>Maybe I should specify my question ... I need to
know
 >at what date these chips where at first available -
 >not just the era. A good single IC to use could be the
 >74181 ALU. 
  Around 71.  Then the H, S, LS, ALS and F parts. 
  >> I have a 74 TTL design guide at home, so
I'll check it too.
 >The oldest datasheet I could find says Dec 1972 for the 74S181 
  Sounds close to right.  The S however was later the
basic 74181
 was first.  Infact the July 1972 issue of Ham Radio Has a supplier
 selling the 74181 for $4.50!! 
Well, that's _pretty_ cheap ... even considering the higher
monetary value back than.
Now, new serches found a 1968 Siemens data book with cross reference
 from Siemens numbers to TI numbers (FLH 101 -> 7400
The system was 
quite logical and described the basic function) for low scale ICs
(no '181 in this book), and another data book from 1970 with a
reference to the '181 - so if Siemens offers already a cross reference,
the chip must be around at least some time...
Ciao
Hans
--
VCF Europa 3.0 am 27./28. April 2002 in Muenchen
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