WTB FLASH Programmer.

[CJay]

Kinda, I've got an ancient EPROM programmer that runs on an ISA card and some rather dodgy DOS software, given that the ISA slot is all but dead I think it's probably time to move on.

So, given that it'll get used once in a blue moon and that I'm perpetually broke, what do I buy?

I'm going to want to be able to read/program ancient UV EPROMs, SPI and I2C devices, read/write of GALs would be useful too and of course it would probably need to be USB capable.

Recommendations?

[coromonadalix]

average cost :     TNM 5000 ?   can do spi and i2c devices

cheap :  TL866    i think is very limited

average cost  : TOP xxxx series of programmers, Genius series ...

costly :   Elnec  Xeltec ...  like Dataman 48 pro, Beeprog +, Beeprog 2C ... they can do spi and i2c devices

McuMall GQ4X     was very practical,  i think their newest GQ5X series (2 different models) can do much more, i think the universal GQ5X model has been announced 1 year ago 


To be sure  search their database of supported ic's to find if it can do yours ...

[CJay]

average cost :     TNM 5000 ?   can do spi and i2c devices

cheap :  TL866    i think is very limited

average cost  : TOP xxxx series of programmers, Genius series ...

costly :   Elnec  Xeltec ...  like Dataman 48 pro, Beeprog +, Beeprog 2C ... they can do spi and i2c devices

McuMall GQ4X     was very practical,  i think their newest GQ5X series (2 different models) can do much more, i think the universal GQ5X model has been announced 1 year ago 


To be sure  search their database of supported ic's to find if it can do yours ...

That's the thing, I can find lots of programmers for sale, some very cheap, some very expensive, what I'm after is a recommendation for a device from someone who uses the cheap ones.

[Halcyon]

I use the Batronix BX39P but it's certainly not in the "cheap" category.

Would you be willing to sell your old ISA programmer in order to buy a new one? I'm a collector of vintage computer gear.

[CJay]

I use the Batronix BX39P but it's certainly not in the "cheap" category.

Would you be willing to sell your old ISA programmer in order to buy a new one? I'm a collector of vintage computer gear.

I'll dig it out and get the model number but no guarantees I won't decide to keep it, as yet there's nothing that's taken my fancy as a replacement.

[macboy]

Since you mentioned being perpetually broke, go for the TL866. There was a TL866CS (without ICSP header) and TL866A (with ICSP). Now there is a TL866II which I know little about. I have the TL866CS converted to an A by upgrading the firmware. Note that device support is somewhat different between the original and the II model. Download device lists here: http://autoelectric.cn/EN/download.html
For a low budget programmer, it has quite a wide device support. It has worked with every old UV windowed EEPROM I have tried, and I even managed to read code out of an ancient parallel-programmed PIC microcontroller, PIC16C52. It can do modern high capacity serial FLASH as well as SPI and I2C EEPROMs, etc.  It has some Lattice GAL support I have never used. It will test SRAM, write and read NVRAM (e.g. Dallas DS12xx), and test 74xx and 4xxx logic chips.

[TopLoser]

I got one of the cheap TL866 and it came with a load of adaptor sockets as well.

It's been great for me for the odd job reading old and new devices. Can't fault it for the money.