EEVblog #411 - MiniPro TL866 Universal Programmer Review

[coromonadalix]

for linux there was some work  to create command line tools,  some gui, and some tools for flashing, expanding the device list   etc  ...

but i don't know where they are now ...  it was mostly in githubs repos ?

but for sure  in theses programmers   linux and mac are not popular 


now  the only one really worthy from XGECU is the T76,  as they say  it merges the T48 and T56 functionalities ?

[Quarlo Klobrigney]

Back to the topic, TL866CS will not detect the programmer on the USB in Linux.
The program works otherwise in Wine.
Anyone know what can help in detecting it in Wine?

[firewalker]

There is a dll file you must add to the instalation directory. setupapi.dll

https://github.com/radiomanV/TL866/tree/master/wine32

Alexnader.

[Quarlo Klobrigney]

The setupapi.dll is in the path of .wine/dosdevices/c:/Program Files (x86)/MiniPro TL866 but to no avail.

Since the program should see the dll upon being invoked, I still don't see the programmer hardware.

It is seen in David Griffith's https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/minipro.git terminal command line app.

I even went so far as making a bash script to do all the basics of read, write, check fuses etc.

Everything works fine in terminal.

Is there a specific place for the dll other than above, or other steps that you may have knowledge of?

[Quarlo Klobrigney]

10,800,270 milliseconds later.......

I went about my business and Doctors appointments, and the TL866CS is recognized just fine now in the Windows software.

So here to all is the progression of the programmer:

I had it working on all iterations of Windows up to 7 for many years.
I'm tired of the constant YOU MUST UPGRADE so I went the Linux route.

I got the Windows software installed for a few years on Linux using Wine.
I never tried plugging the hardware in until recently - FAIL.
Went the route of GPT and found out about the app David Griffith's https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/minipro.git to install using only the Linux terminal which worked fine.

With no answer, I asked here and more rabbit holes until your post firewalker https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-411-minipro-tl866-universal-programmer-review/2050/?action=post;last_msg=6064603 and for Radioman's dll which in Linux took a bit to get recognized I guess.

Thank you firewalker and Radioman.

Here are a few quick commands in terminal should anyone wish to go that route to see if it indeed can connect at least.
Copy and paste any of these in terminal even with the # text after it, terminal doesn't see it.
Watch out for writing and erasing!   


minipro -L ATMEGA48                  # search for part in devices
or
minipro --search ATMEGA48        # search for part in devices
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
minipro -p 93C46 -r file.bin           # read EEPROM and save to file.bin
or
minipro -p 93C46 --read file.bin    # read EEPROM and save to file.bin
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
minipro -p 93C46 -b                      # blank check
or
minipro -p 93C46  --blank_check  # blank check
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
minipro -p 93C46 -w file.bin          # write EEPROM from file.bin
or
minipro -p 93C46 --write file.bin    # write EEPROM from file.bin
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
minipro -p 93C46 -m  file.bin         # verify EEPROM from file.bin
or
minipro -p 93C46 --verify file.bin   # verify EEPROM from file.bin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
minipro -p 93C46 -E                      # erase EEPROM
or
minipro -p 93C46 --erase              # erase EEPROM

Read the manual in the git repo https://gitlab.com/DavidGriffith/minipro/-/blob/master/man/minipro.1?ref_type=heads for more.
Always preced the command with minipro -p <partnumber> <command> <extra>



Edited for link corrections and thanks.

[ermionesrl]

Hello.

I own a TL866A I use with minipro.
Now I need to read (and possibly write) NAND08 flash memories.

Besides the fact that an adapter is needed, the TL866A doesn't support the needed algorithm, right? NAND flashes require multiplexing of address and giving the appropriate commands.

What would you buy now? TL866II+, T48? Something else? (perhaps an open hardware, open source project?)

T56 and T76 seems expensive: my usage is very rare and probably will pass years before I will need again to do something that's not supported on simpler programmers...
Unless someone tell me they are 100% worth the price difference.

Thank you.

[bingo600]

Something like this ?
https://github.com/vmallet/ftdi-nand-flash-tool
https://github.com/bkerler/NANDReader_FTDI

[ebastler]

Now I need to read (and possibly write) NAND08 flash memories. [...]
What would you buy now? TL866II+, T48? Something else? (perhaps an open hardware, open source project?)

The TL866II plus may be an adequate and cost-effective off-the-shelf option. The current list of supported parts is here:
http://www.xgecu.com/MiniPro/TL866II_List.txt. It includes the NAND08GW3B and NAND08GW3C -- are those the specific parts you need to work with?

[ermionesrl]

Something like this ?
https://github.com/vmallet/ftdi-nand-flash-tool
https://github.com/bkerler/NANDReader_FTDI

Yes, I saw those project and are interesting; actually I was thinking to write a kernel driver to interface the MTD layer wih FT2232 USB, so to have most already done. I was unable to find any NAND "raw" USB adapter: either they add translation, ECC, etc. in hardware, either in the driver.

But at the moment I prefer something ready made.

In my search I also found those things, that may be useful to someone:

https://www.crowdsupply.com/1bitsquared/glasgow
https://greatscottgadgets.com/greatfet/one/

[ermionesrl]

The TL866II plus may be an adequate and cost-effective off-the-shelf option. The current list of supported parts is here:
http://www.xgecu.com/MiniPro/TL866II_List.txt. It includes the NAND08GW3B and NAND08GW3C -- are those the specific parts you need to work with?

