#SIMMS for 4000
16 messages in this thread
Can anyone tell me if the SIMM's used in the Amiga 4000 for RAM – are standard
SIMM's, or if they are in any way special and can only be obtained via a
Commodore/Amiga dealer?
By "standard" I mean SIMM's that are advertised in various computer oriented
magazines and publications – and are not special to the Amiga but can be used
in other computers.
Would be glad of info' on this point.
Thanks… and regards, Hilary
Look in the back of your handy A4000 manual. You'll find the specs for
the exact SIMMs you need there. They are a common part that can be
obtained from most dealers of all types of computers.
—
Dale L. Larson, Intangible Assets Manufacturing
Dale…. Regret that – at this moment there is no Amiga 4000 or any manual.
My company are "contemplating" a 4000/40 as a substitute for our old, tired,
quirky… but still running 2000 with Toaster.
With the Commodore situation, we did not want to have to rely on more special
chips than we had to. That is why I posed the question.
Glad to know they are NOT special SIMM's.
Thanks… and best regards, Hilary.
Your in luck,
The 4000 uses standard 72 pin SIMMs (SINGLE SIDED) in your
FAST RAM area. These can be obtained from a variety of
dealers and are not hard to find.
The 4000 manual does do a fair job in this reguard.
Cheers 🙂
Shawn
Silent Paw Productions
I beleive the A4000 uses 72 pin 1×32 SIMMS… same as the Macintosh.
Memory Express carries them (That's where I got mine), just be sure that
you get a 1×32 and _NOT_ the 1×36.
Chris – Fast and Low on my '020!
Virus Scan: MS-Windows Detected. Delete (y/Y)?
I thought the manual made it clear
that 1 x 32 or 1 x 36 were both OK.
What was important was that the SIMM
had to be SINGLE SIDED.
May be wrong though, manuals around
here somewhere 🙂
Shawn
Silent Paw Productions
Where is this SINGLE SIDED stuff coming from? I'm not even sure what that
means. I have SIMMs in my A4000 with RAM chips on both sides of the PCB.
—
Dale L. Larson, Intangible Assets Manufacturing
Dale, (conviently attached to your message)
The SIMM used for CHIP ram is a module with chips on both sides of the
board. For the FAST ram, the sockets are too close together to allow chips
on both sides, you won't be able to install all four SIMMs. The other
requirement is that the SIMM be no more than one inch tall, otherwise it
will block the bottom ZORRO III/video slot. Thankfully 'most' standard
1Mx32 SIMMs meet these requirements.
Dean Brown
DKB
I have a fast RAM SIMM with very low profile chips mounted on both sides
inbetween a CHIP RAM SIMM and a FAST RAM SIMM. It appears that at least
some work in at least some A4000s.
I've seen nasty huge chips on some SIMMs that clearly wouldn't work with
chips on both sides.
—
Dale L. Larson, Intangible Assets Manufacturing
Dale,
Ahh, you have a somewhat rare TSOP SIMM module. With one of those you
can use double sided SIMMs, but they are rare and usually expensive enough
to ignore them. Any SIMM using standard surface mount chips on both sides
won't fit in an A4000.
Dean Brown
DKB
What's TSOP stand for?
—
Dale L. Larson, Intangible Assets Manufacturing
Dale,
TSOP => Thin Small Outline Package
(and before you ask…8)
SOJ => Small Outline J-leaded package (standard surface mount DRAM)
PLCC => Plastic Leaded Chip Carier (package type of Agnus in an
84 pin variety)
This list could go on forever.
Dean Brown
DKB
Thanks. I'm not a hardware guy, so I knew PLCC (also package type for
680×0 and lots of other good stuff), but not SOJ or TSOP.
—
Dale L. Larson, Intangible Assets Manufacturing
Hello Dale,
Appendix A of the 4000 manual (bible) states that the FAST RAM
memory only allows SINGLE SIDED simms. as opposed to CHIP RAM
that allows either single or double sided simms.:)
Both exist commerically but you have to ask. The Warp Engine
however doesn't care one way or another. But at least the 4000
uses STANDARD simms instead of ZIPS.
Oh, also on the first page of Appendix A down on the bottom of
the page it states (in tiny print) that 36 bits wide SIMMS are
OK to use. That means that anyone can pop down to their local
Sears and buy SIMMs for their 4000 there.:)
Cheers 🙂
Shawn
Silent Paw Productions
Damn. I'll have to read more carefully the next time one of those
documentation guys asks me to proof a manual… 🙂
—
Dale L. Larson, Intangible Assets Manufacturing
"Both exist commerically but you have to ask. The Warp Engine
however doesn't care one way or another. But at least the 4000
uses STANDARD simms instead of ZIPS."
Even though the warp engine can accept double sided SIMM's, it
is not recommended (Page 20 of the Warp manual). They are power
hungry, heat generating beasts <g>. When I go shopping for 16MB
SIMM's, I will insist on Single-sided.
// John (Speeding on the Information Superhighway)
\X/ Mercury@ins.infonet.net