SE/30: Bank A or Bank B for only 4 SIMMs?

[JDW]

Gentlemen, my aging brain needs a refresher on SE/30 RAM banks. I have four 16MB SIMMS and I know I need to use all 4 of them at a time in an SE/30, but do I put them all in Bank A or Bank B?

Thank you.

P.S. I tried searching this forum for "SE/30 RAM banks" knowing this topic has surely been discussed in the past, but the forum search feature gave me zero results.  So either that data is missing, or I need to be instructed on the technical intricacies of how searching this forum works.  

 

[joethezombie]

EDIT:  Now I see I have misread your post, and have 4 16MB SIMMs, not 16MB total.  Sorry...




[SIZE=10pt]DRAM Configurations[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Total Memory[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Bank A[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Bank B[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]1 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 256K[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Empty[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]2 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 256K[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 256K[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]4 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 1 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Empty[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]5 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 1 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 256K[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]8 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 1 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 1 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]16 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 4 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Empty[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]17 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 256K[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 4 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]20 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 4 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 1 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]32 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 4 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Four 4 MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]You must fill each bank of four slots with similar sized SIMMs.[/SIZE]



[SIZE=10pt]Memory Information[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]DRAM Speed[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]120 ns[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]SIMM Type[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]30-pin[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Soldered DRAM[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]None[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Number of SIMM Slots[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]8[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Supported Sizes in MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]256K, 1, 4[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Maximum DRAM[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]32 MB[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Virtual Memory[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]1 GB (with MODE32 7.5 installed)[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Soldered VRAM[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]None[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]Number of VRAM Slots[/SIZE]




[SIZE=10pt]None[/SIZE]

 

[JDW]

Thank you for the chart.  I have four 16MB SIMMs, which means:

16 x 4 = 64MB total

Based on what I see in your chart though, it would seem best to put four 16MB SIMMs in BANK A.

Even so, what is the source of your charts?  If the 2 charts came as a group, they obviously do not describe the SE/30 accurately because the SE/30 is well know to accept up to 128MB RAM (8 16MB SIMMs), not 32MB.  And of course, to take advantage of all 128MB, one must use either the MODE32 system extension or swap out the stock SE/30 ROM for a IIsi or IIfx ROM. (I've heard IIci ROM also works, but I've not tested one of those.)

 

[joethezombie]

That chart is from Apple documentation, I’ll have to link later (currently on mobile), so before 16MB SIMMs existed.

From what I remember, with 16MB SIMMs, I couldn’t get my se/30 to work until placing the 16MB sticks in bank A, but then I also had to put something in bank B.  I used the original 1MB sticks.   It’s been so long I can’t recall if I got death chimes or simasimac without filling something in bank B.

I’ll ll have to experiment again.

 

[JDW]

Thank you!  Bank A it is!

 

[bibilit]

From what I remember, with 16MB SIMMs, I couldn’t get my se/30 to work until placing the 16MB sticks in bank A, but then I also had to put something in bank B.  I used the original 1MB sticks.   It’s been so long I can’t recall if I got death chimes or simasimac without filling something in bank B.

Yes, i agree, won't work without something on Bank B

 

[JDW]

Well, if true, that is more evidence that chart is wrong.  But can it be wrong if he pulled it from Apple?  

That chart clearly says that you can put four 256k SIMMS into Bank A and leave Bank B open and get 1MB. Ditto for 4MB and 16MB, leaving Bank B empty.

 

[bibilit]

Well, 16 Mb modules were not available when the chart was supplied, and some modules won't work anyway (2 Mb modules won't work in the SE/30)

 

[JDW]

Understood, but how do you know that using 16MB SIMMs requires filling of both banks when using smaller SIMMs in some configurations allows filling of only Bank A?

 

[bibilit]

I tried not so long ago and didn't worked (simasimac) there is somewhere a chart with all configurations up to 128 Mb

 

[JDW]

Thanks.  If you can find that chart, please post the link here.