🚀 go-pugleaf

jthomas@nmsu.edu (James Thomas) writes:

>Continuing the investigation of the possibility of a cheaper price memory
>upgrade for the original, special bus Z386-16, has anyone looked in to
>solving the problem via a motherboard upgrade to the newer Zenith systems
>that do use SIMM's?  We'd lose the existing motherboard, the processor
>board, the I/O board, and any current memory boards.  (Gee, it sounds as if
>it would be cheaper to trash the whole thing :-(
>Jim

I have a Zenith Z-386/20 sitting on my desk. It uses SIMM's but the SIMM's
are incompatible with most other common SIMM's. I was told by our service
company that the SIMM's are the same as those used in the IBM PS/2 machines
however after ordering some which were labeled IBM I could not get any of 
them to work. I tried them all in the first position because I knew the 
configuration should work. Zenith 1Mb SIMM's are *NOT* cheap.

	If anybody can clear up this mess *PLEASE* let  us know.

Thanks..
_______________________________________________________________________________
John. B. Miezitis. University of Tasmania Computing Centre
email: johnm@diemen.cc.utas.edu.au | Belgium man Belgium!!!
_______________________________________________________________________________

In article <johnm.658973712@tasman> johnm@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (John B. Miezitis) writes:
>
>I have a Zenith Z-386/20 sitting on my desk. It uses SIMM's but the SIMM's
>are incompatible with most other common SIMM's. I was told by our service
>company that the SIMM's are the same as those used in the IBM PS/2 machines
>however after ordering some which were labeled IBM I could not get any of 
>them to work. I tried them all in the first position because I knew the 
>configuration should work. Zenith 1Mb SIMM's are *NOT* cheap.
>
>	If anybody can clear up this mess *PLEASE* let  us know.
>
Maybe.  When I went shopping for SIMMs for my Z248/12, the Chip Merchant folks
in (San Diego?) that I called asked what model Zenith I had and verbally
confirmed that their pieces would work.  They did.  You might try asking, as
even some of these mail-order memory shops know enough about systems to know
this could be a problem.

Also, I just got a catalog in the mail from some PC mailorder place with a
familiar sounding name (it's at home now) that offered Zenith 386/20,25,33
compatible SIMMs for pretty fair prices (80 ns 1 MB for something like $80).
They had a separate ad for IBM SIMMs (PS/2) and another ad for "generic"
SIMMs, so I think this place knows that differences exist.  Want a pointer
on the company and a phone number?

"Moby" Dick O'Connor                         djo7613@u.washington.edu 
Washington Department of Fisheries           *I brake for salmonids* 

djo7613@hardy.u.washington.edu (Dick O'Connor) writes:

>Also, I just got a catalog in the mail from some PC mailorder place with a
>familiar sounding name (it's at home now) that offered Zenith 386/20,25,33
>compatible SIMMs for pretty fair prices (80 ns 1 MB for something like $80).
>They had a separate ad for IBM SIMMs (PS/2) and another ad for "generic"
>SIMMs, so I think this place knows that differences exist.  Want a pointer
>on the company and a phone number?

	Thanks for clearing things up a bit. I have since found out that Zenith use
36 bit SIMMs (4 bit parity) whereas IBM use 32 bit. I would be interested in
the company if they have a branch in Australia or if there are any other
Aussies reading this perhaps they can suggest a supplier.

	Thanks all..
_______________________________________________________________________________
John. B. Miezitis. University of Tasmania Computing Centre
email: johnm@diemen.cc.utas.edu.au | Belgium man Belgium!!!
_______________________________________________________________________________

In article <11383@milton.u.washington.edu> djo7613@hardy.acs.washington.edu (Dick O'Connor) writes:
>
>Also, I just got a catalog in the mail from some PC mailorder place with a
>familiar sounding name (it's at home now) that offered Zenith 386/20,25,33
>compatible SIMMs for pretty fair prices (80 ns 1 MB for something like $80).
>They had a separate ad for IBM SIMMs (PS/2) and another ad for "generic"
>SIMMs, so I think this place knows that differences exist.  Want a pointer
>on the company and a phone number?

Rats.  ALWAYS check your facts.  $80, I wish!  The company is Tenex Computer
Express, they just mailed out their Winter 1990 catalog to about 3 million
of you folks, and the REAL prices are:
  Z386/20,25,33 32-bit modules
      1MB...$129
      2MB...$199
      4MB...$529
Standard 1MB 1X9 80 ns simms (like we use in our Z248/12 machines) are $69.95,
which is $4.95 more than I paid for the same pieces in August from Chip
Merchant in San Diego.  So these folks are right in the ballpark.  Their
number is 1-800-776-6781.  No sales tax outside of Indiana, they handle
foreign orderd, etc. etc.

Usual disclaimers...

"Moby" Dick O'Connor                         djo7613@u.washington.edu 
Washington Department of Fisheries           *I brake for salmonids*