[comp.sys.amiga] Amiga 1000, and Micron Technologies single slot chassis

CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET (Jonathan Crone) (12/25/87)

I just got my micron technologies single slot chassis in the mail today
and attempted to hook it up and install a Commodore 2052 2 meg ram board
in the unit.
if the chassis is sitting empty the machine boots with no problems.
as soon as i install the memory board into the chassis, the computer
runs through the kickstart initialize sequence, and then does the
color cycling routine prior to requesting the workbench diskette.
and chokes after cycling past the dark grey, and locks up on light gray
and refuses to do anything.

This was supposed to be my Christmas present to myself because i can count
on no one else getting me anything interesting, and now i'm sitting here
staring  at a working empty chassis VS a bombed full chassis.

I was planning on digging out the multimeter  and checking all the voltage
levels next.... then i would go after the pals....

can ANYONE tell me what the hell might be wrong?????

ESPECIALLY COMMODORE.......



Jonathan Crone
CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET

If the gods are willing... this is a path that works to me.

psuvax1!husc6!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!UREGINA1.BITNET!CRONEJP



Pithy Saying 23.

Life sucks.....
and it sucks worse at Christmas time

eric@hector.UUCP (Eric Lavitsky) (12/27/87)

In article <8712250110.AA26008@jade.berkeley.edu> CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET.UUCP writes:
>I just got my micron technologies single slot chassis in the mail today
>and attempted to hook it up and install a Commodore 2052 2 meg ram board
>in the unit.

Don't understand why you did this - the Micron memory board is way superior
to the Commodore design (no offense guys :-), because of the following:

	1) 4 layer PC board (CBM is two layer) - means less noise
		on the bus. *I'll* guarantee you that 4 Micron boards
		will work in a B2000 (won't speak for ther Germans!)
	2) Socketed RAM array (CBM is soldered) - means bad chips
		are easily replaced.
	3) Full diagnostics (CBM comes w/none) - means that you can
		determine which chips if any are bad.
	4) Long warranty (two years I think)

>if the chassis is sitting empty the machine boots with no problems.
>as soon as i install the memory board into the chassis, the computer
>runs through the kickstart initialize sequence, and then does the
>color cycling routine prior to requesting the workbench diskette.
>and chokes after cycling past the dark grey, and locks up on light gray
>and refuses to do anything.

	5) The Micron board (ASDG's design) is a superset of the
		Zorro board specification. It provides full Zorro
		bus buffering and arbitration on the board. Because
		of this, the Micron/ASDG memory board will work in
		just about any Zorro or Zorro subset box around.
		The ASDG MiniRack-C was a Zorro subset box; the Micron
		single slot adapater is a Zorro subset. The CBM board
		expects to be plugged into a *full* Zorro backplane.

>This was supposed to be my Christmas present to myself because i can count
>on no one else getting me anything interesting, and now i'm sitting here
>staring  at a working empty chassis VS a bombed full chassis.

Sorry to hear it, but there's not much you can do. If you can return the
CBM board and get a Micron board (I hear Able has it for under $350.00),
I'd recommend doing that.

>Jonathan Crone
>CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET
>

Eric Lavitsky

#disclaimer - I work for ASDG and so my ideas and opinions should be
taken with a very small grain of salt - 'course my opinions are my
own, and I do try to be as unbiased as possible.

ARPA:	eric@topaz.rutgers.edu			 "Lithium is no longer available
UUCP:	...{wherever!}ulysses!eric		  on credit..."
	...{wherever!}rutgers!topaz!eric		- from Buckaroo Banzai
SNAIL:	34 Maplehurst Ln, Piscataway, NJ 08854

perry@well.UUCP (Perry S. Kivolowitz) (12/27/87)

In article <8712250110.AA26008@jade.berkeley.edu> CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET (Jonathan Crone) writes:
>I just got my micron technologies single slot chassis in the mail today
>and attempted to hook it up and install a Commodore 2052 2 meg ram board
>in the unit.
>if the chassis is sitting empty the machine boots with no problems.
>as soon as i install the memory board into the chassis, the computer
>runs through the kickstart initialize sequence, and then does the
>color cycling routine prior to requesting the workbench diskette.
>and chokes after cycling past the dark grey, and locks up on light gray
>and refuses to do anything.
>
>This was supposed to be my Christmas present to myself because i can count
>on no one else getting me anything interesting, and now i'm sitting here
>staring  at a working empty chassis VS a bombed full chassis.
>
>I was planning on digging out the multimeter  and checking all the voltage
>levels next.... then i would go after the pals....
>
>can ANYONE tell me what the hell might be wrong?????
>
>ESPECIALLY COMMODORE.......
>
>
>
>Jonathan Crone

Congratulations. To save  a  few  dollars (maybe)   you've wasted  quite
a few. The CBM memory board will only work  in a full Zorro environment.
The 86 pin connecter off the Amiga is NOT a full Zorro environment. ASDG
(who designed the Micron two meg memory  board) designs their boards  to
work in full Zorro OR an 86 pin environment. 

