19 Dec
2005
19 Dec
'05
3:58 a.m.
On 12/18/2005 at 9:40 PM William Donzelli wrote:
Pretty dumb idea, but Cray often "had to be
different". I think the
original machines could have benefitted by using a wider range of parts
(like MECL III) - certainly the chip count would have gone way down.
I recall Neil Lincoln talking about the "box of Chiclets" approach to
designing the Cyber 205--something like only 11 or 13 different IC types.
FWIW, I don't know how many types the finished product had, but a small
number of different types of packages was definitely in the air those
days...
On the opposite extreme, I can remember looking at the various databooks
and seeing something like a SN74LS302985 "13-bit LFSR with parity and
tristate complemented outputs with bottle opener" and thinking it would
just be PERFECT for what I had in mind--if only there were a second source
or three. Then, as now, it wasn't uncommon to "pre announce" a chip that
never made it into production.
Cheers,
Chuck