CMD RAMLink

The RAMLink was one of several RAM expansion products made by Creative Micro Designs (CMD) for Commodore's C64/128 home computers. The RAMLink was intended as a third-party alternative and successor to Commodore's own 17xx-series REU RAM expansion cartridges.

Unlike the REU, the RAMLink is externally powered and designed from the ground-up to act as a RAM disk.

Features

* Allows up to 16 MiB of expansion RAM. The expansion memory can be provided by a combination of 30-pin SIMM RAM on an internal card, a Commodore 17xx-series REU (or a clone) plugged into the RAM Port, or a GeoRAM.
* Provides its own copy of JiffyDOS, allowing accelerated operation with any other JiffyDOS-equipped disk device.
* Full set of partitioning tools and DOS commands.
* 1541, 1571 and 1581 disk-layout emulation modes
* One partition type provides Direct-access REU-like capability
* Secondary power socket and on-board charging circuit to accept a 6 volt "sealed" lead acid backup battery.
* Battery-backed real time clock for time and date stamping of files, if the internal RAM card is present.
* Includes drivers to allow GEOS to use its memory as either a replacement for swap space, or as a regular 'disk' drive.
* Custom parallel connection for the CMD HD Series line of hard drives.
* Pass-through expansion port
* On-device buttons to swap device numbers with other drives, switches to disable or change the way in which 17xx-series REUs are handles.

References

* Creative Micro Designs (1990). "CMD RAMLink User's Manual, third edition." (supplied with the hardware)
* [http://www.andiboehm.de/ RL-MGR: Management tool for the CMD RAMLink (within Downloads)]