| Digital Integrated Circuits |
This section encompasses digital integrated semiconductors of all types, including microprocessors, memory and other digital circuits.
The earliest solid state computers employed discrete germanium diodes and transistors. Improvements in materials and fabrication lead to an industry switchover to silicon devices, which were then progressively reduced in size and increased in integration. The earliest integrated circuits were hybrid devices, which utilized multiple discrete diode and transistor dies interconnected with fine gold wire and encapsulated in a single metal canister.
The 1960s saw the introduction of the monolithic integrated circuit, in which multiple transistors and diodes are etched upon a single die. Monolithic integration improved through the 1960s, mostly through the efforts Fairchild Semiconductor and Texas Instruments. This continued until the early 1970s when various manufacturers began offering single-chip arithmetic-logic units, giving birth to the microprocessor. Intel's consumer-accessible 4004 is often credited as the first true microprocessor, but other devices of similar integration were already being used by the US military at the time of the 4004's introduction.
RAM, along with the microprocessor, introduced the fourth generation of computers, an era we are still living in today. The two main classes of RAM are static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM), the primary memory of virtually all computers built since the mid-1970s. Static RAM uses transistors to store the bits, while dynamic RAM uses capacitors, resulting in a cheaper RAM that requires periodic refreshing to retain its contents. Static RAM requires no such refreshing, and will retain its contents as long as power is supplied.
Another important type of semiconductor memory is the PROM, programmable read-only memory. Unlike RAM, PROMs are non-volatile and will retain their contents either forever or until a specific erase procedure is executed, depending on the type of PROM.
PROMs come in various single-write and erasable/rewritable types, the most common (or perhaps just the most readily identified) being the UV-erasable/electrically rewritable UV-EPROM. UV-EPROMs (UV-EPROM-equipped controllers) are easy to identify by their square, round or rectangular erase window. PROMs have been largely replaced by modern flash memory.
| AMD 7-6967 |
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Unidentified, early AMD chip with gold and white ceramic sandwich carrier, gold leads, possibly a ROM.
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| AMD AM29xx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
AMD AM2901BPC bit-slice ALU (40-pin plastic DIP)
AMD AM2903DC bit-slice ALU (48-pin cerDIP; pictured in thumbnail)
AMD AM2960DC 16-bit error detection and correction unit (48-pin cerDIP)
AM2900 is a family of 4-bit bipolar logic devices which function together as a bit-slice processor. The AM2901 and AM2903 arithmetic-logic units are the core of the series, with other tasks being handled by about 50 different AM29XX devices. The AM2900 family was used in the design of various DEC and Data General minicomputers, and is widely regarded as the most successful bit-slice architecture.
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| Cypress CY7C341-35RC |
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UV-erasable switch matrix PLD with 12 arrays, 192 logic cells; 84-pin ceramic PGA.
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| Fairchild F8 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Mostek MK3850N-3 ALU (40-pin plastic DIP)
Mostek MK3853P SRAM interface (40-pin cerDIP)
Mostek MK3870/20 microcontroller (40-pin plastic DIP)
Mostek MK38P70/02J microcontroller (40-pin piggyback cerDIP; pictured in thumbnail)
Mostek MK38P70/02H microcontroller (40-pin piggyback cerDIP)
Fairchild 3871EPC PIA (40-pin plastic DIP)
The Fairchild F8 (3850 series) is a somewhat odd 8-bit microcontroller. The parent device is the 3850 8-bit ALU with 64 bytes of scratchpad RAM and two I/O ports. Instruction decoding is decentralized: instead of the 3850 decoding its own instructions, the program storage unit, PIO and memory interface chips handle the decoding.
The MK3870 is an advanced single-chip implementation of the F8 architecture. Fairchild and Mostek were simultaneously developing single-chip solutions for the F8, but Mostek's 3870 microcontroller was brought to market first, and was superior to Fairchild's less ambitious '3859' design. Fairchild subsequently canceled their own project and assumed second-source production of the 3870 instead.
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| Ferranti Interdesign DTC228B |
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Unidentified chip from a rare and historically significant manufacturer.
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| Fujitsu MB61H303A |
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Unidentified PGA microprocessor manufactured by Fujitsu.
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| Hewlett-Packard 18xx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
HP 1818-2056A (28-pin grey trace cerDIP)
HP 1818-2251A (28-pin cerDIP)
HP D1818-2800 (28-pin perforated grey trace LCC)
HP B1818-2808 (28-pin perforated grey trace LCC)
HP C1818-2813 (28-pin perforated grey trace LCC)
HP A1818-2817 (28-pin perforated grey trace LCC)
HP C1818-2833 (28-pin perforated grey trace LCC; pictured in thumbnail)
HP is notorious for anonymous ICs. A HP part number tells you nothing, except that it is a part used by HP in one of their systems. Some HP parts are proprietary in-house devices, while others are simply re-branded off-the-shelf chips from another vendor such as Intel or Mostek. Most HP IC part numbers are either poorly documented or completely unknown. As a result, the HP 18xx series is only a false grouping that serves as a catch-all for the many anonymous 1818- and 1820-prefixed ICs HP has used in its equipment.
