unidentifiable ICs

[uchwoody]

I've got some ICs that I cannot identify,and I can't seem to be able to find datasheets for them. They include motorola, toshiba, rca, zilog products among others. Can anyone help me find a datasheet(s) 2 identify them.
PS> I think they're obsolete components 'cos I found a Z80 cpu among the lot.

[sofaspud]

You've already tried going to the manufacturers' web sites to see what you could find?
Without providing some more details I don't think this group can help much. Asking for a datasheet for a Motorola IC is just too broad a question. Linear, RF, CMOS, etc. each have their own book! If you post some part numbers someone might recognize what you have.

[Dean Huster]

I've been known to friends as The Supreme Packrat of the Universe and historically, it has always been rare that I ever throw out a circuit board from anything before spending the time to depopulate the thing, sorting and storing all the components in their proper place. My shop has always looked like an electronics store of used components. As a matter of fact, even with all my stuff currently in unavailable storage, I just got rid of a defective 27" Sony TV and kept all the PCBs for later harvesting.<p>I say that to say the following. Even with a mentality like that, I know when to draw the line. When it gets to the point that you're faced with ICs marked with nothing but house numbers, don't mess with them. It'll take a miracle to figure out what they are and it's most likely that they're so specialized or so useless for normal hobby use that all your time will have been wasted and you'll never use them anyway. Devote your time to the identifiable stuff or to organizing your hoard. It'll be much more well-spent.<p>Dean

[haklesup]

For parts that are from the 74xx or 4000 family, I have an IC Identifier. You plug the part in and it does a series of tests and tells you what part number it is. (see it on my website [url=http://www.curvetrace.com)]www.curvetrace.com)[/url] <p>But this is a very narrow cross section of the parts available today so the usefullness of this thing is very very limited.<p>I use methods for curve tracing powered parts that can help me guess which pins are power, ground, input and output, I can also tell if it is CMOS or bipolar. However this says nothing about function but it can narrow the guessing quite a bit.<p>The Z80 is a well known part and if you have other Zilog, they are probably support for that processor. Not easy to use when compared to the PICs and uControllers available today. Note that my signature analyzers (also shown on the website above) use the Z80 as the main controller.<p>Disclaimer: References to my website are in no way considered to be a sales ploy, (mention this forum and I will sell for next to nothing)

[dacflyer]

[url=http://www.curvetrace.com)]www.curvetrace.com)[/url] seems to be a dead link , Hmmmm

[jwax]

Hmm. Z80 musta crapped out.

[haklesup]

Oops, got too close with the parenthesis
Try it plain www.curvetrace.com