I would like to program the 27c256 chip (29c256 would actually be
preferred).
1. Are there good, low cost devices to program this chip?
"Good" (depending on your definition) and "low cost" are very
often exclusive. A device programmer is an investment, like any other
quality tool, and should be treated as such.
In short: Don't cheat yourself by buying a poorly-made piece of
crap that'll fry more chips than it programs. Be willing and ready to
shell out the $$ for a decent programmer.
Now, with that said... Try searching Greed-bay with this link:
http://search.ebay.com/Device-Programmer_W0QQfkrZ1QQfromZR8
It'll turn up a number of choices. The kicker is that you need to
be careful what you buy, because many programmers are either difficult
to support (in terms of hard-to-get control software) or hideously
expensive to support (in terms of Data I/O units).
Do your homework -- Pick one that looks interesting, and contact
the unit's manufacturer. See what it'll cost to run the thing before you
buy.
If you're looking for 'cheap,' and your computer has an available
ISA slot and can run basic MS-DOS, you may want to consider Ebay item #
7518303890. This is an older programmer, and it is limited in what it
can do, but it should work well enough for your application and it's got
a very low ($3.58) current bid.
Happy hunting.
--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm --
www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"