Hi WAYNE,

On 16-May-04, WAYNE CHIRNSIDE wrote to ROY J. TELLASON:

 WC>> Stupid 72 pin SIMM socket and RAM in this 486 don't seem to seat
 WC>> perfectly so every now and than an unpredictable amount of RAM
 WC>> doesn't register or disappears in operation crashing Netscape or
 WC>> another application.

 RJT>> Plastic or metal clips?  Those might be the problem,  perhaps?

 WC> Well it's tin on tin with the the frame of the socket plastic,
 WC> plastic alignment tabs but with metal clips that snap shut when
 WC> the SIMM's seated.

 WC>> I've cleaned the socket and RAM, reseated the RAM, tightened the
 WC>> locking clips which held for a while but now it appears if I
 WC>> leave the machine on for any length of time bye goes the RAM.

 RJT>> Not a good sign.

 WC> Well from experience with another since deceased M.B. I know the
 WC> memory chips are rock solid as it never dropped out in that
 WC> machine.  I really think it's a thermal flexing problem where the
 WC> SIMM is losing addressing lines. I've tried to think how I could
 WC> shore up support for the center of the SIMM but nothing has sprung
 WC> to mind as yet.

The other thing is to try reflowing the solder joints from the SIMM
socket to the mother board if the board is really worth keeping.



 RJT>> Last time I was up in NYC I got to demonstrate that one,
 RJT>> finding a way to get to where I wanted to go in fairly short
 RJT>> order,  in the chaos that's lower manhattan streets.  Tomorrow I
 RJT>> go back for the first time since that visit and we'll see if I
 RJT>> can still remember how to drive in that town.  

 WC> Never got into the city in N.Y. but I can sure see a bicycle or
 WC> the subway as having the advantage over a car in Boston.

Boston is a cakewalk compared to NY city. I didn't mind driving round
Boston, and I was based in the centre (next door to Mass Gen Hospital,
I've forgotten the name of the place. :-( I was in one of the tower
blocks, in a condo). In NY I was based near the JFK Airport for a
while - downtown Queens is _not_ fun... And I had to drive a mile or
so to get to the nearest Subway... I wouldn't fancy anyones chances
using a bicycle to get around in NY, it's too dangerous (except in
Central Park).

George
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