FRAM

Bill Chennault

Mike (and All)--

Do you have experience using a FRAM device in the Stamp environment? It looks (to me) like you would treat it exactly like an I2C EEPROM.

I read the data sheet on this Ramtron FRAM. Of course, it is a "raw" surface mount device and I would like something I could actually SEE and use in the Stamp environment. Have you done this and do you have advice?

--Bill
ps The FRAM mentioned above is a 256k machine organized in 32k x 8 bit chunks and you can string up to eight of them together . . . as I read the datasheet.

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You are what you write.

Mike Green

Bill,
The Ramtron FRAM chip comes (like most stuff these days) only in surface mount packages. You can get "breakout boards" from SparkFun Electronics that will let you make a DIP version with a little soldering and some machined pins. Functionally, they work like a standard 24LC256 (32K x 8) I2C EEPROM except that they write faster and don't wear out. They're designed to be "drop in" replacements. Recently, their website also shows a 24LC512-like version (64K x 8) so they're slowly working up in density/capacity.
Mike

Bill Chennault

Mike--

Thanks for the info. This sounds like a great "see if I can do it project."

I notice that a lot of folks express concern about soldering surface mount devices. I am somewhat of an amateur engraver and have a GREAT Meji stereoscopic microscope with a ball vise. If I knew what kind of soldering iron and temperature to use, I don't believe soldering would be a problem.

Soldering irons and related hints would certainly be welcome!

--Bill

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You are what you write.

Lawson

www.sparkfun.com has a whole set of surface mount soldering tutorials in the tutorials section of the site. After reading them I might try using surface mount parts now.

Franklin

I like my Hakko 936 soldering station. There is a knockoff in the Nuts and Volts by www.circuitspecialists.com

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- Stephen