Yokemate of Keyboards
Posts: 2794 from 2006/3/21
From: Northern Calif...
Quote:takemehomegrandma wrote:
Quote:
amigadave wrote:
That is capable of having up to 512mb RAM, but has been crippled by only being available with 128mb and having firmware that does not allow it to be upgraded to any other amount of RAM (or so I have been told).
No, you have been told that the amount of memory is a *design decision* that has to be made *pre-production*. The Efika must *be built* with more memory *from the start*. The Efikas out in the wild today was designed and built with 128MB, and no firmware upgrade will change that, it's a HW thing. To make an Efika with more memory you will have to build it slightly different from the start. That wouldn't help you, me or anyone else with a 128MB Efika.
That is not what I read from my long argument with Matt months ago? Yes, there might have to be other hardware changes besides just adding, or replacing the original RAM, or both to have an Efika with more RAM, but the pcb itself would not be different and the changes would be POSSIBLE, just not cost effective to make any change probable. The Efika would not have different pcb's for each different RAM configuration and everything else on the board COULD be replaced, or altered, but it is just not practical or cost effective. The design decision to only produce the Efika with 128mb of RAM in the first place was a mistake in my opinion, as I wonder how much difference in price it would have been in the beginning to fit it with the maximum 512mb of RAM? At least it was a mistake for us MorphOS users, but then we were not the target market for that board, the embedded auto makers were the market and they most likely did not need the additional RAM, so I understand the decision. Saving what ever amount of money on each board was additional profit in the pockets of Genesi and less capital outlay of funds to manufacture the Efika. It is just too bad that it did not make economic sense to make a smaller production run of the Efika with the maximum 512mb of RAM installed so the MorphOS users would have had a choice between the 128mb and 512mb boards.
It is my understanding that if someone, or some group made the firmware changes and the correct RAM (and possibly some other components that might be needed) could be found for sale, existing Efika's could be altered to use more RAM. This would be in violation of the firmware agreement that prohibits alteration and it is not likely that anyone or any group would do it because the benefit would not justify the cost in time, effort and parts, unless that someone, or some group got permission to do so and was willing to do it for free and the parts could be found.
I know that this is not going to happen, but look at the guy who spent thousands of Euros of his own money to redesign a new 030 motherboard for the A1000. I think stranger things have happened in the world of Amiga over the past 20 years, so anything is possible.
MorphOS - The best Next Gen Amiga choice.
