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-- DRAM Problems!!!!!!!!!!! (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=1425)

hello,
one of my Visors has a defect DRAM chip inside, so I have to send it back to handspring or download the patch to fix it.

1. Can a software (patch) really solve a hardware problem like this completely?
2. What should I do? Send it back to get a new one or fix the bug with the patch?

Uli

I've been wondering the same thing: how can they fix a hardware problem with a software patch. I suspect that they are going to be changing the memory refresh rate, or something, something that will no doubt hurt the performance of the machine.

I think I'd get a replacement.

If you read the FAQs at the TRG website, they have a detailed account of what the patch is supposed to do.

I'll try to give a short summary of how it works here.

DRAM needs to periodically refresh its contents; if not, it will lose all its data.

Usually, when the Visor is on, the PalmOS takes over the job of refreshing the data.

However, when it's off, the PalmOS usually gives instructions to the DRAM to refresh itself.

This is when the problem comes along in the units with the defective DRAM -- when the PalmOS sets the DRAM to autorefresh when the unit is off, the defective memory controller that is supposed to refresh the data instead corrupts it.

What happens in the patch is that, instead of leaving the DRAM to autorefresh itself when the Visor is off, the Visor refreshes the DRAM from the PalmOS, as if the unit were turned on.

According to whatever documentation I've read, since the PalmOS normally takes the job of refreshing the DRAM wqhile its on anyway, the patch will make your Visor perform with no speed nor performance loss, EXCEPT for one thing --slightly more battery power is used.

According to the Palm.com website, the loss of power is not significant.

[This message has been edited by Tan Kit Hoong (edited 07-06-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Tan Kit Hoong (edited 07-06-2000).]

I emailed Handspring concerning this problem and they stated that the patch will not affect performance or battery life. Hopefully we will know if this is the case soon!!!