Special IC Package of EEPROM? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 06:05:54 pm
content: Hello,I need to replace a EEPROM (L08), but I can't find the right package typ, it's surface mountIt's 8 pin, measure from pin to pin: 4.3mmThe pin to pin and pin size fits the SOIC-8, only the Lead-to-lead width is to small for a SOIC packageTotal carrier length is: 5.4mmIC body width: 5.15(Seehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Outline_Integrated_Circuitfor legend of the measured data)What is this for a special type package?

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 07:45:28 pm
content: Well,I can help with pictures. The chip above is a 24LC08B-I/SN (soic8 chip), placed to compare.

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 08:33:55 pm
content: The mainboard is form 2011. Old days, mhhh?Where can I get a 24L08 with this wide footprint?

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 09:18:46 pm
content: Ok,to the problem: I have a thinkpad x220i, which doesn't boot. This thinkpad had problems with the eeprom. I think it is the eeprom. The laptop is from 2011, never used. after using it a few hours, it won't start.So now I have the problem, which eeprom is it? how can I determine which eeprom it is ( think there are two, one for the security stuff and one for the bios!?)? No markings on the chip surface...The chips stopped working, so how could I find the right one? I have some eeprom programmer ordered, a oscilloscope and a logic analyser....How should I start?

author: ovnr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 09:26:27 pm
content: Uh. Your issue is not going to be the EEPROM chip itself. And that form factor is usually used for flash chips.In any event,Digikey has it.Blueskull: You will find that most large SPI flash chips are 200/208-mil chips simply because people want ever-increasing amounts of space, and that means there's still a market for keeping it around vs the 150-mil standard size. Plus I doubt there are 8-pin SPI flash chips with multiple dies, like you find in larger form factors.

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 09:30:31 pm
content: What is my problem? Me :-( ?

author: ovnr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 10:36:19 pm
content: The contents of the EEPROM may be invalid. The chip itself is extremely likely to still be fine. Have you tried clearing the CMOS?

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 07:22:23 am
content: Hi,I disconnected the bios battery, didn't change anything. Disconnected everything not essential, did not work.Did make the bios reset procidure, didn't work as well.I'm not sure, what SP1 is, I tought it was one(of the two)/ the eeprom. When I googled the thinkpad, there came up two locations of the eeprom.Someone in the lenovo forum wrote:"But, as your laptop can't boot, there might be a problem in the initial BIOS image part - loader. So, there is a chance SPI1 chip or image in it is broken."One thing, before the laptop didn't start,there was a bios update done. But it didn't break the laptop, afterwards it worked!What is the SP1 chip? Flash or eeprom?Can I read this chip out with a eeprom reader?What I wanted to do first, check all eeproms I think which are one and read them out. If they failed, I would know then...

author: cpt.charlie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 10:36:51 pm
content: Is your laptop a lenovo B560 by any chance? if that's the case, likely you only need to reflash the EC eeprom,mine had this fault and seems to be very common with this model.

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2016, 12:58:59 pm
content: No, it's a thinkpad x220i.Where did you get the bin file to write to the chip?

author: cpt.charlie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2016, 02:23:06 pm
content: Search for terms like "x220i EC DUMP" or "x220i EC FIRMWARE" or using the model of your board instead 220i, most likely you will find Russian forums.https://thinkpad-forum.de/threads/162517-Benötige-EC-Dump-von-X220-mit-i5Remember to make a backup of the current firmware just in case.

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2016, 07:16:23 pm
content: Hi,thank you. Is it possible to make this file with the same running laptop, without disassembling?Now I looked at the mainboard and cleaned it with alcohol:The chip I first mentioned is a MXIC MX 25L6406E M21-I2GThen there is another chip: L08-1 TOBoth chips are at the location, where other people said the eeprom is. Now which eeprom is it?

author: cpt.charlie
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2016, 09:41:35 pm
content: You need the schematic to check which one is the EC eeprom, but normally the EC eeprom is a lower capacity chip (256-512Kb) and often it's located near the EC while the Bios chip tends to be located near the southbrigde or PCH in new intel platforms and the capacity it's about 8Mb on UEFI systems.In theory it could be read/written without disassembling the laptop as it's an SPI memory, but i doubt you will find any software released to the end user that allows you to do this, use a programmer like the TL866 or similar, sometimes manufacturers include the EC firmware with the bios update (even if it won't be updated), have a look at lenovo.

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2016, 11:12:46 pm
content: Mhh, what is what? L08 is? what is the 25L64?EC stands for Embedded Controller?https://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-TUTORIAL-Lenovo-X230-Tablet-BIOS-Whitelist-Removal-Hardware-FlashThe chip shown is the same, the above one is missing on my board.