[Coco] FW: [Altair Computer Club] Introducing the ME2700 EPROM & EEPROM Programmer

Tue Jan 5 19:36:18 EST 2016

Hi Fellow Coconuts!

Take a look at the below email from Martin Eberhard.  He is creating an ME2700 Orphan Eprom Programmer that will program the Motorola MCM68764 and MCM68766 8KB Eproms that are used in the Coco 1 and 2.  These are also the same eproms that are used in many floppy controllers as well.  If you are into burning your own eproms or would like to be able to burn your own eproms then I would recommend you at least take a look.  Be sure to read the entire email.  Take care my friends.

Kip Koon

computerdoc at sc.rr.com

http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Kip_Koon

From: altaircomputerclub at yahoogroups.com [mailto:altaircomputerclub at yahoogroups.com] 
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2016 9:03 PM
To: altaircomputerclub at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Altair Computer Club] Introducing the ME2700 EPROM & EEPROM Programmer

I'm almost ready to deliver my new EPROM programmer - I need to finish the manual and complete the final testing, programming a giant pile of EPROMs to prove the programming of each type. I plan to assemble 10 of these programmers, and offer both fully assembled and tested programmers, as well as bare kits. I need to crunch the numbers once more, but the pricing will look something like this:

Kit: (PC Board, programmed PIC microcontroller, ZIF socket, wall adapter) $45.00. The rest of the parts from Digikey will cost just about exactly $50.00.

Complete, tested programmer: $125, while they last. I don't plan to make more than 10 of these, as my normal hourly billing rate is MUCH higher than this assumes :-)

I will provide a pretty comprehensive manual (in PDF form) that includes operating instructions, theory of operation, schematic, assembly & test procedure, and bill of materials. I will also make the firmware source code available, though I suspect nobody will want to mess with that. (It's a fair bit of assembly language, a lot of which has precise timing requirements.)

If you plan to buy one of these, let me know and I will reserve one for you, first come first serve. I expect to begin shipping them in the next 2 to 4 weeks.

Here's the description of the programmer:

Introducing the ME2700
Orphan EPROM  Programmer
A New Programmer for Old EPROMs and EEPROMs

The ME2700 is designed to program most of the "orphan" 24-pin NMOS and CMOS EPROMs and EEPROMs - those with non-standard voltages, peculiar pinouts, proprietary programming algorithms, etc., especially those EPROMs that cannot be programmed by "universal" EPROM programmers. (Of course the ME2700 can program all of the “standard” 24-pin EPROMs too.) In particular, the ME2700 supports single-voltage and 3-voltage variants of the 2708 and 2716, all variants of the 2732, programming voltages from 12.5V through 26V, several 8K-byte EPROMs in 24-pin packages, and “Skinny DIP” packages as well as standard-width packages. It has provisions for an external negative programming voltage supply, to support EPROMs such as the Intersil IM6654 (which has Vpp=-40V).

At the end of this document is a list of the supported EPROMs. The ME2700 probably supports more EPROMs - this list only includes EPROMs for which datasheets were found, so that programming compatibility could be verified. Most of these EPROMs (including the Soviet and East German variants) have been tested on the ME2700.

The ME2700 requires no special host-side software. It is completely self-contained and menu-driven, requiring only a terminal program (such as Hyperterm or Teraterm) that can send and receive ASCII files, and a 9600-baud RS232 serial port (or serial port dongle). It will accept and produce EPROM image files in either Intel Hex format or Motorola S-Record format.

The ME2700 can program with the slow-and-standard methods, as well as pretty much any of the Smart/Quick/ Fast/Express algorithms specified by the various EPROM manufacturers. For the supported EPROMs, the algorithms provided are faithful implementations of the algorithms specified by their manufacturers.

A unique feature of the ME2700 is the ability to define and save (in onboard EEPROM) up to four custom EPROM specifications. You can specify the individual pin functions for pins 18 through 22, the programming voltage, special voltage requirements for Vcc during programming, custom Fast/Quick/etc. programming algorithm, etc. If your EPROM is not listed below, and it has its data pins and address pins A0 through A9 in the standard locations, then the chances are that you can create a custom EPROM spec to program it with the ME2700.

The firmware in the ME2700 can be updated through its serial port. Thus, if a future firmware release supports a new EPROM that you need to program, or fixes a bug that’s been bugging you, you can just download the new firmware from me, and send it to the ME2700. It will rewrite its own flash memory with the new code.
One thing the ME2700 does not do is attempt to automatically identify the EPROM that is inserted. Some 24-pin EPROMs will divulge their ID if you apply +12V to address pin A9. A few others have different (non-standard) ID methods. But most EPROMs do not include any provision for reading their ID, and applying +12V to their address pin A9 will actually damage the EPROM.

The Vpp power supply is microprocessor-controlled and has fold-back current limiting to prevent (or at least minimize) damage from inserting an EPROM backwards, inserting the wrong kind of EPROM, or inserting a damaged EPROM.

