The Secret World of Chip Art - CPU under the Microscope - Birds, Godzilla & CO

[@Technoid_Mutant]

That's not Bart Simpson. That is the comic-strip character 'Dilbert'. Easy mistake, but the glasses are telling.

[@intel386DX]

Donald duck as well, it s just a random cartoon duck , not the Donald or Duffy

[@videogametips5604]

Yeah, I was just about to comment, looks like Dilbert to me, not Bart.

[@duraker1]

that's actually peter griffin, from the hit tv show seinfeld.

[@Spaghettiboy359]

Yeah that's definitely dilbert

[@Wtfinc]

@@intel386DX looks allot like daffy duck from bugs bunny. The coolest of the ducks.

[@OmeadAhdieh]

Great topic for video. Enjoying all of your productions. (I vote for seeing one where you open the cpu) Some comments: - in the R10000 video, the character is Dilbert, not Bart Simpson (though they do look similar there) - for the VR12000, the person with the cigar is Groucho Marx, and the other 2 images (seen around 9:40) are for Florida State University

[@CPUGalaxy]

Omead Ahdieh Thank you very much for your valuable input ☺️. I knew somebody will be able to identify the characters and symbols. 👍🏻

[@patprop74]

Well done on identifying them

[@Mrcometo]

And in 12:35 I think its Howard Duck, not Donald Duck.

[@zachzink]

@@Mrcometo Looks more like Daffy to me.

[@agranero6]

Thanks for the Florida State University, I was scratching my head about that two images: The first now I see that is a native American with a feather and the other is a native American woman with a headband. The images are not that clear.

[@Technoid_Mutant]

The icon with the cigar is Groucho Marx. The 'strange symbols' next to him are two "Indian Heads", like those on an Indian Head nickle, seems to me.

[@PplsChampion]

8:57 this is Groucho Marx

[@chrisparker8539]

And the "strange signs" are two Native American silhouettes. A man and a woman (because there are only two genders).

[@Bartyron]

I'm here because EEV blog mentioned this awesome channel i subscribed to!! 12:38 Is Daffy Duck (Donald has a sailors hat on).

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

10:36 - I think the "This Bird's For You" one is a reference to the Budweiser slogan "This Bud's For You".

[@EssArrB]

I think it's intended to tell the counterfeiters where to stick it!

[@TestEric]

The two faces are logos of Florida State Seminoles, a college football team.

[@rartolak]

Yep at 9:20

[@arniceousmaximus2183]

Interesting I wonder what significance they posed with the chip

[@arniceousmaximus2183]

And you are finding all the art donuts not lost forever wow . Cool I never knew they inscribed messages with art like that on the cpu. There is currently a big market for digital art in .nfo files as well as the .midi in patches and key makers.

[@cedric0850]

@@arniceousmaximus2183 Silicon Graphics computer designer Kevin Kuhn agreed with Florida State University to place renditions of the Florida State University sports logos on the MIPS R12000 microprocessor. It depicts the 80 micron-high logos of Seminole Chief Osceola and the Lady Seminoles. These logos are so small that over 10 billion would fit into the Chief Osceola logo painted in the "center" of the football field at Doak Campbell Stadium.

[@SixOhFive]

If I was a chip maker and had the opportunity to "tag a chip" I would put a marijuana leaf, my favorite thing to draw

[@BlahBleeBlahBlah]

This was fascinating, I want to see more like this!

[@CPUGalaxy]

parad0x666 Thank you for your feedback. Follow up video is already planned + Interview with a chip layouter and engineers. Stay tuned.... 😉

[@izools]

That's Dilbert and The Grinch on the VR10000. Awesome work. Thank you for sharing it!

[@mikem.9197]

Looks more like Jack Skellington than The Grinch.

[@SixOhFive]

Love this! So cool.

[@peteregan9750]

the chip art is also an easy way to check the lithography of the chip / a miss aligned chip art is a quick easy check / esprcially if the cover different layers

[@mikedjames]

Philips Semiconductors in Southampton UK used to layout chips with a little map of the Isle of Wight and Southampton. Their CPUs were MIPS embedded in TV decoders or Trimedia media processors. One time a chip failed design rule check at layout and it was the graphic that caused it..

[@Kedvespatikus]

Geez. I've been collecting CPUs/FPUs/MPUs for seventeen - eighteen years now, but this chip art thingy was new to me. Showing initials or even full names of designers was known to me (that famous FF initials on the 4004 die, for example), but this kind of art... thank you for bringing up this!

