AWS PDS card cache chips

[beachycove]

This tidbit from from a post on one of the old LEM lists (Compact Macs) is news to me and rather good news at that:

Note that I've never actually *held* one of these, but I've read this in several unrelated places.>

Yep. I saw the 512Kb upgrades on sale once on eBay, and that confirmed

all the above. :-(

Stuart

The Stuart in question is Stuart Bell of Compact Mac/hack fame.

Now, I have an ASW PDS card that I'd like to upgrade. How hard would it be to find these "DIP cache chips", do you suppose? What is the "DIP" that I'd be looking for? Dual Inline Processor?

Better still, anyone have any of these chips to spare? I have no old or new Intel machines in the house (yet) to scavenge around in.

 

[Unknown_K]

Are you talking about the board itself or the cache SIMM slots? There are no DIP sockets on the card, everything is surface mount. Never seen any pentium era machine with the special cache SIMMs like the PDS card uses either.

 

[porter]

What is the "DIP" that I'd be looking for?

No.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_inline_package

I like the picture of a metric tape for items with imperial pitching.

 

[beachycove]

I have the Pisces card; specifically, it's the 256k cache sram simm upgrade that I want, but they are impossible to find if specified for an AWS95 PDS card. If they can be found on first revision Pentiums, on the other hand, then maybe they'd be a dime a dozen - but then, I wouldn't know a Pentium or what was in/ on one if it bit me in the as#. Its Motorola for me all the way, baby!

 

[porter]

Never seen any pentium era machine with the special cache SIMMs like the PDS card uses either.

I've seen Pentiums with rows of DIP mounted ICs as a cache.

 

[Unknown_K]

DIPs fit in sockets or are soldered to the board with thru-holes. Like I said the board is all surface mounted technology, nothing on a pentium board will fit. And the add on cache was on special SIMMs on the aws board, lacking on any pentium I ever seen.

 

[beachycove]

They did exist, and were indeed used in Intel architectures at the time of the AWS95 (1993).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cache_on_a_stick , with the usual further links. It is, however, a hard trail to follow, being so long ago, and it might well be almost as easy to source AWS95 sram as it would be to find these.

 

[equill]

After some years of (admittedly desultory) research I believe that you can believe that SRAM of that epoch is scarce everywhere but in selected landfills, and made-up SIMMs for the Apple card even scarcer. The chance of finding one is on a par with being visited by the Original Burning Bush. It could happen, but ...

de

 

[Unknown_K]

They did exist, and were indeed used in Intel architectures at the time of the AWS95 (1993).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cache_on_a_stick , with the usual further links. It is, however, a hard trail to follow, being so long ago, and it might well be almost as easy to source AWS95 sram as it would be to find these.

Are you dense or something? Those coast modules are not even close to the physical size needed for the PDS card in question, might as well get some 72 pin SIMMs and a hacksaw and hammer!

 

[beachycove]

Hey, I'm just a-standing with the Rev. Stuart Bell, who saw the Burning Bush with his own eyes on eBay....

A couple of posts ago, I was informed that there were no simm-like cache chips used on Intel processors. There were. Were they the same as the ASW95 pds card? Haven't a clue - that's why I am asking. Not made in several sizes, perchance?

Having said this, I expect that equill is, as ever, about right on this subject.

 

[equill]

For no good purpose other than a mild skite I report that, owing to the courtesy of our own paws, I recently became the owner of two more Pisces cards in virtually if not actually pristine condition. One of them (draws in breath) had a TAG UPGRADE card in J3 as well as a 128 KB UPGRADE in J5, leaving room for a 256 KB UPGRADE in J6. One more faltering step for mankind ... How's your research going, beachycove?

A propos, in a sorta kinda way, there is a Q950 with a WGS card on offer here at the moment. I emailed the seller in the hope of a pic. of the card, in addition to the provided fine set of pics of the rest of the Mac, but, so far, with no result.

de

 

[Unknown_K]

I recall ages ago somebody wanted to stuff that card into a Q800. Do you have a Q950 to run it in? The default is 256K cache I think.

 

[beachycove]

I had forgotten all that....

(He scratches head and responds): I haven't gotten any further, alas, possibly as I was put off the scent. I do have a Pisces card like yours, mind you, only lacking that final 256k upgrade chip. I'll have to start looking again. If I get any further, I'll let you know.

It's a bit like philately when you get down to rootling about for something like this, isn't it?

 

[equill]

... The default is 256K cache I think.

I believe that it is only half of that, because the ceiling is 512kB. That's the story in several places such as here.

de

 

[equill]

I had forgotten all that ... It's a bit like philately when you get down to rootling about for something like this, isn't it?

With the saving(?) that this is a little more tangible than (real) colour variation, or die flaws such as ROSTAGE instead of POSTAGE. Mind you, the price of the latter leaves a king's ransom in the shade.

de

 

[Unknown_K]

... The default is 256K cache I think.

I believe that it is only half of that, because the ceiling is 512kB. That's the story in several places such as here.

de

Ok, figured it wasn't 512K for sure. I have one at 512K and one at half that (2 out of 3 sockets full).