atrax27407 Posted November 6, 2020 Author Share Posted November 6, 2020 (edited) About a year ago, @InsaneMultitasker was working on a project for the Geneve that required an ATMEL AT29C040A chip. He had been trying to program it with a QX-series eprommer which apparently had a faulty algorithm that completely "trashed" the chip and rendered it unusable. Anyway, he sent a couple of chips to me to try (read, program, etc.). All I was able to do was to confirm that they had been trashed. @Ksarul, @InsaneMultitasker, and I then embarked on a search to see if we could find an adequate replacement for them. The ATMEL chip has become expensive at <>$10 per chip and the Chinese sources have proven to be unreliable as far as chip quality in concerned. After a couple of months, we settled on the WINBOND W29C040 as a replacement - and it is an EXACT replacement - the specifications match 100%. The ATMEL chips were also used in the SNUG HSGPL Card and it was nice to find a replacement that could be used on those cards as well. However, it does require an alteration to both the DSRLDR3 program AND the HSGPL80/81/82 programs (they comprise the CALL HSGPL in BASIC) to allow that chip to work with the HSGPL. Edited November 6, 2020 by atrax27407 2 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4671311 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 In msg #175, the question arose as to whether or not there was a comprehensive manufacturer's ID list for chips and EPROMs. I managed to find the JEDEC comprehensive manufacturer's list that details all of the manufacturer's 1-byte ID. The individual product ID is not listed. Anyway, here is the list. JEDEC Mfg ID code.pdf 2 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4671612 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 The TL866CS/A software has a specific function to read the chip ID. This could be valuable in detecting counterfeit EPROM/EEPROM chips now that we know the manufacturer's ID. 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4671668 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 8, 2020 Author Share Posted November 8, 2020 I found a more recent (and extensive) list of manufacturer's ID codes. This one is dated 2017. JEDEC MFG ID Code-2017.pdf 3 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4672311 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 8, 2020 Author Share Posted November 8, 2020 (edited) As an interesting note. The last section of this document has a listing of the manufacturer name changes. This reflects acquisitions and mergers. It should help to track the changes in chips. On my personal copy, I converted the .pdf to a .docx file and used the highlight utility in WORD to highlight the chip manufacturers in my inventory. I also highlighted (in a different color) the major flash drive manufacturers so I could check them for counterfeit chips as well. I used a third color to highlight the manufacturer name changes. With all of that done, I converted it back to a .pdf file. It makes it easier to find the appropriate chip. Edited November 11, 2020 by atrax27407 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4672563 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 11, 2020 Author Share Posted November 11, 2020 T56/TL866II software updated to Vn 10.50 11/11/2020. More chips added. T56 Support List.txt TL866II Support List.txt 4 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4674717 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) Hmm! I was having a problem getting my TL866CS to correctly display the chip ID when read from the top menu under "Read ID". I solved the problem. You MUST have the correct chip selected in the "Select Chip" menu. It ONLY works with certain adapters (ex. TMS2732A->TMS2532 does not work). My next project is to compile the individual product codes for the chips in my inventory - that will take awhile! Edited November 18, 2020 by atrax27407 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4678892 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 20, 2020 Author Share Posted November 20, 2020 I started going through the chips in my inventory checking them against the Manufacturer's ID. The result was that I found several that were very creditable counterfeits. They appeared to be genuine but the Manufacturer's ID didn't match the JEDEC list. That doesn't mean that the chips are not usable - just not genuine. Over the years, I have found bunches of chips (all of Chinese origin) that didn't have the correct Manufacturer's ID byte. However, the chips programmed very nicely if the "Chip ID" box was left unchecked. That became my usual procedure for all Chinese origin chips. I even found a chip or two in my inventory that the labelling had worn off and I had mis-identified. I was able to identify them and put them in the correct compartment. All of it was done using the Manufacturer's ID byte and Product ID byte. I'll try to finish everything up in the next few days. 3 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4680971 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 (edited) I finally got through my chip inventory. There is some "interesting" information to be discovered. First, The TL866CS will NOT read the Manufacturer ID on some chips. It appears the the algorithm is just not in the software. When the algorithm is missing, the "Read Chip ID" selection fades and cannot be accessed. This happens most often with 2732 chips for some reason. Again, there are apparently only a limited number of "Read Chip ID" algorithms in the software. I found that selecting some 2764 chips will allow you to read those made by more than a single manufacturer. It turned out to be of some advantage. I discovered that one of the counterfeit 2764 was really a disguised TMS2764 even though it was re-branded as from another manufacturer. The test correctly identified it as such and the Chip ID was verified when I tried to program it (which it did successfully). Clever people these Chinese. Oh yes, I found a cache of ST M27128 EPROMs that I had stored out of sequence and not entered in my inventory - +11 chips! Edited November 21, 2020 by atrax27407 4 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4681713 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted November 23, 2020 Share Posted November 23, 2020 (edited) Can anyone advise if the newer T56 is any better for working with older chips like the TMS2516 and other mid-late 70's EPROMS needing higher VPP? Edited November 23, 2020 by Keatah Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4683242 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 The T56 is supposed to do Vpp 25V chips but the TMS2516 isn't listed as "supported". You would have to check the entire support list to confirm which 25V chips are supported. