Yeah, bbraun is doing some really amazing software hacking!
OK -- I'm pretty happy with the 8 MB SIMM now. It works and it's easy to build! No copper braid needed anymore. I got a "hoof" tip for my soldering iron:
This thing makes soldering fine pitch ICs a breeze. The hardest part of the whole process is lining the chip's pins up with the PCB pads. Once it's lined up perfectly, simply tack it in place with solder on two corner pins, apply a generous amount of flux to all of the pins, put just enough solder onto the hoof to cover its surface, and drag along the pins. No shorts or anything...amazing. I don't know exactly how it works, but I think it's because the tip has a ton of surface area so the solder would rather stay on the tip than bridge across the pins.
They also make convex hoof tips that supposedly work even better--probably by increasing the surface area even more. I have one on the way. Apparently they are somewhat more difficult to find in the US because of a patent.
Anyway, if anyone is interested in a revision 1, 8 MB green ROM SIMM, let me know. I know some people will probably want to hold out for the final version with a different color and that's fine. I don't really plan on changing anything except the color though. I also need to fix the Jolly Roger graphic because I forgot part of it had been clipped out for the SIMM programmer's version of it.
The 8 MB SIMM's price will be $30.
BTW, I've been messing with DDR2 memory timings on a project at work this past week. I don't ever want to make a circuit board that does anything with high speed signals...ever. I also don't ever want to write any software that sets up a memory controller