EEVblog #411 - MiniPro TL866 Universal Programmer Review

[Southerner]

Could that be the cause of your present problem too? Maybe the config fuse settings you chose are "impossible" due to that inverted interpretation?

If I am unchecking the config option then to me that would mean that no fuses get written.  Am I incorrect?

[ebastler]

No, that part should be correct I assume. But what I understood from your posts was that without setting the fuses at all, the PIC does not work in the circuit (as one would expect?). And that, if you try to have the configuration fuses programmed, the programming fails with an error message.

So I was wondering whether the error message is due to the fact that the PIC does not accept the fuse settings you are trying to program. And whether that may be due to the fact that you have those settings inverted.

EDIT: Just looked at the Miniprog software. Where is the dialog field where one can set the actual configuration fuse bits?! For other PICs (and other brands of MCU) there are dedicated checkboxes which mirror the MCU-specific config bits. It looks like the PIC16F628A is not fully supported?

[quicknick]

Hello everyone! Does this adapter make any sense? (schematic is from the MiniPro software itself):

Just built one on perfboard (used 1N4148 for the diodes) as I'm trying to save a bricked X470 Aorus mainboard, but it only reads an ocean of zeroes from a MX25U12873F (main BIOS chip, desoldered from the board). Programming it with the right BIN takes time as it should, but verification immediately fails as the chip still contains only zeroes!

According to this post: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/msi-b350m-mortar-bios-refresh-for-raven-ridge-apu/
the TL866CS should be able to work with the 25U12873 when 25U12835 is selected.
I ordered the more elaborate 1.8V adapter seen in the above post, but it'll be a while until it arrives. Meanwhile, is there any chance of getting the DYI adapter to work?

[walter.aranda]

Hi, I am facing the same problem while trying to program an AM29F080B to upgrade a THS7XX firmware over MiniPro TL866CS. The chip is read correctly (without the ID checked), but when trying to write, it indicates that it's not possible due to an overcurrent issue. I wanted to know if capacitor C22 (which disables overcurrent protection) is the one shown in the attached image

[Spongey]

Short version... I wrote this perl script called "iclu" to help with a little project of mine. I couldn't find anything that really suited my needs. I'm mentioning it here in case others find it useful.

Longer version... I got a T48 a couple of months back and I've been having fun playing with it. I put all my old logic chips through it and most things passed. One chip I had (an 8255) was failing and I wondered why. This started me on a long journey discovering how to do various things. I ended up writing a multi purpose perl script. Currently it can: make logic tests more readable, add new logic tests, parse and create lgc and lis files. It even has (very provisional) support for reading (but not programming) non-standard ROMs. Most features work with both minipro and Xgpro.

Current (very experimental) version is on gitlab here.

Any feedback welcome.

[Squarewave]

Can anyone help with this one? RS are selling the T48, under SEEIT, for a lot more money?

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/chip-programmers/2864076?cm_mmc=UK-PLA-DS3A-_-google-_-CSS_UK_EN_ePMax_Prio2-_--_-2864076&matchtype=&&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwooq3BhB3EiwAYqYoEqQiL1xACFlJWC0HqvCOg1oDlSMVJ5WOu1pBEAwUs9ONxLckfVZoFBoCTUoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[ebastler]

Can anyone help with this one? RS are selling the T48, under SEEIT, for a lot more money?

Umm -- what kind of help were you looking for?

[Squarewave]

Can anyone help with this one? RS are selling the T48, under SEEIT, for a lot more money?

Umm -- what kind of help were you looking for?

So really, like, people's thoughts on why there's kind of two of what appears to be the same at different prices?

[ebastler]

So really, like, people's thoughts on why there's kind of two of what appears to be the same at different prices?

Same thing, but different vendor, that's what drives the different price. RS ships locally and provides proper warranty, so some markup is justified. And on top of that RS know that their customers are lazy, buy where they have always bought, buy from a vendor who is already set up in their purchasing system etc. -- so they add more markup, less justified.

I am pretty sure you will find the same with other test and measurement equipment, tools, and workshop equipment they sell. And with electronic components too, I guess. Last time I bought from RS was many years ago, when they still offered free shipping on small orders (but expensive prices for the actual goods.)

[Squarewave]

So really, like, people's thoughts on why there's kind of two of what appears to be the same at different prices?

Same thing, but different vendor, that's what drives the different price. RS ships locally and provides proper warranty, so some markup is justified. And on top of that RS know that their customers are lazy, buy where they have always bought, buy from a vendor who is already set up in their purchasing system etc. -- so they add more markup, less justified.

I am pretty sure you will find the same with other test and measurement equipment, tools, and workshop equipment they sell. And with electronic components too, I guess. Last time I bought from RS was many years ago, when they still offered free shipping on small orders (but expensive prices for the actual goods.)

Ok that's quite interesting, so it's not just some 'chinese knock off' product, it is a trusted product then to be in the RS inventory. We use RS at work, for most of what we buy, the prices are ok, about average, but there are indeed products which have a significant mark up!

[Spongey]

I've written another experimental little utility program for the T48. This one is called "mprom" and an experimental version called "mprom-bb". It is here.

What it does is allow parallel ROMs to be read fairly painlessly using a T48. It has some similarities to the prom.c code in minipro (which isn't currently compatible with T48) but it's more flexible. Adding a new ROM is just a case of adding pin definitions to an XML file (see roms.xml in the utility).

The "mprom-bb" version can theoretically be extended to use the ISP pins for chips needing more than 40 pins in an adapter. That needs some additional configuration with adapter pin maps which I currently don't have. Anyone wanting to help out with that please send me a message.

Although this has been tested with a T48 it should also work with a TL866II+. It will not work with TL866A/CS.

I don't think it will currently work with a T56 either but feel free to try it out.

Any reports welcomed especially if you don't mind experimenting a bit to get some things working.