[sdiy] Dated but still funny

[Michael Bacich]

On Apr 1, 2006, at 11:53 AM, dustin sedlacek wrote:

> http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2005/04/next-up-from-behringer-real- 
> analog.html


One of the best ever electronics-related April Fool's jokes was  
perpetrated by a clever engineer at Signetics, the famous "Random- 
Access WOM", or Write Only Memory.  As a joke, the engineer wrote up  
a phony spec and data sheet for the WOM chip and submitted it for the  
approval process at Signetics.  It was promptly passed without  
question and actually made it into their next product catalog.  This  
only came to the attention of higher-ups at Signetics after customers  
began requesting pricing and delivery info on the part.

http://www.national.com/rap/Story/WOMorigin.html  (Bob Pease's  
descrption)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Write_Only_Memory  (Wikipedia article)

Besides the very idea of Write Only Memory being patently ridiculous,  
the tongue-in-cheek data sheet included diagrams of "bit capacity vs.  
Temp." and "Number of pins remaining vs. number of socket  
insertions", and "AQL vs. selling price". The mythical chip required  
a 6.3 VAC Vff (vacuum tube filament) supply, a +10V Vcc (double the  
Vcc of standard TTL logic of the day), and Vdd of 0V, ±2% (allowing  
your 0V ground to be off by as much as plus or minus 2%.  Umm, lemme  
see... what's 2% of zero?).

The data sheet also claims that "The static memory cells are operated  
dynamically to yield extremely low power dissipation, and proudly  
crows that "all inputs and outputs are directly TTL compatible when  
proper interfacing circuitry is employed".

You may download the original Signetics 25120 Random-Access WOM data  
Sheet here.  Read it and weep.


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