Removing eproms from the 8116 board

[norwegian7s]

I have several Universals. These 8116 boards  are probably from around the 90s.  What are the chances that a game or reel eprom just stop working? I ask this question because I wonder if i should save data from these eproms on a computer for backup if needed.

However, these eproms have probably not been removed for 20-30 years. They seem stuck when I try to remove them.  The angle for getting a good grip is terrible due to components  nearby. I have tried with both a screw driver and a chip extractor.  My fear is that i ruin something on the board if i use force. The sound eproms however are much easier to remove. They angle is much better and very few components are nearby.

Have some of you ever experienced that either the reel or game eprome on a Universal suddenly stopped working?   

[Pitts256]

EPROMs can store data for a long time, for over 20 years. Depending on the environment and use they start to develop Bit Rot which will eventually corrupt stored data. So pulling the chip and backing up the data is advised.

For those stubborn Eproms I've found it easier to remove the CPU board from the metal tray, use a small flat bladed screw driver to work one end up far enough to permit using a larger wider flat bladed screw driver and work the Eprom out of the socket as evenly as possible from end to end. Yes, avoid making contact with the CPU board surface to reduce the risk of trace damage.

I have experienced Eprom failures but primarily from overvoltage spikes as a result of battery acid damaged traces. 

[norwegian7s]

Pitts256: Thx you so much for your reply on this topic :-)
I've have away from this forum for some months.

[Pitts256]

Your Welcome!