2600-B Star Chip?

[+kheller2]

Does anyone know what the 2600B "STAR CHIP" was?

This is listed in Dan Kramer's engineering notebook.

 

 

[+batari]

On 9/15/2021 at 3:09 PM, kheller2 said:

Does anyone know what the 2600B "STAR CHIP" was?

This is listed in Dan Kramer's engineering notebook.

Thanks for posting, I was not aware of this notebook. However, I found it and skimmed it from beginning to end and didn't see any reference to the Star Chip, though I could have missed it. Do you know what page it's on?

[+kheller2]

7 hours ago, batari said:

Thanks for posting, I was not aware of this notebook. However, I found it and skimmed it from beginning to end and didn't see any reference to the Star Chip, though I could have missed it. Do you know what page it's on?

I wasn't aware of it either. I think I stumbled upon the notebook on FaceBook's Atari Museum page.  Lot's of good stuff in their on the trackball designs and finally something on the 2800/Cindy!  

 

https://archive.org/details/dan-kramer-atari-engineering-notebook

 

2600B STAR CHIP Testing is on page 32,33

 

 

[+batari]

Thanks, I totally missed that upon the initial scan. Reading those pages, I see a reference to "Stellette" on those pages.

 

From one of Curt's pages I see reference to some chips being worked on:

• C015338 STAR 15338 10/31/81
• C015339 STELLETTE 15339D 04/07/83

 

The similar numbers may suggest that these are different tapeouts of the same chip. I would guess a lower-cost 2600, maybe they were combining two chips into one?

[+kheller2]

26 minutes ago, batari said:

Thanks, I totally missed that upon the initial scan. Reading those pages, I see a reference to "Stellette" on those pages.

 

From one of Curt's pages I see reference to some chips being worked on:

• C015338 STAR 15338 10/31/81
• C015339 STELLETTE 15339D 04/07/83

 

The similar numbers may suggest that these are different tapeouts of the same chip. I would guess a lower-cost 2600, maybe they were combining two chips into one?

Yeah the only combo chip I know of is Jan in the JRs.

Hmm...

 

In the upper right of the notebook it lists STELLETTE as well!

 

10339B : STELLETTE

10338B : STAR 'B'

The number match (besides the 5).

 

Maybe I should be asking does anyone know what the 2600B is, although looking at page 33 he separates the two "2600 B STAR CHIP TESTING."  So maybe no 2600B at all, just testing STAR B on a 2600?  But looking further on page 33 "Given to Dave Pina for LSI testing w/2600 B PCB."  I wonder if it has to do with the 2600RC.

 

On Page 32 the first 10 chip failure scenarios are Stellette, Star A and Star B.

 

 

 

 

[+DrVenkman]

Dan’s pretty active on FB - you could contact him there and ask him directly if he remembers anything particular about it.