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How the bootstrap load made the historic Intel 8008 processor possible
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} Near the end of 1972, Intel introduced their first 8-bit microprocessor, the 8008. Decades later, this processor still...
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Inside the stacked RAM modules used in the Apple III
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} In 1978, a memory chip stored just 16 kilobits of data. To make a 32-kilobit memory chip, Mostek came up with the idea...
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Reverse-engineering the carry-lookahead circuit in the Intel 8008 processor
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} The 8008 was Intel's first 8-bit microprocessor, introduced in 1972. While primitive by today's standards, the 8008 is...
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Reverse-engineering the classic MK4116 16-kilobit DRAM chip
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} Back in the late 1970s, the most popular memory chip was Mostek's MK4116, holding a whopping (for the time) 16...
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Reverse engineering RAM storage in early Texas Instruments calculator chips
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} Texas Instruments introduced the first commercial single-chip computer in 1974, combining the CPU, RAM, ROM, and I/O...
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Reverse-engineering the clock chip in the first MOS calculator
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} In 1969, Sharp introduced the first calculator built from high-density MOS chips, the QT-8D, followed by the handheld...
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Reverse-engineering an early calculator chip with four-phase logic
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} In 1969, high-density MOS integrated circuits were still new and logic circuits were constructed in a variety of ways....
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Reverse-engineering a low-power LED flasher chip
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} How do you make an LED blink? A vintage way is the LM3909, a chip from 1975 that can flash an LED for a year from a...
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Examining a technology sample kit: IBM components from 1948 to 1986
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} I recently received a vintage display box used by IBM to illustrate the progress of computer technology. This display...
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IBM paperweight teardown: Reverse-engineering 1970s memory chips
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} I recently received a vintage IBM paperweight from the early 1970s that showcases some memory chips.1 When IBM started...
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A one-bit processor explained: reverse-engineering the vintage MC14500B
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} The Motorola MC14500B1 is a 1-bit processor introduced in 1976. While a 1-bit processor might seem almost useless,2 it...
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Teardown of a quartz crystal oscillator and the tiny IC inside
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} The quartz oscillator is an important electronic circuit, providing highly-accurate timing signals at a low cost. A...
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Booting the IBM 1401: How a 1959 punch-card computer loads a program
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} span.wm {text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none;} pre.noborder {border: none; background-color:...
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Strange chip: Teardown of a vintage IBM token ring controller
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} IBM used some unusual techniques in its integrated circuits, and one of the most visible is packaging them in square...
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Germanium transistors: logic circuits in the IBM 1401 computer
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} How did computers implement logic gates in the 1950s? Computers were moving into the transistor age, but transistors...
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Reverse-engineering the standard-cell logic inside a vintage IBM chip
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} Integrated circuits are often built from standard-cell logic, constructed from standardized building blocks such as...
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Two dies in one package: Teardown of a vintage ROM with double the storage
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} span.wm {text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none}; In 1971, semiconductor memory was still a new...
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Teardown of a logic chip from a vintage IBM ES/9000 mainframe
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} span.wm {text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none}; IBM and its large mainframe computers ruled the...
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Reverse-engineering a vintage comparator chip
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} span.wm {text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none}; I recently saw an interesting die photo of an...
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Reverse-engineering a vintage OR/NOR chip
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} a:link img.hilite, a:visited img.hilite { color: #fff;} span.wm {text-decoration: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none}; Recently, I received a die photo of a mystery...
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