Re: Q: AE RAM Plus card

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

In article <5kj014$jpf@mtinsc04.worldnet.att.net>,
James Biggar <jbiggar@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>I recently picked up a 2GS with an Applied Engineering Ram Plus card. It
>appears to be populated with 1 MB RAM and has 5 open banks. I need to
>know if it is worth upgrading and where I can get the chips to do so. I can
>see no jumpers or dip switches so I assume it senses how much RAM it
>has.

   Good card; I have one in my GS. To upgrade, feed it 1MBx8 chips
(made by lots of places), 120ns or better, CAS before RAS refresh. Also,
fill the banks of 8 chips in the following order:

 ______
|D  A  \
|E  B  |   <- connector end on card.
|F  C  |
     ''

   The AE GS-RAM+ is not DMA compatible past 4MB on it, and you shou;d
have the latest revision ('E', as identified on the card) if you want
to use it in a system with devices that to DMA (HD controllers
usually). A chip must be swapped if you take this between a GS ROM 01
and ROM 3 system and vice versa, but no sources appear to exist for
these chips.

>There is also a connector of some kind for a cable, what is this for? Is there
>any documentation like a FAQ for this card anywhere?

   FAQ? There were probably at least 20 GS ram card types, and a few
hundred card designs of all sorts for all Apple IIs. Documenting all
of them could take quite a long time, less if a lot more Apple IIers
helped with making FAQs and documenting everything. But I digress
and rant a lot... :)

   The connector is for the AE RamCharger system that lets you connect
multiple ram cards and battery-back part of it as a ROM disk, etc.
Not wildly popular or successful; some that have used it have reported
bad interactions between that and the metal RF shield on the lid of
the GS. 

Nathan Mates
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/      <*>
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