Strange ICs on eBay

[Peter Corlett]

On Fri, Jun 10, 2016 at 09:16:37PM -0400, Ali Fahimi, M.D. wrote:
> Just wondering if anyone knows what these chips are for/from/etc.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/152124208945
> Interesting look to them. I would say EPROM but the magnifying window is weird...

Those look like "starburst" displays:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixteen-segment_display

The window is indeed a magnifying lens. I ass-u-me that LED technology was
still a bit naff back in the 1970s and it was more practical to optically
enlarge the segments than make a chip with physically larger segments. This
compromise produced an odd visual effect, which is likely why it's not done any
more.