CDP1861 PIXIE graphics chip replacement for COSMAC Elf

[Eric Smith]

On Fri, Apr 22, 2016 at 7:10 PM, drlegendre . <drlegendre at gmail.com> wrote:
> Is the PIXIE chip a common point of failure in those machines.. many out of
> service for lack of one..?

The ELF as presented in the original construction article (Popular
Electronics, August 1976) didn't have any video support. That was
added with the CDP1861 "PIXIE" graphics chip in part 4 of the series
(July 1977).  As such, it is an optional feature for both home-made
ELFs and some of the commercially produced kits and products.

If you want to build an ELF with graphics now, or add graphics to an
existing ELF, the CDP1861 is really hard to find.