. Here's a strange device I bet not a lot of people have seen before, From what I've read online these were apparently produced by Motorola for range finders in vintage cameras although the strange thing about these as you've probably noticed is that they are formed inside a standard TO-92 package used for transistors although these have gorgeous gold plated leads and a red epoxy encapsulation. . This is what originally grabbed my attention and inspired my hunt to find some, I have I've had a few in the past but they were missing the 3rd leg not that it was needed as only 2 of the 3 legs are actually connected to the LED die inside anyway but I always wanted a complete one to do it justice when creating a post about them. . I recently came across two in mint condition by pure accident in a joblot of LEDs, I should mention these are hard enough to find anyway but in the UK next to impossible as I doubt not many actually came across the pond from the states. . They are not the brightest LEDs in the world but if they were made for a specific purpose maybe high brightness wasn't necessary, Still a very cool and definitely one of a kind LED . . . ⚠️ LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, DROP A FOLLOW AND YOU WON'T MISS THE NEXT POST 👍🏻 . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagecalculator #silicon #education #earn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #breadboard #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #transistor #leddiode #leddie #motorola #led #display

. Exciting find! Recently came across these two ceramic (MCM) packages. Each one is topped with 8 EPROMs and gold ICs below, both have leg extensions soldered on maybe for clearance I'm not sure. These IC packages were likely for a specialized application maybe in vintage computing or military? It’s a cool design I've not seen before and will be a perfect addition to my collection. . If anyone has seen or knows any think about these please leave a comment below or send me a message. . (UPDATE) I've been told it's possibly from a T-800 🤖 . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagecalculator #silicon #education #learn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #breadboard #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #transistor #eprom #eproms #gold #ceramic

. Found this cool "IEE Aurora, FFD51-12" metal bathtub style package Minitron display in a large job lot of similar sizes displays by Wamco I'm currently testing. . These big Minitron displays by Aurora are really rare so I'm quite fortunate to have found one mixed in with the rest, The tungsten wire segments are in very good condition with no sag or burn in. . "Filament displays are known for their unique visual features and high durability. These displays use filament-based illumination, which allows for clear, bright visuals even in low-light or challenging conditions. Often used in aerospace, military, industrial, and transportation applications, filament displays are designed to provide reliable performance in environments where traditional displays may struggle" . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #microscopephotography #microscope #silicon #education #learn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #breadboard #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #transistor #display #decap #microchip #ic #minitron

. Little update, . Hi everyone, I haven’t posted much over the last 3 months but at the end of last year I sadly lost my dad and around the same time I was also in the middle of buying my first home, so it's been a really difficult and busy period for me. Now that things are starting to settle down, I’m hoping to slowly get back into posting and sharing content again. . The post. . 🧠 Early 1970s Calculator Brain – Rockwell A1241PA . Here’s a neat little piece of early calculator history: . Back in the early 1970s, before cheap microcontrollers existed, calculators often ran from a single custom LSI chip like this one. Instead of dozens of logic ICs, manufacturers could drop in one device that handled almost everything. Inside this chip was the “brain” of a basic calculator: . • Keyboard scanning • Arithmetic logic (add, subtract, multiply, divide) • Register storage for numbers • Timing and control logic • Multiplexed display driving . All of that packed into one DIP package — pretty impressive for the time. These Rockwell calculator processors were used in a range of desktop calculators in the early-mid 1970s, often paired with LED or VFD seven-segment displays and just a handful of support components. It’s easy to forget that when pocket calculators first appeared, the integrated circuits inside them were cutting-edge large-scale integration. Chips like the A1241PA were essentially single-purpose computers, designed to do one job extremely efficiently. Today they’re a great reminder of how rapidly semiconductor technology evolved — from dedicated calculator processors like this to the general-purpose microcontrollers we use everywhere now. A tiny slice of 1970s silicon that once crunched numbers on someone’s desk. . The die shots aren't the best because there was a blob of silicone on the die so in order to photograph it I flooded the IC well with isopropyl alcohol to fix the image distortion caused by the silicone. . Rest in peace dad 🕊️ 28.04.1964 - 12.11.2025 . #vintageelectronics #electronics #vintagecaluculator #microscopephotography #silicondie

. Playing around with the Arduino nano again using this HDSP-2112 display I pulled from a £6 board on eBay with 2 on it 😆 I've definitely been missing out all these years not using Arduino, now i can now start testing my more complex vintage displays. . . ⚠️ Like what you see, drop a follow and don't miss the next one 👍🏻 . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagecalculator #silicon #education #led #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #breadboard #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #transistor #dotmatrix #hp #hewlettpackard #hdsp #display #leddisplay

. I discovered a random LED inside a push-button switch from a piece of vintage 1980s gear! It's designed as a modern replacement for a filament bulb, but in a filament bulb casing. It still runs off 6 volts, just like the original, thanks to a soldered on resistor. . It's got five dies, four of which light up perfectly, while the central one doesn't even if i flip the polarity which looking at the bond wires should be the case. There are however missing wires that have been cut off but after testing they just enable individual die lighting. . More cool and interesting posts coming soon. . . ⚠️ Like what you see, drop a follow and don't miss the next one 👍🏻 . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagecalculator #silicon #education #learn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #breadboard #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #led

