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Problems with 66mb of memory in ASR-X Pro's

Q: I just put 66mb's in my ASR-X Pro, and now it's acting funny. I get strange distortion when I sample, and sometimes the display is erratic. When I remove one of the SIMM's (doesn't matter which one), it goes away. What gives?

A: Below is an apparently official post from E-mu. Summarized, it's either bad SIMM's or dirty SIMM slots.First, here's a suggested procedure in case you are affected by this problem.

SLOT's

• Clean them according to the instructions, or go to your seller and have them clean them.
• Try your SIMM's again. Sample a long sample, or do whatever you did to make the unit screw up earlier.

If that does not work, try:

SIMM's

• Make sure they match the specs listed below.
• Either way, return them to the seller and get new ones. If you need a new reseller, RCS sells SIMM's that match the specification.

If that does not work, return your ASR-X Pro to your seller and request another one. Bring along the SIMM's and request that they test the new ASR-X Pro unit with these SIMM's in there - and test it with uses above 34mb. It's a Emu's and the Emu dealers's responsibility to get you a working unit.

***************************************FROM EMU ***************************************************

The ASR-X Pro can exhibit peculiar behavior when 64 meg of RAM has been installed. After some time of research we have found that it is not a technical or software based malfunction. It is simply a dirty SIMM socket, or the wrong SIMM's are in use.

CLEANING THE SIMM SOCKETS
There are a few tools needed to rectify the situation; any electronics store or possibly even a Radio Shack carries them.

• Isopropyl Alcohol
• An Acid brush

Cleaning Instructions

• Remove the simm's from the unit.
• Dampen the acid brush's bristles with the isopropyl Alcohol (Alcohol should NOT be dripping from the brush.)
• Lightly wiggle the brush in and across both simm sockets
• WAIT FOR THE UNIT TO DRY (this should not take long because alcohol has a fast evaporation time)
• Re-seat the Simm's (be sure to make the simms fit snug and straight into the sockets)

Correct SIMM description for the ASR-X/X Pro

• Standard SIMM’s that are 32 bit non-parity, or 36-bit parity
• 72-pin only
• 70 ns (nanoseconds) or faster
• Non-EDO.
• The SIMM is a 5-volt chip, 3-volt SIMMS will not properly fit the ASR-X SIMM socket.

If your unit is still displaying odd behavior, please take your unit AND THE SIMM's to an authorized service center for further diagnosis and repair.

Contributed by Emu

Article contributed by: Garth Hjelte