32mb ram installation...(did a search before I made this thr

Alright so I'm a bit on the fustrated side...Im still pretty new to the 2000xl. Ive bought 2 sets of chips already..both of them from ebay "Platinumaudiolab" and "chippies avalanche" I had some trouble the first time around when I installed the chips..

The second time around...

I made sure that I didnt touch the metal contacts. I cleaned both of them with isopropyl, I also cleaned the contacts inside the mpc with isopropyl, made sure there was no static charge, I have even made sure that I installed them correctly with the snap and still it is only reading "2mb" when I switch it on. What else could be the problem here? Is there something I missed? I refuse to put this up for sale and switch to an MPD.


Your help is appreciated and if there is a thread on this please point me in that direction.

this is in the manual

Installing Memory Expansion
The MPC2000XL’s internal memory can be expanded to 32Mbytes using SIMMs. The
MPC2000XL comes with 2Meg of memory ‘hardwired’ and there are two slots in which you can
install SIMMs chips. The SIMMs board is inserted at a slight angle and then pushed back where it
clips into place. Some SIMMs boards have the memory chips mounted on both sides sometimes.
However, the boards can only be inserted one way so you shouldn’t have any problems. Be
careful not to force them into place otherwise they may snap.
SIMMs operate at different speeds. SIMMs that operate at a speed of 70nS (nanoseconds) or
faster are recommended.
SIMMs also come in various sizes. Please note the following memory configurations that are
possible in the MPC2000XL.

Internal | SIMMs Slot 1 | SIMMs Slot 2 | TOTAL
2M | None | None | 2M
2M | 16M | None | 18M
2M | 16M | 16M | 32M*
2M | 32M | none | 32M*

* When 32M SIMMs are installed, the 2Meg on the MAIN board is ignored.
Note: Memory chips are sensitive to static electricity. Please observe the following
safety precautions:
• Unplug the MPC2000XL before installing the board(s).
• The SIMMs may come with a special wrist strap to discharge static electricity.
We suggest you attach the strap to the MPC2000XL’s case. If a wrist strap or
any other such accessory is not supplied, try discharging any static by touching
an earthed metal object before handling the boards.
• Always handle the memory board by its edges - avoid touching the components
on the board.
• To minimise static electricity, avoid carpeted areas and low humidity areas.

and pardon the grid in the middle showing the slot config... I had to rewrite that cause it doesn't copy over from the pdf.

Thanks for replying, I read the manual and I know how to do it, its just, after ive done it and its still not reading, where should I go from there?

well are you sure the ram you have is at least 70NS? that is very important.

also parity is not important... here is something I copied from the official akai website even though they have nothing to do with that model since the company is not the same since it was bought out.

You should use 72-pin Fast Page or EDO SIMMS with a speed rating of 70 ns (nanoseconds) or faster. They can be either parity or non-parity (if parity is present it will be ignored), and should have gold leads. The MPC2000XL supports 16 MB and 32 MB SIMMS. However we recommend using 2 x 16 MB SIMMS because the manufacturing specifications of 32 MB SIMMS have changed slightly since the introduction of the MPC2000XL and we have discovered that not all 32 MB SIMMS will work.

Hmm I'm not sure if its 70NS but since it said it should have gold leads then im thinking it isnt the right one to begin with.

Birdy wrote:Hmm I'm not sure if its 70NS but since it said it should have gold leads then im thinking it isnt the right one to begin with.

meh the gold leads means they have better contact... the mpc cant actually tell if they are gold or not hahaha...


listen, I suggest getting a new set of 16 meg chips. it should run you around 5 or 10 bucks.

for example:

these are NOT good:
http://cgi.ebay.com/16MB-2x-8MB-SIMM-72-pin-EDO-60ns-Match-Pair-DRAM-/250728686866?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a60982512#ht_500wt_1156


this is a gamble, there may be a good stick or two in there:
http://cgi.ebay.com/72-PIN-SIMM-MEMORY-LOT-26-4MB-8MB-16MB-EDO-VINTAGE-/290501103298?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a3370ec2#ht_500wt_1156

these should work... I would expect them too but as always it's trial and error:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-16MB-32MB-SIMM-IBM-11D4480BF-70J-72-Pin-70ns-/260692523477?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb27c39d5#ht_1603wt_1139



oh and if you find a pair of xerox 16 meg chips those do work and are within specs.... however they will likely set you back like 80 bucks.

Thanks again man I appreciate it. ugh... i feel like a dork. how could ive missed that? in the ads it didnt say anything about the NS. just thought they were all created equal.lol now im looking at the package and it says 60NS.. smh.

Birdy wrote:Thanks again man I appreciate it. ugh... i feel like a dork. how could ive missed that? in the ads it didnt say anything about the NS. just thought they were all created equal.lol now im looking at the package and it says 60NS.. smh.

yeah well on the upside it isn't an expensive mistake. Sometimes 60ns will actually work but glitch out later on down the road... which is the worst thing in the world!


anyways, good luck! As I said, sometimes it takes buying different ones a bunch of times until one works. The same thing goes for the CF readers if you try and find your own on ebay or what have you.

ordered that one u suggested.. I guess its too big.. that shit almost got stuck lol at least i have an idea of what im lookin for.

you think this would work? http://cgi.ebay.com/Kingston-KTC-PENT-3 ... 336229b40a

Birdy wrote:ordered that one u suggested.. I guess its too big.. that shit almost got stuck lol at least i have an idea of what im lookin for.

you think this would work? http://cgi.ebay.com/Kingston-KTC-PENT-3 ... 336229b40a

yeah that should work...

Damn... still doesnt read. I think I'm just gonna shell out some dough from mpcstuff, would I be better off ordering from them? Otherwise I will go with this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/KTC-1481-64-Kingsto ... 1e5de8ddf6

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kingston-KTC2430-32 ... 35adf1ae49

^70ns on the KTC 2430?


I think I have enough chips laying around to build a little house with a two car garage. LOL! Debauch, what are the chances of it being an internal problem rather than the chip?

Birdy wrote:Damn... still doesnt read. I think I'm just gonna shell out some dough from mpcstuff, would I be better off ordering from them? Otherwise I will go with this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/KTC-1481-64-Kingsto ... 1e5de8ddf6

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kingston-KTC2430-32 ... 35adf1ae49

^70ns on the KTC 2430?


I think I have enough chips laying around to build a little house with a two car garage. LOL! Debauch, what are the chances of it being an internal problem rather than the chip?

I dont know, but the first link with the no ecc 70ns ktc looks good.

I dont get how you wound up with chips that dont fit..

you do not need (or want) ECC chips and the 70ns ones should work. at least you could try and put those back up on ebay.

the thing is, it is trial and error... either way have you spent more then what MPC stuff would charge for a pair of 16mb chips yet?

Yeah the last pair before this one could only fit one slot at a time. they were double sided and a little bigger than the usual ones. My search will continue. thanks for ur help dude.

Birdy wrote:Yeah the last pair before this one could only fit one slot at a time. they were double sided and a little bigger than the usual ones. My search will continue. thanks for ur help dude.

let me know what happens... oh and take pictures and note of the ones that did not work... possibly this could help others in the future.