- Zig-zag in-line package
The zig-zag in-line package or ZIP was a short-lived packaging technology for
integrated circuit s, particularly dynamic RAM chips. It was intended as a replacement for dual in-line packaging (DIL or DIP). A ZIP is an integrated circuit encapsulated in a slab of plastic, measuring about 3 mm x 30 mm x 10 mm. The package's pins protrude in two rows from one of the long edges. The two rows are staggered by 1.27 mm (0.05"), giving them a zig-zag appearance, and allowing them to be spaced more closely than a rectangular grid would allow. The pins are inserted into holes in aprinted circuit board , with the packages standing at right-angles to the board, allowing them to be placed closer together than DIPs of the same size. ZIPs have now been superseded by surface-mount packages such as the thin small-outline packages (TSOPs) used on single-in-line memory modules (SIMM s) and dual-in-line memory modules (DIMM s).ZIP memory devices are now only to be found in obsolete computers, some of these are:
* Commodore Amiga 500 expansion packs
* Commodore Amiga 3000 on-board memory and some expansion boardsAs of 2008, high-voltage op-amp ICs and a few motor driver ICs are still being manufactured in a package with a zig-zag pinout. [ [http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?lang=en&site=US&keywords=staggered&x=16&y=12 search for "staggered" ICs] ] These zig-zag packages include variations on the
TO220 such as "TO220S", "staggered leads TO-220-11", "staggered leads TO-220-15", and HZIP.
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