memory chip DMC D30N16008, but I didn't really get anywhere. "DMC" most likely is Digital Media Cartridge, a company that is either a division or affiliate of AtGames and to whom the creation of the Flashbacks' Titan chip is typically attributed. The "best" info I got: in a German forum where someone was trying to dump the contents of the chip several years ago, he concluded that it was similar to a better known 8-MB flash memory chip. So, maybe it's 8 MB . . . or maybe not. At any rate, it might not be what was used in the production version. I can't read the corresponding chip's ID in our production version photos.

 

onmode-ky

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I've been hoping someone would be reckless with their pricey new acquisition open up an AFBP and post pictures, so big thanks! ;P

 

 

The glob-top is most likely covering the system's microcontroller, which in this case is AtGames' Monkey King chip. See the "MK" written on the PCB? It refers to the chip's name--though maybe it is in fact a Monkey King 2, given that it actually says "MK2." While this is the first retail application of the chip I'm aware of, it's been a few years since Monkey King was originally developed and added to AtGames' arsenal of chips (which includes Noza (SMS/GG on a chip), RedKid/RedKid 2 (Genesis on a chip), and Titan (an ARM implementation that has powered all of AtGames' Flashbacks, until now--Monkey King is apparently the next-gen Titan)). So, it's certainly possible this is a newer revision of Monkey King. The debug mode just displays "MK," though, not "MK2."

 

The ESMT chip is 8 MB of SDRAM (which I'll note is 4X the amount that was in the CV FB, INTV FB, and AFB5). I can't see what's written on the other packaged chip, which is presumably the flash memory containing the games. Can you post what's printed on it?

 

Again, thanks for the photos!

 

onmode-ky

Sadly no. The pictures I posted are the best I have. I am not interested in taking it apart again.

 

Sent from my LG-V496 using Tapatalk

Edited by TheEditor
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Ah, I fell behind in the forum starting around Thanksgiving, and it didn't help that that particular thread blew up with posts like crazy. Thank you for your bravery as well! It's interesting to note that your pre-production revision of the PCB doesn't include the AFBP's eventual product ID (AP2632) but does include "FB7" in the name. Maybe they had considered bringing the new chip to the FB7 as well, at one point.

 

I tried to identify the flash memory chip DMC D30N16008, but I didn't really get anywhere. "DMC" most likely is Digital Media Cartridge, a company that is either a division or affiliate of AtGames and to whom the creation of the Flashbacks' Titan chip is typically attributed. The "best" info I got: in a German forum where someone was trying to dump the contents of the chip several years ago, he concluded that it was similar to a better known 8-MB flash memory chip. So, maybe it's 8 MB . . . or maybe not. At any rate, it might not be what was used in the production version. I can't read the corresponding chip's ID in our production version photos.

 

onmode-ky

Not sure how this is a pre-production board as it was purchased 2 days before i opened it from Bed, Bath & Beyond. Unless i got lucky somehow and got a different internal board.

 

Sent from my LG-V496 using Tapatalk

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