#Memory HELP!-THANKS
8 messages in this thread
Hey Dean, good news! I changed chip U54 (now deceased 😉 and it works
perfectly, you were right on the money. I hope this ends my memory woes!
Wanted to tell you something though, I spoke to a friend who happens to
have a 1000 with an Insider in it. He said "you know, I've had that board in
the 1000 for about 2 years and I FORGET that it's in there sometimes!" Now
isn't that your idea of a perfect memory board, one that you never see, hear,
smell or touch. And one that you forget you even have!
Just wanted to let you know how it turned out, thanks again. -Jay
Jay,
Glad to help. (also glad I pointed you to the right chip) <whew>
I've heard the same comment many times about the Insider. I'm happy that
the board is as solid as it is, since I use it all the time in my own A1000.
(and forget about it as well)
-Dean
Jay,
I used to own Insider serial numbe 1, and I felt the same way about it.
matter of fact, I have heard that same comment from virtually every Insider
owner.
-larry
Larry, pats on the back aside, why is it that the Insider REMAINS the number
one choice for 1000 owners. Of course we all (Amiga Forum Members) know the
reputation Dean has as being one of the top (sorry Dean, THE top 😉 designer of
memory systems, but even those who have never been 'here' know that the Insider
is ROCK SOLID. Must be word of mouth because EVERY 1000 owner I've ever known
or spoke to knows this. I have become aware of the problems facing 500 owners
who need to expand their system, the problem is very frustrating because now
you have things hanging off the side, underneath, inside, outside and all
around! Now something goes wrong, not something definitive, but something a
little flaky that you notice. Well, which thing is it? GOOD LUCK trying to
track it down, you may NEVER find the cause and you may end up giving up. I
have reached that point, unfortunately, and I will be selling or trading in my
500 for a 2000 (YEA!)
-Jay
Jay,
Thanks, I can always use a good plug! ;^) Now if I can only find someone
to deflate this somewhat swelled head….. <grin>
-Dean
Jay,
Well, the solidity of the Insider is enough, in and of itself, to warrant
high praise. Other memory boards were solid too, but there is more to it. Many
boards were SOTS (Slap On The Side0 types, and would not work with other
expansions, or would be a little flaky. While the Insider had the same problem,
it was to a smaller degree. Insider, as far as I know, was the only expansion
to work with the Sidecar.
Support is another issue. Any time I heard about someone having a problem, I
had no hesitaion in telling them to call Michigan Software. They invariably
provided top-notch, friendly support, and in fact often went well out of their
way to make sure the customer was satisfied. Support from many other expansion
makers was haphazard or nonexistent, and in at least one case, nothing but
pseudo-technical mumbo-jumbo mouthed by a salesman.
It was also, at the time it came out, well below the competition in price.
Combine all this, and I don't think there's any doubt that it is one of the
best expansion deals in the A1000 market. The only real problem now is the
shortage of DRAMs.
-larry
Larry, I believe you are correct, in that the solidity of the product is not
the sole means by which it should be judged. Technical support can sometimes
alleviate many many problems that the novice would face, but, also the attitude
of the company in dealing with their customers can sometimes make or break a
product, as we have seen before.
My fear in using SOTS type expansion is not the total incompatability of
the boards but rather, as you said, it working "a little flaky". That is more
frustrating than out and out not working at all because, as I said, you may
NEVER find the cause or the cure. Having been through this first hand I can
tell you it's no fun, sort of diminishes your 'trust' in the machine because
you never know how, when, or why this thing is flaky. Sounds funny to use the
word trust, but I think you know what I mean.
-Jay
Jay,
Yes, it's an amazing thing, this radical idea of producing a good product and
then supporting it with knowledge and courtesy. I don't know what the world is
coming to, when companies that do it right can actually survive. 🙂
Agreed about the general flakiness. It's far worse than not knowing what the
problem is.
-larry