PCMCIA SRAM cards as Fast RAM (A600)

04 November 2005, 07:12

I had always assumed you could only use specifically designed Amiga-compatible cards to add PCMCIA fast ram to an A600/A1200 but now I've started to get the impression any PCMCIA 1.0 SRAM cards will work, the speed doesn't bother me only that I will have 2MB Chip +2/4MB Fast and be able to play Settlers size8/preload on WHD

(It's gotta be quicker than OS switching to the HD)

Do you need a driver or something specific to the card model or is the A600 set up to recognise any standard SRAM card and use it as Fast RAM? Or maybe there is a generic driver that can work with alot of cards if you are lucky?

Any help/links at all on PCMCIA RAM cards will be appreciated, I'm looking for any information really as I know very little about them other than I want one

This is not flash ram for transferring files I'm talking about btw, a 10Mbps NIC does that fine and I don't have PCMCIA on my PC anyway

musashi5150 · 04 November 2005, 10:15

Any PCMCIA 1.0/2.0 SRAM card should work. You won't need any drivers or anything like that - you should already have the tools on your workbench disk (at least the 3.x WB disks do - not completely sure if you are using WB 2.x).

There is a tool called 'PrepCard' that will allow you to format the card as disk or RAM. And that's about all there is to it.

I have a 4MB PCMCIA card for my 3.1 A600 and it works perfectly. An easy way to tell on eBay if the card is SRAM or not is to ask if it takes a battery... that's usually a good sign

If you want to buy a 2MB one this one is perfect:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

I have one of these as well and it works great!

alexh · 04 November 2005, 10:26

Be careful not to buy certain RAM cards from IBM or TOSHIBA. Although their sellers think they are PCMCIA, they are infact custom cards for Laptops and they have staggered pins instead of inline and of course dont work with Amiga's.

alexh · 04 November 2005, 10:26

Of course you cannot run a PCMCIA Ethernet card and a RAM card at the same time

04 November 2005, 10:43

Thank you very much musashi5150 and alexh

That eBay auction is exactly what sparked my enquiry, and now I can also look for PCMCIA RAM cards without the word Amiga in the advert (avoiding IBM and Toshiba of course). I checked and Prepcard is already there from when I installed WB2.05, I wouldn't even have to dig a disk out

.

Pulling out the network card doesn't seem so bad for the moment, but I suppose with 6MB of RAM there would be alot more I'd want to put on there (I've got a 320MB HD I think, bought it as 120MB!)

Many thanks again

TjLaZer · 04 November 2005, 18:11

I have a question. I have a 2MB PCMCIA SRAM card and when I install it, it autoconfigs as 2MB Fast; what does the PrepCard util do in regards to SRAM cards? Don't they all just AutoConfig as RAM?

adolescent · 05 November 2005, 04:58

Prepcard allows you to use the card as RAM or storage. Using it as storage these days is a probably a waste, besides with STAT_DISK (or, whatever it's name is) you still get an 880k reset proof bootable disk that you can use while the card is still formatted for RAM use.

Mr B · 01 December 2005, 03:32

Um, i rememberd seeing this thread, when i saw something on a spontaniues browsing around the web... Would a PCMCIA compactflash reader work, or they are "to different" ? just wondering, if that would work, you could sudently have a Gb fastram in your amiga, fairly easy? (or 8, and so on... 8Gb compactflash is fairly expencive, and a redicules amount of ram to adress anyway.)

B!

Chain · 01 December 2005, 07:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr B

Um, i rememberd seeing this thread, when i saw something on a spontaniues browsing around the web... Would a PCMCIA compactflash reader work, or they are "to different" ? just wondering, if that would work, you could sudently have a Gb fastram in your amiga, fairly easy? (or 8, and so on... 8Gb compactflash is fairly expencive, and a redicules amount of ram to adress anyway.)

B!

cf cards can be used only as storage media, not RAM.

Mr B · 31 December 2005, 21:19

Figures... to slow for ram action. Well, it was a thought...somehow the 4mB Sram cards still feal kinda smalish.

I'll have to think about that for a while, probobly just will skip it, i dont use my Amiga THAT much for other things then games, and just gaming wont benefit from more memory.

alexh · 01 January 2006, 01:27

It's not that it's too slow (although it probably is) it's more the fact that it's a different protocol.

Visper · 23 July 2008, 16:57

I've got a 2MB SRAM card for my A600 and I'd like to know if it is safe to remove the battery because I'm using it as Fast Ram.

alphonsus · 23 July 2008, 19:54

@ Mr B

Yes, but don't forget your whole OS is only 2~3Mb, and most isn't loaded most of the time.
2+4Mb is still a lot of RAM for a miggy. I've used that configuration in my A1200 with FinalWriter for years without running out of room.

