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INTEL D2732 32KBIT 4K x 8 UV EPROM CERAMIC DIP-24 VINTAGE 1981 ARCADE ROM IC

Arcade Game Electronics & Parts • SKU RFB00596

$14.99

Original vintage Intel D2732 ultraviolet-erasable programmable read-only memory IC in a 24-pin ceramic DIP package. The D2732 provides 32K bits of nonvolatile memory organized as 4,096 words by 8 bits and was widely used for firmware, program code, graphics data, sound data, lookup tables, and other permanent memory functions in early microprocessor-based electronic equipment.

LIFECYCLE STATUS: OBSOLETE.

This device is marked Intel D2732 with a date code of 8123, consistent with production during week 23 of 1981. The package is also marked PHILIPPINES, indicating assembly or manufacturing origin associated with Intel's Philippine production operations.

A handwritten identification label covers the quartz UV erase window. This was common practice with programmed EPROMs because covering the window helped protect stored data from prolonged ultraviolet exposure. The handwritten marking appears to read 241 and likely represents an original firmware, board, service, or ROM identification.

The exact original equipment or arcade title this individual EPROM came from cannot be determined from the visible markings alone.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

EPROM technology was extremely important during the transition from fixed mask ROMs to serviceable and reprogrammable digital equipment in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Unlike factory-programmed mask ROM devices, an EPROM could be electrically programmed by an equipment manufacturer, engineer, or service technician and later erased by exposing its quartz window to ultraviolet light.

The Intel 2732 generation provided 32 kilobits of storage arranged as 4K x 8 bits, giving designers considerably more program space than earlier 2708 and 2716 devices while retaining the familiar removable DIP format.

During the golden age of arcade machines, EPROMs became one of the most recognizable components found on game logic boards. They could contain portions of the game program, graphics, character information, sound routines, level data, lookup tables, or other machine-specific code. Multiple EPROMs were often installed together on the same arcade PCB to provide the complete software and graphical content of a game.

The same 2732 family was also widely used in early personal computers, industrial controllers, development systems, communications equipment, instrumentation, embedded controllers, automotive electronics, test equipment, and other microprocessor systems.

Vintage Intel-manufactured EPROMs are particularly useful today for restoration work where original-period components are desired. They can also be erased and reprogrammed with compatible vintage EPROM programming equipment if the device remains electrically functional.