APPENDIX B
Common PEN*KEY 6000 Series Information
B-40 PEN*KEY
R
6200/6300 Hand-Held Computer Programmer’s Reference Guide
Memory-Sizing Guidelines
After reading the last few pages, you can probably surmise that selecting the apĆ
propriate memory size, for the PEN*KEY 6000 Series Computer, is not always
an easy task. Although you must consider many variables, the following considĆ
erations may help your selection process.
All Systems
"
You must allocate space for both execution and storage. The RAM Drive is
an area of memory that is treated like a disk drive (storage), and cannot be
used for execution RAM.
"
Windows requires a minimum execution RAM of 2 MB, but 4 MB is more
practical. 8 MB of execution RAM covers almost all application requireĆ
ments.
"
The minimal Windows configuration, without pen extensions, requires 1
MB of storage space; with pen extensions, this grows to about 2 MB.
"
The 1ĆMB flash memory area in the PEN*KEY 6000 Series Computer is
reserved for system and embedded software; there is no available space for
program storage in flash memory.
"
Err in the conservative direction. When estimating sizes, round up rather
than down, leaving room for enhancements.
Systems with RAM Drive Storage
"
If you are using a RAM drive, you will trade off execution and disk" storĆ
age space. It is best to first determine the amount of execution space needĆ
ed and then use the balance for the RAM drive. Of course, the RAM drive
must be large enough to contain DOS, Windows, the application, the data
files, and the files created during execution. If the numbers do not add up,
you need to consider an increase in RAM size.
"
The RAM drive can only be formatted in 1 MB increments; but you should
consider the minimum RAM size (for the PEN*KEY 6000 Series Computer)
in order to run Windows applications without PC Card storage, is 8 MB;
with at least 4 MB devoted to execution space, leaving 4 MB for the RAM
drive.
"
You can have one RAM Drive with a maximum size (as stated in the
RAM
Drive
paragraph in Section 1).
Systems with External Storage
"
The PEN*KEY 6000 Series Computer offers SanDisk and flash memory
cards that can dramatically increase the space available for storing applicaĆ
tion files. A PC Card solution also eliminates the requirement for a RAM
drive, freeing onĆboard memory for use as execution space.
"
Even if you plan to have all files on a PC Card drive, you must be certain
that you have enough RAM for execution. In these configurations, it is not
possible to increase the size of executable RAM without hardware modificaĆ
tion or replacement. You can easily add external storage, but you cannot
easily add more RAM.
"
Storing data on a PC Card is usually safer, and less prone to data loss.
B. Common PEN*KEY
6000 Series Info.
