Re: Signetics 25120 WOM

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 22:10:29 +0000, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

Back in the 1970s, Signetics put out a joke data sheet for a “Write-Only
Memory” chip. Basically any data you sent to it would be simply thrown
away, and attempts to read from the chip would never return anything.
They
were surprised to get a few serious queries from prospective customers
wanting to make use of this component.
>
Bitsavers has just included a multi-page ad that the company put in an
issue of “Electronic Design” from 1973, for a competition where entrants
would submit a description of the most creative use for a WOM they could
think of, with the winner being featured in upcoming ads. The ad even
included the data sheet.
>
Even entrants that did not win (a limited number, obviously) would
receive
a “WOM Kit” containing a set of Groucho Marx fake glasses, a bumper
sticker, a button and a fortune cookie. But no mention of an actual
25120
WOM chip ...

The best part was the complement chip-destruct pin.
I remember reading this in school n an engineering magazine.