[time-nuts] OT favorite chip programmer/favorite ROM emulator

[Mark Sims]

Hello Chuck,

I have used the Advin programmers and have run into every problem you mentioned,  and then some...  And forget those little USB programmers...  they can work for simple EPROMS,  but get into anything else and all bets are off.

I much prefer the Data I/O machines...  warts and all.  They are totally independent of the host machine for programming control (they only need a VT100 terminal emulator).  And their pin drivers have not had to change in 25 years.  The base machine holds up to 68 pin drivers.  The Pinsite modules for doing non-dip packages expands on that.

Biggest wart is the Unisite design has not changed in over 25 years.  It still uses 720Kb floppies...  really now...  720Kb floppies in the year 2009...  but that is a non-issue if you have one with the Mass Storage Module (which even though it may have a 512 meg drive on it, only uses 80 meg... silly).   Also 8 meg of RAM is a bit silly...  but with the programmer under host PC control is not a problem.  And don't get me started on those silly compression pad sockets...  I've worn out more than one Drunken Russian Sailor's Guide to Curses and Taunts there.

DIO makes their living gouging their customers on upgrades and socket adapters (hey, why charge $2000 for a programmer when you can charge $40,000+).  If you have a software set that works for you,  don't spend the 2 grand to upgrade.  But DIO algorithm CDs regularly show up on Ebay for cheap.   

I have a net cost of around zero dollars (or possibly a small net profit) in my unit and adapters which would have cost over $80,000 if bought new from DIO.  I built it up out of around 10 Ebay machines (which I stripped of unique adapters,  cleaned up,  tested,  and then resold the remains).  It supports over 25,000 devices with algorithms that are the gold standard in the industry.  
I have never run into a device that I can't program (except for the MCM2801 and SDA2006 very early serial EEPROMS (which I built my own programmers for)).   I don't think the machine will do 1702's either,  but I have never needed to do one.

Mark
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