Where to buy a Z80 CPU??

Hey there! Just wondering if anyone knows where I could buy (online) a Z80 processor compatible with SEGA System 16 games? Is it a Z80 or Z80A on these PCB's? My Altered Beast is still opperational but I'm sure its only a matter of time before it suicides. Just want to have my bases covered!!

Cheers guys!

You might try Mouser electronics, maybe Digikey.

You need Z80 or Z80a...the 4MHz version.

Reznor007 said:

You might try Mouser electronics, maybe Digikey.

You need Z80 or Z80a...the 4MHz version.

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I took a look at those vendors and man have they got some stock! I couldn't find the exact model I'd be after and I'm not sure about minimum quantities etc, but thanks for the tip. Anyway I thought of something else, I cracked open one of a handful of spare SEGA Master System II's I have to take a look at the CPU, and its a 4MHz Z80 DIP part. I'm gonna see if I can de-solder it and test it in my ‘Golden Axe’ board which doesn't have a Suicide CPU. Not sure if anyone would be interested in the outcome, but I'll post the result at some point soonish. Sure would make a real cheap and easy option to replace those nasty suicide Z80 CPU's in the future.

I can't remember, but if the program code is encrypted a normal Z80 may not work with the still encrypted code. The suicide Z80's have the decryption built in, and when the battery dies that is the suicide, as the decryption quits working. You might ask one of the MAME guys about it...

Reznor007 said:

I can't remember, but if the program code is encrypted a normal Z80 may not work with the still encrypted code. The suicide Z80's have the decryption built in, and when the battery dies that is the suicide, as the decryption quits working. You might ask one of the MAME guys about it...

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Yeah I believe you're right on the money with that conclusion Rez so I'll only bother testing the SMS's Z80 in my Suicide CPU-less copy of Golden Axe. It has a regular Z80 that I'll just change out for the trial.

No reason to ruin a console when you can get 1 Z80A for 3 bucks from these people:

http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?action=link&sku=Z80ACPU

Also, I see no reason for swapping a normal Z80 with another: on system 16 boards the suicide CPU sometimes is the Z80 (Shinobi, Altered Beast, etc.) and sometimes the 68000 (Golden Axe, etc.) and in any case you need a few different roms to run the game after the CPU swap. See the dead battery society for more info.

Ooops too late!! Hehe well I've got like 4 others piled in a box collecting dust at the moment so no big deal. I dunno about in the States, but in Australia Master System II's are a dime a dozen as they're as common as anything. I get given the damn things!

The coolest thing though is that I tested the Z80 and it works fine on my Non-Suicide 'Golden Axe'!! So at least I've got a spare Z80 for when my Altered Beast goes west.

Cheers for the URL MKL, I'll quite possibly use Mike's services in the future! Great prices on EPROMs!!