what is the best universal programmer ? xeltek vs elnec - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Gabaktech
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 01:09:14 am
content: xeltek says they use 144 pins in their controller and ELNEC 48does it matter? what is the best option for general electronic repair?

author: bobaruni
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 07:57:50 am
content: I have had nothing but bad experiences with xeltek.Many of their programming algorithms have long term bugs in them and they keep dropping support for older programmers so you are forced to buy the new programmer if you want support for a new chip.Elenec are very good with longevity.Maybe think about the device support you need and see if the programmers mentioned support it.

author: Gabaktech
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 12:51:05 pm
content: thank you for your reply.I ll go with ELNEC then.any recommendation?can I use any adapters? so are they something proprietary?

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 01:47:34 pm
content: GALEP5Expensive but will still be worth something when you come to sell it.

author: bobaruni
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 04:45:09 pm
content: Quote from: Gabaktech on May 29, 2017, 12:51:05 pmAs voltsandjolts just mentioned Galep5, this is good value for money but don't believe the open source BS as you can not add your own devices.Another good manuf is eeTools, they make the Topmax 2, very long support (I have the Topmax 1, and they only ended support recently after maybe 18 years) but they don't support any where near as many devices as Elnec and xeltek.Also look athttp://www.dataman.com/, these are made by Elnec and are sometimes cheaper if on sale somewhere.It depends on your budget, but when you say general electronics repair? I think you will struggle to use the benefits of any of the programmers mentioned as they are more development/production type programmers.Can you elaborate more on what you will be repairing and what parts you expect to encounter?Re adapters, xeltek is a lot easier/cheaper to buy on ebay, ali, amazon etc, probably all clones.The Xeltek are easy to make as most are mapped 1:1 whereas the Elnec adapters vary.I don't know about Galep5 adapters as I don't have one.Whatever you buy, the most used adapters for arcade video game repairs and general hacking/design and repair for me are SOIC 8 to DIP and TSOP48 to DIP, I have used these many hundreds of times whereas all other adapters were probably only used once or twice.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 04:55:39 pm
content: Quote from: Gabaktech on May 29, 2017, 12:51:05 pmAnd by that you'll guarantee yourself pain in the ass for the time being, if going to program more than one type of IC. Elnec has hundreds of proprietary very expensive adapters. Hell, you even need separate adapters for Atmel atmega and atxmega in the same package. When you will need to program some different IC, almost every time will find that you cannot do it unless shovel 100+ bucks for adapter and wait until it is delivered.

author: bobaruni
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 05:00:36 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on May 29, 2017, 04:55:39 pmAnd pretty much the same story for many of these production type do all programmers.For modern micros, I wouldn't go to the expense of any of these.Most modern stuff these days is ICSP, Jtag or a variant and not the parallel programming method that these programmers excel at.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 05:08:49 pm
content: Quote from: bobaruni on May 29, 2017, 05:00:36 pmNope, it's pretty much elnec specific (also sold as Dataman and some other brands) to make tons of different adapters for same IC package. Most of the other stuff use universal adapters in most cases.EDIT: BTW old elnec programmers could use universal adapters, but newer ones need many proprietary adapters to program the very same ICs

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 05:14:01 pm
content: Quote from: costas on September 02, 2013, 06:37:40 am

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 05:18:43 pm
content: Quote from: Nukster on March 01, 2014, 04:33:39 pm

author: stj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2017, 06:53:54 pm
content: so how low does your device voltage need to go?and how many pins do you need?

author: bobaruni
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2017, 01:29:18 am
content: Quote from: wraper on May 29, 2017, 05:18:43 pmSo if this is the state of play with the new Beeprog 2 then I can NOT recommend it, I personally would not buy 14 adapters for the same package.My good word of mouth came from using the Beeprog, not the Beeprog 2.It looks like this universal programmer space has turned to crap out of sheer greed.I understand it takes enormous time (therefore money) to develop and test the algorithms for all the ICs but they are now using the disposable printer model where the consumables end up costing more than the printer itself.Maybe it's time for an open source universal device programmer project on the scale of the Xeltek, Elnec etc where hundreds of people are developing and testing algorithms so that the cost is not bundled with the hardware.The actual hardware is only worth a couple of hundred dollars and it's the software, algorithms and support that inflate the cost to $2k in some cases.

author: mahi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2017, 06:27:04 am
content: What do people think of theBatronix BX48 Batego II? Spec-wise it looks at least as good, if not better, as the Elnec BeeProg2 but it's considerably cheaper and uses generic adapters (see comparisonalthough this may be biased).