04 November 2005, 07:12	#1
Nitrobeast Posts: n/a	PCMCIA SRAM cards as Fast RAM (A600) I had always assumed you could only use specifically designed Amiga-compatible cards to add PCMCIA fast ram to an A600/A1200 but now I've started to get the impression any PCMCIA 1.0 SRAM cards will work, the speed doesn't bother me only that I will have 2MB Chip +2/4MB Fast and be able to play Settlers size8/preload on WHD (It's gotta be quicker than OS switching to the HD) Do you need a driver or something specific to the card model or is the A600 set up to recognise any standard SRAM card and use it as Fast RAM? Or maybe there is a generic driver that can work with alot of cards if you are lucky? Any help/links at all on PCMCIA RAM cards will be appreciated, I'm looking for any information really as I know very little about them other than I want one This is not flash ram for transferring files I'm talking about btw, a 10Mbps NIC does that fine and I don't have PCMCIA on my PC anyway

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04 November 2005, 10:15	#2
musashi5150 move.w #$4489,$dff07e Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Norfolk, UK Age: 42 Posts: 2,351	Any PCMCIA 1.0/2.0 SRAM card should work. You won't need any drivers or anything like that - you should already have the tools on your workbench disk (at least the 3.x WB disks do - not completely sure if you are using WB 2.x). There is a tool called 'PrepCard' that will allow you to format the card as disk or RAM. And that's about all there is to it. I have a 4MB PCMCIA card for my 3.1 A600 and it works perfectly. An easy way to tell on eBay if the card is SRAM or not is to ask if it takes a battery... that's usually a good sign If you want to buy a 2MB one this one is perfect: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...e=STRK:MEWA:IT I have one of these as well and it works great!

04 November 2005, 10:26	#3
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,333	Be careful not to buy certain RAM cards from IBM or TOSHIBA. Although their sellers think they are PCMCIA, they are infact custom cards for Laptops and they have staggered pins instead of inline and of course dont work with Amiga's.

04 November 2005, 10:43	#5
Nitrobeast Posts: n/a	Thank you very much musashi5150 and alexh That eBay auction is exactly what sparked my enquiry, and now I can also look for PCMCIA RAM cards without the word Amiga in the advert (avoiding IBM and Toshiba of course). I checked and Prepcard is already there from when I installed WB2.05, I wouldn't even have to dig a disk out . Pulling out the network card doesn't seem so bad for the moment, but I suppose with 6MB of RAM there would be alot more I'd want to put on there (I've got a 320MB HD I think, bought it as 120MB!) Many thanks again

04 November 2005, 18:11	#6
TjLaZer Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tacoma, WA USA Age: 52 Posts: 1,915	I have a question. I have a 2MB PCMCIA SRAM card and when I install it, it autoconfigs as 2MB Fast; what does the PrepCard util do in regards to SRAM cards? Don't they all just AutoConfig as RAM?

05 November 2005, 04:58	#7
adolescent Powered by Motorola Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Age: 52 Posts: 1,065	Prepcard allows you to use the card as RAM or storage. Using it as storage these days is a probably a waste, besides with STAT_DISK (or, whatever it's name is) you still get an 880k reset proof bootable disk that you can use while the card is still formatted for RAM use.

01 December 2005, 03:32	#8
Mr B Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sweden Posts: 749	Um, i rememberd seeing this thread, when i saw something on a spontaniues browsing around the web... Would a PCMCIA compactflash reader work, or they are "to different" ? just wondering, if that would work, you could sudently have a Gb fastram in your amiga, fairly easy? (or 8, and so on... 8Gb compactflash is fairly expencive, and a redicules amount of ram to adress anyway.) B!

31 December 2005, 21:19	#10
Mr B Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sweden Posts: 749	Figures... to slow for ram action. Well, it was a thought...somehow the 4mB Sram cards still feal kinda smalish. I'll have to think about that for a while, probobly just will skip it, i dont use my Amiga THAT much for other things then games, and just gaming wont benefit from more memory.

01 January 2006, 01:27	#11
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,333	It's not that it's too slow (although it probably is) it's more the fact that it's a different protocol.

23 July 2008, 16:57	#12
Visper Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Nowhere Posts: 74	I've got a 2MB SRAM card for my A600 and I'd like to know if it is safe to remove the battery because I'm using it as Fast Ram.

23 July 2008, 19:54	#13
alphonsus Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: UK Age: 50 Posts: 181	@ Mr B Yes, but don't forget your whole OS is only 2~3Mb, and most isn't loaded most of the time. 2+4Mb is still a lot of RAM for a miggy. I've used that configuration in my A1200 with FinalWriter for years without running out of room.

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