EEVblog #411 - MiniPro TL866 Universal Programmer Review

[radioman]

transformation software
I do not have a PIC programmer

well, in this case you can do it in two ways: a simple and safe method and a dangerous and "complicate" method.

The simple method of changing from TL866CS to TL866A version:
1. download my firmware updater here: TL866 firmware updater and unzip it.
2. connect your device to USB cable.
3. run TL866.exe from the above downloaded archive
4. in the update.dat file section browse for that file (you can find this file in the minipro installation folder)
5. in the "Firmware to write" section select TL866A firmware
6. click reflash button
Your device will be reflashed with the A firmware version.
Done!
The only drawback of this method is that future firmware upgrades can be done only with my tool, the minipro software will revert to original "CS" version.

The dangerous and complicated method:
1. run TL866.exe from downloaded archive
2. in the update.dat file section browse for that file (you can find this file in the minipro installation folder)
3. in the "Firmware to write" section select firmware dumper
4. click reflash button
now a custom firmware will be programmed into your device, just wait to finish
5. The Advanced button will become available, just click it and another window will appear!
6. in this advanced window we have three fields: Bootloader section, Copy protection section and device serial number section
7. in the Bootloader section select "A Bootloader" and click Write button
now your bootloader will be reflashed.
8. just close this advanced window and from main window in the "Firmware to write" section select TL866A firmware
9. click reflash button
now your device will be reflashed with the A version firmware.
done!
With this method your device will be permanently transformed to A version and future upgrades will be possible from minipro software. But why is this method dangerous? because if something goes bad (power failure, computer crash etc.) during  bootloader reflash your device will be bricked (and you will need an external programmer).

@mladen82, maybe!

[aissaok]

thank you  radioman

[dupontg]

Super job.!! thank you Radioman 

[TiN]

Hmm, seem TL866 not supporting DS1245Y NVRAM read/write, only test
Any way to hack for support? \

P.S. Used radioman's tool to update CS to A too, just for sake of it. Worked flawlessly, thumbs up for neat tool!

[tusznioo]

Please identify the selected memory circled in the picture?? maybe someone has an original charge??
The problem is that the upgrade to v6.00, the program sees the adapter is fake.
Thanks you in advance for any help.

[hikariuk]

Sorry, but this is just not true. The Xeltek programmer I own was first released a couple of years AFTER XP 64-bit was released, and there was a large base of users (including myself) clamoring for 64-bit support from Xeltek for a long time (with the above posted quote their general response). They basically made the decision not to bother with putting ANY time into offering 64-bit drivers except with newer models they released. This has nothing to do with the latest OS support (unless you consider a 2001 OS as the latest) - it's just a lazy and/or stupid business practice - and I don't doubt they lost some previous customers because of it. They certainly lost my business.

They weren't alone in refusing to support XP 64-bit.  At the time it just wasn't worth the effort for most companies to do it.  It was only when Vista (or more likely 7) was available that 64-bit versions of Windows on workstations became common enough to make it worth the effort.  There are a few bad habits you have to reverse when you're making a 64-bit clean driver (assuming that a pointer is freely assignable to an int is the big one).

[dupontg]

Please identify the selected memory circled in the picture?? maybe someone has an original charge??
The problem is that the upgrade to v6.00, the program sees the adapter is fake.
Thanks you in advance for any help.

Hello,
I think it's a PIC12F629 family...
It looks useless to do the job..
It's function is only for checking if the adapter is genuine.
The data between the TL866 and the adapter is different each time and impossible to simulate.
And of course the PIC program is protected and impossible to read.
The only solution is to disconnect the control in the TL866 firmware..
help Radioman ;-)

[radioman]

I think it's a PIC12F629 family...

Nope. It's an ATTiny13A

The data between the TL866 and the adapter is different each time and impossible to simulate.

How do you found this? 

The only solution is to disconnect the control in the TL866 firmware..
help Radioman ;-)

Unfortunately i don't have an TSOP adapter (yet), but i will not patch the TL866 firmware. The firmware will and must remain intact as is provided by the manufacturer.
The best solution is:
1. Return the adapter and ask the seller to provide a genuine one.
2. Hack the encryption algorithm used in that chip and reprogram it to act as "genuine" one.

Obviously you must find the hardware differences (if any) between V0, V3 and a fake adapter.
Hint: The firmware sends an encrypted block of 10bytes (question) to the adapter and also wants 10bytes (answer) from the adapter. 

[PA0PBZ]

Hint: The firmware sends an encrypted block of 10bytes (question) to the adapter and also wants 10bytes (answer) from the adapter. 