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 30, 2017, 09:04:27 am
content: Quote from: mahi on May 30, 2017, 06:27:04 amI would not advise it. Count of supported ICs is their amazing invention. They inflate it by 5+ times by listing every single IC temperature grade and similar suffixes. If comparingrealIC support list, it's pretty poor compared with others.

author: Gibson486
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2017, 04:03:52 pm
content: Quote from: bobaruni on May 29, 2017, 07:57:50 amI feel the same about xeltek. We used a stand alone production programmer for atmel chips. You have to go through hoops to make it work and it did not even work out of the box. It needed custom software to make it work and even then it does not work.

author: Nobre
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 08, 2017, 02:20:13 am
content: Usava um TL866cs e um smartprog2(Elnec) como nenhum dos dois programava as SPI 1.8 decidi então comprar Beeprog2, é um excelente equipamento, mas infelizmente adaptadores universais não funciona nele, ou seja tem que comprar os adaptadores do próprio fabricante e não são baratos.I used a TL866cs and a smartprog2 (Elnec) as neither of them was programming the SPI 1.8 I decided to buy Beeprog2, it's an excellent device, but unfortunately universal adapters do not work on it, that is, you have to buy the adapters from the manufacturer itself and they are not cheap.

author: stj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2017, 11:29:43 am
content: you can buy a cheap 1.8v SPI adapter on ebay and use a 3.3v programmer.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191899183629

author: Nobre
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 08, 2017, 07:56:12 pm
content: Quote from: stj on July 08, 2017, 11:29:43 amI bought this adapter, but the SPI's are great they demand great speeds of recording and I started to have errors in the recording,

author: stj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2017, 08:22:13 pm
content: slow your programmer down then.

author: DIPLover
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2017, 10:50:26 am
content: I use an older Xeltek Superpro 3000U.USB but requires windows XP (maybe win7 32bits). Works in a vmware VM.I use it only with older chips, but I have successfully programmed GALs, PALCE, MACH211, ALTERA 7000 and 3000A CPLDs and SST 39SF0x0 Flash chips. Last software revision is from 2011.Software works well and the programmer is speedy and responsive.I have also used a very cheap Genius G540 from eBay for GALs and 39SF0x0 flashes and it worked. Slower than the Xeltek, very poor software, few devices supported, but it did the job for the supported chips I had.

author: Nobre
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 10, 2017, 08:45:44 pm
content: "I use an older Xeltek Superpro 3000U."still one of the best programmers

author: jcho
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 30, 2018, 07:59:39 pm
content: “ Xeltek has too many models and device updates are not consistent on older models.”There are 300+ IC Manufacturers producing new programmable chips every year. Speed, voltage/current, and programming characteristics change often. In order to be able to accommodate the new chips, it is necessary to update the programmer hardware also. Superpro3000U was a very popular model and loved by many. But, it could no longer support new chips, thus had to pass the baton to Superpro6100 and Superpro7500 plus a number of In-System Programmers. Supporting old programmers have time limit just like any other product. You couldn’t ask Iphone5 to be updated to operate like Iphone8.“Chinese clone”: Xeltek Superpro model programmers are popular worldwide, and there are Chinese clones spreading around. Don’t buy them because you are buying an unknow quality and with no support possibility when you need it the most.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2018, 08:20:16 pm
content: Funny, I inherited an old Xeltek programmer, the whole box, the programmer attachment, the proprietary parallel port ISA card, driver diskette (5-1/4"), manual and original sales slip ($800 in the early 90s, I think it was?). Don't have a working drive for that, but they have old software on their website, which dropped in just fine and works. I did an EPROM read and copy just for S&Gs, seems to work.This has essentially no relevance to modern products, I just wanted to brag(?) about my vintage computing hardware...We now resume your ordinary thread...Tim

author: bson
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 31, 2018, 04:10:09 pm
content: Well, Xeltek used to make/brand a bunch of stuff. I had a parallel port Rom Master II in the early 90s, and have a vague recollection of it being a rebrand of something else. Very basic, horrible software (required DOS (!!!) if memory serves), but it did what I needed: windowed EPROMs and some very basic CPLDs (in PLCC packages no less!). I don't think it did anything the TL866 doesn't do, or that I can't whip up a simple adapter board for in half an hour (and have from OSHPark in a week, for what $20 for three, rush job). Not to mention dumb SMD pin adapters that can be had on eBay for a pittance. I don't even have a UV eraser anymore as the first thing I'd do would be to replace the windowed EPROM with an equivalent EEPROM (or NOR flash, or FRAM) anyway. Basic needs. Like blue mentioned if it's modern and doesn't support ICSP, F it.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2018, 04:50:02 pm
content: Quote from: mahi on May 30, 2017, 06:27:04 amI got that one because of the price, the features and the linux support. Can't complain, works fine. I use it mostly for old EPROMs, EEPROMs and some MCUs.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 12:32:50 pm
content: reving this thread, search for real chip support and proven ones, some cases like tms2716 need negative voltage to program them,many Xeltek can not do this, even if they say it does that part, it was reported to them and they changed nothingsome Elnec does in the beeprog series ... i think the beeprog 2 series and upLabtool on some models, claim falsly they can do it ... they where warned with proof and the never changed itit's a matter of knowing your needs and verify before purchasing or invest lots of $Elnec charge lots of $ per adapterXeltek too and they have crypto chips on the adapters to be sure they are genuine ... enter a magic chip ... youtube ....the last tl866 iteration had something similar on their socketssome Tnm 5000 Tnm7000 use std low priced sockets ...Xgecu is getting more market now, they have the new T76 ...sometimes you need a plethoa of programmers to cover lots of stuff, mostly old gen for old parts loll