Device Programmers

[Too_Many_Tools]

Hi,

What is the group's opinion on which device programmers they like?

I have several Logical Devices programmers (PLDs, micros, EPROMs)
which the company does not support any more.

Thanks for any suggestions or comments you may offer.

TMT

 

[mike]

Hi,

What is the group's opinion on which device programmers they like?

I have several Logical Devices programmers (PLDs, micros, EPROMs)
which the company does not support any more.

Thanks for any suggestions or comments you may offer.

TMT

You're gonna find that problem with almost any device you buy.
I made the mistake of buying a Needhams EMP-20 a while back partly
because they kept releasing updates. Discovered much to my dismay
that while they did support the available PIC processors at the time,
I had to buy several of those SIMM personality sticks at $25 each
if I wanted to do it. Good thing I didn't, cause they stopped
supporting the programmer. They make a very similar USB one.
Guess they thought it better to obsolete all the old ones
so they could sell some new ones.

If you're making money off it, you should just bite the bullet and
keep paying for new programmers. I'd insist on a software
reconfigurable one. Those proprietary modules add up fast and
you can't use 'em on your next programmer.

I'm finding that for hobby use, the homebrew programmers have
better/cheaper (free) support than the commercial ones.

mike


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[Mike Diack]

You're gonna find that problem with almost any device you buy.
I made the mistake of buying a Needhams EMP-20 a while back partly
because they kept releasing updates. Discovered much to my dismay
that while they did support the available PIC processors at the time,
I had to buy several of those SIMM personality sticks at $25 each
if I wanted to do it. Good thing I didn't, cause they stopped
supporting the programmer. They make a very similar USB one.
Guess they thought it better to obsolete all the old ones
so they could sell some new ones.

My experience with Needhams has been *VERY* different. I bought an EMP20
when they first hit the market (1991 IIRC) Found as couple of things it
wouldn't program at the time, gave them a call and had a software update
in a couple of weeks. Have caned the crap out of it in the last 13 years
and it never missed a beat. Last week I desparately needed to program a
44 pin PSOP device, and while the $105 price of the adaptor was a bit
steep, the insistance of using UPS ($80) to send it to NZ was what
really put me off (+ the transit time), so I called them up and half an
hour later had an excell page of crosswiring info so I could make my own
adaptor. That's whai I call SERVICE. Yes I'm grumpy about them
obsoleting the EMP20, and will hang onto it until it can no longer do
the job, but then I'd buy another Needhams in a heartbeat.
M

 

[nospam]

My experience with Needhams has been *VERY* different. I bought an EMP20

Last week I desparately needed to program a
44 pin PSOP device, and while the $105 price of the adaptor was a bit
steep, the insistance of using UPS ($80) to send it to NZ was what
really put me off (+ the transit time), so I called them up and half an
hour later had an excell page of crosswiring info so I could make my own
adaptor. That's whai I call SERVICE.

I recently purchased a Xeltek SP3000 programmer. When you select a device
which needs a socket adapter it pops up a window that tells you which
adapter is required, shows you which way round the chip goes, then says

"If you wish to construct this adapter by yourself, please refer to the
following connection table:-"

Even better service IMO.

 

[Rich Webb]

They make a very similar USB one.
Guess they thought it better to obsolete all the old ones
so they could sell some new ones.

Microsoft (via the Windows Logo program) is driving PC manufacturers
away from including parallel ports. They've been "legacy" for quite a
while and it probably won't be long until commodity PCs no longer have
a discrete parallel (or serial) port.

IIRC, the plans are for 64-bit Windows not to provide native legacy
parallel port support, at all.

#disclaimer: I own a couple of parallel port Needhams device
programmers, in addition to a slew of special-purpose programmers and
JTAG gizmos from various sources. To date, they almost all interface to
the PC via the "legacy" serial or parallel ports so I'm hanging on to my
"legacy" hardware, as well.

 

[mike]

My experience with Needhams has been *VERY* different. I bought an EMP20
when they first hit the market (1991 IIRC) Found as couple of things it
wouldn't program at the time, gave them a call and had a software update
in a couple of weeks. Have caned the crap out of it in the last 13 years
and it never missed a beat. Last week I desparately needed to program a
44 pin PSOP device, and while the $105 price of the adaptor was a bit
steep, the insistance of using UPS ($80) to send it to NZ was what
really put me off (+ the transit time), so I called them up and half an
hour later had an excell page of crosswiring info so I could make my own
adaptor. That's whai I call SERVICE. Yes I'm grumpy about them
obsoleting the EMP20, and will hang onto it until it can no longer do
the job, but then I'd buy another Needhams in a heartbeat.
M

Very nice of them to save you the trouble of looking up two publicly
available device spec sheets and sending you the crosswire data.

Try asking them for the crosswire data for their simm personality
modules. If you get any info, I'd like to have it. The obsolete
parallel port EMP20 programs a LOT of devices.

A homemade simm module with some
jumpers would let you program ANY device that they support.
Too bad they won't tell
you what you need to know to use it.

I did start to reverse engineeer it for PIC programming. But tripped
over a picstart+ and no longer needed it.

Picstart+ is yet another device that was obsoleted. It's cheaper to
build a user-commuinity-supported a universal programmer than to buy the
upgrade kit so it can support newer devices.

Of course, if you're in a commercial environment, cost is no object
and you can just ignore my rant.
mike

--
Return address is VALID.
500MHz Tek DSOscilloscope TDS540 $2200
http://nm7u.tripod.com/homepage/te.html
Wanted, 12.1" LCD for Gateway Solo 5300. Samsung LT121SU-121
Bunch of stuff For Sale and Wanted at the link below.
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Monitor/4710/