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| Hewlett-Packard 5061-30xx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
HP A5061-3010 hybrid microprocessor (82-pin ceramic LCC)
HP D5061-3011 No-EMC variant hybrid microprocessor (82-pin ceramic LCC; pictured in thumbnail)
HP D5062-3001 AEC variant hybrid microprocessor (107-pin ceramic LCC)
HP C5061-3012 TACO tape drive controller (56-pin ceramic LCC)
The 5061-3010 is an extremely advanced 16-bit, 10 MHz hybrid microprocessor, developed as the heart of the HP 9825 desktop computer/controller. Though it originated at HP's calculator division in Loveland, Colorado, the -3010 is no mere calculator chip. When HP sets out to design a microprocessor, they come back with a 100 kg minicomputer, squeezed into a volume about the size of a pack of cigarettes, heatsink included.
The core of the -3010 consists of three NMOS chips: the binary processor chip (BPC), extended math chip (EMC) and the input/output controller (IOC). The BPC is basically a single-chip version of a HP minicomputer, utilizing the core 211X set of 59 instructions. The EMC handles another 15 instructions, dealing mostly with BCD math, and the IOC performs 12 I/O instructions. Each NMOS die is approximately 4.7mm on a side, the total surface area about 66mm^2. HP's NMOS II fabrication process, specifically developed for the manufacture the -3010, could not support larger dies without annihilating chip yields. [View Detail] |
| Hewlett-Packard 1AAx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
HP 1AA1-6003 (48-pin ceramic gold trace LCC)
HP 1AA6-6004 (48-pin ceramic grey trace LCC; pictured in thumbnail)
The anonymity of HP's IC part numbers continues with the 1AAx series. These chips all appear very similar, with a square all-ceramic leadless carrier similar to HP's venerable 5061-3012 NMOS tape drive controller. They appear to date from the mid-1980s, and given the pin count are probably some sort of processor.
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| Inmos IMS1421S50 |
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General purpose static RAM, 4kw x 4 bits, 50ns access time.
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| Inova S128K8-85CC |
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General purpose static RAM with TTL-compatible I/O, 128kw x 8 bits, 85ns access time; gold pins, ceramic package.
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| Intel 1xxx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Intel C1101A static RAM (14-pin grey trace cerDIP)
Fairchild 1103A-1 dynamic RAM (14-pin cerDIP)
The Intel 1xxx series is comprised of the earliest commercially viable MOS RAM devices. 1xxx series devices are mostly PMOS-based static and dynamic RAM circuits.
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| Intel 25xx & 27xx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Intel D27C210-150V10 UV-EPROM (40-pin ceramic sandwich DIP)
Intel D27C256-200V10 UV-EPROM (16-pin ceramic sandwich DIP)
Intel C2716 UV-EPROM (24-pin cerDIP; pictured in thumbnail)
Mostek MK2716T UV-EPROM (24-pin cerDIP)
Texas Instruments TMS2716JL UV-EPROM (24-pin cerDIP)
Texas Instruments TMS2516JDL UV-EPROM (24-pin cerDIP)
Texas Instruments TMS27L08JL-45 UV-EPROM (24-pin cerDIP)
[View Detail] |
| Intel MCS-4 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Intel P4002-1 40-byte RAM (16-pin plastic DIP)
Intel D4004 microprocessor (16-pin ceramic sandwich DIP; pictured in thumbnail)
Intel P4008 8-bit address latch (24-pin plastic DIP)
The Intel 4004 is generally considered the world's first microprocessor. The 4004 was designed by Federico Faggin, an employee of Intel who was predominantly responsible for the design of the Intel 4040, 8008 and 8080, and later went on to found Zilog and develop the incredibly successful Z80 microprocessor. Originally intended as a proprietary calculator chip, the 4004 went on to great commercial success. The 4004 now lives on as a collector's item, fetching truly obscene prices on eBay for certain carrier variations.
