Source
r/fpgagaming•
absolutezero132

128 MB SDRAM board not working

Hello all,

I recently ordered an SDRAM board from a reputable seller, and it has caused me some issues. I sent an email to the seller hoping they would be able to help me, but I'm going to copy it here to ask help of this community because at this point I am kind of getting desperate. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

"seller,

I recently purchased the 128 MB SDRAM from your store. I installed it today, and it has resulted in some strange behaviors. Previously I had a 32 MB board that I bought off amazon, which worked fine. I installed the 128 MB board and the Mister fails to recognize it properly (running memtest shows it only partially recognizes it, not the full 128 MB). No cores work with the board I ordered from you, including the Genesis core which does not require SDRAM. I reinstalled the Mister OS with no change in the issue. When I swapped back to my 32 MB board, it also is failing to be recognized (memtest shows 0, no memory detected), although the Genesis core does work with that board installed. This has me worried that it's not just the new board that is faulty. Any idea what could be causing this issue? I would hate to think that your board could have damaged my DE-10 Nano, but that's the only conclusion I've been able to come to so far. Please let me know if you are able to help."

Again, any help would be incredibly appreciated. Also I can provide more details if necessary.

Posted Jan 6, 2022, 12:46 AM UTC

38
metalfacemark•

You didn’t accidentally put it in the wrong way round did you?

I know it’s a stupid question but it’s easily done if someone doesn’t pay attention, if you turn it on it can show those kind of errors (I’m speaking from experience sadly) after putting it back the correct way

3
absolutezero132OP•

Both of my boards are clearly marked which way should face outward, and I was careful to put them in the correct orientation. So while it's possible I messed up the first time I put the new board in, I think it's unlikely.

If you don't mind me asking, what ended up happening in your situation? Did you RMA the DE-10 Nano?

0
metalfacemark•

The nano was ok thankfully the memory Just kept giving memory errors in memtest, works as a 32mb stick only now.

Mine was marked too, I was just not paying full attention

1
Carniscrub•

It’s possible you damaged something taking out the old one or putting in the new one.

Also just list the “reputable seller” you’re not bashing anyone, and the reputable ones that I’ve done business with have great customer service

Edit: also possible the Amazon one did damage

2
absolutezero132OP•

That is possible, but there's no visible damage to the area surrounding the GPIO for the ram. I checked to make sure I didn't somehow unseat that connector by using a multimeter to test connectivity with the solder joints. With regard to the Amazon board, I don't really see how that's possible since I had no issues with it until I removed it and put another board in.

I don't really see any reason to name the seller I bought from, it's only relevant that they are reputable. Like I said, I sent an email to them and hope to hear back, I just wanted to ask this community in case there was something that I overlooked that I could check in the meantime.

1
Beige_gaming•

Sounds more like a issue with the Nano, if the both SDram boards are not working

2
chicagogamecollector•

Check the solder joints on all the IO pins. One could have gone cold / cracked when you popped the first ram module off and inserted the second. Enough strain and they can go cold

2
absolutezero132OP•

They looked pretty solid to me when I checked but I’ll check again when I get home

1