On Tue, Jun 9, 2020 at 4:53 PM Boris Gimbarzevsky via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
so probably read the Cyclops article, decided that $25
was way
too much for one chip and never bothered.
In 1975 the B2102 or C2102 in the lidded ceramic package was more expensive
than the D2102 (CERDIP, frit seal, no die cavity lid), and far more
expensive than the P2102 (plastic). The B2102 or C2102 in low volume sold
for over $10 at the time, so $25 for one that had been manually de-lidded
then fit with a transparent lid doesn't seem like it was too unreasonable.
If you wanted to save a few bucks you could have bought a normal C2102 and
replaced the lid yourself.
Of course, the article didn't say that it was a 2102, but that was evident
from the pinout. The A/B/J/K jumpering was needed
because the topology of
the 2102 and 2102A were different, which didn't matter
in normal RAM
applications.