DIMM Size?

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doombilly
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DIMM Size?

Post by doombilly »

Will a 43mm sized DIMM fit the 808?
I'm sort of in a hurry, so I already ordered one from PNY. But I got this response from them today when I sent them the specs listed in the FAQ:
***
Hello,

Thank you for contacting PNY Technical Support.

In reviewing your message, our memory does conform to options you listed below, also be aware that the height of the memory is 43 MM, if you have not checked already please check with the maker of the device to make sure a 43MM module will physically fit, some devices require smaller height memory modules.

If you need further assistance, please reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.


Best Regards,
Hector
PNY Technologies Support
800-234-4597 M-F 9 AM - 8 PM EST
doombilly
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Re: DIMM Size?

Post by doombilly »

Well it should arrive today, so I guess I'll have the answer. I took off the underside plate and measured both the 128mb stick in there and the visible space between the ckt board and the spot where it looks as if the removable plate would rest and I appear to have enough room to accommodate a 43mm (1.69") tall RAM stick.
I'm not sure if it is related but while I had it open a (3.3" x .6") piece of double sided foam tape with only one sticky side exposed fell out of the back of the 808. I have to wonder how long that has been floating around in there? It may have been stuck to the underside of the ram cover to protect it. But the one sticky side is dried and no longer adhesive. For the $1100 USD I paid for it I would have hoped for a bit better manufacturing standards. But right now I'm just hoping that the new CF card and RAM get here today and fix the problems I'm having as we have some fairly long sets to work on and a 3 date tour next week.
doombilly
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Re: DIMM Size?

Post by doombilly »

Well, I copied the data from the CF card to my pc then to the new card.
I tried some of the songs that had been dragging on the intro and the problem did not present. I play a bunch of songs through and it sounded good. But since the RAM also arrived today I went ahead after testing the new CF card, and swapped the ram module per the instructions in the manual. I found the answer re: size. According to the manual the dimm should be 38mm or less. So hypothetically mine shouldn't work. Nor should have the much wider 128mb stick I took out. Then I did the system >shift 14 to test the memory installed ok. It is only showing 451.3 mb of the 512?

Is this normal? According to the manual this suggests it is installed incorrectly. I've put memory in tons of devices like this so I know it either fits or it doesn't. Perhaps this is just a discrepancy in the manufacturer's rating?
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I AM
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Re: DIMM Size?

Post by I AM »

man! read the manual more carefully....i think it'll be better to cange ram chip...
doombilly
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Re: DIMM Size?

Post by doombilly »

You think there is something wrong with this new RAM chip?

Page 141.
*If the correct amount of free memory is not shown, it is possible that the memory is not being recognized properly. Turn off the power as described in "Turning off the Power" (p18) and re-install the memory correctly."

It really only fits in there one way. I'm willing to take it out and try again. But I'm not sure what difference that would make.
EDIT**
ok, I removed it and tried again and got the exact same 451.3MB. Then I tried putting the old memory back in. (Was incorrect it is actually a 256MB, not 128MB). Anyway the 256MB shows as 195.3MB. So either the density of the RAM by the vendors is measured differently, OR the 808 is not recognizing RAM correctly. But it is somewhat telling that BOTH DIMMs showed 60.x MB less than what they were rated as.
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I AM
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Re: DIMM Size?

Post by I AM »

maybe on startup some samples (preset?) is loading into ram??
doombilly
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Re: DIMM Size?

Post by doombilly »

Entirely possible. I know the RAM is supposed to effect the playback and the CF card is storage, but since all of the patterns we were having problems with were CARD #'s; I am inclined to think that the problem was the old CF card just getting either fragmented up, or otherwise just error-ing. When I changed the CF the problems STOPPED. This was before the RAM was swapped. But hey, now I have RAM to do some longer samples. I've really barely scratched the surface with the Sampler anyway. Perhaps for the 2nd album? I've not had a full practice since changing those two items. I'll report back if the problem pops back up.
Robert13
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Re: DIMM Size?

Post by Robert13 »

I have bought a 512 MB module form Conrad for €20,- and the MC-808 accepted it!!
http://www2.conrad.nl/goto.php?artikel=974171
dr_boehm
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Re: DIMM Size?

Post by dr_boehm »

Hi,

check the card if in the roland smpl folder there are files. These are normally loaded at startup and reduce the amount of free memory. So as a rough calculation take 512MB and subtract the sum of file sizes in the smpl folder. This should give about the free memory.

It could be that your ram is perfectly fine!

Bye, Dirk.
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