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| Intel MCS-48 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Intel C8035-8 C-1 (40-pin cerDIP; pictured in thumbnail)
Intel P8039 (40-pin plastic DIP)
Siemens SAB8039P (40-pin plastic DIP)
Intel P8041A (40-pin plastic DIP)
Intel C8741A (40-pin windowed cerDIP)
Intel MD8741A/B (40-pin windowed ceramic sandwich DIP)
[View Detail] |
| Intel MCS-51 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Intel P8031AH (40-pin plastic DIP)
Intel P80C32 (40-pin plastic DIP)
Signetics SC87C51CCF40 (40-pin windowed ceramic sandwich DIP; pictured in thumbnail)
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| Intel MCS-80 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Intel D8080A microprocessor (40-pin ceramic sandwich DIP)
Intel D8238 system controller (28-pin ceramic sandwich DIP)
Intel C8316A ROM (24-pin cerDIP; pictured in thumbnail)
[View Detail] |
| Intel MCS-85 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Intel D8085A microprocessor (40-pin ceramic sandwich DIP)
Intel D8202A DRAM controller (40-pin ceramic sandwich DIP)
Intel D8755A UV-EPROM (40-pin windowed ceramic sandwich DIP)
Toshiba TMP8755AC UV-EPROM (40-pin windowed cerDIP; pictured in thumbnail)
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| Intel MCS-86 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Intel D8086 microprocessor (40-pin ceramic sandwich DIP; pictured in thumbnail)
Intel D8088-2 microprocessor (40-pin ceramic sandwich DIP)
Intel C8206 polynomial error detection circuit (82-pin ceramic LCC)
Intel C8207-2 (82-pin LCC)
The Intel 8086 is the first widely adopted 16-bit microprocessor. The 8086 retains assembly-level compatibilty with the 8085, but supports full 16-bit processing. The 8088, an 8086 variant with a half-width data bus, gained widespread fame as the microprocessor in the original IBM PC, and set humanity towards dreadful monolithic adoption of the x86 architecture.
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| Mostek R1200 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Mostek MK5013P calculator LSI (40-pin perforated cerDIP)
Mostek MK5014P calculator LSI (40-pin cerDIP)
Mostek MK5015P calculator LSI (40-pin perforated cerDIP; pictured in thumbnail)
The R1200 family is a four-function calculator chipset from the early 1970s. Little is known about the R1200; it is most commonly seen in a two-chip configuration (MK5013P, MK5014P), but the full chipset includes the extremely rare MK5015P, possibly a printer controller. R1200 chips are also usually found in a soldered condition, but these particular examples were socketed.
Note that the MK5014P in this set uses a different, unusual manufacturing process for the ceramic slab, though all three chips came from the same calculator.
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| Mostek MK4332D-3 |
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The Mostek MK4332D-3 consists of a pair of MK4116E 16kB DRAMs in 18-pin leadless carriers, mounted to an 18-pin ceramic breakout DIP to produce a single 32kB 'RAM-PAK' device. Such hybrid devices were designed to ease adoption of the new leadless carrier technology, by providing a LCC footprint with conventional through-hole pins.
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| Mostek MK5116P |
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a-255 Law Companding CODEC circuit. This particular chip (as well as most other examples in holding) have been mercilessly attacked with a Sharpie.
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| Mostek MK14802P-71 |
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Static RAM, 2kw x 8 bits 120ns access time; purple ceramic and gold pins.
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| Motorola MC68450L10 |
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DMA controller for the 68000 microprocessor.
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| NEC D3301D-2 |
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Programmable video output graphics controller; white ceramic and (formerly) gold leads.
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| NEC D78213GQ |
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8-bit microcontroller with A/D converter and timer-counter; plastic QIP.
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| RCA CD4000 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
RCA CD4012AK (14-pin planar DIP)
RCA CD4019AK (14-pin planar DIP; pictured in thumbnail)
The RCA CD4000 series is generally considered to be the first complete family of CMOS logic circuits, and includes functional equivalents of many TTL devices. Despite the much lower power requirements of CMOS, SSI TTL vastly outperforms SSI CMOS in terms of speed, and the CD4000 series did not offer large-scale integration, the primary advantage of a matured MOS technology.
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| Rockwell 105xx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Rockwell 10567PD calculator LSI (42-pin ceramic QIP)
Rockwell 10584PB calculator LSI (42-pin ceramic QIP)
Rockwell developed the world's first LSI calculator chipset, which was followed by many poorly documented descendants and variations. The 105xx series is only known from these two chips, which are found in only couple different models of Victor four-function calculator.
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| SCM Marchant M-1 LSI Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
TI TMC1771SC calculator LSI (40-pin ceramic LCC; pictured in thumbnail)
TI TMC1772SC calculator LSI (40-pin ceramic LCC)
TI TMC1773SC calculator LSI (40-pin ceramic LCC)
AMI 479A calculator LSI (40-pin ceramic LCC)
AMI 480B calculator LSI (40-pin ceramic LCC)
The SCM Marchant M-1 LSI calculator chipset consists of three Texas Instruments TMC177x series ICs and two AMI ICs, all in identical custom leadless carriers. The TMC177x series slightly predates the historically important TMS0100 series calculator chips, and is probably similar in design to the handful of other TMC17xx LSI chipsets which were released in 1971. The function of the AMI ICs is unknown.
