Re: Questions on Accelerators and RamWorks III

[Warren Ernst <wernst@gmail.com>]

On Nov 3, 4:16 am, Steven Hirsch <snhir...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 11/03/2010 03:42 AM, Michael J. Mahon wrote:
>
> >  From my experience, only the first run of Zip Chips were unreliable--
> > the ones in which the tops of the two *packaged* SRAM chip packages are
> > visible on the underside of the Zip Chip seem reliable.
>
> You lead a charmed life.  All of mine have the packaged SRAM chips.  All are
> flaky to one degree or another.

My problem with the Zip/Rocket chips out there is that as the years
pass, those DIP legs get more brittle and more likely to be damaged
during insertion or removal. Any of these in service now, if sold, is
going to be pulled from its socket - perhaps its home for a decade or
two - and the potential for damage is pretty high. Of course, if one
is pulled safely, YOU can install a ZIF socket in your CPU socket
first, and make inserting the accelerator a nearly risk-free endeavor.

I sure wish ZIP/Chips and Bits included ZIF sockets with all their
accelerators - think of all the damaged chips they could have
prevented over the years.

In short, if I were to buy an accelerator from some random person on
Ebay, I'd feel better about a Transwarp working correctly over a ZIP
or Rocket Chip.

-Warr