nv89-rbi@nada.kth.se (Ron Birk) (03/16/90)
Having BIG problems with a friends 500. We tried to expand it to 1 Mb internal. We noticed the four epmty places for DRAM and put 4 new. Then we changed two jumpers, and: The amiga won't start!!! Both with and without the DRAMS. I suppose maybe we did't changed the jumpers corrcetly, so my question is: HOW DO I UPGRDAE MY FRIENDS 500 TO 1 MB INTERNAL EXACTLY ??? Ron Birk, nv89-rbi@nada.kth.se (Email) Please someone who knowes, send me a mail or answer this question...
usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner) (03/19/90)
If you are upgradind or thinking of upgrading the new Amiga 500 Revision
6A motherboard (with the spaces on the board for 1 Meg) these things you
should know:
* 1 - You CANT use sockets
There is no room below the Amiga 500 keyboard - I know - I put in
sockets before realizing it. Swell. IT MUST BE A SOLDERED RIGHT ON THE
BOARD. (Bad form for home hackers. Be careful!)
* 2 - Only change jumper 7A
Jumper 7 consist on not one, but TWO jumpers. You DONT change jumper
7, you change Jumper 7A (by the memory expansion connector.) Dont touch
7B.
* 3 - Be REAL bloody careful
These microtrace motherboards are delicate as hell. I had traces
cook off, and I am a relatively experienced solder-slinger. (They got
cooked in the 4 hour process of trying jumper combinations.) Do the
job once:
Solder in the 4 memory chips. Use little solder. Never "glob."
Cut jumper 7A. Make sure it's cut.
Cut a small piece of wire and put it on the OTHER side of 7A.
Don't just solder-bridge it! (Bad form again.)
-----------
I was VERY suprised to find that no one at Commodore answered my message
for help or how-to. Thanks guys - that makes me feel _real_ good about
reccomending Amigas to my 2000 users who trust MY word.
I WILL write up an official 'how-to' on these memory upgrades. I have
not because A.) I couldn't check whether the meg I installed is chip-ram
or half-and-half (512K chip, 512K fast.) and B.) I have not tested this
upgrade with existing Amiga 500 shuttle bay memory cards.
Until I have the complete story, no how-to. But this is enough info for
those who are cutting into machines now (especially that one cry for
help on the net.)
Anyone who wants to discuss it can contact me via email or my boards.
Terry Conklin "He asked me questions
conklin@egr.msu.edu That kind of fool deserves a lie
uunet!frith!conklin I gave him answers
The Club (517) 372-3131 The kind of answers Doctors like
The Club II (313) 334-8877 Yes, I gave him a bunch of lies"
The Club III (714) ???-???? soon, it looks - King Diamond, Conspiracyjss@cbmvax.commodore.com (John Schilling - Product Assurance) (03/20/90)
We do not reccomend, suggest, or express that the holes on the board of a rev. 6.x A500 mother are useable for ram expansion. It is our policy that the A500 can be upgraded to a maximum of 1Mb internal ONLY through the use of an CBM A501 memory/clock module.
bsyme@cs.strath.ac.uk (Brian J Syme IE88) (03/20/90)
In article <10248@cbmvax.commodore.com> jss@cbmvax (John Schilling - Product Assurance) writes: >We do not reccomend, suggest, or express that the holes on the board of ^^^^^^^ >a rev. 6.x A500 mother are useable for ram expansion. I'd say putting them there was a fairly heavy hint. >It is our policy that the A500 can be upgraded to a maximum of 1Mb >internal ONLY through the use of an CBM A501 memory/clock module. Hmmm... tell me, it couldn't be that you make _money_ out of this? No? -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <> Brian Syme <> Why make things difficult, when with just a <> <> bsyme@cs.strath.ac.uk <> little more effort you could make them <> <> <> impossible. <> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
waggoner@dtg.nsc.com (Mark Waggoner) (03/23/90)
In article <2705@baird.cs.strath.ac.uk> bsyme@cs.strath.ac.uk writes: >In article <10248@cbmvax.commodore.com> jss@cbmvax (John Schilling - Product Assurance) writes: >>We do not reccomend, suggest, or express that the holes on the board of > ^^^^^^^ >>a rev. 6.x A500 mother are useable for ram expansion. > >I'd say putting them there was a fairly heavy hint. > >>It is our policy that the A500 can be upgraded to a maximum of 1Mb >>internal ONLY through the use of an CBM A501 memory/clock module. > >Hmmm... tell me, it couldn't be that you make _money_ out of this? No? There are MANY reasons Commodore why could recommend against using those mysterious holes. Putting them there is a heavy hint ONLY if you open up the case, voiding the warranty, and if you have sufficient technical knowlege to know what to put there and how. In addition to money, consider the following reasons: 1. The board does not work reliably with memory installed on the motherboard, or has not yet been proven to work reliably. 2. The service centers do not have the information necessary to diagnose and repair problems with the additional memory. 3. They don't have the resources to support people such as yourself that are interested in hacking the hardware. And, finally, do you find something wrong with Commodore wanting to make money? That is what they are in business for, isn't it? They do need to make money so that they can develop new products and maybe even improve their marketing efforts that many people in this newsgroup are so quick to criticize. -- Mark Waggoner Santa Clara, CA (408) 721-6306 waggoner@dtg.nsc.com Unofficially representing National Semiconductor Local Area Networks Group Officially misrepresenting myself.
