CMOS cookbook
John A. Zoidberg
Posts: 514
When I was undergraduate and having an internship with a company which sells and fixes surgical lasers and electric blankets, I stumbled on a book which contains all the CD4000s inside. All types, all shapes, all form. It was lying in the cabinet, left untouched for many many years, until I did housekeeping up to the orders from the supervisor.
I did not remember the name but I swear that it's Don Lancaster. And I saw a huge book with 74 series, they are pretty amazing!
Looks like people had to glue the chips all together and cracking minds before microcontrollers were invented!
I did not remember the name but I swear that it's Don Lancaster. And I saw a huge book with 74 series, they are pretty amazing!
Looks like people had to glue the chips all together and cracking minds before microcontrollers were invented!
Comments
Yes, the TTL Cookbook and the CMOS Cookbook were wonderful sources on inspiration and circuit snippets to get your creative juices flowing.
Many a good time were spent with breadboards filled with many legged "bugs" and lots of wire!
And if a circuit board had a problem, you might trace it to a "stuck on high" trace which went to 4 or 5 different chips. And the problem could be caused by any of those 4 or 5 chips! So it was typical for all these chips to be in sockets so you could remove them one at a time and see which chip was causing the trouble.
Those boards looked something like this...
http://www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/racal/ma4224/img/301067/022/full.jpg
Older "wire wrapped" boards looked like this on the back side...
http://www.bigmessowires.com/wiring/BMOW%20Photos%20017.jpg
And where I worked, there was a library of electronics books. There was a book there on the [new at the time] microprocessors. I saw that book and was fascinated by it - wanted to some day do something with one of those new fangled gizmos!
Here are a few of those 1980's CMOS cookbooks books for sale...
http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qisbn=9780672213984&qwork=1148686#search-anchor
You have the name right. He has a website here:
http://www.tinaja.com/
There is also a Wiki page that shows the books he wrote.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lancaster
I still do
Don's famous TV Typewriter now fits on a single microcontroller chip. His original had dozens of discrete ICs, including a core set of chips that cost about $50 mail order.
All the more amazing in that it's not that long ago we made complex circuits this way. Among the geezers here, it's all been within out lifetimes.
-- Gordon
Dave
I remember when real bookstores (e.g. Walden Books) carried D.L.'s books, and you could get F.M.'s books at Radio Shack. (Back when R.S. had electronics parts!)
BTW, does anyone know of a source for wire-wrap wire? I'd be ever so grateful!!
--Rich
(Whose ! key is nearly worn out!!!!)
They may not have much else, but Radio Shack does have wire wrap wire:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062640
A quick check shows that red (at least) is in stock at all of the 10 stores closest to me.
Circuit Specialists has long been a pretty good source for circuit making parts, including an extensive range of wire wrapping wire, tools, sockets, and so on.
The Shack is still cheaper for the basic tool and wire spools. I much prefer the pre-cut wire, even if it's more expensive. RS hasn't sold precut WW wire in a long time, though.
I'm amazed my 25 year old OK Industries wire wrapping tool now sells for $30-50. It's just a piece of machined aluminum. Must cost them all of $2 to produce.
-- Gordon