Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Joker Behind the Signetics 25120 Write-Only Memory Chip Hoax

Posted by Soulskill on from the things-the-USPTO-would-totally-issue-a-patent-for dept.

New submitter st1lett0 writes: Now and in years past, electronic engineers and hobbyists alike have enjoyed the classic 1972 April Fool's joke by Signetics of the Signetics 25120 Write-Only Memory chip. Now it seems that the previously anonymous practical joker has identified himself and stepped forward with new information to correct and complete the story.

9 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Joke? They're real! by 91degrees · · Score: 5, Funny

    These days used for cheap knock-off memory sticks.

    1. Re:Joke? They're real! by smittyoneeach · · Score: 3, Funny

      Whereas modern legislation is of the Write Once, Read & Think Heaven's Leaving Everyone Short Shrifted (WORTHLESS) variety.

      --
      Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
    2. Re:Joke? They're real! by BarefootClown · · Score: 4, Insightful

      From the perspective of the CPU, a printer is write-only memory.

      --

      "Make it ten--I am only a poor corrupt official."
      --Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains), Casablanca

  2. Re:EIMAC Spoof Data Sheet by Ellis+D.+Tripp · · Score: 5, Informative

    There were actually TWO spoof Eimac datasheets that circulated. The one the author referred to (with the melted tube) was for a type called a "Wemac 1Z2Z", and doesn't appear to be online anywhere. The other sheet describes a "Umac 606 Phantasatron", and is available here:

    http://www.tubecollectors.org/...

    --
    Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
  3. 1N000 by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 4, Funny
    I used to have a whole box of 1N000 smoke-emitting-diodes.

    They are easily recognised by the colour code "three black bands on a black background".

    They are normally used to supply the "magic smoke" required by electronic systems to operate at full power, but I believe there are other uses.

    I had a data sheet for a Motorola WOM as well - I believe from about the same date.

    --
    Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
  4. more useful than Intel's EEPROMs by dltaylor · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There was a time when some of Intel's EEPROMs (1702As, IIRC, but, maybe, 2048s) were write/read-maybe. Seems some materials guy got a really good deal on some clay to make the ceramic carrier. Only problem was that the clay was radioactive enough for the emissions to change the stored data. Back in those days (1702s were only 256 BYTES), the storage cells weren't all that robust, so enough decay particles hitting the cells could flip them.

    Think THAT didn't take a while to track down?

  5. Second story on that site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There is a second story on that site. He wrote the spec and they ignored him on wikipedia. He can even produce the original draft copies. They told him to pound sand and 'just go make a blog about it'.

    That is sad.

  6. Write-only languages by quenda · · Score: 4, Funny

    Unlike WOM, write-only languages are all too real.
    I can't even read my own PERL scripts if they are more than a week old.

  7. That's not a joke! by putaro · · Score: 5, Funny

    How do you think /dev/null is implemented?