Subject: REVIEW: DKB 3128 memory expansion card
From: [email-masked] (Jerry Heyman)
Date: 3 Apr 1995 21:19:38 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	DKB 3128 (TM) memory expansion card

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	A memory expansion card for the A3000, A3000T, A4000, and A4000T.
Uses ZorroIII slot and allows addition of industry standard 72-pin SIMMs (up
to 128MB).

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		DKB
	Address:	50240 W. Pontiac Trail
			Wixom, Michigan  48393
			USA

	Telephone:	(810) 960-8750 (Tech support)
	FAX:		(810) 960-8752

LIST PRICE

	I'm not sure of the list price, but have seen the bare board (no
memory included) advertised for $250.00 (US) in the last issue of AmigaWorld.

	As I bought mine in comp.sys.amiga.marketplace, I did not pay list
price.

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		An Amiga with a free Zorro III slot.

	SOFTWARE

		AmigaDOS 2.1 or higher is required.

COPY PROTECTION

	None.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	Amiga 3000/16, 2MB Chip / 4MB Fast
	1 internal 880K floppy / 1 external 880K floppy
	Quantum 52MB internal hard drive
	MultiFace III Card (2 serial / 1 parallel)
	Northman MV-3D VGA multisync monitor

	In a PC tower (connected via the SCSI 25-pin port):

		105 MB Rodime internal hard drive
		2x Sony CDU561 CD-ROM drive
		TEAC 600MB MT-2ST/F50B tape drive

	AmigaDOS 3.1
	MagicWorkbench 2.0

INSTALLATION

	Installation is twofold.  First, the manual has you install the
SIMM(s) onto the board, followed by installing the card into the machine.

	Installation onto the board is relatively painless.  Make sure you
read the manual, as there are jumpers necessary to be set if you're using
SIMMs that are larger than 4MB.  I installed a single 4 MB IBM SIMM.

	Once the SIMM is set on the board correctly, take the cover off of
the machine and install the card into the first available Zorro III slot.
The manual explains where you should install the card.  Installation wasn't
easy as the card is a bit wider than the expansion slot will allow.  I
solved this by taking out the plastic guide to give the card a bit more room.

	Once installed, I closed up my machine, powered it back on, and
now had 8 MB of Fast RAM.

	If you plan on having mixed memory - SIMMs of different sizes on the
board - then you will need to set the jumpers for the largest sized SIMM, and
install that SIMM in u201 (the innermost SIMM slot).  Once you've done that,
you need to install a piece of software that compensates for 'ghost'
memory.  It uses the Commodore Installer and is quite painless.

	The 3812 assumes that all SIMMs are the same size.  If, for example,
you install one 16MB SIMM and 3 4MB SIMMs, and you don't run the 'ghost'
program, your Amiga will think it has 64MB on the card.

REVIEW

	I purchased this board because after the experience of installing
the AmigaDOS 3.1 ROMs, I decided that I didn't want to have to take the
entire machine apart again.  While not finicky about messing with hardware,
the fact that the machine isn't being produced any more - and that
replacement parts are EXTREMELY difficult to find, I opted for the 3128
solution.

	As mentioned in the INSTALLATION section, I installed an IBM SIMM
that I had purchased from a friend who's mistakenly purchased 72-pin SIMMs
when his machine required 30-bit SIMMs.  The manual says that IBM SIMMs can
be used, but that they are 36 bit (as opposed to 32 bit) and that the extra
bits are ignored.

	After reading the documentation thoroughly (twice), I decided to go
ahead and install the board.  Putting the SIMM on the board wasn't
difficult, and using the SIMM alleviated my fear of bending pins.  The SIMMs
just pop into place, and can easily be popped back out to be replaced.

