This weekend, CPU collector CPU Duke disassembled and microscopically imaged a fascinating piece of Soviet-era vintage electronics. This time, the enthusiast examined the "K565PY3" chip under the microscope. This meticulously studied integrated circuit is a 16KB dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip, believed to have been manufactured at the Mezon factory in present-day Moldova. For reference, the K565PY3 is considered a reverse-engineered clone of the Intel 4116 DRAM chip designed in the 1970s and 80s.

CPU Duke's first impression of the K565PY3 was its robust, "fish-can" structure. However, he quickly disassembled the casing and began a thorough examination of the chip, starting with a stereo microscope in reflected light mode. The chip's structure and numerous memory cells were clearly visible.

CPU Duke explored even deeper, using a ring light to examine the structure beneath the surface. Had they completed their inventory? Our intrepid silicon detective commented that the integrated circuit's memory cells consisted of "a 128 x 128 matrix of memory cells."

Next, CPU Duke switched to a metallographic microscope, revealing even richer details. They noticed some Cyrillic letter etchings that translated to the English word "Tempo," indicating that this was high-speed DRAM. Further visual analysis highlighted the DRAM's "CAS (Column Address Strobe), RAS (Row Address Strobe), and row decoding sections." Any technician who has spent time tuning modern PC memory will be familiar with terms like CAS and RAS values and their relevance to memory and system performance.

CPU Duke provided some background information about the origin of this "canned fish" memory chip. Our investigation clearly indicates that it is a clone or reverse-engineered version of the Intel 4116 DRAM chip, which was popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

West versions of the Intel 4116

In the West, various versions of the Intel 4116 were used in legendary computers such as the Apple II, ZX Spectrum, Commodore PET, and IBM PC, as well as classic arcade games like *Defender* and *Missile Command*. The sample CPU Duke obtained from the Soviet Union during the Cold War likely came from Soviet home computers - likely clones of Western computers. At the time, Soviet embedded systems and industrial electronics also used clones of the 4116 DRAM chip.

Intel wasn't the only Western manufacturer of the Intel 4116 DRAM. Electronics manufacturers also frequently sourced these integrated circuits from companies like Texas Instruments and Mostek. It is speculated that the Soviet K565PY3 was reverse-engineered from a Mostek sample. Regardless of the model you find in a pile of used or recycled chips, these genuinely old integrated circuits should be functionally identical.

Source: Content from tom'shardware

Reference Link

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/dram/cpu-collector-peels-the-lid-off-a-soviet-era-fish-can-chip-to-peer-inside-with-multiple-microscopes-k565ru3-was-a-soviet-era-clone-of-western-chips-like-the-intel-designed-4116

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