A CT scanner reveals surprises inside the 386 processor's ceramic package
6 comments
·August 9, 2025kens
Author here for all your CT scanning questions :-)
loa_in_
Is the CPU destroyed by the process or did you reassemble this particular specimen?
kens
I took the metal lid off the chip to improve the scan quality. If I had left the chip intact, it would probably be fine. (I assume the X-ray levels are low enough to avoid damage, but I haven't confirmed that.)
OptionOfT
What is your CPU's yearly deductible?
Mountain_Skies
> From the circuitry on the die, this pin appears to be an output. If someone with a 386 chip hooks this pin to an oscilloscope, maybe they will see something interesting.
Would be a fun surprise if the 386 had its own Halt and Catch Fire mode.
Where's A0 and A1?