Water chip

The water purification control chip is the cornerstone of the Vault-Tec Industries water purification systems installed in Vaults.

Background
The chip that controls the system is a fine example of 21st century electronics. It is a large circuit board with embedded vacuum tubes that regulates the filtration systems inside the water purifier and monitors the output for signs of contamination. While the water chip can be jury-rigged for small scale water purification, it is specifically designed to interface with Vault water computers (via a specific slot and jack; the chip still requires independent power supply through its own cord), making it useless for large scale water purification without a Vault.

While it is theoretically designed to last, the chips were manufactured by a low-bid contractor, resulting in poor quality and a high failure rate. Such was the case with Vault 13 in 2161, exacerbated by the fact that the process was too complicated for a workaround system. Perhaps that is the reason they came in boxes with five chips each.

Fortunately, the chips are interchangeable and work in any Vault water computer, they just require a self-test and reboot after connecting. 

Locations

 * Necropolis, Vault 12: Found in the command center.

Behind the scenes



 * Technically, the water chip is not a chip at all. The term is reserved for devices using integrated circuits, an invention that has never really caught on by 2077, printed on circuit boards. The water "chip" is a large processing unit built on a full metal chassis with thermionic vacuum tubes.
 * The blueprint shown in the background of the intro is actually a schematic diagram for a Moog synthesizer.
 * In Fallout 2, the Guardian of Forever special encounter allows the player to break the water chip and set the events of Fallout in motion.