The Youtuber MadEDoctor has chosen a “manual” solution to compensate for the scarce availability Raspberry Pi 4 8GB: He built itor alone. Essentially, it replaced the 1GB memory chip found in the eponymous version, which is much easier to find, with a separately available 8GB module.
But why so much trouble? As we reported at the end of 2022, the Raspberry Pi Foundation He stressed that 2023 will be invested in restoring the rather critical situation left by the coronavirus pandemic. The last few years have been characterized by the so-called “semiconductor crisis“, characterized by a demand that exceeds production capacity.
The fallout has also impacted Raspberry production, which has faced major difficulties not only in the chips but also in the supply chain also in other areas, such as the supply of printed circuit boards. Unsurprisingly, the company has already anticipated that a Raspberry Pi 5 will not launch in 2023, as supply uncertainty could affect the entire supply chain.
So how do you get an 8GB Raspberry Pi 4 in such troubled times? MadEDoctor has decided to buy a RAM memory chip compatible with the platform, specifically the one D9ZCL 8GB, made by Micron, costs about $20.
It must be said that this is by no means a simple operation, it requires the right skills and most importantly the right instrumentation. A. was used for soldering and desoldering the chips hot air station. This is because the module is housed end-to-end bg extension (Ball Grid Array) which is why all solder balls must be heated to remove.
To preserve the integrity of the circuit board, surrounding chips and plastic components Kapton tape. After the card was prepared, one last job was done, with which the youtuber First, heat the card to 250°C, then concentrate the airflow on the 1GB chip, bringing the temperature to 400°C.
Welding takes place in mirror image. After cleaning the card, the Youtuber armed himself with fluently and then he put the chip on the connection points (the solder balls are already there on the module) and with a thorough heating job he soldered the new chip to the Raspberry Pi 4.
After the operation he took some tests Storage to verify that the new memory works according to the specifications, to verify that everything is perfectly fine. An undoubtedly invasive operation, of course the guarantee expires. In any case, should the search for an 8GB Raspberry Pi 4 prove too much of a hassle, it could prove to be a viable alternative.