[@juliefry486]

Your video is awesome in the sense that I've been looking for an accurate depiction of these secret art pieces. Usually I find close-ups that give no reference to the parameters of where they are on a chip. My hat's off to you for the best footage leading into the details on a chip. Absolutely the best.

[@SixOhFive]

The precision of these tiny images is stunning

[@DannyWilliamH]

9:30 I'm pretty sure those are logos for Florida State University. Their mascot/nickname is 'The Seminoles' , a Native American tribe. Further, they had a really good football (American) program in the 90s so you may have had an alumnus and/or sports fan working on the design.

[@br6768]

I've been looking for a video like this for a couple years. I was more interested in the layout and layers but this is cool too. I had no idea there were hidden images inside microchips.

[@CandyGramForMongo_]

The other reason is to be able to detect unauthorized copies. Map makers would sometimes add an extra city that didn’t exist to detect those who copied their work.

[@bazoo513]

2:50 - Isn't that Silicon Graphics logo in the lower left? The "wire cube" ?

[@Zenodilodon]

Wow! that microscope footage is incredible! I cannot believe the color consistency and lack of diffraction. I really need to work on my light source and place polarizing film in the optics.

[@testep02]

I seriously can't believe KZbin never recommended this channel to me. WTF is wrong with their algorithm?? I search specifically for CPU related topics. As an ARM developer, things like this are incredibly interesting to me. Anyway, awesome channel! I'm glad Dave Jones did a collaboration with you, otherwise I may never have seen this amazing content!

[@SixOhFive]

The algo only cares about addicting you and keeping your attention, you actually learning something or benefiting from this was not included in that list.

[@smsdot]

Thank you so much for showcasing, my mind is tingeling with excitement looking at the art. It baffles me that we can put electricity through these sillica lines! Great work!

[@intrinia]

The first SGI chips look so surreal. If it wasn't for the focus or the lack of it, one could think it's a drawing in a computer program.

[@omegaman1409]

One of the coolest videos. These are like easter eggs or some kind of reference. I know software developers hid messages inside their programming. That would be another interesting thing to look at.

[@Spirit451]

The hardest Where's Waldo puzzle ever.

[@jerril42]

I love this. Yes please anything on opening IC's, microscopy, or related. Perhaps the duck is Daffy. Thanks for the video.

[@CPUGalaxy]

jerril42 here you have it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aX2TZJ5oZrd3nqc

[@intel386DX]

it is just a random cartoon duck neither Donald or Duffy :)

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

@@intel386DX If anything, it's Fenton Crackshell.

[@ovalteen4404]

@@user-vn7ce5ig1z Another strong possibility is Howard the Duck

[@agranero6]

It is the Egyptian God of Frustration.

[@triodehexode]

this is fantastic, they used to personalise or sign vinyl record dies also.

[@guentherwassermann2895]

Sehr interessanter Inhalt und professionell aufgearbeitet. Alles Gute weiterhin.

[@vampL3r]

Pretty sure 8:55 is a Groucho Marx caricature.

[@ctiborkoza8944]

Nice Video, I did not know that someone leaves such images in the CPU, for me it is completely new

[@F3Aer]

Wow! I knew about chip's easter eggs, but you show them in a very cool way! Amazing work!

[@CPUGalaxy]

thank you!

[@td4dotnet]

Cigar Guy is Groucho Marx - Time wounds all heels...

[@hernancoronel]

OMG Godzilla is a well known copyright troll! I hope this does not put anyone in trouble LOL! Thank you for the great content!

[@TMS5100]

@6:03 bond wires are ultrasonic welded.

[@carlwillows]

12:35 I believe that's Daffy, not Donald

[@chriasd]

This is so cool! I'm curious if any of modern CPUs has art like these

[@belstar1128]

You would probably need a special electron microscope to see them since this stuff is so small now.

[@Controllerhead]

Wonderful video! Thank you for sharing this amazing art and history. "This Bird's For You" could be interpreted several different ways: - It is simply a nice picture of a hummingbird for you to find - "This Bud's For You" was a slogan for Budweiser beer, so: You found it, Cheers! - "Flipping The Bird" is a euphemism for the middle finger, essentially telling people who want to steal the design "F@# You" My guess is that the bird is an amalgamation of all of those meanings. How clever!

[@ultrametric9317]

It's the HP code name for the project - Hummingbird.

[@joegee2815]

I was going to comment but see that my comments have already been made. Great production.