	Next came the installation of the board into the Amiga 3000.  This
should have been even easier, but the size of the board made for a bit of a
problem.  Guiding the board in via the plastic track on the right hand side,
and the external case on the left caused the card to bend slightly.
Obviously not wanting to break my new board, I looked for a solution.  The
best solution was to remove the plastic guide from the right hand side, and
then install the board.  More pressure than expected was required to get the
board to seat correctly, but it did go in without too much exertion on my
part.

	Next I closed up the machine, and powered it up.  Everything started
as expected, and across the top where the memory is displayed, I found the 
number of free bytes of FAST RAM had been increased by 4MB.

	In reading the documentation, I ran across the discussion of the
program to eliminate 'ghost' memory (mentioned in the Installation).  Since
I didn't want to forget about this in the future, I went ahead and installed
the software - which also modifies your S:startup-sequence file - and
rebooted.  The machine cycled power, accessed the disk, and then just sat
there doing nothing.

	I then rebooted using floppy diskette "Workbench 3.1" and modified
the S:startup-sequence by eliminating the several lines that the software
installation program had written to the top of the file.  Saved it, and
rebooted.  It came back up perfectly fine and I've been running that way
ever since.

DOCUMENTATION

	DKB 3128 comes with a 16-page installation manual (8 pages of
information, 2 pages for notes, 4 pages of ads for other products).  This
manual also include the warranty cards.  The first page is an overview of
what the product will do, and then a couple of pages on the installation of
the card.  There are separate installation instructions for the Amiga 4000/T
and the Amiga 3000/T.

	The instructions are step by step, so that anyone that is unfamiliar
with either computers or the Amiga can do the installation themselves.

	The program to handle 'ghost' memory is also discussed, and it is
available on the diskette that comes with the product.

	The documentation is complete, and includes a couple of pages of
trouble shooting advice if your machine fails to boot after installation of
the board.

LIKES

	The DKB 3128 meets my expectations of being able to do memory
expansion without having to find ZIP memory - and without having to take the
entire machine apart in order to put the memory on the mother board.

	Since it met my primary objectives, and it was rather simple to
install, I would have to say that I like this product immensely.

DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS

	The dislike has to do with the length of the physical board itself
and that it isn't as easy as I'd hoped to install.  The plastic guide is
there for support and to guide the board into the right slot, having to
remove it makes it a little bit more difficult to install correctly.

	A warning should also be inserted into the manual about installing
the 3128 software.  It should be highlighted that this is only necessary if 
you have more than one SIMM, and that they are of differing sizes.  In 
reading the section on the software, it wasn't completely obvious to me that
installing it with only one SIMM would be a problem.  I did the installation
in order to facilitate adding different size memory in the future.

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	I'm not aware of other memory only cards.  I do know that there
are combination cards that include SCSI controllers and extra memory, but I 
don't have anything to compare the DKB 3128 to.

BUGS

	None.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	A phone number is included if you have any problems.

WARRANTY

	"For a period of Two Years from the date of purchase to the original
purchaser, DKB Software warrants that the equipment shall remain free of
manufacturing defects.

	"The equipment, when possible, is tested in all its normal operating
modes prior to delivery or shipment.

	"If a defect should occur during the first Two Years, the unit must
be returned to DKB Software along with a sales receipt for repair.

	"The purchaser's sole and exclusive remedy in the event of a defect
is limited to the correction of the defect by adjustment, repair, or
replacement at DKB Software's discretion and expense."

CONCLUSIONS

	I like this product immensely.  It does what it claims (as far as I
can tell) - and more importantly it allows me use industry standard memory
SIMMs to upgrade the memory on my Amiga 3000.  This and the fact that I
don't have to disconnect the entire machine to add memory to the motherboard
makes this the best solution for me.

	Would I buy another?  Yes, but I seriously doubt that two will work
on the same machine.  It was always my plan to buy one new until I saw the
person selling it on comp.sys.amiga.marketplace.  It is well worth the
retail price.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	Copyright 1995 Jerrold Heyman.  All rights reserved.
	This review is freely distributable as long as it is not altered in
any way.

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