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Technology Stocks : Rambus (RMBS) - Eagle or Penguin -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: REH who wrote (16413)	2/22/1999 9:42:00 PM
From: Boplicity	Respond to of 93625

I might add like L1, L2, and L3 are today. Greg

To: REH who wrote (16413)	2/23/1999 5:33:00 AM
From: REH	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93625

Rambus module tester from Tanisys rolls in below $1 million Feb. 22, 1999 (Electronic Engineering Times - CMP via COMTEX) -- Austin, Texas - Within a few months, the first PCs will emerge bearing 400-MHz Rambus memories. This event has been made possible, in part, because of advanced test technology from Tanisys Technology Inc. The latest member of the Tanisys test stable, the DarkHorse SIGMA3 Model 800, will be unveiled at this week's Nepcon West '99 show in Anaheim, Calif. The unit tests 800-MHz (data rate) Rambus in-line memory modules for less initial hardware cost than what's currently on the market, Tanisys said. Competitive solutions in the form of large ATE systems with Rambus test facilities come in with starting price tags of over $1 million, and up to $4 million for eight sites. The bill of fare for the Model 800 fare ranges from $225,000 to $995,000. Testing Rambus modules is no mean feat, considering the 800-MHz data rate and a single device's peak bandwidth of 1.6 Gbytes/second. One of the Model 800's secrets is that it uses the same technology that future PCs will use to interface to the Rambus memory. "You get better emulation that way," said Charles Comiso, Tanisys' president and chief executive officer, who outlined what he sees as some of the Model 800's other strengths: "superior output-voltage level tests, a complete hardware and software solution, testing of up to eight RIMM modules at once and the ability to upgrade from the popular PC/100 SDRAM production tester." Somewhat surprisingly, the new member of the DarkHorse family does not turn to exotic semiconductor technology for its all-important drivers; instead, the Tanisys system takes advantage of an undisclosed ASIC company's fast CMOS process. Tanisys appears to have another technology advantage. Just last month, the company signed an agreement with Rambus Inc., the originator of Rambus technology, to co-develop affordable testers for RIMM modules using the Rambus 800-MHz memory-interface technology. Advantest and Hewlett-Packard also have agreements with Rambus. But Comiso said Tanisys believes itself to be "the only one with codevelopment agreements." For those testing memory modules (to date, 14 DRAM manufacturers and 24 module suppliers are licensed to offer Rambus modules), Tanisys may have another leg up. Vice president of marketing Don McCord said the company's "design lets us turn around a new tester in only four weeks. That means months have been cut from lead time in adding new test capacity." In operation, the Model 800 tests modules at their full operating speed, verifies the connectivity of all inputs and outputs, checks the RDRAM's leakage currents, initializes the RDRAMs for accessibility and performs a full functional test on the RDRAM cores to verify all cells. On top of those, the unit performs data retention, Vol/Voh and other tests. Other features of the Model 800, according to Tanisys, include a single socket for all device testing, which saves test time; variable loading and timing plug-in cards; scripting language development tools; a temperature test option; data logging; a monthly test capacity of up to 2 million devices; and a wide line of automation accessories. The company further claims the unit's compact footprint doesn't occupy much space on an assembly line. Call (800) 219-2054 www.darkhorsesystems.com