RAM Expander

[rietveld]

I was looking at the RAM expanders but am not sure what I could do with it? Are there programs that will use the extra RAM? 

Does the expander turn the 64k ADAM into a 128k plus? 

 

Thanks in advance.   I am pretty new to the ADAM.   I always wanted one as a kid but I knew they were too expensive to ask my parents for 

[NIAD]

As far as Memory Expanders that are currently available, Adamcon (Bob Slopsema) has a 64K ME available that is expandable to 256K... there are open sockets for more RAM chips.  For the 256K ME, you will also need a slot #2 Parallel Interface that provides the memory addressing that is required for ME cards over 64K.

 

mrpix (Dave Park) is working on an Interface Card that you should read up on here or the Coleco Adam Facebook page.

 

SmartWriter uses it for extra workspace, AdamCalc as a print buffer, CP/M or T-Dos as a ramdisk, File Manager and other copy utilities as a copy buffer, SmartBasic ramdisk programs are available and some of the best Adam software like PowerPaint and Adam Bomb II require a ME in order to work.

[MrPix]

Someone said my name?

I'm working on a multicard that has as a memory component 4MB of DRAM or 2MB of SRAM. Up to 1MB, CP/M systems will use it as buffer space, and a few programs will use it as a RAMdisk, but nothing really *uses* that much. I am only including it because it costs the same to provide 64K or 2/4MB these days, and I have plans down the road which will make it very attractive. Also, with WiFi on the card, the ability to download much larger games than would fit in a single cartridge exists, so I am hoping it will form the basis of a new type of connected "megacart" to allow much larger game images in future.

In theory, the Adam can support 16MB of RAM, through paging. I plan to implement a base of 2/4MB of RAM depending on system, and an 8MB expansion to give 10 or 12MB. 2MB will be free for future expansion, and 2MB for a new bitmapped VGA video subsystem, which is not 99x8 compatible, but far more flexible.

[timepilot]

On 2/21/2020 at 12:43 PM, MrPix said:

Someone said my name?

I'm working on a multicard that has as a memory component 4MB of DRAM or 2MB of SRAM. Up to 1MB, CP/M systems will use it as buffer space, and a few programs will use it as a RAMdisk, but nothing really *uses* that much. I am only including it because it costs the same to provide 64K or 2/4MB these days, and I have plans down the road which will make it very attractive. Also, with WiFi on the card, the ability to download much larger games than would fit in a single cartridge exists, so I am hoping it will form the basis of a new type of connected "megacart" to allow much larger game images in future.

In theory, the Adam can support 16MB of RAM, through paging. I plan to implement a base of 2/4MB of RAM depending on system, and an 8MB expansion to give 10 or 12MB. 2MB will be free for future expansion, and 2MB for a new bitmapped VGA video subsystem, which is not 99x8 compatible, but far more flexible.

Any update on this?  I have been thinking about buying a 512K RAM expansion, but if this multicard project is moving forward then maybe I should hold off.

 

Also, does anyone have any thoughts as to whether--a RAM disk aside--PowerPaint or other programs would ever use more than 256K?  If I simply do not need a RAM disk, then is anything more than 256K going to languish unused by software?

[NIAD]

256K ME will suffice but seeing as 512K wouldn’t cost all that much more, it’s a viable option as well.

[jblenkle]

22 hours ago, timepilot said:

Any update on this?  I have been thinking about buying a 512K RAM expansion, but if this multicard project is moving forward then maybe I should hold off.

 

Also, does anyone have any thoughts as to whether--a RAM disk aside--PowerPaint or other programs would ever use more than 256K?  If I simply do not need a RAM disk, then is anything more than 256K going to languish unused by software?

MrPix is no longer involved with ADAM as far as I know.

[NIAD]

8 hours ago, jblenkle said:

MrPix is no longer involved with ADAM as far as I know.

Yeah, he got his butt hurt! Good riddance.

[rietveld]

1 hour ago, NIAD said:

Yeah, he got his butt hurt! Good riddance.

I was on his mailing list( waiting list) for the muti card board but I ended up buying the new MIB when it came out

[jblenkle]

1 hour ago, NIAD said:

Yeah, he got his butt hurt! Good riddance.

So what do you really think, Jim?

 

I don't like to speak ill of anyone, but it makes me wonder now. He had all these big plans for ADAM devices, plus he was sure he could fix my Eve Speech Synthesizer which I sent to him. It took forever to get it back - unfixed - he couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. I'm an idiot when it comes to such things, but it only took me a little research and a few back and forths with someone who had built a non-ADAM speech synthesizer using the same speech chip to discover it wasn't the speech chip at all that had gone bad. It was the audio amplifier chip. Unlike the speech chip, these are still readily available, so my SS is fixed now and working.

[adamcon]

1 hour ago, jblenkle said:

So what do you really think, Jim?

 

I don't like to speak ill of anyone, but it makes me wonder now. He had all these big plans for ADAM devices, plus he was sure he could fix my Eve Speech Synthesizer which I sent to him. It took forever to get it back - unfixed - he couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. I'm an idiot when it comes to such things, but it only took me a little research and a few back and forths with someone who had built a non-ADAM speech synthesizer using the same speech chip to discover it wasn't the speech chip at all that had gone bad. It was the audio amplifier chip. Unlike the speech chip, these are still readily available, so my SS is fixed now and working.

Joe there have been others who blew in over the years and then just quietly disappeared after telling us the grand things they were going to do.

[NIAD]

13 hours ago, jblenkle said:

So what do you really think, Jim?

 

I don't like to speak ill of anyone, but it makes me wonder now. He had all these big plans for ADAM devices, plus he was sure he could fix my Eve Speech Synthesizer which I sent to him. It took forever to get it back - unfixed - he couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. I'm an idiot when it comes to such things, but it only took me a little research and a few back and forths with someone who had built a non-ADAM speech synthesizer using the same speech chip to discover it wasn't the speech chip at all that had gone bad. It was the audio amplifier chip. Unlike the speech chip, these are still readily available, so my SS is fixed now and working.

There is no doubting that he is an intelligent guy and knows a thing or two about hardware design, but he went about things completely the wrong way and turned off a lot of people... quickly. Especially eye opening was how he took aim at Opcode for no reason.

 

Let’s be realistic, if it was 1983-1990, the expansion units that he was discussing would have been amazing, but this is 2021 and just how much would a video upgrade really matter and where would the software support come from? I mean you would be talking about a very small retro market with the ADAM and then an even smaller number of people who would purchase this multi featured expansion. He said it himself, he’s really not a software programmer, so who would develop software to take advantage of the additional video capabilities. As far as numerous other features mentioned by him, they are all available options to purchase for ADAM owners already thanks to old hardware as well as new hardware that is available thanks to MicroFox, Sean Myers, John Lundy and Eric Pearson.

 

That he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with your Eve SS-CC and how long it took him to return it to you is yet another red flag. Glad to HEAR (pun intended) that you were able to figure out what was wrong and get her fixed.

 

Oh yeah... what ADAMcin said.

Edited May 21, 2021 by NIAD