The ME2700’s universal 12V AC adapter (included) is rated for line input from 100V to 240V, 50Hz or 60 Hz, so it should work anywhere in the world. The menus and manual, however, are only in English.

Please Note: I am not actually running a business here. Like the ME1702/A and the ME5204 before it, I designed the ME2700 for fun and for my own personal use. I plan to make a limited number of these programmers, and sell them at a price that allows me to break even, assuming my own time is worth zero. I will provide you with full documentation: schematics, bill of materials, source code listing, theory of operation, etc. If you have problems with your programmer, I will try to help you, as my time permits. If you need to program an EPROM that is not currently listed as one the ME2700 can program, let me know and I will see about updating the firmware to support it (if possible). In such a case, I will need a datasheet for the new EPROM.

Supported EPROMs:
2704 (512 bytes): Intel 2704, National MM2704, Signetics 2704, etc.
2804A (512 byte EEPROM): Exel XL2804A, Seeq 2804A, Xicor X2804A, etc.
28C04 (512 byte EEPROM): GI 28C04, Microchip 28C04A, etc.
IM6654 (512 bytes): Intersil IM6654 (This requires an external 41V power supply to be connected)
2708 (1K bytes): AMD AM2708, Electronic Arrays EA2708, Fairchild F2708, Intel 2708, MME U555C, National MM2708, NTE NTE2708, Signetics 2708, Tesla 8708, TI TMS2708, etc.
TMS2508 (1K bytes, TI proprietary): TI TMS2508
2716 (2K bytes, Vpp=25V): Eurotechnique ET2716Q, Fujitsu MBM2716, Hitachi HN462716, Intel 2716, SGS/ST M2716, TI TMS2516, National MM2716E, NTE NTE2716, OKI MSM2716AS, Soviet 573RF2
2716A (2K bytes, Vpp=21V): (No actual data sheets found)
2716A-fast (2K bytes, Vpp=21V, ST-proprietary Fast algorithm): ST M2716a-Fast
2716B (2K bytes, Vpp=12.75V, AMD-proprietary Fast algorithm): AMD AM2716B
2716H (2K bytes, Vpp=25V, non-standard 10 mS programming pulse): Fairchild/National NMC27C16H
27C16B (2K bytes, Vpp=12.75V, Fairchild-proprietary Fast algorithm): Fairchild NMC27C16B
TMS2716 (2K bytes, three supply voltages, TI-proprietary): TI TMS2716
57C191 (2K bytes, skinny or wide package): WSI WS57C191, WSI WS57C291
2816A (2K-byte EEPROM,  auto-erase function, but no data polling): Seeq 2816A, Seeq 5516A
28C16 (2K-byte EEPROM, auto-erase function,  and data polling for write timing): Atmel AT28C1, Atmel AT28C16E, Catalyst CAT28C16A, Microchip 28C16A, On Semiconductor CAT28C16A, etc.
2816-Intel (2K-byte EEPROM, no auto-erase function, no data polling): Intel 2816A
2732 (4k-bytes, Vpp = 25V) Eurotechnique ET2732Q, Fairchild F2732, Fujitsu MBM2732, Hitachi HN462732G, Intel 2732, Mitsibishi M5L2732K, MME U2732, Motorola MCM2732, NEC D2732D, Toshiba TMM2732D, etc.
2732A (4k-bytes, Vpp = 21V) AMD AM2732A, Fujitsu MBM2732A, Intel 2732A, ST M2732A, TI TMS2732A, etc.
2732A-fast (4K bytes, Vpp=21V, ST-proprietary Fast algorithm): ST M2732a-Fast
2732B (4K bytes, Vpp=12.75V, AMD-proprietary Fast algorithm): AMD AM2732B
27C32H (4K bytes, Vpp=12.75V, non-standard 10 mS programming pulse): Fairchild/National NMC27C32H
27C32B (4K bytes, Vpp=12.75V, Fairchild-proprietary Fast algorithm): Fairchild/National NMC27C32B
TMS2532 (4K bytes, Vpp =25V, TI-proprietary pinout): TI TMS2532, Hitachi HN462532, SGS M2532
TMS2532A (4K bytes, Vpp =21V, TI-proprietary pinout): TI TMS2532A
TMS2732A (4k-bytes, Vpp = 21V, TI-proprietary algorithm) TMS2732A
WS57C43C (4K bytes, WSI-proprietary): WSI WS57C43C
68764 (8k bytes, Motorola-proprietary): Motorola MCM68764, Motorola MCM68766
LH5749 (8k bytes, Sharp-proprietary): Sharp LH5749/J
27HC641 (8K bytes): Microchip 27HC641, Signetics 27HC641, etc.
27HC641 (8K bytes, Express programming algorithm): Atmel AT27HC641R, Atmel AT27HC642R, Microchip 27HC64
57C49C  (8K bytes, WSI-proprietary): WSI WS57C49C

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Posted by: eberhard at allenroad.com 

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