Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!cbmehq!babylon!rbabel
From: rbabel@babylon.rmt.sub.org (Ralph Babel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: SIMM Modules
Message-ID: <07977.AA07977@babylon.rmt.sub.org>
Date: 18 May 91 12:54:13 GMT
References: <1701@giaea.gi.oz> <mmm.1221@reaper.Chi.IL.US> <1098@zds-oem.UUCP> <07915.AA07915@babylon.rmt.sub.org> <1101@zds-oem.UUCP>
Reply-To: cbmvax.commodore.com!cbmehq!babylon!rbabel (Ralph Babel)
Lines: 44

In article <1101@zds-oem.UUCP>, easton@zds-oem.UUCP (Jeff
Easton) writes:

> I'd be willing to bet a accelerator card that the GVP
> SIMM's are also 72 pins.

Bzzzt - you lost! Where can I get my accelerator board?

Let's see ... Zenith? Well, I'll also take a '486. :-)

> The hard part is convincing the connector companies like
> AMP to custom tool a odd size SIMM socket for your low
> volume product.

Yup, the sockets are from AMP, and they're 64 pins.

> We've been using x36 SIMM's in our products for 2 years,
> so they have been around for a while.  Admittedly we use
> page mode parts where the GVP uses nibble mode but it
> shouldnt be that hard to find a memory supplier that a) is
> in the SIMM business and b) manufactures nibble mode
> DRAM's.

Apart from the technical details (there might be others, I'm
still investigating), there's also the problem of tech
support GVP is providing directly to end-users: you probably
wouldn't believe what people would put into their SIMM
sockets! And if their 50-MHz accelerator board didn't work
with 150ns RAMs, then - of course - they'd call tech support
and blame GVP! With their custom-made SIMMs, GVP can much
better control the quality of the RAMs that can be used with
their products, thereby relieving tech support of a lot of
unnecessary work.

I'm not defending this decision: taking away freedom of
choice is always a sure way of annoying power-users; but
hey: how many of these are really out there?

> I would be interested in seeing the pinout of the GVP
> parts if you have the info and care to type it in.

Don't have it right now, but I'll try.

Ralph