You need to put one chip on each of the two RAM chip nearest the CPU (no particular reason for thair pair - it has to be a side-by-side pair though as each chip covers half the databus).

You need to bend up the CS pin on both of these chips and wire them together and to the 4th DRAM bank select pin on the CPU. Sorry, I'm at home and don't have the datasheets on my laptop so I can't be more accurate about which pin numbers... I have pictures of mine to upload too...

I'll try to remember to do this tomorrow.

Hugo

Bump for any helpful pics or any info regarding a kernel update. Really hoping to have my upgraded empeg back by my birthday this Saturday

I ordered 31 chips for the MK2A just to let everyone know. Most of them are already spoken for though.

Stu

As soon as we know what the pins on the memory and CPU are for the MK2, we'll be ready to solder the upgrade in place.

As I understand it, to get 32 MB of total RAM into the MK2A we should have one 8 MB piece piggybacked on top of each of the two OEM memory chips, with pin 14 of each chip soldered ONLY to pin 123 of the StrongARM CPU. Is this correct? If so, we're ready to go on an MK2A as well.

Thanks,
Stu

I have a pair of Mark 2a RioCar units that I would be interested in upgrading. I can handle the soldering involved.

How do I get in line for two pairs of 16MB upgrade chips?

I understand the related software issues are still being worked out (with some risk that a snag may arise).

Keith

PM me.

Stu

We've done the upgrade on an MK2, but we have no idea if the memory is good/bad/functional or not. Is there anyway to tell? We ran the RAM test and got the standard screen with everything passing and no additional memory showing. Do we need a special kernel for it to show up even in RAM testing? The player works fine by the way.

Stu

If you mean the Ctrl-T thing, I'm pretty sure that's firmware that bypasses the regular boot process. I don't think it ever gets to the kernel. You'd have to rewrite the RAM test application altogether and then upload it to the flash, and that area may be write-protected.

That being said, folks have claimed that a new kernel would be required to get the player to use the additional memory once booted normally. The kernel should produce some output on bootup in regards to the amount of memory it sees. What do you see there?

This is what we got:
empeg-car bootstrap v1.00 20000601 (hugo@empeg.com)
If there is anyone present who wants to upgrade the flash, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace...
0000 empeg-car board test version 0.04
0100 ram test starting
0110 testing ic 1 (0-3mb, low word)
0120 testing ic 2 (0-3mb, high word)
0130 testing ic 3 (4-7mb, low word)
0140 testing ic 4 (4-7mb, high word)
0150 testing ic 19 (8-11mb, low word)
0160 testing ic 32 (8-11mb, high word)
01f0 ram test done
0200 ide detect
0210 command issued
0220 drive id IBM-DARA-206000
02f0 ide ok
0300 dsp/i2c test
03f0 dsp/i2c ok
0400 temperature detect
0410 temperature is 27
04f0 temperature ok
0500 usb detect
0510 usb rev 1012
05f0 usb ok
0600 ethernet detect
0610 ethernet rev 334b
06f0 ethernet ok
0700 cs4231 detect
0710 cs4231 rev a0
07f0 cs4231 ok
00f0 tests complete

The RAM test by the looks of it is hardcoded for a specific amount of RAM as it mentions specific IC numbers.

Exactly. What does the normal bootup say?

There was a posting somewhere from Hugo with a FLASH update that he needed .. I've forgotten if it was applicable to Mk2, or only to Mk2a.

And a kernel update will be needed from Hugo or Me.

Cheers

The kernel is told a specific memory size by the protected bootloader. "Command line: mem=16m"

Yup, that might be useful as well as the update to enable the memory selects.

Just thought I'd post a picture of our MK2 upgrade work.

Stu

Very pretty!

What kind of soldering equipment do you use? Hot air?

Cheers

Thanks! Nope just a plain old Weller soldering station with a micropoint. Funny though, I was just thinking about a hot air station, we just haven't decided to take the plunge yet.

Stu

O Empeg father, who hast graciously given unto us the digital audio before its time; We yield thee humble and hearty thanks for this thy bounty. We remember well the darkness of the Before; We laud your mercies in delivering us to the great After.

And to the Lord of the Hijack, who maketh the buttons to glow, senses the press of the knob, and sendest the dock of refuge, who by thy mighty power dost order all things in the modes of AC and DC, we yield thee hearty thanks for the features thou hast bestowed upon us filling our ears with gladness.

We beseech thee to hear our quiet plea, and the relief of those that need; thinks us not whiners nor hangers-on, but deliver to us word of the mystical kernel that make the RAM runneth over. Sow in our hearts the hope of the car player without end, now and for evermore. A-bump.

Hahahahaha.

A-bump, brother...

Seriously, though, there are some upgrade chips for the Mark2A floating around out there. I know Stu was working on upgrading a Mark2, and should (very soon?) be receiving a Mark2A for experimentation.

A-Bump brotha! Preach it!

Already done hence the "a-bump". Stu added an additional 16Mb to Nanci (MK2a) this past week but it's not being recognized. On the plus side, she still boots.

Okay, Paul has bribed me to have a look at this. I'm starting with Mk2a. Can Stu (or Mach?) perhaps tell me exactly how the added ram has been attached to the processor bank selects? I'm still hunting for Hugo's posting on how to wire it up, but seem to have misplaced it.

Cheers

Greetings!

Please... Please... Bribes are illegal in the US. It was merely a token of appreciation for all of the work you have done for myself and for the rest of the people here.

I've emailed Stu for an answer but I believe this is Hugo's post that you were looking for.

Here's Stu's post re-iterating the same

Yeah, I've found it now.

Stand by.. I'll post a MK2A test kernel shortly.

Hi Mark, thanks for your help! Pin 14 of each stacked RAM chip for the MK2A is connected together in series to pin 121(and only pin 121) of the StrongARM CPU.

The MK2 is the same, but with Pin 18 of the RAM chips used instead.

Stu

Far too modest Paul! Besides, I'm not in the USA..

For now I'm coding blind -- after yesterday's geo-caching adventures -- 3 guys, 5 travel-bugs, 450 kms, and 25 caches found -- my hands are nowhere near steady enough to lift a soldering iron!

Hi Stu, is that a typo? I thought it was pin 123? (from the posts)

Okay, here's blind attempt number one.

This Hijack kernel is only for Mk2a units with 32MB of DRAM.

http://rtr.ca/hijack.mk2a-32mb.zImage

It will crash and burn on any other hardware, but will not damage anything permanently. I thnk.

EDIT: and it may very well crash and burn even on the correct hardware.. but we'll get it right after a few attempts, I suspect

Hugo told us in an e-mail to use nRAS3 which is pin 121.

Stu