Playing with an Arduino for the first time, cough (Chat GPT doing the code 😂) Nice little animation me and GPT came up with to test out this vintage (PLESSEY GPD620P display You've seen before in another post. . I do also have an Uno R4 but just using the nano for now as it fits straight into my breadboard. . I've never really sought out to try Arduino before but having access to Chat GPT for writing the code (sometimes with a little adjustment) is amazing especially for a noob like me. . If you're interested in using an Arduino but worried about writing code don't be, it's super easy once you get into it and I'm annoyed i didn't start earlier. . . ⚠️ Like what you see, drop a follow so you don't miss out . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagedisplay #silicon #education #learn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #PLESSEYGPD620P #technology #vintagetechnology #breadboard #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #transistor #segmentdisplay

. Tearing Down a Sundstrand GPWS Mark II, The Analog Brain That Saved Pilots from the Ground. . This blue box might not look like much, but it's a Sundstrand Ground Proximity Warning System Computer that literally told pilots when to "PULL UP!" . Before GPS and fancy terrain mapping, systems like this worked purely from analog sensor data radar altitude, descent rate, gear position, and flap angle using op-amps and discrete logic to figure out if the aircraft was flying too close to the ground. If it didn't like the numbers, it shouted warnings through the cockpit speaker. . This is one of the earlier Sundstrand units, and it's absolutely gorgeous inside. The build quality is unmistakably aviation-grade: thick anodised aluminium chassis, gold-plated connectors, and densely packed circuit boards loaded with hybrid modules, relays, and precision amplifiers. Everything is safety-wired and built to survive years of vibration. . . ⚠️ Like what your seeing, drop a follow and you won't miss the next one 👍🏻 . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #microscopephotography #microscope #silicon #education #learn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #breadboard #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #transistor #aviation #aircraft #microchip #ic #avionics

. I decided to see what's really going on inside one of those little "flickering tea light candles" and sure enough, inside the 5mm LED there is a tiny IC hidden in there alongside the LED die itself. . To get a good look, I carefully sanded the epoxy dome down just above the bond wire. This keeps the LED functional while giving a clear view of the chip inside. Under magnification, you can see both the LED die and the flicker-control IC bonded side by side on the same substrate- a surprisingly sophisticated setup for something that costs pennies. . Even with the top flattened, the LED still works perfectly, and you can actually see the IC at work while it flickers. It's a great little reminder of how much engineering is packed into these seemingly simple components. . . ⚠️ Like what you see, drop a follow and don't miss out on the next one 👍🏻 . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagecalculator #silicon #education #learn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #breadboard #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #transistor #flickeringcandles #candles #ledcandle #ic #integratedcircuit

. I managed to score an incredible job lot recently with quite a few vintage Hewlett Packard items including this huge amount of beautiful (5082-7433) three digit bubble displays. . Back in the 1970s and early 80s, Hewlett-Packard produced some of the finest LED displays ever made. Among them is the HP 5082-7433 a compact, three-digit red seven-segment module that represents peak engineering of its era. . With a digit height of just 2.79 mm, these tiny gems packed serious clarity into a small package. They use a common-cathode multiplexed design, meaning you could drive multiple digits efficiently perfect for calculators, test gear, and early digital instruments. Each digit even had its own decimal point, giving engineers extra flexibility. . Encased in HP’s robust packaging, they were built to last. Even today, you’ll find surplus parts that light up as crisp and bright as they did four decades ago. . Though long discontinued, the 5082-7433 remains a favorite among collectors and retro-hardware builders. They embody the era when HP wasn’t just making instruments, but crafting some of the most iconic display technology ever put on a PCB. . ✨ Vintage engineering. Still glowing strong. . . ⚠️Like what you see, drop a follow 👍🏻 . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagecalculator #silicon #education #earn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #bubbledisplay #circuitboard #pcb #silicondie #leddisplay #avionics #led #hp #hewlettpackard #display

, Today's cool piece of vintage avionics tech on the teardown bench is this very cool Smiths Industries (automatic configuration control processor) packed full of ceramic IC goodness 😍 . On the outside there are two air ports, i believe this unit is some sort of air pressure processor computer probably used for altitude calculations but I'm not 100% sure. . Five main PCBs inside two pairs of which are the same but interesting have yellow sticker dots on the copy, and four pressure sensing modules alongside a nice pack of mil-spec relays and power supply board. . . ⚠️ If you like what you see, please drop a follow👍🏻 . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagecalculator #silicon #education #learn #arduino #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #gold #circuitboard #pcb #avionics #aircraft

. I've got a lot of teardowns backed up in my albums from the past couple of months that need editing and posting, here is the first of many to come 😀 . Today's feature is the RT-385A NAV/COM, a classic piece of avionics from Aircraft Radio & Controls (ARC), later branded under Cessna. . But as you'll see in the photos this unit has some very questionable bodges 😬 . What it is 🔧 . The RT-385A is a combined VHF communications transceiver and navigation receiver. In other words, one box handled both talking to ATC and tuning VORS, a big space saver in a general aviation panel back in the 1970s and 80s. . Key features 📟 . Solid-state construction (replacing the earlier tube-based sets) . Digital front-panel featuring some lovely looking filament displays, a big leap forward from the older mechanical drum indicators. . 720-channel VHF COM coverage and standard VOR navigation capability. . . ⚠️ If like what your seeing please drop a follow so you don't miss the next one 👍🏻 . . . #vintageelectronics #electronics #die #vintagecalculator #silicon #education #learn #aircraft #old #vintage #vintagetech #diy #tech #technology #vintagetechnology #avionics #circuitboard #pcb #aviation #transistor