bcoon@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (01/27/87)
I just finished installing the 512k upgrade described in the
latest issue of Amazing Computing. So far, it seems to work great. I
have had some problems with graphic programs, but I think that's just
due to their failure to request CHIP memory. One of the nice things
about this memory addition is that I can disable it easily, so if a
particular program won't work with fast ram, I can still run it.
Although the modification isn't really THAT hard to do, I think people
who aren't very comfortable with a soldering iron should think twice
about doing it themselves. This is the biggest project I've done, and
my roommate, who has less experience than me, is still trying to get
his to work. It took me about eight hours to get mine working
correctly, so the author's description of the modification as taking an
evening of hacking was, for my roommate and I anyway, a bit optimistic.
If you have electronic assembly experience, however, I recommend
the project highly. The extra memory is really handy, and it's hard to
beat the $70 price tag. I think I actually paid more like $80, but I
had to buy a soldering iron and some clippers as well. I ordered the
ram chips from Microprocessors Unlimited in Beggs, Oklahoma, for $3.29
each. Although I didn't call any other places, that's better than any
of the prices I saw in the back of Byte magazine, including their
advertised price of $3.75.
Good luck if you decide to modify your Amiga. Oh, and don't
forget, this voids your warranty in a very big way.
-Brett