[@Bartyron]

again after two years back and mindblown by the good images. 9:02 is Groucho from 'The Marx brothers' The two faces are probably the theatre masks 'comedy' and ' tragedy'. The word 'STATE' could be a reference to the State theatre.

[@JeffreySJonas]

schematics used to have little doodles in them too, like a choo-choo train on long traces

[@8_Bit]

Very nice finds! I enjoy a good easter egg hunt :)

[@stm3252]

I'm glad I have discovered this channel after Dave Jones recommendation!

[@peterkutas1176]

same here...

[@KeiyentaiYotaiya]

That is awesome seeing Dilbert on the NEC VR10000. I think he uses a NEC in the comics and in one of the episodes on the TV show. Wally and Dogbert also make mention of RISC based systems. Awesome show and cool vid.

[@CPUGalaxy]

Thank you! Yeah, also very fascinating for me to discover this nice things on the chips.

[@adammace935]

Great video, I didn't know this was a thing! Subscribed! 😁

[@JohnAllen-st1ll]

Wow...!! I had no idea designers would do this kind of thing... But then... Why not..!! :) If it weren't for you showing us this, I would never have guessed... Awesome.... P.S. - I love your microscope...

[@tehhamstah]

This was amazing to see - I had no idea this was a thing

[@GamePlayShare]

I have lot of CPUs from 80 and 90s aircraft avionics. But unfortunately no microscope

[@glennblank1364]

The bird on the HP PA7100LC is a hummingbird and they put that on the die because 'Hummingbird' was HP's internal code name for that particular chip.

[@CPUGalaxy]

Glenn Blank wow, thank you for this valuable information. ☺️👍🏻

[@glennblank1364]

@@CPUGalaxy You're welcome Peter... All of HP's RISC chips had internal code names and these are almost all of them: HP PA-RISC 7100 / 7150 (PCX-T) - Code Name 'Thunderbird' HP PA-RISC 7100LC (PCX-L) - Code Name 'Hummingbird' HP PA-RISC 7200 (PCX-T') - Code Name 'Mockingbird' HP PA-RISC 7300LC (PCX-L2) - Code Name 'Velociraptor' HP PA-RISC 8000 (PCX-U) - Code Name 'Onyx' HP PA-RISC 8500 (PCX-W) - Code Name 'Barracuda' HP PA-RISC 8600 (PCX-W+) - Code Name 'Landshark' HP PA-RISC 8700 (PCX-W2) - Code Name 'Piranha' HP PA-RISC 8800 - Code Name 'Mako' HP PA-RISC 8900 - Code Name 'Shortfin' BTW, I'm user 'pixelmanca' on CPU World...

[@CPUGalaxy]

Glenn Blank wow. thanks a lot! Now I know which image I can expect to find on each different HP CPU if I would open them. 👍🏻

[@k7jeb]

Also noted that the entire image was made raster-style with "legal" contacts or vias so the thing would pass a design-rule check.

[@eebaker699]

Great equipment. I too vote for tutorial on how to open and view not only CPU's but EPROM chips at home. Thanks....looks like an image of Groucho Marx then 2 American Indian heads maybe....😁

[@pablogori9036]

Excellent video, thanks!

[@te0nani]

I got both the PA7100LC and the PA7300LC. 7300 seems to have some Chipart too. On the DIE-shot from Wikipedia you can see a Raptor.

[@CPUGalaxy]

yeah, the HP‘s are pretty cool. All of them have nice art on the die.

[@douro20]

The Florida State University Magnetics Lab has a nice description of how HP made its dot-matrix chip art.

[@sindobrandnew]

4:30 My favorites! Dilbert...

[@joesmoe6855]

Beautiful work

[@mikepersechino9873]

This is incredible! Thank you so much! I think the man with the cigar is Groucho Marx, of the Marx Brothers.

[@InconsistentManner]

The VR10000 Has a Silicon Graphics Logo on it...

[@fuhk]

How did you open the CPUs without damaging the chip inside?

[@TheEscape2012]

wow...way to few views for such a great video!

[@QsTechService1]

Wow that’s pretty awesome thanks for sharing 👍

[@cedric0850]

This is awesome work and opens a whole new world to me. I have had already openend several CPUs but I have no miscroscope. My question: what minimum requirement in terms of magnification would I need? Any suggestion on low-cost equipment?

[@abymohanan2043]

Thank you so much for this video 👍🏻👌🏻✌🏻

[@martinlaptop5622]

Wow 😯 I’m shocked 😮 thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@jesusalbertosaavedravelazq1220]

i want you open a arm processor and show it above the microscope all its internal components.

