5 ms·

That seems awfully nitpicky in this context. Look at russdill's comment, then look at the throwaway, which is reasonable to interpret as stating that DRAM is be

That seems awfully nitpicky in this context. Look at russdill's comment, then look at the throwaway, which is reasonable to interpret as stating that DRAM is being continuously refreshed - which it isn't, it happens at discrete intervals. Anyway, what you're writing isn't wrong but I'd say misses the context of the conversation a bit :) (Also, it's a great example of mansplaining...)

zaarn 8y ago
I'm not mansplaining, I don't even know who you are. You don't know who I am. I'm attempting to make the comment digestible for a broader audience and not only for you. You're not alone on this website. I'm sorry for doing that then. Tbh I find that accusation incredibly rude.
- Dylan16807 8y ago
  The explanation you were replying to was more digestible than yours. Your definition of "refresh" is unhelpfully specific and not particularly correct. The circuit that "looks at a voltage and freshens it up", also known as an amplifier, is just a transistor or pair of transistors.
  - zaarn 8y ago
    An amplifier doesn't look at voltage and "freshens it up", in an SRAM cell, the amplifier is running in clipping and unlike a DRAM cell requires no clocking, only supply voltage. A pair of transistors does not behave like that since they operate over current. You need two inverting amplifier, which is more complex and isn't simply "looking at voltage to freshen in up". If my attempt to make everything more digestible failed in your opinion, then I guess that is it, it's your opinion on the matter.
    - Dylan16807 8y ago
      > An amplifier doesn't look at voltage and "freshens it up" Sure it does, as long as you set the proper bias and use a definition of "fresh" that makes sense for digital signals. > unlike a DRAM cell requires no clocking Yes, that's why it's 'continuous'. > You need two inverting amplifier You don't need to use that design. It just happens to have reasonable size and leakage characteristics. > more complex and isn't simply "looking at voltage to freshen in up" That circuit is a hundred times simpler than the DRAM refreshing circuit you used those words to describe!
      - zaarn 8y ago
        I described no DRAM refreshing circuit, I describe a SRAM cell, I don't believe that definition of fresh is suitable for the discussion nor is it fitting when talking about SRAM, I also never said it wasn't continuous, ie linear, I did disagree with the wording that made it sound like there is a refresh process that happens repeatedly.
        Dylan16807 8y ago
        Oh. I thought "The process is entirely analog, ie, there is no refresh circuit that looks at the voltage and says "that's almost a ON, better fresh up the voltage"." was talking about DRAM as a comparison. Sorry about that. > I did disagree with the wording that made it sound like there is a refresh process that happens repeatedly. Repeatedly continuous...? Nevermind though.
  - blattimwind 8y ago
    > The explanation you were replying to was more digestible than yours. The analogy presented is fairly accurate and easy to understand. GGGGGP talks about loops of inverters and continuous refreshing, the latter of which is invented terminology. > The circuit is bistable which means that the system has two states in which, once reached, it will remain until some energy is expended to change that. > Imagine it like two valleys with a hill between. Rolling a ball from the OFF valley to the ON valley requires some energy. If it's not enough the ball rolls back into the valley it's currently in.
    - Dylan16807 8y ago
      The analogy is an okay description of part of what happens, but not why. It also gives a pretty misleading idea of what happens to the voltages. It would be much better if it was combined with a simple explanation of how the inverters actually behave, which would only take a few words. This is why the previous post mentioned them and said to check the wikipedia page.

zaarn 8y ago

I'm not mansplaining, I don't even know who you are. You don't know who I am. I'm attempting to make the comment digestible for a broader audience and not only for you. You're not alone on this website. I'm sorry for doing that then. Tbh I find that accusation incredibly rude.

Dylan16807 8y ago
The explanation you were replying to was more digestible than yours. Your definition of "refresh" is unhelpfully specific and not particularly correct. The circuit that "looks at a voltage and freshens it up", also known as an amplifier, is just a transistor or pair of transistors.
- zaarn 8y ago
  An amplifier doesn't look at voltage and "freshens it up", in an SRAM cell, the amplifier is running in clipping and unlike a DRAM cell requires no clocking, only supply voltage. A pair of transistors does not behave like that since they operate over current. You need two inverting amplifier, which is more complex and isn't simply "looking at voltage to freshen in up". If my attempt to make everything more digestible failed in your opinion, then I guess that is it, it's your opinion on the matter.
  - Dylan16807 8y ago
    > An amplifier doesn't look at voltage and "freshens it up" Sure it does, as long as you set the proper bias and use a definition of "fresh" that makes sense for digital signals. > unlike a DRAM cell requires no clocking Yes, that's why it's 'continuous'. > You need two inverting amplifier You don't need to use that design. It just happens to have reasonable size and leakage characteristics. > more complex and isn't simply "looking at voltage to freshen in up" That circuit is a hundred times simpler than the DRAM refreshing circuit you used those words to describe!
    - zaarn 8y ago
      I described no DRAM refreshing circuit, I describe a SRAM cell, I don't believe that definition of fresh is suitable for the discussion nor is it fitting when talking about SRAM, I also never said it wasn't continuous, ie linear, I did disagree with the wording that made it sound like there is a refresh process that happens repeatedly.
      - Dylan16807 8y ago
        Oh. I thought "The process is entirely analog, ie, there is no refresh circuit that looks at the voltage and says "that's almost a ON, better fresh up the voltage"." was talking about DRAM as a comparison. Sorry about that. > I did disagree with the wording that made it sound like there is a refresh process that happens repeatedly. Repeatedly continuous...? Nevermind though.
- blattimwind 8y ago
  > The explanation you were replying to was more digestible than yours. The analogy presented is fairly accurate and easy to understand. GGGGGP talks about loops of inverters and continuous refreshing, the latter of which is invented terminology. > The circuit is bistable which means that the system has two states in which, once reached, it will remain until some energy is expended to change that. > Imagine it like two valleys with a hill between. Rolling a ball from the OFF valley to the ON valley requires some energy. If it's not enough the ball rolls back into the valley it's currently in.
  - Dylan16807 8y ago
    The analogy is an okay description of part of what happens, but not why. It also gives a pretty misleading idea of what happens to the voltages. It would be much better if it was combined with a simple explanation of how the inverters actually behave, which would only take a few words. This is why the previous post mentioned them and said to check the wikipedia page.