DRAM chips

Model A/B

The Model B uses a total of sixteen 4816-type DRAM chips to give it 32K of RAM. These chips are arranged in two banks of eight chips, /CAS0 and /CAS1. Each chip provides one bit of storage for 16,536 (16K) memory locations. The Model A uses only one bank, /CAS1. The use of either or both memory banks is controlled by selection jumper S25.

Errors in a particular bit will correspond to a specific IC:

Model A/B

	D0	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7
/CAS0	IC61	IC62	IC63	IC64	IC65	IC66	IC67	IC68
/CAS1	IC53	IC54	IC55	IC56	IC57	IC58	IC59	IC60

Models produced for export to Germany and the USA use a different board layout, and the ICs are numbered differently.

Model B+

The Model B+ uses eight 4164-type DRAM chips to provide 64K of RAM. (32k of general RAM, 20K of shadow screen RAM, and 12K of sideways RAM.) The eight chips are arranged in one single bank, with each chip providing one bit for all 64K memory locations.

Because the B+ only has one bank of memory, it is not possible to selectively disable RAM chips to help diagnose a fault. Errors with a particular bit will still correspond to a specific IC:

Model B+

D0	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7
IC55	IC56	IC57	IC58	IC59	IC60	IC61	IC62

Model B+ 128K

The 128K variant of the B+ has a daughter-board fitted, which provides a further 64KB of RAM. This additional RAM is used solely as four banks of sideways RAM. It is populated with two 4464-type DRAM chips, each of which provide four bits for all 64K memory locations. The bits are provided by the DRAM chips in a non-sequential order, this makes the daughter-board design simpler, and has no material effect of the machine's operation:

Model B+ Daughterboard

D0	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7
IC4	IC4	IC4	IC3	IC4	IC3	IC3	IC3

The B+ circuit diagram indicates that the location where the daughter-board is fitted (IC96) was intended as an optional replacement for the eight 4164-type DRAM chips fitted to the board (i.e. using two 4464-type chips instead). It is not known if any machines were shipped with RAM on a daughter-board only.

Master 128

In the BBC Master 128, four 4464-type DRAM chips are used to provide two banks of 64KB. Each chip provides four bits of data for 64K different address locations. One bank provides the main system RAM and shadow RAM, the other provides four 16KB banks of sideways RAM.

Master 128

Bank	D0	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7
System RAM	IC23	IC23	IC23	IC23	IC17	IC17	IC17	IC17
Sideways RAM	IC26	IC26	IC26	IC26	IC18	IC18	IC18	IC18

Master Compact

The Master Compact uses a similar arrangement to the Master 128, but the IC numbers are different due to the altered board layout:

Master Compact

Bank	D0	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7
System RAM	IC35	IC35	IC35	IC35	IC41	IC41	IC41	IC41
Sideways RAM	IC36	IC36	IC36	IC36	IC47	IC47	IC47	IC47