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4683386 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+FALCOR4 Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 On 11/23/2020 at 7:34 AM, atrax27407 said: The T56 is supposed to do Vpp 25V chips but the TMS2516 isn't listed as "supported". You would have to check the entire support list to confirm which 25V chips are supported. I have been successful emailing the company and requesting additional support. The ver 10.50 included support for logic test of the 74259 and 74688 that I requested as well as support for the two versions of the 2M SRAMs used in the SAMS 4M board. That happened in the matter of about a month; I was surprised and pleased to see that. 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4687773 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted November 29, 2020 Author Share Posted November 29, 2020 They are VERY actively supporting the T56. I might go ahead and get one but, for now, the TL866CS serves my needs. It will do just about every chip that I need for the 994/A with the proper adapter. I'm sure that the adapters would work with it as well (i.e., for the TMS2532). There are still some of the older chips missing from their support list but they update it along with each of the firmware upgrades. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4687791 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted December 1, 2020 Author Share Posted December 1, 2020 I have encountered some very interesting information during my search for manufacturer/product ID numbers. It seems that at least some of the older chips are no longer being manufactured by the original manufacturer. Some changes are the result of mergers, etc. Most, however, are the result of chip production not being profitable for the original manufacturer. For example, TI no longer produces the TMS2532 and ST no longer produces the M2732A. That doesn't mean that the chips are "out of production". The TMS2532 is now produced by Rochester and the ST M2732 is now produced by Intel and Rochester. The original companies sold/assigned the rights (including the chip dies) to those companies. Since the latter are using the original dies, I would surmise that the manufacturer/product ID numbers reflect the original producer. 3 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4688974 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) T56/TL866II+ updated to Vn 10.53 effective 12/12/2020. Bunches of new chips added. T56 Support List.txt TL866II Support list.txt Edited December 12, 2020 by atrax27407 2 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4697907 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 (edited) T56/TL866II updated to Vn 10.55 on 12/24/2020. Multiple chips added. T56 Support List.txt TL866II Support List.txt Edited December 24, 2020 by atrax27407 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4707511 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 New update of the T56/TL866II on 01/06/2020. Now at Vn 10.61. T56 has 141 new chips but none added for the TL866II. Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4718388 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted January 7, 2021 Author Share Posted January 7, 2021 The full chip inventory hasn't been uploaded but here are the additions from the website. Vn 1061.txt 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4718982 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted January 17, 2021 Author Share Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) T56/TL866II updated to Vn 10.70 on 1/16/21 More chips added. T56 Support List.txt TL866II Support List.txt Edited January 18, 2021 by atrax27407 2 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4728091 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted January 20, 2021 Author Share Posted January 20, 2021 T56/TL866II updated to Vn 10.71 on 1/20/21 - NAND bug fixed. 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4730444 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 TL56/TL866II updated to Vn 10.75 on 1/28/21. Chips added and bug fixes. TL866II Support List.txt T56 Support List.txt 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4739130 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 (edited) T56/TL866II been updated to Vn 10.80 as of 03/10/21. Chips added and bugfixes applied. T56 Programmer Support List.txt TL866II Support List.txt T56_TL866II USER GUIDE.pdf Edited March 10, 2021 by atrax27407 2 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4774212 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Schmitzi Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Hi, is the TL 866 CS no more supported by the manufacturer ? I cannot find the actual firmware or anything Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4774732 Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrax27407 Posted March 11, 2021 Author Share Posted March 11, 2021 (edited) The firmware is still on the AutoElectric site http://www.autoelectric.cn/EN/TL866_MAIN.html However, I don't think they are going to update it beyond the current version -- which is Vn 6.85 minipro_setup685.rar Edited March 11, 2021 by atrax27407 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4775021 Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Ksarul Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 11 hours ago, Schmitzi said: Hi, is the TL 866 CS no more supported by the manufacturer ? I cannot find the actual firmware or anything It is no longer supported, and if you are trying to update to the 6.85 software revision, be aware that if your TL-866CS is a fake, the software WILL brick your programmer. The Autoelectric site shows a mod that will allow you to unbrick the programmer, but even then, you have to load the software revision provided with your programmer to get it to work (although versions up to about 6.80 should work if yours is older than that). The bricking function was introduced in 6.81/6.82. Some of the fakes use 6.82 through 6.85, with most that I've seen locked into 6.82. 1 1 Quote Link to comment https://forums.atariage.com/topic/276325-ti-and-the-minipro-tl866-eprom-programmer/page/10/#findComment-4775113 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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