4164/41256 DRAM Memory Tester

$19.95$44.95

Do you have questionable DRAM that you’re not sure is good or bad? This tester will help you sort through all that. You’ll quickly find out if any of your DRAM chips are bad.

The DRAM tester at its core, utilizes an ATMEGA328P with an Arduino boot loader which means the firmware is written in C.

The construction is such that the ATMEGA328P is socketed so it can be easily removed for firmware updates.

The coolest part about this tester has to be the OLED screen. This gives you a very nice read out of the testing progress. If the tester discovers that a chip is bad it will even display where it found the problem.

You can test both 4164 and 41256 DRAM. Simply move the jumper accordingly. 1 – 2 for 4164 and 2 – 3 for 41256.

The DRAM tester is assembled here in the US in Florida. I build these myself. They are not mass produced. Each tester is fully tested and carefully packaged before being shipped out.

Note: Please keep in mind that due to the speed limitations of the micro controller, in-depth tests that test the access time capability of DRAM are not possible. With that said, this tester does a great job at giving you 100% accuracy at detecting faulty DRAM. What this means is that if a DRAM is detected as bad then it is definitely bad but if it is detected as good, it could be a false positive and that particular memory chip may still have timing issues that would not have been discovered while testing.

Do you have questionable DRAM that you’re not sure is good or bad? This tester will help you sort through all that. You’ll quickly find out if any of your DRAM chips are bad.

The DRAM tester at its core, utilizes an ATMEGA328P with an Arduino boot loader which means the firmware is written in C.

The construction is such that the ATMEGA328P is socketed so it can be easily removed for firmware updates.

The coolest part about this tester has to be the OLED screen. This gives you a very nice read out of the testing progress. If the tester discovers that a chip is bad it will even display where it found the problem.

You can test both 4164 and 41256 DRAM. Simply move the jumper accordingly. 1 – 2 for 4164 and 2 – 3 for 41256.

The DRAM tester is assembled here in the US in Florida. I build these myself. They are not mass produced. Each tester is fully tested and carefully packaged before being shipped out.

Note: Please keep in mind that due to the speed limitations of the micro controller, in-depth tests that test the access time capability of DRAM are not possible. With that said, this tester does a great job at giving you 100% accuracy at detecting faulty DRAM. What this means is that if a DRAM is detected as bad then it is definitely bad but if it is detected as good, it could be a false positive and that particular memory chip may still have timing issues that would not have been discovered while testing.

DIY Info

So you’re building this yourself? Welcome to the wonderful world of DIY. You’re here either because you purchased the complete DIY kit or you purchased just the PCB’s or because you wanted to see what this tab was all about. Either way, here you’ll find all the resources you need to complete your build.

Downloads:

BOM Top PCB:

Part

Value

Device

Description

JP1 PINHD-1×3 Pin Header
JP2 PINHD-1×12 Pin Header
JP3 PINHD-1×12 Pin Header
LED_BAD Red LED5MM LED
LED_OK Green LED5MM LED
OLED-128×64-I2C SSD1306 128×64 SSD1306 128×64 Display
R1 220ohm R-US_0204/7 Resistor
R2 220ohm R-US_0204/7 Resistor
R3 1k R-US_0204/7 Resistor
RESET 6 x 6 x 9 Tactile Switch Tactile Switch
TRIGGER 6 x 6 x 9 Tactile Switch Tactile Switch
ZIF_16PIN 16 Pin ZIF Socket 16 Pin ZIF Socket

BOM Bottom PCB:

Part

Value

Device

Description

C1 22pF C-US025-025X050 Capacitor
C2 22pF C-US025-025X050 Capacitor
C3 100nF C-US025-025X050 Capacitor
Q1 16MHz CYRSTALHC49S Crystal
R1 10K R-US_0204/7 Resistor
SV2 FE12-1 Female Header
SV3 FE12-1 Female Header
U1 ATMEGA328P ATMEGA328P Microcontroller
X1 USB-B-H USB-B-H USB Connector

Here’s a YouTube video of me putting one of these together.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHUCJPy5USc[/embedyt]

2 reviews for 4164/41256 DRAM Memory Tester

  1. iss

    A sign of good manners is to say who’s the original idea!
    https://forum.defence-force.org/viewtopic.php?t=1699
    iss@raxiss

  2. John M Wettroth

    Very cool. There is nothing new under the sun. I designed a similar tester in 1990 for the first Circuit Cellar Design Contest in 1990. It won first price in the portable category. It tested functionality and access time for the 41xx DRAMs of the day. The complete schematic and source are available. If you can’t find a copy I can PM it.
    Ref:
    Circuit Cellar Ink Issue 20 April/May 1991 Page 24
    A Portable 8051‐Based DRAM Tester—Designing Maximum Features into Minimum Space, by John Wettroth

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