[@intel386DX]

NICE! the colibry looks like Game Boy graphics with a little space between each pixel ! :)

[@flaguser4196]

you know it's high technology when it's mascots are a dinosaur and a god of the afterlife.

[@ricardobornman1698]

What is "Die ART"? It's when Bruce Willis develops dementia and tries to go to the toilet.

[@DarthChrisB]

I think showing the bird to people who were looking at the HP die had a very obvious meaning...

[@HUBBABUBBADOOPYDOOP]

*@**9:05* Groucho Marx en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groucho_Marx

[@ANTALIFE]

Love these sorts of easter eggs :D

[@robertduncan1408]

Great Video!

[@kostis2849]

3:09 How do I know CPU Galaxy is a PC-only person? He Missed the SGI (Silicon Graphics Inc) logo. Great job at the channel, keep it up!

[@Raul_Gajadhar]

That is not Bart Simpson. Oh, and you would be surprised that these extremely intelligent chip designers knew that Their art would be discovered. Nice video too.

[@Technoid_Mutant]

I suspect that these extremely intelligent chip designers knew their artwork would be discovered because they themselves had discovered other's artwork. This sort of microscopy was a tool in a very competitive field. I'm not suggesting outright theft of other's intellectual property by anyone, but were I a chip designer, my curiosity would have the top off the package of every hot new chip I could get my mitts on.

[@semicontalk3223]

Nice video!

[@skamior]

I wonder if the chip manufacturers could get sued for copyright infringement with all the characters hidden around the dies

[@jomac2046]

It's actually Dilbert not Homer, the cartoon strip deals with office humour. Dilbert is a technically-minded single white male Engineer, maybe the link with the chip designers.

[@38911bytefree]

3:09 SGI logo ?

[@jaybird57]

Do you have any NexGen cpu from the mid90's?..

[@max1024]

Another interesting video, Thank you!

[@emchodevetkov9438]

awesome

[@iokaravas]

Could you perhaps give us some approximate size for these images? I can tell they are small, but just *how* small? :p

[@OzzFan1000]

That's very cool! I had no idea Easter eggs were hidden in hardware too. Is there more on other chips? Any on Intel/AMD/Via/Cyrix?

[@CPUGalaxy]

so far I just found some easter eggs on some old AMD peripheral chips. On Intel CPUs you can just find the letters of designers, but no figures.

[@cpu_duke]

There is a pyramid made of bricks on an overdrive DX4 of Intel!

[@derpyllama1857]

12:42 This is Daffy Duck, not Donald.

[@Geladin]

@3:49 ... There was something on the left side...

[@ehcoroche8689]

That's a skin cell I believe.

[@johnmorelli1988]

At 9:37 the face on the left looks like the logo of Florida State University (FSU)

[@andrewadkins5567]

The art Easter eggs are used to discourage fake chips.

[@c.zatara-673]

The duck is not Donald, it's the Duck from "you bet your life", the show where Groucho Marx was the host =]

[@bradleylaboe6455]

that's Dilbert on the VR10K not Bart on the R12K the guy with a cigar is Groucho Marks the r$K is Daffy Duck not donald

[@CPUGalaxy]

Bradley Laboe Thanks for the correction. Lol, Dilbert looks somehow like Bart.

[@bradleylaboe6455]

@@CPUGalaxy I really liked seeing the engineers initials

[@yamitanomura]

9:00 the man with the cigar is Groucho Marx.

[@strangedude9008]

i believe the dinosaurs images are inspired by idea that once someone discover them, they are already extinct. as dinos, as cpus.

[@leozendo3500]

are these graphics capacitors?

[@lerdan]

Can you please tell or show how do you open the chip?

[@CPUGalaxy]

I did a video abt that once. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aX2TZJ5oZrd3nqc

[@lerdan]

@@CPUGalaxy thank you!

[@jesusalbertosaavedravelazq1220]

please open and arm processor to watch it above the microscope

[@pinball30]

The bird looks like a dot matrix print

[@rickardt3547]

Very nice!

[@jpaine619]

The "Guy with the Cigar" is Groucho Marx. A super famous vaudeville comedian.

[@petrutvalentin6159]

Which model is the microscope exactly?

[@MrParrothead60450]

The guy with a cigar is Groucho Marx I believe.

[@bradleylaboe6455]

check!

[@clintthompson4100]

It is Groucho Marx.

[@oorcinus]

What is Das Art?

[@hi-friaudioman]

Yes, dilbert.