 PMI Precision Monolithics Memorabilia Company: Precision Monolithics, Inc. (PMI)
Based: Santa Clara, CA. Founder: Marv Rudin & co-founder Garth Wilson Founded: 1969 (bought out by Analog Devices in 1990) Specialty: Developed and produced mixed signal and linear semiconductors. First company to make two-chip and single chip D/A converters. |  Precision Monolithic's DAC-76 COMDAC Chip (1975) |
PMI DAC-76 First COMDAC Companding Digital to Analog Converter Chip (1975)
Item #466
This Lucite paperweight features an actual PMI DAC-76 chip. The chip is in a 16-pin white ceramic carrier with gold cavity and legs. The DAC-76's gold lid was not solder onto this particular unit so this allows for viewing of the integrated circuit inside as well as the carrier's gold wire bond pads inside the cavity.
This "mixed-signal" integrated circuit was manufactured by PMI using Bipolar process technology. Both the digital and the analog sections of it's circuitry are contained on one single chip of silicon.
The 8-bit PMI DAC-76 in DIP packaging was the first DAC (Digital to Analog Converting) chip that was capable of converting a digital input signal to an analog output signal using "Companding" (compressing or expanding to improve the dynamic range of an analog electronic signal).
In the 1970s many semiconductor manufacturers, including Analog Devices, AMD, Harris, Intersil, Motorola, National Semiconductor, Precision Monolithics (PMI), TI, and TRW, were all competing to develop fully integrated Digital to Analog chips. PMI was the first to introduce a two-chip and also a single chip DAC converter chip and put them into DIP packaging.
Using diffused resistors Dan Dooley of PMI designed the 6-bit DAC01 in 1969. The first monolithic (single chip) converter, the MonoDac01, was developed and marketed by PMI in 1971. The MonoDAC01 was the first fully integrated DAC.
In 1972 PMI introduced their hugely successful 10 bit D/A converter on a single chip, the monoDac02. Motorola (MC1408) and PMI (DAC08) followed with 8-bit devices in 1975.
In 1976 Peter Holloway of Analog Devices laser trimmed thin-film resistors on wafers to achieve the required precision for the first single-chip 10-bit DAC (AD561).
Many of PMI's converters & linear IC's continue to be manufactured and marketed by Analog Devices to the tune of over two billion dollars a year of market share in the Linear IC market.
This "mixed-signal" integrated circuit was manufactured by PMI using Bipolar process technology. Both the digital and the analog sections of it's circuitry are contained on one single chip of silicon.
The 8-bit PMI DAC-76 in DIP packaging was the first DAC (Digital to Analog Converting) chip that was capable of converting a digital input signal to an analog output signal using "Companding" (compressing or expanding to improve the dynamic range of an analog electronic signal).
In the 1970s many semiconductor manufacturers, including Analog Devices, AMD, Harris, Intersil, Motorola, National Semiconductor, Precision Monolithics (PMI), TI, and TRW, were all competing to develop fully integrated Digital to Analog chips. PMI was the first to introduce a two-chip and also a single chip DAC converter chip and put them into DIP packaging.
Using diffused resistors Dan Dooley of PMI designed the 6-bit DAC01 in 1969. The first monolithic (single chip) converter, the MonoDac01, was developed and marketed by PMI in 1971. The MonoDAC01 was the first fully integrated DAC.
In 1972 PMI introduced their hugely successful 10 bit D/A converter on a single chip, the monoDac02. Motorola (MC1408) and PMI (DAC08) followed with 8-bit devices in 1975.
In 1976 Peter Holloway of Analog Devices laser trimmed thin-film resistors on wafers to achieve the required precision for the first single-chip 10-bit DAC (AD561).
Many of PMI's converters & linear IC's continue to be manufactured and marketed by Analog Devices to the tune of over two billion dollars a year of market share in the Linear IC market.
 Close-up of the PMI DAC-76 COMDAC Chip |  PMI DAC-76 D/A IC Pinout |
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