Which cheap eeprom programmer should I buy?  TL866CS/II/A? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Greybeard
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 07:02:16 pm
content: I'm looking for a cheap eeprom programmer and found some TL866CS/II/A versions in this price range.I also found some threads about problems with these programmers.I want to read and write some serial EEPROMs, old UV-EPROMs and FRAM replacements for out dated DALLAS/MAXIM NVRAMs of my vintage instruments.What programmer can you recommend?

author: Noy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 07:53:56 pm
content: If you need 21V and no ISP the CS with ISP needs A.The New II Plus isnt the right device for vintage gear..You need Adapters for 21V eeproms.

author: Greybeard
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 08:49:06 pm
content: Quote from: Noy on November 22, 2020, 07:53:56 pmIs the TL866A usable for 21V and ISP?Is it still available new (I don't think so)?

author: Noy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 08:56:22 pm
content: Original manufacturer:http://www.autoelectric.cn/en/tl866_main.htmlAs far as i know you can made an A out of an CS.

author: Greybeard
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2020, 09:23:31 pm
content: If this list is correct, A and CS cannot program FM18W08 and FM16W08 (FRAM).http://www.autoelectric.cn/minipro/MiniProSupportList.txtTL866II (plus?) can program these FRAM:http://www.autoelectric.cn/MiniPro/TL866II_List.txtThis list lists an AM2716 which is a 25V type EPROM.What adapter is needed for TL866II (plus?) to program old 21V/25V EPROMs?Is there an adapter from the programmers maker to program 21/25V EPROMs?Or is it that simple:https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/program-21v-25v-roms-in-lower-voltage-programmershttps://www.dr-bosch.com/volker/umbau/index.html#VppAdapterIs there a TL866II without "plus" and what exactly is the plus?

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2020, 01:59:13 am
content: sometimes for the series II you add a coin cell on the vdd to boost the programmation voltage, the series II voltages limitation quite stupid, you had 21volts, now 18voltsstupid enough to tell people switch to another brand / model programmer

author: Greybeard
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2020, 08:34:15 am
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on November 23, 2020, 01:59:13 amExactly. But I don't want to pay much more.Is there a reasonable competitor in that price range?

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2020, 11:50:33 am
content: not sure there is .... i think the makers saw they have been cloned, and they saw you could fw change the tl866 model for another one while adding the icsp connectori'm sorry to say you'll have to invest more to have some peace of mindI had the tl866, bought an gq-4x from mcumall (was doing great), bought an tnm5000 (made a big mistake to sell it, the software got mature) ended up with an Elnec Beeprog programmer, there was always something missing, could do this and not that ...... i'm running some legacy devices like gal, pal and no longer manufactured xilinx cpld (i was getting huge problems to find the programmers for them)I have pic, avr, stm32 programmers ... and a bunch of stuff now sitting in a drawer, The Elnec programmer is replacing all of them, i was lucky to find it at a very low price, but still $$$ priceyThe mcumall GQ-4x doesnt cost a fortune and will do more parts ... still around 120$ cadThe tnm5000 is a very good contender for many many parts, but still pricey, but accept cheap zif or dip sockets ... looking to buy another one for my job.Unless someone can hack the tl866II executable to add parts, you'll be limitted one way or the otherMany people forget the tl866 programmer was first used in car stuff and got an huge spark of interest.my 2 centsEDITWoah the tnm5000 price has gone up drastically, i paid 250usd for itthey have jacked up the prices .... thats so wrong ....Maybe the TOP 3000 TOP 3100 series are goodthe prices seems okay, GQ-4x tooo

author: Greybeard
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2020, 12:57:53 pm
content: Buying a programmer for several hundred bucks is no alternative for me, because I need the programmer very rarely.The hardware of the TL866 (old and new) series seems not to be a problem for my understanding (besides the lack of 21/25V supply of the II+) .Has nobody reverse engineered the II+ hardware to develop own open software by the community (I have not read the whole TL866 mammoth threadhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-411-minipro-tl866-universal-programmer-review/)?PS: Is this for TL866II+ ?https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/minipro/-/tree/master

author: Noy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2020, 04:38:27 pm
content: You can usw Linux flashrom tool with tl866 as far as i know.

author: zeeloli6
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 23, 2020, 06:08:30 pm
content: @greybeard - If there was a typo and instead of TL886II+ you meant the TL866II+ (I only call this out because it wasn't entirely clear from your last reply) it explicitly says the plus model is supported online 14of the README.md file. Thus you should be good to go! Here's the relevant snippet:Code:12 ## Features13 * Native support for Linux, BSD, and other flavors of Unix.14 * Compatibility with Minipro TL866CS, TL866A, and TL866II+ from15 Autoelectric (http://www.autoelectric.cn/en/tl866_main.html)16 * More than 13000 target devices (including AVRs, PICs, various BIOSes17 and EEPROMs)18 * ZIF40 socket and ISP support19 * Vendor-specific MCU configuration bits20 * Chip ID verification21 * Overcurrent protection22 * System testing

author: Greybeard
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2020, 01:24:47 pm
content: Quote from: zeeloli6 on November 23, 2020, 06:08:30 pmYes, that was a typo...Quote from: zeeloli6 on November 23, 2020, 06:08:30 pmI recognized later: it seems to be for Linux (I use Win7 and Win10)...

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2020, 12:34:25 am
content: to my knowledge no one has hacked the minipro software

author: Greybeard
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 26, 2020, 08:56:32 am
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on November 25, 2020, 12:34:25 amI hope the chinese software will work - in some way...

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 26, 2020, 10:31:16 am
content: Good readinghere, tons of info.I am happy with a TL866CS hacked to TL866A. There is a lot of chinesum in it BTW... so happy but nothing wowwww...Somebody with spare time should start an eeprom programmer open source project, the potential would be immense.