Flash in 72 pin simm package?

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

Best Wishes

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

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?

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 Unless you try to compete in the market place with the company that originally made this board you will never be on there radar screen.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.

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

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.

On Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:21:50 -0600, Hamad bin Turki al Salami put finger to keyboard and composed:

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

On Sat, 07 Apr 2007 11:05:42 +1000, Franc Zabkar put finger to keyboard and composed:

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

- 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.

On Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:25:52 -0600, Hamad bin Turki al Salami put finger to keyboard and composed:

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