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PGMUNK.TIP
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PGMUNK.TIP
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Using the PG Designs 64K RAM Bank with the Chipmunk disk drive
(yes, it DOES work!)
by Doug Pratt (ModelNet)
I came across the PGD Ram Banks after having used my Chipmunk for a year. I
wanted the RAM, but wasn't about to give up the Munk for it, so I ordered the
adapter from PGD. I figured that it couldn't be that much extra trouble!
Well...it's been an adventure. Not because of the products! Both the RAM Bank
and the Munk have worked as advertised throughout. But I set a few traps for
myself in the process of getting comfortable with them, and learned a lot too.
First of all, when I installed the board and loaded 'em up with files from the
disk, I discovered that switching from the outer banks back to Bank 1 would
usually scramble the files in Bank 1. This bug led me a merry chase for a
while. Then I read the instructions (!). PGD warns that if you're using non-
Radio Shack chips in your M100 they might not refresh fast enough to work
properly when you switch banks. Well, I'm custodian of about 14 Model 100s at
work, so it was the work of a moment to search through two of my spares, locate
original RS chips, and load them into my personal 100. Problem solved.
Second, the incompatibility of 0MENU and CDOS. Well, they are and they aren't.
As long as you don't try to run 0MENU without turning off CDOS first, there's
no problem. Booting CDOS with 0MENU running doesn't seem to cause problems, but
I've gotten in the habit of turning it off anyway.
Third and finally, the adapter board itself. I travel a lot, and I didn't like
the idea of a bare board hanging out of the back of my machine. But there isn't
much choice; the RAM Bank takes up the one and only socket. So...what can we do
about this?
Well, the adapter plugs into the RAM Bank with a pretty sturdy plug,
but the socket on the Munk header is designed for this kind of use. I didn't
like the idea of leaving the cover off the RAM Bank. So I slotted the cover to
clear the plug. Then I cut slots in two sides of the plastic box the RAM Bank
came in, wide enough to clear the ribbon cables coming into and going out of
the adapter and Munk header board. A little foam padding, and the adapter/Munk
board fits right in the box.
I folded the cable from the bank to the adapter and tucked the fold
inside the plastic box, which shortens the cable so that the box rests against
the back of the 100. Then I used Velcro dots to attach the box to the back of
the 100. Finally, I widened the slot on the Chipmunk cable side of the box, so
I can plug and unplug the Chipmunk cable from the header board. It's just as
safe as if it was inside the 100 case, and the box is slim enough to still
allow the 100 to fit in the soft case I use.
So here I am, without a cold start in a good month, and happily using 3 banks
and the Munk. I use pokes to turn off Telcom, Addrss, Schedl and Text in banks
2 and 3, and boot Super ROM in those banks instead; I use Write ROM almost
exclusively. I leave Telcom on the menu in Bank 1 and do all my communicating
from there. Maybe if I can get a couple more magazine articles done, I can
afford to upgrade to the bigger PGD Rom Banks. Eight banks...sigh.
Doug Pratt 76703,3041