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| Standard Microsystems CRT-7004-001 |
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7x11 ASCII character generator; 128 characters, 77 bits per character, segment and dot matrix modes, 400ns access time.
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| Texas Instruments SN514 |
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TI's SN51x series of RCTL logic chips, released in 1961, is widely recognized to be the world's first commercially available line of integrated circuits. 'SN' stands for 'Semiconductor Network', TI's nod towards the then-radical idea of combining multiple solid state devices into a single package. The SN51x series chips were manufactured from multiple transistor and diode dies, which were hand-wired together with thread-like interconnect leads inside the package. Constructing chips in this manner was both labor-intensive and expensive: early SN51x series chips sold for over $400 when first released.
These early ICs were primarily targeted towards the military and aerospace industry, and the SN514 (along with the SN510) were the first integrated circuits to orbit the earth. The earliest SN51x series chips were packaged in gold plated flat-packs. This example, a SN514 NOR/NAND gate made in November 1962, abandons the military gold package in favor of a more primitive looking 'block of carbon'-style enclosure.
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| Texas Instruments TMS0100 & TMS0900 Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
TI TMS0105BNC calculator (28-pin plastic DIP)
TI TMS0106NC calculator (28-pin plastic DIP)
TI TMS0119NC calculator (28-pin plastic DIP; pictured in thumbnail)
TI TMS0120NC calculator (28-pin plastic DIP)
TI TMS0127NC calculator (28-pin plastic DIP)
TI TMS0952NL calculator (28-pin plastic DIP)
TI TMS0972NL calculator (28-pin plastic DIP)
Texas Instruments produced a wide range of single-chip calculator ICs for use in both their own calculators and those of other manufacturers. The earliest so-called single-chip calculator ICs such as the TMS0105 and TMS0119 required external digit and segment drivers, but by 1976 TI had developed a truly single-chip calculator, the TMS0972, which requires nothing but a display and a battery.
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| Texas Instruments TMS7742JDL |
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8-bit development microcontroller with onboard 4kw x 8 bits UV-EPROM.
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| TRW 1003J2C |
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The 1003J2C is a radiation-hardened 12 x 12 bit multiplier and accumulator; 64-pin ceramic DIP with large black aluminum heatsink on top and gold cavity lid on the bottom. Gold leads.
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| Western Digital TR1863A-00 |
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UART peripheral interface, 250ns access time.
[View Detail] |
| Western Electric GF401xx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Western Electric GF40139 (custom metal-can carrier)
Western Electric GF40142 (custom metal-can carrier)
Western Electric GF40143 (custom metal-can carrier; pictured in thumbnail)
Western Electric GF40145 (custom metal-can carrier)
The GF401xx series of hybrid integrated circuits were used in the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) defense computer during the 1960s. These are extremely rare chips, each composed of multiple discrete transistor and diode dies mounted on a white ceramic substrate and encased in a gold-plated metal can with gold pins.
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| Western Electric 112946xx Series |
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Devices included in this entry:
Motorola 11294644 (custom ceramic carrier)
Western Electric 11294644 (custom ceramic carrier)
Western Electric 11294629 (custom ceramic carrier, developers kit)
Motorola 11294651 (custom ceramic carrier; pictured in thumbnail)
These ICs are believed to be single-die replacements for the earlier GF401xx hybrid logic shown above.
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| Westren Electric Integrated Circuits |
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Devices included in this entry:
Westren Electric 1C parallel to serial interface (16-pin ceramic flat pack; pictured in thumbnail)
Westren Electric 618 APB (16-pin ceramic DIP)
Western Electric manufactured a wide range of obscure and undocumented integrated circuits, many of which featured nondescript packages and a total lack of package-marked part numbers. Like HP, Western Electric IC packages give you nothing, except the vague statement that the device was made by Western Electric. The packages of many Western Electric integrated circuits are so anonymous in appearance that they are frequently misidentified as resistor networks by electronics resellers.
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| Zilog Z8603RS |
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The Z8603RS is an 8-bit microcontroller with a 24-pin piggyback ROM socket. Unlike the MK38P70, which has a metal socket inserted directly into the carrier, the Z8603RS has what appears to be a conventional plastic board-mount socket grafted to the top. Note the unusual offset cavity. Ceramic carrier, gold lid.
[View Detail] |
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