#227333 - 16/07/2004 10:11
Memory boards
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old hand
Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
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Hi.
OK. Here's the deal. I have a design for a memory upgrade board for Mk2/2A boards which (although I haven't yet built a prototype) I'm pretty sure will work quite nicely. After much thought, I was unable to come up with a good way of getting it above 64MB, but that should be sufficient for most people. I had hoped for 128MB, but it turns out to be pretty much undoable.
It would be possible to add other things as well, but after talking it over with Hugo we decided there wasn't all that much point. I had considered both 100mbit ethernet and USB host, but dumped them for various reasons:
1) the data rate from the USB host controllers suitable for use in this application are dreadful, according to Hugo, and the controllers consume enormous amount of idle bus cycles, thereby slowing things down.
2) for a number of reasons that have been thoroughly explored in past discussions, 100Mbit ethernet in this application wouldn't really achieve much that 10Mbit doesn't, and complicates things quite a lot.
3) There are supply problems with some of the parts for both USB and ethernet
4) It may well not fit anyway.
So, the current plan is for a PCB which will fit to the underside of the main board, attaching to the test points. It will have 8 64Mbit DRAM chips giving a total of 64MB of ram, and will require one patch wire. On a MK2A you could omit the wire and still get 48MB. On a MK2 you will have to remove the chips currently fitted to get the full amount.
It is a completely surface mount device, and would as such not really be suitable for selling as a kit. I will therefore have to get the things made in batches as completed sub-assemblies, which will then need to be fitted by one or other of the prople floating around who are good at such things.
I am provisionally aiming at a price of about £90-100, and the advantage of doing it this way should be shorter lead times and less supply problems than the tuner kits have. So far, I have contacted a company who can do the assembly, have routed the PCB, and I'm waiting for a quote on quantities of the RAM and on manufacture of the boards.
Anyone interested?
Pca
_________________________
Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...
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#227334 - 16/07/2004 10:26
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14491
Loc: Canada
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I'll take one!
Note about 100mb/s ethernet: with more memory, the underlying assumptions have changed, and it would now be able to have a more noticeable impact on I/O due to Linux's caching (which now has more memory to play with).
Cheers!
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#227335 - 16/07/2004 10:33
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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enthusiast
Registered: 27/03/2002
Posts: 248
Loc: Swindon, UK
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Drooooool. I'll take 2 please Patrick. And someone to install them
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Andy
MK2a 60GB Amber 040103916 32mb/Light Kit
MK2a 50GB Amber 030102560 32mb
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#227336 - 16/07/2004 10:42
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
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Yep, I'll take one.
Do you still have to remove the original chips for a Mk2a? I assume yes but you only mention that it's necessary for the Mk2 in your post. If not, the original chips are redundant, right?
And there is enough room underneath the PCB right? I don't remember huge amounts of space between the board and metal case but we are talking only one surface mount chip thickness plus PCB (~3mm?)
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Christian #40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)
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#227337 - 16/07/2004 10:46
Re: Memory boards
[Re: skibum]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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I am, of course, interested. Four, please. But, a question: what does this do to people with enhanced memory via the stacking method? Does all of the memory need to be removed?
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Paul Grzelak 200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs
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#227338 - 16/07/2004 10:52
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
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I'll take two.
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-- roger
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#227339 - 16/07/2004 10:53
Re: Memory boards
[Re: Shonky]
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old hand
Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
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The board adds 4 identical banks of 16MB, and duplicates the bank0 set currently present on a MK2A. Obviously, this isn't going to work all that well. The idea is that each bank can be disabled by means of a switch on the memory board, so in the case of a MK2A you would turn off the first bank. This would still give you 64M, as the original memory would be used. As for room, there's a whole 2.5-3mm available! 0.8mm for the PCB, 1.2mm for the chips, 0.1mm for the insulator sheet on each side of the PCB, and loads of room left over pca
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Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...
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#227340 - 16/07/2004 10:55
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pgrzelak]
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old hand
Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
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Well, if you've already butchered your poor board, you could disable the appropriate banks on the expansion board to compensate. I would recommend removing the added stacked chips, but it shouldn't be absolutely necessary. You would still only have 64MB though.
pca
_________________________
Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...
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#227341 - 16/07/2004 11:01
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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Ah, my board has been hacked a few times already - digital out, illumination hack. The memory was just the most recent. Still, if it is a matter of only gaining an extra 16MB over the existing 48, it may not be practical. Still, I would like to get the boards anyway, just in case I run into trouble later on.
