GQ-4X Willem Programmer

kpkube

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
899
Reaction score
19
Location
Valencia, California
Looking to get a programmer (GQ-4X Willem Programmer)
What adapters are good to have with this programmer.
Is this eraser good (mcumall TOOL-007 EPROM UV ERASER) ?
Wanting to be able to read and check roms, burn updates when needed.(For the HS save kits, multi pac kits, etc.)
Is this a good price for programmer and eraser (PRG-109 GQ-4X Programmer With UV Eraser $118.00)
Thanks
 
You shouldn't really need any adapters (at least I haven't needed a single one for it). Don't know about the eraser, but as long as it has a timer on it, you are pretty much good to go. The programmer is a really, really good one, and that price is a little cheaper than mine was, so I say, go for it!
 
I have one. The only problem I have with it are:

a) Sometimes it says I need toi apply external power, but when I plug in the 9V power cord, it still says I need to apply external power. :confused:

b) I recently needed to do some 4-meg chips as parts of a CPS2 resurrection and couldn't do it without the adapter (which I didn't have). Luckily a local buddy had a burner that could do those chips for me. If you work on older stuff like I do, then you should be okay, although I've heard there can be problems with older chips like 2532's or 2516's...
 
I have that programmer. Sometimes it says to plug in external power, but I usually don't. I do have a wallwart power supply I found in my box that fits it and has the proper polarity and voltage, so if it fails to program I can plug it in... but that hasn't happened to me yet.

Like Channelmani(a)c, I lacked the adapter for 16-bit EPROMs. I needed to program some for a CPS-1 resurrection recently, so I bought the adapter (ADP-054). If you expect to work on 90s-era stuff, you should probably plan on getting that adapter.

I also have that eraser. It works fine. The timer is a little hokey, I use something else to time erasure. Last year I picked up an old Heathkit UV eraser at a hamfest, so I don't really use the TOOL-007 eraser much any more.
 
I like PLCC32-DIP32 Adapter, though I don't use it for much arcade stuff (mostly PLCC flash chips, which are pretty common in other hobbies). Also, you may want the 16bit 40pin adapter, so you can do the 16-bit chips, like Neo Geo BIOS and stuff.

a) Sometimes it says I need toi apply external power, but when I plug in the 9V power cord, it still says I need to apply external power. :confused:
I don't think it actually knows whether you plug in external power... it just tells you that you should, for certain chips. I've never used external power, yet it has worked for every chip that has asked for external power. I assume that some USB ports can't source the current that it needs, but those that can work just fine.

If you work on older stuff like I do, then you should be okay, although I've heard there can be problems with older chips like 2532's or 2516's...
Yeah, I don't think I've ever used 2532s or 2516s with the programmer... I don't even remember if it claims to support them.

DogP
 
I don't think it actually knows whether you plug in external power... it just tells you that you should, for certain chips. I've never used external power, yet it has worked for every chip that has asked for external power. I assume that some USB ports can't source the current that it needs, but those that can work just fine.
DogP

When I tried to read a chip that said I needed to apply external power - regardless of whether I had that power applied or not (and it said I needed to apply it even when i had it connected) - the bin file came up as not found in ROMident. However, when I went to my BP-1 burner (great for older chips) and ripped the same chip, the bin file identified in ROMident just fine. The only thing I could think of was that it needed the external power and didn't recognize it, or has an internal problem with the power not coming in properly...
 
I have that programmer. Sometimes it says to plug in external power, but I usually don't. I do have a wallwart power supply I found in my box that fits it and has the proper polarity and voltage, so if it fails to program I can plug it in... but that hasn't happened to me yet.

Like Channelmani(a)c, I lacked the adapter for 16-bit EPROMs. I needed to program some for a CPS-1 resurrection recently, so I bought the adapter (ADP-054). If you expect to work on 90s-era stuff, you should probably plan on getting that adapter.

I also have that eraser. It works fine. The timer is a little hokey, I use something else to time erasure. Last year I picked up an old Heathkit UV eraser at a hamfest, so I don't really use the TOOL-007 eraser much any more.

??? I think you have me confused for Modessit in this thread.

I don't use this programmer. I have the eeTools ChipMax which does up to 40 pin devices, including 16-bit EPROMs and the TopMax which does up to 48 pin devices including 8/16/32Mb 16-bit EPROMs. I also have an ancient Data I/O Series 22 with the hard to find fuselink PROM programming module.

I can program most devices out there. Some of the esoteric ones I can't program are some of the 68705 variants, a few odd type 8 pin EEPROMs, and the old 1702/1702A EPROMs and the like that use -48v as a programming voltage. I can also program many fuselink PAL, PROM, and PLA chips such as replacement 82S100/PLS100 chips for Commodore 64 PLAs. :D

I can even do the 24 pin 8k EPROMs, the 2708, and the pesky tri-voltage TMS2716 EPROMs.

RJ
And I keep a spare, NIB TopMax sitting on the shelf just in case.
 
Back
Top Bottom