Obsolete ICs datasheets

[Maikudou]

Is there a better way to search for ancient data sheets than googling and hitting endless SEO-optimized sites which have no idea what this is but sure they are selling it.
There is that paper doc scanning project, forgot the name, but you know, but I have some chips I’ve desoldered from a non-functional PS/2 planar as a desoldering exercise and I am curious what they are, probably I can use something in my designs.
Struggling through internet bs or brows through unreachable archives for each of the columns just to know what kind of a device it is seems like too much work.

Maybe there are some conventions how they name it, for example all of the manufacturers sure have some feeling to number 74 for some reason.

Also how about logos? I can tell TI from Motorola from Fairchild, but I guess there are much more.

 

[jafir]

Many times there are catalogs from the manufacturer that have been archived. Bitsavers seems to have quite a few.

 

[Maikudou]

Thanks, bitsavers seems like a plausible way. Also found this, perfect https://www.siliconinvestigations.com/Logos/logos.html

 

[Chuck(G)]

Another one: https://how-to.fandom.com/wiki/How_...d_circuit_(chip)_manufacturers_by_their_logos
The ones you're shown are SMT, so probably not so obsolete. Some of the PLCCs appear to be custom ROMs, so hard to put much or any value on them. The green items appear to be resistor networks, not ICs.

The more interesting challenge is when devices are labeled with "house numbers". Often, there's not any simple way to reference them to standard part numbers. Automotive electronics are full of that sort of thing.

Bottom line: Experience is your best guide--and datasheets may not be available in any case.

 

[Maikudou]

Found out figuring out logo is the main step, after that there are a lot of scanned catalogs and sometimes datasheets on the archive.org
Yep, there are a lot of IBM ones there with nothing but "90x_haha_good_luck_tell_a_crt_apart_from_a_logic_gate_by_numbers_alone" markings.

 

[Maikudou]

Green one does look like a resistor array inside:

 

[Maikudou]

btw, as it is a PS/2 some of the chips have to be VGA-related, and because of that some have to be some memory for it.
Might be interesting to tinker with?

 

[Chuck(G)]

Perhaps, but you'll have to find datasheets for them to even begin your tinkering.

 

[Bentendo64]

I've been going here: https://www.datasheetcatalog.com/ for quite a while. They don't have everything, but it is definitely a good starting point and they don't have ads/pop-ups.

 

[bakemono]

most of what I can see in the photo would be covered in The TTL Data Book http://www.bitsavers.org/components...he_TTL_Data_Book_For_Design_Engineers_2ed.pdf

 

[Chuck(G)]

I think that Wikipedia has a good exposition on various types of 7400 series logic. Generally, everything (1 or 2 letters) before the "74" is manufacturer-specific. After the 74, there may be one or two letters that indicates the technology used, and then there are 2-4 digits that indicate the specific function.

List of 7400-series integrated circuits - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Maikudou]

That’s perfect, I wonder why didn’t I think about search the Wikipedia