Posted By
billdeg
on 2003-10-12
|  upgrading c16 using plus/4
suppose i have a bunch of non-functioning plus/4's and one functioning c16. can I take ram from a plus/4 to upgrade a c16? Put another way, can I make a c16 into a plus/4 (minus the 4 built-in programs)? I want to be able to run the same games on a c16 you can run on a stock plus/4.
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2003-10-12
| Re: upgrading c16 using plus/4
Sure, you can 'upgrade' the C16 to 64k by changing the RAM chips and a little bit of wiring changes. However it would be faster and less work desoldering RAM chips if you were to insert the dead Plus/4 chips into the C16, or the good C16 chips into the Plus/4, to determine what is wrong with your machines. At that time you may get a Plus/4 working again and not have to touch a soldering iron.
There is an article on my site regarding upgrading a C16 to 64k. Look on my homepage for the link of that name.
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2003-10-12
| Re: upgrading c16 using plus/4
Nevermind about searching, here's the exact link: Read me
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Posted By
billdeg
on 2003-10-12
| Re: upgrading c16 using plus/4
James...thanks. I suppose you remember me from the previous posts. I got another plus/4 from ebay...promised it was in "true mint" and working...and again I got another dead unit. Sometimes I think I am cursed to never use a functioning plus/4...I will take a look at your article. I am very reticent about fooling with my c16 unless I have to. I like to leave working machines alone. but...
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Posted By
billdeg
on 2003-10-12
| Re: upgrading c16 using plus/4
Yes. I will keep working on the plus/4's (now I have 4). I don't want to resort to soldering at this point. I am too inexperienced. thanks.
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2003-10-12
| Re: upgrading c16 using plus/4
ARRGH I had a nice reply to you and the Internet ate it. 
Swap chips one by one, starting with TED and then the CPU. If you can't get one Plus/4 to work, then move on to another. You might use a dab of paint (such as to paint model cars or airplanes) to mark the chips that come out of the C16, in case you get confused as to which chip belonged where.
Not all problems are fixed by swapping chips. I have a Plus/4 (my most used one) that has 15 bad RAM locations, sequential, in upper memory. If I intend to use the machine for a BASIC program or a large ML program, I have to lower the top of memory to keep the Plus/4 from going haywire.
I also have a aunit that had a bad Kernal ROM (now fixed) and one that has a motherboard problem (it's not a swappable chip that's bad).
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Posted By
billdeg
on 2003-10-13
| Re: upgrading c16 using plus/4
I will keep you posted.
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