WTB: 2 x 64Mb / 72pin SIMM memory cards (see thread for details)

[Parris]

I realise this is probably considered standard PC in origin, but it's actually for a PS2 Tool. The PCI (video / network) card requires 2 sticks of 64Mb and mine have been removed (just discovered the reason it is failing to initialise on boot sequence, it has no memory - hence alarm at start up!)

So, I've been hunting this stuff down and cannot buy any locally. Anyone got any spare sticks?

Many thanks!

P.S. Must be 2 x 64Mb, not 4 x 32 or 1 x 128. The PCI card is designed to accept 2 cards of exact spec.

Many thanks!

[Tachikoma]

I will ask my brother in law, I gave him a carrier bag full of old RAM ages ago.

[Parris]

Hey that would be absolutely fantastic if you could. It's the DRAM type (with a little notch in the middle) and not the more modern SDRAM type which has a middle notch and a second notch 1/4 of the way up).

It would be much appreciated! ;-)

[Micjohvan]

I should have about 10 sticks of 64 meg ram. Single notch PC100/133???

If your looking for EDO ram then get ready to pay alot though, that stuff is rare and expensive for larger sticks such as 64meg. However if its 100/133 64 meg sticks I think I can help you out. My uncle stores all out parts for our business so let me get back with you. Are you looking for it for free or are you will to pay a little?

[Parris]

I am willing to pay a little for them. Nothing in life is free ;-)

I have an image available to me (a bit blurry) of someone elses DRAM stick and I can't tell whether it's EDO ram or not. Can I confirm that with you later?

Thanks for replying! I appreciate it!

[Micjohvan]

Yeah no problem. Just make a post with the image in it and I will see if I can tell which it is.

[retro]

NOT PC100/133 - that's 168pin!

Do you mean you need 2 sticks, each 64Mb?

Yeah, you need to know if it is EDO, unbuffered, parity, non-parity etc. Oh and they have to be THE SAME!

[Parris]

Okay, thanks to PA for the image, but it is a tad blurry so not sure whether you'll be able to tell all of that information from just 1 image. Perhaps I should ask other TOOL owners what type of memory sticks they use.

I knew I needed 2 that matched (l.e. same type & speed), but didn't realise there were so many factors involved. And yes it's 2 sticks of 64Mb.

Here is a link to the image.

http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q...=Simmimage.jpg

[APE]

64mb SIMM afaik wasn't made for very long in mass quantity. I've got 4x32mb maxing out a p133. When I was specing out a p166 back in the day for ram the best mobo only took 32mb sticks.

[Parris]

Doing a bit of hunting around on previous postings to Assembler I found the following link. My Japanese is non-existant, I can see it mentions the IBM HD, and it shows clearly the PCI card (incidentally it is the PCI-586HVE-S) and lo & behold a couple of images of the DRAM memory sticks.

I am hoping that someone will recognise the rear of those memory sticks and provide an answer. The alternative is that Unclejun has informed me that he will be taking his PS2 TOOL apart very shortly and he might be able to give exact details of the memory sticks?

I know they are DRAM and not SDRAM, I know they are 72pin, I also know they are 64Mb in size thanks to PA having looked at his unit. Other than that, at present I can't answer any of the other details. Maybe someone else can?

Link: http://www.interq.or.jp/red/freedom/g_page02.htm

[retro]

Those small chips in the middle are something. I think it may be parity check, but could be to do with EDO. Oh, and whoever owns that stick/PSTOOL - GET THE DAMN THING OFF THE CARPET! Carpets are FULL of static. You must NEVER put a circuit board on a carpet. And that goes ESPECIALLY for static sensitive components, such as memory chips!

Come to think of it, parity RAM usually had 9 chips instead of 8. Oh, and there's a company selling a 64Mb parity stick for $60. Well, it IS rare! I don't think you'll need parity, though.

Have you tried visiting a local computer repair shop and seeing whether they have any old stuff? You never know - both shops I've worked in did!

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00004V...203867-4499313

[Parris]

Luckily nothing of mine ends up on carpet - just a very static free bag!

My next shot is trying those repair stores you mentioned. There is also a recycling firm called stewart recycling in Hamilton (roughly 12miles from here). They often have older computers stripped for recycle, I shall call them this morning and have a word.

Also there are a couple of S/H shops and a repair store or two in the area. The hunt continues.

I was reading about EDO & Parity last night just to get an idea of what I was looking for.......5am came and went and frankly I still didn't completely understand the point of it. I felt I was beginning to get the jist of it when the guide I was reading completely threw me with "it's the motherboard that determins the checks and older PII & PIII will often just accept memory whatever it suggests it is, except some don't" - well that clears that up then! :-(

$60....... per stick! Hmmm, okay a little more costly than I had imagined. Let's hope that EDO stuff is NOT what I needed.

When I do finally figure out what this stuff is I shall leave as much information as I can on this forum for future reference. This was supposed to have been a 10min RAM hunt!

[Parris]

Right, before I forget to post it:

http://www.stewartrecycling.co.uk/services.htm

This is a Recycling company roughly 12miles from where I live. I bought an Hitachi DVD GD-5000 unit from them last year and I suddenly thought "Perhaps they'll have memory sticks for older PC's lurking in the background".

