Connector, EMP20 programmer?

[SiriusHardware]

I have access to a Needhams (produced in the USA) EMP20 general memory / microprocessor device programmer. One of the quirks of this programmer is that it organises the necessary rewiring between the various device pinouts and the programmer hardware through the use of plug-in 'personality modules' for different groups of devices. For example, module number 01 rearranges the ZIF socket wiring to suit most 27xx series eproms. Module 02 configures it for 8051 series microprocessors, and so on.

The personality modules are strips of black PCB material which appear at first glance like unpopulated computer memory sticks, and to complete the illusion they plug into a computer memory style right angled DIMM? socket beside the ZIF socket.

This programmer is now twenty years old and has been giving sterling service all that time, but the problem now is that the socket for the personality modules is now starting to wear out. And here's the problem: I can't identify the memory socket type.

I would have thought it would have been whatever was most commonly in use on PC motherboards circa 1993, but I have so far failed to identify it. Superficially, it looks like a DIMM socket with two rows of eighty pins (so 160 pins) divided in the middle by a single notch. The connector does have a manufacturer's name 'AMP', which may or may not be short for 'Amphenol' - that's all I have.

I don't have the programmer to hand just now (so no photo just yet), but does anyone have an idea what the socket may be just from the description?

[Zelandeth]

Interesting. From memory most PC memory in the mid 90s would have been 72 pin (the front and rear contacts are duplicates of each other I think) for higher end systems, 30 pin for more basic systems. Obviously though it's quite possible that corporate/mainframe systems may have commonly used different types.

Would have thought that re-using an off-the-shelf component would have made more sense than buying something in as a one-off, so fingers crossed it can be tracked down.

[mike_newcomb]

Hi Sirius, am wondering if the AMP refers to Aircraft Marine Products, famous for many types of connecting devices from the most basic terminals/tags up.

See:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncas_A._Whitaker

Looking forward to seeing the photos.

Regards - Mike

[Courtney Louise]

Apple in the 90's used some very odd dimm sockets for their video ram and processor cards...

[SiriusHardware]

Originally Posted by mike_newcomb

Looking forward to seeing the photos.

I just took the one, I think it illustrates everything well enough. I've left the picture at the original resolution - I don't know whether the website will allow you to open the image in a separate browser window to view it at its original resolution.

If you can open it at full resolution and zoom right into the centre of the connector above the 'notch', you'll just be able to see the stylised legend 'AMP' there.

What you probably won't see is the pin numbering, the right most pin being numbered '1' and the left most being numbered '80'. It's not actually clear to me whether the upper and lower contact in each position are joined together and to be honest I forgot to check. (if they were, it would be an 80-pin double sided connector rather than a 160-pin connector).

In the foreground is one of the 'personality modules' which the unit uses to rewire the ZIF socket pins to suit various device families. This is what plugs into the troublesome socket. It isn't really that bowed shape- that's just barrel distortion. Note that the 'notch' is right in the middle making it seemingly useless for enforcement of orientation of the device - but then also notice that one end is straight and the other has an inward curving cutout - it's this which prevents the 'device' from being plugged into the socket the wrong way around.

Unlike the memory modules originally meant to plug into this socket, the 'personality modules' have contacts on both edges - each edge carries interconnections for a different set of device families, depending on whether you plug in the 'A' side edge or the 'B' side edge - don't be confused by this, the original memory modules will only have had contacts down one edge. What I have just noticed is that there are through-hole connections through the module at the inner end of each and every contact on the module, which means that the module connections - and therefore those on the socket - are almost certainly 80 pin double sided, not 160 pin as I originally stated.

[SiriusHardware]

Following on from the above, I'm now pretty sure this is nothing more than an 80-pin SIMM socket - RS still stock a vertical 80-pin SIMM socket even now. Just have to look a little further for the right angled version.