Flash in 72 pin simm package?

[Hamad bin Turki al Salami]

I'm looking for flash memory packaged on 72 pin simm boards,
similar to the 72 pin simm EDO memory that was standard some
time in the 1990's for PC's. I think a number of kinds of printers
and other devices from that era used flash in this format,
usually in 2MB capacity. I'm looking for bigger ones, 16 or
32 MB. I know this was made, because I have a 32MB one (which
seems to no longer work) and a device that used it for storage.
However, I don't know how standard it ever was.

Does anyone know about this kind of flash memory? Does anyone
know where it is still sold?

Also, does anyone know where I could get testing/burning equipment
to read and write this kind of flash memory and play around with
it?

 

[Roger Hamlett]

I'm looking for flash memory packaged on 72 pin simm boards,
similar to the 72 pin simm EDO memory that was standard some
time in the 1990's for PC's. I think a number of kinds of printers
and other devices from that era used flash in this format,
usually in 2MB capacity. I'm looking for bigger ones, 16 or
32 MB. I know this was made, because I have a 32MB one (which
seems to no longer work) and a device that used it for storage.
However, I don't know how standard it ever was.

Does anyone know about this kind of flash memory? Does anyone
know where it is still sold?

Also, does anyone know where I could get testing/burning equipment
to read and write this kind of flash memory and play around with
it?

Double check the number of pins. 80pin flash SIMMs were also common. HP,
and Cisco, both did the 72pin modules, and Cisco certainly still does the
80pin modules in larger sizes. Small sizes will be harder to find. A
search for:
MEM-381-1X32F should find the Cisco part.

Best Wishes

 

[Hamad bin Turki al Salami]

Double check the number of pins. 80pin flash SIMMs were also common. HP,
and Cisco, both did the 72pin modules, and Cisco certainly still does the
80pin modules in larger sizes. Small sizes will be harder to find. A
search for:
MEM-381-1X32F should find the Cisco part.

Best Wishes

Thanks for the response. I've double checked and the simm is definitely
72 pin.

After taking another look at this module, I'm starting to think it is
probably proprietary. It has 4 Intel E28F640 chips on it, which are 8MB
flash ROMs, and one E28F320, which is a 4MB flash ROM. So guessing from
its function, I think it probably has 32 MB of raw data and 4 MB for
settings. This would be a device specific format.

Hmm. The company that made this has long since stopped selling this
line, so I'm probably out of luck.

Which raises the question ... what are the legal implications of copying
the board? There are the flash chips and a few other IC's and some
caps, etc. Probably everything on this board is still easy to obtain.
But I don't know a thing about how this works legally. Is it likely the
company patented the design of this board? How possible would it be to
make a work-alike board?

 

[Ray King]

Hi,

I think if I were you I would go for it. Unless you try to compete in the
market place with the company that originally made this board you will never
be on there radar screen.

Ray

 

[Hamad bin Turki al Salami]

Hi,

I think if I were you I would go for it. Unless you try to compete in the
market place with the company that originally made this board you will never
be on there radar screen.

Ray

Well, that's a subtle point. I have two interests, one personal and one
business. For that latter, I service and sell used equipment from
this company. (I'm also an authorized dealer of their current models,
but the company is completely out to lunch these days and make it
almost impossible to deal with.) They have abandoned the line that uses
these flash modules, so obviously they would rather people convert to
using their current models. If I made my own replacement boards for
these flash modules, it's likely they wouldn't even notice, but it's
also possible that somebody there would get in a tizzy. I have no
idea. Now, as far as I'm concerned, I couldn't care less if they
drop me as a dealer. But if there's any possibility of legal action,
I don't want that.

By the way, attempting to get information directly from the company
about these flash modules, or anything else, is like shouting into
an abyss and waiting for someone to call back. I've tried many times,
and requested information about licensing technology from them to
make my job easier, but that voice has never shouted back to me.

So, really, if it's legal, I'd like to be able to just make the
boards myself.

Do you think it's likely they have any legal claim to the design?
I know people make all kinds of generic knock offs in general,
of everything from toner cartridges to dev boards, but I just
don't know if that's above board or a form of piracy.

 

[Ray King]

Hamad,
I have seen more than a few business started with folks doing what you are
doing and the parent company following there core business. This leaves the
customer without the origional product. You are just repairing and replacing
as you were expected to do. Offering a new board is a natural thing for you
to do because you have a replacement for an out dated one that may cost more
to trouble shoot than to offer a new board.
This is of no concern for most businesses.

Ray

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Well, that's a subtle point. I have two interests, one personal and one
business. For that latter, I service and sell used equipment from
this company. (I'm also an authorized dealer of their current models,
but the company is completely out to lunch these days and make it
almost impossible to deal with.) They have abandoned the line that uses
these flash modules, so obviously they would rather people convert to
using their current models. If I made my own replacement boards for
these flash modules, it's likely they wouldn't even notice, but it's
also possible that somebody there would get in a tizzy. I have no
idea. Now, as far as I'm concerned, I couldn't care less if they
drop me as a dealer. But if there's any possibility of legal action,
I don't want that.

By the way, attempting to get information directly from the company
about these flash modules, or anything else, is like shouting into
an abyss and waiting for someone to call back. I've tried many times,
and requested information about licensing technology from them to
make my job easier, but that voice has never shouted back to me.

So, really, if it's legal, I'd like to be able to just make the
boards myself.

Do you think it's likely they have any legal claim to the design?
I know people make all kinds of generic knock offs in general,
of everything from toner cartridges to dev boards, but I just
don't know if that's above board or a form of piracy.

Can you use a single, newer memory chip and a different layout for
the board? Then you aren't copying it, it's a third party repair part,
like those for some of the copiers where you have to replace the "Code
Plug" at exactly 50,000 copies. Someone is making a working replacement
with a a small EAROM chip on a board, while the $90 original part is
COB. The replacement is a lot cheaper, but is still only available to
some copier repair companies.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Franc Zabkar]

Thanks for the response. I've double checked and the simm is definitely
72 pin.

After taking another look at this module, I'm starting to think it is
probably proprietary. It has 4 Intel E28F640 chips on it, which are 8MB
flash ROMs, and one E28F320, which is a 4MB flash ROM. So guessing from
its function, I think it probably has 32 MB of raw data and 4 MB for
settings.

32 bits for data, 4 bits for parity ???

Could it be a double-sided SIMM, ie two banks ??? This would allow the
E28F320's 8-bit data bus (when in byte mode) to be split into two
nibbles, one for each bank.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[Franc Zabkar]

Could it be a double-sided SIMM, ie two banks ??? This would allow the
E28F320's 8-bit data bus (when in byte mode) to be split into two
nibbles, one for each bank.

Hmm, on second thoughts I doubt that's possible.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[Hamad bin Turki al Salami]

32 bits for data, 4 bits for parity ???

Interesting idea. I would love it if these are in fact some kind of
standard board, but I've looked around without finding them anywhere.

 

[Franc Zabkar]

Interesting idea. I would love it if these are in fact some kind of
standard board, but I've looked around without finding them anywhere.

Why not just determine the pinouts of the edge connector by tracing
the pins back to the chips and compare them with a standard parity
SIMM?

- Franc Zabkar