Correct! I spoke to a chap there called Crawford and he assured me that A) They have a PALLET of memory sticks just waiting to be recycled. They float the chips off and use them again elsewhere B) That if I can obtain ANY numbers off the memory itself (anything written on the chips) that they can find the manufacturer and just go and ask them what the type is.

I am to send him the images I have found of the rear of the chips and he and a colleague (who used to work for Crucial (The memory manufacturers)) will see whether they can tell what it is. This is customer service that just doesn't normally happen in the UK! I am amazed. (Now watch them charge me £100 plus their time lol)

Whilst I am at it, they can supply a 30Gb HD (replacement for the missing one).

Lets see what they dig up - literally! Anyone got any numbers at all from their PS2 Tool memory sticks that could be invaluable. I think it's over to Unclejun who is the next person to consider delving into his unit. I await further development.

Thanks to everyone who has thus far commented or posted information.

Just from the conversation I had with the guy in recycling it doesn't seem like either EDO or parity chips. The small chips in the middle are more than likely there to "pull up" (news to me) and when I explained the application of the memory he didn't think it would be SDram (why would it retain anything on being switched off) or parity (why the extra level of check?)

We shall see. When I find out then I definately will post the results here as frankly I couldn't find ANY information anywhere else (in Japanese or anything!) that could assist with this search.

[Micjohvan]

Thats EDO in your pic man. A easy way to tell is the one end of the stick is curved kinda like a corner is broken off.

EDO only comes in sets. Thats how it was back in the day. If you wanted to upgrade your computer to 64 megs of ram back then you got a matching pair of 32 meg chips. THEY CAME ONLY IN PAIRS AND HAD TO BE INSTALLED THAT WAY. Sorry for caps but thats important. You could sometimes mix and match brands if they were the same size but it was rare it would work.

Also 64 meg dual sticks adding up to 128 meg is the HIGHEST edo ever went if I remember right. Also there wernt many of them. I had 2 sets of 64 megs (meaning 4 chips each 64 meg that matched) but I sold them on ebay not to long ago. Sorry. If I run across any more I will let you know but they are quite rare as memory had changed formats before 128 meg became the standard. Good luck!

[Parris]

Okay, thanks for that - good news that someone can verify what they are, but not so good news about them being fairly rare. Typical!

We shall have to wait and see what turns up!

Thanks! ;-)

[Parris]

Okay, I have one last technical question. This is pretty vital actually as if I manage to get hold of the memory 2 x 64Mb EDO SIMM 72pin DTL-T10000 memory (just a few keywords for future search engine seekers), should I be looking for 2k or 4k refresh?

I am just reading a couple of eBay auction for the chip you mentioned, but it says it's 4k refresh and will only work on motherboards (example) marked with Intel 430TX (for instance). I doubt the PCI card or Sony motherboard will give me that information, but does anyone know off the top of their heads what chip set is the mobo?

Oh, what a struggle to find memory!

[Parris]

Ace has provided me the following IC number:

It's Hitachi : 5165805TT5

http://5tt.isocomponents.com/Public/...ord=5165805TT5

Presumably this is for 1 of the chips rather than the stick as a whole. I've sent an email to Stewart Recycling and they will check with Hitachi.

[Parris]

http://www.web-tronics.com/32bitpcihalc.html

Eureka! This is the PCI card. I initially tried searching for the card via Google and various other search engines, but couldn't find anything nearly as detailed as this. Halfway down the listing it confirms it has "Two 72-pin SIMM sockets supports up to 128MB EDO/FPM system DRAM"

Remind me NEVER to damage this card - look at that replacement cost!

Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who has raced around trying to help. The PCI card was something I looked up ages ago and it gave me nothing, so tinkering around and trying different PCI version numbers has helped. There it is!

My search was hampered by the fact I initially inserted an S at the end of the search (i.e. PCI-586HV-S)

[unclejun]

I am just reading a couple of eBay auction for the chip you mentioned, but it says it's 4k refresh and will only work on motherboards (example) marked with Intel 430TX (for instance). I doubt the PCI card or Sony motherboard will give me that information, but does anyone know off the top of their heads what chip set is the mobo?

Oh, what a struggle to find memory!

According to your own pictures of the pci card, I would say the chipset is Ali.
You could try this website for your memory needs, apparently they have in stock what you're looking for:
http://www.memorystock.com/72PIN_MEMORY.HTM
And they ship to UK, Scotland is still a part of it, right?

[Parris]

Hi Unclejun, if you go up one you'll see I found that out earlier on, but thanks for pointing out a memory cards supplier ;-)

Scotland is very much still part of the UK inspite of (or perhaps despite) the intensions of the UK Government to suggest otherwise. This is OT and politics isn't meant to be discussed on the boards, but there we have it.

I wasn't sure whether the chip markes ALI was the chip that was influential of the 2k or 4k refresh rate... comes down to my lack of chipset knowledge I'm afraid. As it is, I think it is 4k, but I may find out the hard way!

Unclejun, when are you taking your PS2 Tool apart - I could really do with your insight too - I am posting more images later as I have removed the CDrom to let you see what it is like.

Catch you later :-)