So all you have to do is send each possible combination to a genuine adapter, record al the answers and put them in a uC 

[radioman]

So all you have to do is send each possible combination to a genuine adapter, record al the answers and put them in a uC 

Not so easy! Every time the firmware sends a different encrypted token and that attiny is responding its answer according to received token!

[tusznioo]

And of ATTiny13A  program is protected and impossible to read?
Is there a chance that in a simple way to do this?
Do you still buy a new original adapter?

As I bought this adapter TSOP48 I thought is original.
And can go back to the older firmware V5.91? How to do it?

[radioman]

And of ATTiny13A  program is protected and impossible to read?

Obviously...

Is there a chance that in a simple way to do this?

I don't know yet...

Do you still buy a new original adapter?

yes i will buy one (but not right now, i don't need one yet)

Ahh... i found that picture in computer. Here:

[tusznioo]

That remains for me as far buying a new original adapter TSOP.

Thanks for concrete answers

[radioman]

That remains for me as far buying a new original adapter TSOP.
Thanks for concrete answers

Unfortunately yes...

But if you need that adapter right now then you can revert to minipro 5.91; use my firmware updater to rollback the firmware to the 3.2.61 version and use 5.91 software version.

[tusznioo]

use my firmware updater to rollback the firmware to the 3.2.61 version and use 5.91 software version.

How to do it in a simple way?

[radioman]

use my firmware updater to rollback the firmware to the 3.2.61 version and use 5.91 software version.

How to do it in a simple way?

do you still have the old 5.91 minipro software?

[tusznioo]

use my firmware updater to rollback the firmware to the 3.2.61 version and use 5.91 software version.

How to do it in a simple way?

do you still have the old 5.91 minipro software?

Now I have v6.00

[radioman]

Now I have v6.00

Ok. you don't have the 5.91 version, download it here: Minipro V5.91  and unzip it somewhere in a folder.

then download my firmware updater here: TL866 firmware updater and unzip it.
In my firmware updater folder you will find a exe file called TL866.exe; run it!
Once the firmware updater starts, browse for a file called update.dat in the above downloaded 5.91 minipro folder.
Click the reflash button!
Done. You should have now the 3.2.61 firmware version. Just use minipro.exe from the 5.91 folder to work.
If you will later want to use the 6.0 version of minipro you will be asked to reflash the firmware and obviously the minipro 6.0 version will upgrade the firmware again to 3.2.62 version.

[tusznioo]

Thanks. Work

[tusznioo]

I bought today TSOP48 adapter and works with version v6.00
The photo on the left is FAKE, and the right working



If someone has an idea how to fix broken this post.

[matekhr]

It's my first post here, but I read this thread from the beginning.
Thanks all contributors for a good work, especially radioman

My TSOP adapter looks like the right one on the previous picture, and it's OK with v6.00!!

[matekhr]

Here's the photo, to make it more visible

[dupontg]

Hello Radioman,
I had tested the chip last month,and forget the reference..
It is certainly a attiny  and not a PIC because the gnd is on the pin4 and +5v on the pin8

I have read the communication between TL866 and adapter with a "Salae" 8 bits device and software,
pin 2 and 3 are connected to pin 7and 8 of the TL866 through 1,1K
one give a clock signal and the other data..
Each time you click on the "help/about/tsop48detect",you can record a communication on three parts.
and it's never the same   

[radioman]

I have read the communication between TL866 and adapter with a "Salae" 8 bits device and software,
pin 2 and 3 are connected to pin 7and 8 of the TL866 through 1,1K
one give a clock signal and the other data..
Each time you click on the "help/about/tsop48detect",you can record a communication on three parts.
and it's never the same   

Yes i know...  The encryption used is very tricky, the first part is simple, but to understand the whole i need to decipher the next two data blocks. Thanks again for your sample captures.

[plexus]

Woohoo! Finally signed up on the forum. Been a viewer for sometime now but never used the forum. Why am I here? I was watching this video and it was killing me that Dave didn't see why the first launch of the software was only showing a sub-set of the parts in the search. This thread has 27 pages and I would have loved to read them all to see if someone caught this, but I just can't do 27 pages. Sorry....

So Dave... why was the software only showing a sub-set of the devices? What does a search normally consist of? Parameters, yes, like company, etc. and... yes? KEYWORDS! https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley_laughing.gif You had 27128 in the keyword field. I don't know why it was showing 512 parts but I am pretty sure it was filtering on the keyword you entered.

At least I am pretty sure that's what was doing it.

Hey. Im a user experience architect. I notice these things.