You bought the wrong board.

Besides the CBM memory board consumes about three  amps for two megs,  I
am told. The A1000 will only deliver 1 amp off the side. The ASDG/Micron
boards consume 1 amp. The ASDG EIGHT megabyte board doesn't even consume 
three amps. Which leads to the following comparison:

4 CBM 2052's at 3 amps yields 8 megabytes in four slots at 12 amps.
4 ASDG/Micron 2 meg boards at 1 amp yields 8 megabytes in four slots at 4
  amps.
1 ASDG 8MI at 2 amps yields 8 megabytes in 1 slot at 2 amps.

The Micron boards costs less, comes with more support, has a warranty 8
times longer than CBM's, consumes 1/3 as much power (and produces 1/3 as
much heat), has socketted ram array for easy servicing, and is generally
a better board. 

The ASDG 8MI is a better choice for those going past 2 meg though. Those
slots disappear soon enough even without 4 two megabyte boards. The 8MI can
be populated at 2, 4, 6, and 8 meg.

Hope this helps

Perry --- ASDG Inc.

grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) (12/28/87)

In article <8712250110.AA26008@jade.berkeley.edu> CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET (Jonathan Crone) writes:
> I just got my micron technologies single slot chassis in the mail today
> and attempted to hook it up and install a Commodore 2052 2 meg ram board
> in the unit.
> 
> can ANYONE tell me what the hell might be wrong?????
> 
> ESPECIALLY COMMODORE.......

Howabout Especially Micron and/or ASDG?

I've never seen the Micron expansion device, but interpretations of the
messages posted here by ASDG suggest that it may only be designed to work
with the Micron/ASDG memory boards, rather than being a true "Zorro"
compatible expansion chassies.  Obviously, we don't have much to say.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {uunet|ihnp4|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)

dml@loral.UUCP (Dave Lewis) (12/28/87)

In article <4861@well.UUCP> perry@well.UUCP (Perry S. Kivolowitz) writes:

>The ASDG 8MI is a better choice for those going past 2 meg though. Those
>slots disappear soon enough even without 4 two megabyte boards. The 8MI can
>be populated at 2, 4, 6, and 8 meg.

  Yabbut it's EXPENSIVE!! Damn thing costs 500 bucks dead empty! I can get
a fully populated 2meg board for less than that! I want one, I'm gonna buy
one, but at these prices it won't be soon. Has to wait until after the 2001
anyway. (That should be 2002. A 2000, plus two Zorro-1 slots.)

cthulhu@athena.mit.edu (Jim Reich) (01/06/88)

In article <8712250110.AA26008@jade.berkeley.edu> CRONEJP@UREGINA1.BITNET (Jonathan Crone) writes:
>I just got my micron technologies single slot chassis in the mail today
Does that accept A2000 boards on the 1000?  Perhaps the 2090 or the Pacific
Periphs Overdrive??!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?
							- Jim

king@dciem.UUCP (Stephen King) (01/12/88)

In article <3315@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com> eric@hector (Eric Lavitsky) writes:
>Don't understand why you did this - the Micron memory board is way superior
	- This is obviously a matter of opinion :-)
>to the Commodore design (no offense guys :-), because of the following:
>	1) 4 layer PC board (CBM is two layer) - means less noise
	- Also means MUCH higher cost.
>	2) Socketed RAM array (CBM is soldered) - means bad chips
>		are easily replaced.
	- RAM chips rarely go bad, unless they are very poor quality,
	at least, this has been my experience, and the experience of most
	IBM-PC users who have never had RAM parity errors, despite the
	built-in ability to identify them.
	- Are they machine contact sockets? If not, I'd rather have the
	chips soldered in. Bad chips can be easily removed by cutting
	the leads off them and then desoldering each lead individually.
	Poor quality sockets are more trouble than they are worth.

I am not implying that the Micron board is not a good product, just that
the things you point out as advantages are not always so.       ...sjk
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