Emax II Memory Update

[inyoro]

Do you know if it is still possible to upgrade? I got this disc from AW auction but some songs require 8MB. I have only 4MB Emax II.
Or is there a way somehow to adjust those 8MB banks to 4MB?
Many thanks..!

[vds242]

No way to upgrade the RAM!
The upgrades were special boards, with a special floppy disc, who "tells" the EMAX, ok now you have ...MB RAM. After that, the floppies destructed themself!
So, no one could use them anymore!
No joke!!!

IMHO it isn´t so important to play these banks with an EMAXII.

Buy an ESI 32, 2000 or 4000. They can load EMAXII Banks.
And I think that these Samples from AW are real samples, without using the filter of the EMAXII.

So these samples will sounds very, very similar on an ESI, or an E4, e64 and so on...

just my 100 cents

Christian

[inyoro]

Ok, thanks a lot for the suggestion. One dummy question. If I get one of those ESI 2000, am i still going to need a midi keyboard or can I still use my Emax II? (yeah, it may sound a very stupid question but I am really not a pro in this thing).

[seamonkey]

You can use any keyboard with midi output to play something else with midi input, and yes that will include the ESI series of samplers.
The ESI-32 will play Emax ll programs but requires the OS upgrade EPROMs to play samples from the 2000-4000.

[inyoro]

Ok, many thanks. I will go for ESI 2000 I guess. There are couple of them on Ebay for some low values.

[Freddy]

Memory Upgrade is POSSIBLE! I just upgraded mine to 8 mb!

Check out this, he's selling the software: http://www.eprelectronics.com/store/E-mu-Keyboards-PARTS/E-mu-Emax/Emax-II-Adjust-Features-Code-p201.html

You just need this code, an expansion board and the necessary 44256-8 ICs

[12bit]

So you don't need a new PAL ? Only the extra memory and the code ?

Kenneth.

[rtech]

12bit, I believe that you only need either the upgrade disk OR the code since you are already at 4MB. Of course you will need the RAM chips. You can read some info here on the upgrades that were available from Emu.

 http://www.emulatorarchive.com/assets/PDF/Emax%20II%20Memory%20Expansion.pdf

rtech

[FmK@77]

@Freddy

I want to upgrade my 4mb Emu Emax II 2212 (it has a memoryboard 2mb). Can it be that the necessary 44256-8 is a "typo" en that it must be 44256-7? There are memorychips on my memoryboard marked with KM44C256CP-7. I am not sure which chips I need to order. Also do I need to add each time 2mb and ask for a code until I have 8mb total?

Does anybody know if the adjust features code is an equal value or is it variable? And is there a way to find out? There must be some schematics out there.

Many Thanks!
Frank

[Freddy]

Hi,

it doesn't matter if it's 44256-7 /-8. (It refers to the speed).
You need 16 chips (<- wrong, sorry 32 if you have a 4mb model)  ... but I'm not completely sure if you need other stuff... write an e-mail to the info e-mail...

The code is variable. You get it here: http://www.eprelectronics.com/store/E-mu-Keyboards-PARTS/E-mu-Emax/Emax-II-Adjust-Features-Code-p201.html.

[0) Plug in ALL the chips. Is not necessary to 'work in steps'.]

1) Register
2) Buy
3) He, Mr Bruyn, will write you an e-mail sooner or later. Ask him, if you can ...
3) ...call him (WHY?: You have to enter a menu in your EMAXII [read the instruction on eprele... .com] and Mr Bruyn has the code generator on his MAC. This generator generates the only code which matches to the shown in the display. If you leave the menu and reenter it again the code has changed. I wouldn't expect of my EMAXII having it swiched on for 2 days.)

[FmK@77]

@Freddy,

Thanks for your reply and good explantation on what to do. If I may ask where did you buy the km44... dram chip? In my country they don't sell them any more.

Again thanks,

Frank!

[FmK@77]

I have had contact with mr. Bruyn and if you want to update the Emax II from 4 mb into 8mb you'll need 32 dram ic's.

Frank

[vitosky]

I have had contact with mr. Bruyn and if you want to update the Emax II from 4 mb into 8mb you'll need 32 dram ic's.

Frank

Ok Frank, but what type of dram ic's and where to buy these components to make the upgrade?

[FmK@77]

Depends on which chips you have installed on the memoryboard. If it's the (Samsung 20 pins) Km44C256CP-?. The ? stands for or 6, 7 or 8 that is equal to or 60, 70 or 80 ns acces time. You'll need to find out yourself which manufacturer is applied. It's properly best to keep the same speed as is installed on your memoryboard. The only thing is the price tag...it will cost you a lot to update (I did some researching).

Greetings,
Frank

[bax]

Has anyone had experience with using faster RAM for their upgrade?  Logically, it should be able to run at a slower speed if it is actually "clocked" but I am unaware of the implementation and don't want to waste a lot of money to find out. 

Most pictures I've seen show the 70ns variant of the chips installed and the eprelectronics site states that he provides the 100ns chips in his upgrade kits and they are guaranteed to work.  I would assume from that difference that the timing requirements of the RAM are not necessarily extremely tight.  I found some KM44C256CP-6 (60ns) chips that I'd be more than happy to purchase and install but I am unsure if these will actually be too fast.

Has anyone tried this (upgrading with faster RAM)?  Any input would be appreciated...

Thanks!
bax