Actually I need to read and write SmartMedia modules... seems simple, but they are not formatted with the translation layer prescribed in the standard and all current multicard SmartMedia readers, based on chip Alcor AU6348 or AU6481, when they don't see the standard translation layer, DESTROY the content on the module when you just insert it into the reader!
Thus I need to make my own reader...

[ermionesrl]

By the way, it seems the TL866II Plus is out of production and all what I can find is counterfeit... I should buy T48 or T56 then.

I am in general strongly against counterfeit items... but in the particular case, also the original TL866 was mounting a counterfeit 3M ZIF socket... so it's a bit a controversial matter with them.

[Spongey]

Only T48 and T76 are receiving firmware updates.

The T76 in the longer term has much more potential due to its use of an FPGA but it is much more expensive. It isn't currently as well supported in minipro as the T48 but that will change.

So for casual use the T48 should be fine.

[ermionesrl]

So for casual use the T48 should be fine.

Thanks, I just ordered the T48 on Aliexpress... they say it's 100% original, let'see.

Now I need the pinout of the adapter for NAND08 flash memories (then I will translate it to SmartMedia). I know there are ready made TQFP48 adapters, but I don't have a TQFP48 memory and buy it only to reverse engineering the pinout doesn't seem reasonable...

The thing is named ADP_F48_EX-2

[ermionesrl]

...about the ADP_F48_EX-2, I just learned that those poor poor people at XGecu decided to insert a microcontroller with a sort of DRM in some of their adapters (and of course the ADP_F48_EX-2 is one of those).

IMHO It's an extremely stupid thing to add a chip with that purpose in something that electronic enthusiasts buy, and often need to use for a different function than the maker thought. By the way I already saw the cloned adapter from a vendor in Alibaba, so it got already reverse engineered (and they deserve it).

As I am somehow in a hurry I bought one of the original adapters, that costed 33% of the programmer itself. I don't know yet if the DRM check is done at firmware level, or if the windows application program does it. In the second case, as I will only use minipro, the chip is not really needed.

When I'll receive the adapter, I'll post the schematic.

[ermionesrl]

As promised, here is the pinout of the TSOP48 NAND adapter ADP_F48_EX-2 VER2.0:


TSOP-48 NAND adapter

C1 100nF between Vddx and Vss
C2 100nF between Vdd and Vss
Rx 68 ohm
Ry 3.9 kohm

NAND socket                programmer

    x8    x16
 4 R/^B4        ->      ->  6
 5 R/^B3        ->      ->  7
 6 R/^B2        ->      ->  8
 7 R/^B1  R/^B  ->      ->  9
 8 ^RE    ^RE   ->      -> 40
 9 ^CE1   ^CE   ->      -> 10
10 ^CE2         ->      -> 11
12 Vdd    Vdd   ->      ->  5
13 Vss    Vss   ->      ->  2, 4, 30, 38, 39 circuit ground
14 ^CE3         ->      -> 12
15 ^CE4         ->      -> 13
16 CLE    CLE   ->      -> 14
17 ALE    ALE   ->      -> 15
18 ^WE    ^WE   ->      ->  3
19 ^WP    ^WP   ->      -> 16

25        Vss   ->      -> circuit ground
26        I/O0  --> R8  ->  1
27        I/O8  --> R9  -> 19
28        I/O1  --> Rx  -> 21
29 I/O0   I/O9  --> Rx  -> 28
30 I/O1   I/O2  --> R1  -> 27
31 I/O2   I/O10 --> Rx  -> 20
32 I/O3   I/O3  --> R3  -> 26
33        I/O11 --> R11 -> 36
34              ->      -> 29
36 Vss          ->      -> circuit ground
37 Vdd    Vdd   ->      -> 31
38 PRE    PRE   ->  NC
40        I/O4  --> Rx  -> 35
41 I/O4   I/O12 --> R4  -> 25
42 I/O5   I/O5  --> R5  -> 24
43 I/O6   I/O13 --> Rx  -> 23
44 I/O7   I/O6  --> R7  -> 22
45        I/O14 --> R13 -> 34
46        I/O7  --> Rx  -> 33
47        I/O15 --> Rx  -> 32
48        Vss   ->      -> circuit ground

protection chip     programmer
8 pin (PIC?)

4  Vss   ->      -> circuit ground
5        ->      -> 18
5        --> Ry  -> 37
6        ->      -> 17
8  Vddx  ->      -> 37


Hope it's understandable and useful.

By the way, I didn't yet try to read the smartmedia with it. I was so in a hurry that I used a FT2232H board with software from here:
https://github.com/ohjeongwook/dumpflash
Code didn't work out of the box and modify python source was really painful for me as I don't really like the language, but in the end I obtained the data I needed.

Andrea

[SlCKB0Y]

also the original TL866 was mounting a counterfeit 3M ZIF socket... so it's a bit a controversial matter with them.

In your mind, what made the socket counterfeit? Did it actually include a trademark on the socket? I ask because the patents obviously expired some time back, so unless they included a trademark like “3M” or “Textool” on the socket then it’s just a legal generic version.