--- the pickle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Which says to me "patch it!" > > There *has* to be a way to patch that ROM in > software to get around the > limitation. Even if it only allowed the use of > low-profile 16 MB SIMMs, that > would more than triple the current RAM cap and make > the LC and LC II a *lot* > more tolerable. > > Same goes for the MacTV if anyone out there has the > skillz to write the patch.
Can't do it with a software patch, unless maybe you want to write a whole OS from scratch that does not depend on the hardware for access to the RAM. (If it's even possible to bypass that ASIC!) Older Macs and PCs of that era depended heavily on direct interaction with the hardware and the built in software in the ROM or BIOS. The "New World" Macs and any PC capable of running Windows 95+ use very little direct hardware access and the built in software serves little but to get the thing up and running and to kick off starting the Operating System. (Modern Macs' "ROM" is actually a part of the OS, a file loaded into RAM.) ASIC = Application Specific Integrated Circuit. That's a chip custom designed for one and only one application. In many devices the ASIC has been supplanted by the PGA or Programmable Gate Array or FPGA (stick a Field in front of PGA) which means it can be programmed after it's encapsulated in the packaging. The benefit of F/PGA is that if some problem is discovered during production, a whole new chip doesn't have to be fabbed from a corrected design, they just alter how the chips are programmed _after_ they are made. So a question is, is there any FPGA capable of being programmed to replace the LC/LCII memory controller but without the RAM size limitation? Next question is, is there anyone capable of figuring out how to program it? Finally, if both the first two are YES, is it really worth it? ;) ===== "Why do Zik-Zak Burgers come in plastic packs? Some of the plastic rubs off on them and increases their nutritional value!" Max Headroom __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum.yahoo.com -- Vintage Macs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Vintage Macs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/vintage.macs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