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Paul Grzelak 200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs
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#227342 - 16/07/2004 11:12
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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enthusiast
Registered: 16/02/2001
Posts: 373
Loc: Switzerland
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#227343 - 16/07/2004 11:19
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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member
Registered: 28/08/2003
Posts: 149
Loc: Isle of Wight, UK
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I'll take one, please Sir.
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Steve
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#227344 - 16/07/2004 11:23
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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I'm probably in for two or three at least.
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-Rob Riccardelli 80GB 16MB MK2 090000736
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#227345 - 16/07/2004 11:33
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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member
Registered: 12/08/2001
Posts: 175
Loc: Atlanta
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I'll take two of the boards.
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#227346 - 16/07/2004 11:51
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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member
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 153
Loc: Berkshire, UK
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I'll take one as well, thanks!
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Bryan.
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#227347 - 16/07/2004 11:58
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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addict
Registered: 01/03/2002
Posts: 599
Loc: Florida
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#227348 - 16/07/2004 12:11
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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old hand
Registered: 15/07/2002
Posts: 828
Loc: Texas, USA
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#227349 - 16/07/2004 12:20
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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addict
Registered: 11/11/2001
Posts: 552
Loc: Houston, TX
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Count me in for 2.
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--Ben 78GB MkIIa, Dead tuner.
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#227350 - 16/07/2004 12:31
Re: Memory boards
[Re: BAKup]
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old hand
Registered: 20/07/1999
Posts: 1102
Loc: UK
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OK, so it looks like my initial test batch of 25 is gone already! I may have to do a bigger initial set.
I have heard back from the memory supplier, and the chips are in stock and rather cheaper than I feared. So that's all right then.
Just the PCB to go now.
pca
_________________________
Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...
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#227351 - 16/07/2004 12:33
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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member
Registered: 12/08/2002
Posts: 179
Loc: Manchester, NH
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I'll take one. I will have the person that repaired my other chips (many times) do the surface mount soldering for me.
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#227352 - 16/07/2004 12:41
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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journeyman
Registered: 02/07/2004
Posts: 95
Loc: 384400 km from the Moon
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It really sounds much better than stacking and having 6->3 patch wires dangling around.
Count me in for one of those.
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#227353 - 16/07/2004 12:52
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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addict
Registered: 13/06/2000
Posts: 429
Loc: Berlin, DE
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I'm very much interested, I have an original MK2 player.
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80gig red mk2 -- 080000125 (No, I don't actually hate Alan Cox)
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#227354 - 16/07/2004 13:34
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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member
Registered: 06/06/2001
Posts: 183
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#227355 - 16/07/2004 13:35
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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journeyman
Registered: 28/02/2003
Posts: 50
Loc: Switzerland
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#227356 - 16/07/2004 13:37
Re: Memory boards
[Re: Chuck]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
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Hmm, a hundred quid for another 32MB of memory. Takes me back ten years! For that sort of price I would struggle to justify it to myself... (Says the man who's just dropped £100 on new headphones )
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Cheers,
Andy M
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#227357 - 16/07/2004 14:14
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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new poster
Registered: 21/09/2000
Posts: 40
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count me in for one as well, thank you :-)
i've got a MK2 in case you need to know that as well.
greg
Edited by gogee2000 (16/07/2004 14:15)
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#227358 - 16/07/2004 14:23
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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member
Registered: 17/12/2001
Posts: 194
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Count me in for one as well.
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Dave
MK2 12Gb MK2a 60Gb
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#227360 - 16/07/2004 14:51
Re: Memory boards
[Re: pca]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/06/1999
Posts: 2993
Loc: Wareham, Dorset, UK
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Need you ask? I'll take two, and I'm prepared to install/test them also.
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One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015
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#227361 - 16/07/2004 14:54
Re: Memory boards
[Re: genixia]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/06/1999
Posts: 2993
Loc: Wareham, Dorset, UK
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You have to know Patrick....
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One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015
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#227362 - 16/07/2004 14:58
Re: Memory boards
[Re: schofiel]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
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I guess he's protective of his babies. I wonder how he'll feel when I completely disassemble a Mk1 mainboard.
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Mk2a 60GB Blue. Serial 030102962
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