Re: Anyone with Sirius RAM IIgs - please read...HELP!

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

Blake Patterson <blake@blakespot.com> wrote:

>	I just received my 4MB Sirius RAM board from Alltech.  I noticed that,
>in rather broken English, among all the little poetic quips here and
>there printed on the red circuit board, is a statement that indicates
>something to the effect that for proper operation on a ROM 3 unit, you
>need to set the jumpers as though the board has a full 8MB on it--even
>if it does not.  This was the default configuration of the jumpers when
>I opened the box (set for 8MB even tho only 4MB is on the board).

You need to set it this way on a ROM 3 only if you are using 8MB
on the card.  If you are using 4MB on the card, it does not apply.

Alltech had the card set in the wrong configuration.

>	When I plugged it in, the ctrl panel found 8MB in the system.  I set a
>RAM disk and booted GSOS.  It did not show a RAM disk on the desktop.  I
>then booted up FTA's Space Harrier Demo requiring 1.25MB RAM, more than
>the default ROM 3 GS has (128K more).  It would not load--citing too
>little RAM.  So I went and ran the bundled BitBuster RAM test app on the
>Sirius floppy and it instantly told me bad memory.

Because the RAM tester could not find the missing memory,
it concluded the missing 4MB was bad memory.

>	SO, I looked at the sheet that came with the board that shows jumper
>settings for just about all combinations of memory that the board can
>handle, and it makes no mention of this odd ROM 3 workaround--going from
>the sheet, you'd just set a 4MB board to the proper 4MB jumper settings.
> So I did.  And booted.  And all seems fine.  The apps requirign more
>RAM work, ctrl panel sees 4MB on the card (little over 5MB total, of
>course), RAM disk shows up on the desktop, and the memory test program
>is still running--no instant death.

This is the correct setting.  My guess is that most people get
the card with 8MB.  Since you ordered a 4MB, they probably
grabbed an 8MB card and took out 4 SIMMs, forgetting to
change the jumpers in the process.  No harm done.  The
Sirius is most likely fine.

>	So--I have a ROM 3 unit that is working set in a manner contrary to
>what is written, not so eloquently, on the side of the actual pcb.  Can
>anyone comment on this??  Should I worry about this or that??  Maybe
>this used to be an issue but is not due to new ROM or something on the
>card?  
>
>	ANY comments appreciated...  Thanks!

You are doing the right thing.  The info on the card refers to
the 8MB configuration.  Strangely enough, to get 8MB on
the ROM 3, I have to treat my Sirius as though I was using
a ROM 01.  Namely, I have to put eight SIMMs in the card
and configure it to 8MB.  One might wonder why do this?
Why not put only 7 SIMMs on the card and configure it for
7MB.  Wouldn't the 1.125MB on the motherboard fill the
rest for a full 8MB?  But doing it that way generates errors.
Thus, if you want 8MB on a ROM 3, you must have 8MB
on the card and configure it that way.  This solution seems
to be the result of user feedback and Alltech, it seems,
now prints the recommendation on the card.  ;-)

Enjoy the Sirius and your IIGS.  Good luck!