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From: knudsen@cbnewsd.att.com (michael.j.knudsen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m6809
Subject: Re: COCO 128->512K
Summary: Upside down is OK
Keywords: Different kits?  Mailorder?
Message-ID: <1991Mar6.223626.19463@cbnewsd.att.com>
Date: 6 Mar 91 22:36:26 GMT
References: <1991Mar2.063830.7791@cbnewse.att.com> <1030@uncw.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 33

In article <1030@uncw.UUCP>, session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) writes:
> I would personally NOT recommend the Tandy 512K upgradde for
> two reasons. 1) It is overpriced.

Well it *was*, at $150.  But supposedly RatShack is unloading all Coco
wares at half price.  Or less.  If you could find one at a local
Shack for $75 and they sell it to you with hassle about
"installation required" then that's not a bad deal.

> 2) The chips are mounted on the
> bottom of the board rather than the top, which can lead to
> overheating problems, especially if you upgrade to 1Meg.

Depends on the chips.  I still think the finest 512K is the Hemphill,
with its "ZIP chips" mounted on edge under the board.  It runs very
cool, maybe cuz the chips are CMOS.  Or maybe that those chips were
properly attuned to the Coco3's oddball RAS/CAS timing that was
blamed for overheating most other chips, including Tandy's.
Zack is right that the Tandy chips get pretty warm.
I put a Tandy upgrade in my wife's Coco3,
but with non-Tandy chips, no fan, and have had no trouble.

I put Disto 1 Meg over my Hemphill 512K, and sure I had to build in
a fan, but that was the Disto's fault.  1 Meg turns your Coco into
a Commie-64, heatwise -- either add a fan or leave the case top off.

Admittedly I'd kept a little fan on top of my Coco3 before the 1 Meg,
but I also had a Puppo Eagle PC keyboard adapter in there that was
adding heat and heating up the power supply too.
-- 
"What America needs is A Thousand Points When Lit..."

	knudsen@iceland.att.com