Re: New info needed for A2 FAQ

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

In article <5ctb8g$fks@uni.library.ucla.edu>,  <pubpc1@library.ucla.edu> wrote:
>While thumbing through the hundreds of kilobytes of Nate's FAQ,
>I was impressed with the attention to detail.  However, I caught
>an error that's probably due to dated information.  

   And I believe your correction is in error due to looking at an
outdated version of the FAQ. I do revise it constantly, so if you've
got a problem, I encourage you to check the current version to see if
I've already fixed it.

>Specifically, the section on memory for the GS, where the FAQ
>says that you won't be able to find new GS memory boards that
>use SIMMs.

   Quoting from section 4.8 of the FAQ, version 5.1.8, dated Jan 25
1997:

--- Begin quoting

The GS, due to its processor design, can directly address up to 16MB
of memory (about 2MB is reserved in the GS's design for ROM), though
RAM cards only go up to 8MB in a ROM 01 and 7MB in a ROM 3. [The 1MB
on the ROM 3's motherboard reduces the RAM card's range] Sequential
Systems and Alltech Electronics still sell 2-8MB RAM boards for the
GS; there were also lots of other manufacturers. Alltech's Sirius
board takes 1MB 30-pin SIMMs, so if you have a cheap source of them,
you may find it cheaper to buy an empty board and populate it
yourself.

Going to 7 or 8 MB of RAM on a GS is not always recommended. A number
of devices, especially Apple's Hi-speed SCSI board, cannot handle DMA
(Direct Memory Access, used to speed Hard Drive cards and
accelerators) past the first 4MB of RAM, so you may take a performance
hit, or the board may not work at all. The RamFAST SCSI board appears
to be better about supporting past 4MB RAM, but there are still
reports of problems.

--- End quoting

   This is the only section mentioning SIMMs in the FAQ. I note
that there may be problems with *both* HD controllers, as evidenced
by followups to your original post. 

   Sorry, don't have the FAQ in RCS/SCCS/etc to provide versioning
info to say precisely when I tweaked the paragraphs quoted above.

Nathan Mates
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/      <*>
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# think-- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places?  -R.A. Heinlein