DEC part number
DEC part numbers are generally of the form 'ww-xxxxx-yy zzzz' (sometimes the first hyphen is omitted). DEC had a system for their part numbers, such that looking at a part number will generally tell you (based on the leading two-digit field, the 'class code') what kind of part it is: chip, cable, etc. The next field is a 'basic identifier', then comes a 'variation identifier'; the final, optional, field is the 'revision identifier'.
It should be noted that DEC had several other namespaces for things produced by the company (such as DEC engineering drawing numbers; and the identification numbers of FLIP CHIPs and later component PCBs, of the form 'Xyyyy', where 'X' is a capital letter, and 'yyyy' are digits), but these numbers are not 'DEC part numbers', as defined by the applicable DEC specifications (below).
This table lists the major class codes:
| Class | Type |
|---|---|
| 10 | Capacitors |
| 11 | Diodes |
| 12 | Mechanical and electro-mechanical items (connectors, pins, bearings, belts, fans, etc) |
| 13 | Resistors |
| 15 | Transistors |
| 16 | Transformers and inductors |
| 17 | Wire and fiber optic cables |
| 18 | Crystals and other oscillators |
| 19 | Bipolar integrated circuits |
| 21 | MOS chips (CPUs, etc) |
| 23 | Fixed memory chips (ROMs, etc) |
| 24 | Fiber-optic components |
| 30 | Core memory stacks, major components |
| 36 | Paper tape, punched cards, labels |
| 50 | Printed circuit boards |
| 52 | Pulse transformers |
| 54 | Assemblies (circuit cards, display panels, etc) |
| 70 | Cables/harnesses/backplanes |
| 74 | 'Manufactured non-electrical parts' (includes decals, etc) |
| 90 | Fastener hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, washers, ties etc) |
| 91 | Hook up wire and tubing |