bsyme@cs.strath.ac.uk (Brian J Syme IE88) (03/23/90)
In article <396@icebox.nsc.com> waggoner@icebox.UUCP (Mark Waggoner) writes: > > [stuff which is mostly true deleted] > >In addition to money, consider the following reasons: > 1. The board does not work reliably with memory installed on the > motherboard, or has not yet been proven to work reliably. No, sorry, I can't buy that. Why would CBM go to the hassle of having production boards made up if they don't work? As you say later, they are in business to make money, not waste it. > 2. The service centers do not have the information necessary to > diagnose and repair problems with the additional memory. Probably not. In the UK, the nearest things to 'service centres' you will commonly find are tacky little side-street shops, with ex-TV repair men swapping boards, so it's not really an issue here. (CBM please do something about the standards of your dealers over here - most of them are useless.) > 3. They don't have the resources to support people such as yourself > that are interested in hacking the hardware. I know. Not formally - but there's nothing wrong with the odd informal hint. > >And, finally, do you find something wrong with Commodore wanting to >make money? That is what they are in business for, isn't it? They do >need to make money so that they can develop new products and maybe even >improve their marketing efforts that many people in this newsgroup are so >quick to criticize. > I have nothing against CBM's wish to make money - I wish them every success. My objection to the original posting was related to the tone it took, and the fact that it was generated by what sounds like a Marketdroid (Product Assurance was it?) ... if people want to crack open the hardware they have forked out their hard-earned cash for, it's their privelige. If they make a cock-up of it - it's their problem. But whats wrong with asking for the odd bit of advice - we certainly don't need someone to Preach The Company Line at us.. CBM? Marketing? When was that - I must have missed it... Or do you mean the anti-potential-buyer propaganda campaigns they mount occasionally. Disgruntled. -- <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <> Brian Syme <> Why make things difficult, when with just a <> <> bsyme@cs.strath.ac.uk <> little more effort you could make them <> <> <> impossible. <> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
JKT100@psuvm.psu.edu (JKT) (03/24/90)
In article <6986@cps3xx.UUCP>, usenet@cps3xx.UUCP (Usenet file owner) says: > >I was VERY suprised to find that no one at Commodore answered my message >for help or how-to. Thanks guys - that makes me feel _real_ good about >reccomending Amigas to my 2000 users who trust MY word. Come on now... Commodore simply can't be responsible if you slip up and destroy your motherboard. If they tried to give you info on how to do this, they'd be at least partially (if not totally) legally responsible if you electrocuted yourself, or at the very least totalled your Amiga. The legal ramifications easily explain what's going on. Japan has almost no lawyers. Is it any wonder they are beating our pants off these days? Kurt -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- || Kurt Tappe (814) 862-8630 || "This town needs an enema." || || 600 E. Pollock Rd., #5705 || - Joker, "Batman" || || State College, PA 16801 --------------------------------------|| || jkt100@psuvm.bitnet or jkt100@psuvm.psu.edu || || or jkt100%psuvm.bitnet@psuvax1 QLink: KurtTappe || ----------------------------------------------------------------------