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Review: Microworks RAM upgrade (Rainbow 1981-09)
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Home / Publications / Rainbow / Rainbow 1981 / Rainbow 1981-09 - Review: Microworks RAM upgrade (Rainbow 1981-09)
If you still have 16K RAM, or, even, 4K, it may be time to consider an upgrade to 32K.
And, if you've seen all the ads offering upgrades for so-and-so many dollars, you're probably not sure of just what to choose.
In addition, there ARE those little notes tacked on to the end that say "soldering required." find, while, frankly, you may be a whiz at software, hardware is something else. Besides, once you dip inside the COLOR Computer's silver cabinet, you'll get little sympathy at any Radio Shack repair center.
Right? Right.
One upgrade is available from The MICROWORKS, P.O. Box 1110, Del Mar, CA, 92014 for $39.95. That price will allow you to upgrade from 4K to 16K or 16K to 32K. If you want to go from 4K to 32K, order both kits.
We can tell you first of all that this upgrade works perfectly and, second, that the soldering isn't all THAT involved. In short, The MICROWORKS promise you that you can make a simple modification inside the cabinet and that you'll have more memory, find they deliver on that promise.
Although we talked last month about freeing up the graphic screens and all, the extra 16K of free memory is a super bonus. We would rate it as the number one buy for anyone at all serious about the COLOR Computer. And, while 32K won't solve all your problems, it is the answer to a great many of them.
Oh, back to the soldering (for the 32K upgrade). You need a low heat soldering iron -- not a gun --and you should be careful of static electricity when handling the RAM chips The MICROWORKS supplies. Because the soldering is a bit intricate, you need to be sure of your soldering ability. But, if you are not sure, it’s a simple job that anyone in an electronics shop will be willing to do for you inexpensively, A check with several readers found the charges ranging from $10 to $22.50.
In short, the lack of soldering ability should not be a roadblock to purchasing this upgrade. find the benefits are really something else.