Timex had several companies to work with in 1983 when they designed the replacement for the Spectrum ULA in the Timex Sinclair 2068. We know that Timex eventually selected NCR to make the SCLD in the 2068 that replaced the ZX Spectrum’s ULA.
According to Rex Naden, VLSI Technology actively encouraged Timex to consider their SCLD product. VLSI representatives made several visits to Timex in Connecticut in 1983.
VLSI was a company that designed and manufactured semi-custom integrated circuits (ICs). Like NCR, they offered design tools and a standard cell logic device (SCLD) design process.
VLSI had worked with Apple in 1982 on a custom chip for the not-yet-announced Macintosh computer. The project delivered a functional product that did not meet expectations and Apple went with a different solution.
Obviously, gaining Timex as a client would have been a major accomplishment for VLSI: SCLDs are at the heart of the Timex Sinclair 1500 and Timex Sinclair 2068.
The images below are two engineering samples VLSI provided to Timex in 1983. The caps on the devices, usually glued in other pre-production parts, are held closed by the silver label tape. Because of that, we can see the inside of a device usually hidden from us.
