You guys like your eprom burners? I have some questions

vicemikey

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You guys like your eprom burners? I have some questions

Hey guys, I was looking to buy a bulk of Playchoice eproms but I'm considering just buying a burner now and doing the chips on my own.

What's the best burner/cost on the market? Looking for a relatively cheap solution. I searched some threads and saw a few guys use the Willems burners.

I've considered getting one a few times in the past but haven't brought myself to buy one yet.

I was looking at over $100 in eproms, and I know I'd be able to use this on other projects.

Thanks for looking and your input.
Vice
 
Anytime you can spend about the same money and add a new tool to your bench you should do it.In my case i was looking at over $100.00 in programmed eproms,but instead i purchased the GQ-4X for $100.00 and the cheap eraser for $20.00 all from mcumall.Then got a bulk of eproms off ebay.It cost a touch more than if i had just purchased the chips i needed but i have used it on quite a few projects that would have otherwise sat on the shelf.The GQ-4x seems to handle 2716's on up,i recently discovered it does not support 2708's and other tri-voltage eproms.
 
Anytime you can spend about the same money and add a new tool to your bench you should do it.In my case i was looking at over $100.00 in programmed eproms,but instead i purchased the GQ-4X for $100.00 and the cheap eraser for $20.00 all from mcumall.Then got a bulk of eproms off ebay.It cost a touch more than if i had just purchased the chips i needed but i have used it on quite a few projects that would have otherwise sat on the shelf.The GQ-4x seems to handle 2716's on up,i recently discovered it does not support 2708's and other tri-voltage eproms.

I think that's what I'll probably be going with - I keep doing searches for info. GQ 4 - Where did you get yours?

Also, what kind of games use the 2708's - this game is new to me and I'll have to be doing some research I see.

Thanks for your time!
 
Old stuff... very old will use the 2708 and sometimes the oddball tri-voltage TMS2716.

RJ
 
I've been thinking about doing the same thing.
Mainly to replace ROMS in nintendo games.

I just don't know ANYTHING about this stuff...but I figure I have to start somewhere, right?

How many types of ROMS are there?
 
Does it come with an AC adapter? I know it says it supports one, but doesn't list it in the package.
 
No it doesn't come with one,I use a 9vdc one i had laying around here that fit.I'm sure they can be had at radio shack for a few dollars.

I bought one from mcumall off ebay and it came with an AC adapter. You will need the adapter for the older eproms like 2532. It can be hit or miss on some other chips too depending on your usb port and how much power it provides. Keep in mind most of the front access usb ports on a pc wont put out as much power as the rear ones.
I also have a pocket programmer III and a data IO. Between the three I can program most anything.
 
2764s can be a little iffy without a power supply, but I have burned lots of 2716, 2532, and 2732 without it and no bad burns yet.

Edit: If you need to burn the proms on the Nintendo boards, this burner will NOT do it. I had to get an old Data I/O 29b to burn those. I don't know of any USB burners in the lower price range that will burn them.
 
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I can do proms with my pocket programmer(with adapter) or the Data IO. The willem cannot do proms.
If your burning 2532's without external power thats pretty surprising. Unless its a cmos part I use the adapter on everything to avoid any problems.
 
I bought one from mcumall off ebay and it came with an AC adapter. You will need the adapter for the older eproms like 2532. It can be hit or miss on some other chips too depending on your usb port and how much power it provides. Keep in mind most of the front access usb ports on a pc wont put out as much power as the rear ones.
I also have a pocket programmer III and a data IO. Between the three I can program most anything.


Since Riptor's so cool a few weeks ago I took his advice and bought the Wilhem GX4 from mcumall. It got here, and I didn't realize I needed the 16bit adaptor for the specific chips I was doing at the time, so I ordered the adaptor from them too.

It's a very nice programmer. I programmed a 2732 last night with just the usb cable, and I believe it said 25v, so that's pretty damn good. The GX4 doesn't have any dipswitches or anything either, it's all software driven so it's really really easy to use. You just fire the program up, pick what chip you're using, load the file, and write it. Really simple to use once you poke around with it for awhile.

I have a Pocket Programmer II I used for the longest time, but since the adaptor that I'd need for it was over a hundred bucks, I just bought the GX4 (and the other adaptor). Also my PP was Parallel, so I was using it on an old computer ,this GX4 I can use on my computer that's connected to the internet, making it easier for me to get whatever roms I need.

If you're going to do this, too, get a decent eprom eraser. I bought one of the cheap chinese ones and they just suck. So I just bought a used $50 good quality one on Ebay, it works great.
 
2764s can be a little iffy without a power supply, but I have burned lots of 2716, 2532, and 2732 without it and no bad burns yet.

Edit: If you need to burn the proms on the Nintendo boards, this burner will NOT do it. I had to get an old Data I/O 29b to burn those. I don't know of any USB burners in the lower price range that will burn them.

That sucks - I pretty much was buying it so I could burn PC10 games.
 
That sucks - I pretty much was buying it so I could burn PC10 games.

I think he was talking about PROMs, not EPROMs. Are there actually any PROMs on PC10 carts? I thought you just had to burn new EPROMs.

I agree that the GQ-4X is really nice... I bought one a while ago to supplement/replace my older Parallel port programmers, since I typically do everything on my laptop (USB only) anymore. There hasn't been a time that I've needed to switch back to my parallel port programmer. And I haven't needed to supply external power for any chip... even the chips that say it's required (2532, 2716, etc).

DogP
 
For arcade purposes, does the pocket programmer III have any advantages over the GQ-4X?

The Pocket Programmer III is great, as for ease of use.....but beyond that, I've got issues with it. Mine refuses to program 2532A's.....and it's a nightmare with 2764's. It'll program 2764's, they checksum fine, but they are not good. It's a major set back (not too mention, a big pain in the ass). And what is it.....twice the price of the GQ-4X?

Edward
 
I have the pocket programmer III and Have never had a problem programming the 2532A's. Are you putting the jumper in?

Jeff

The Pocket Programmer III is great, as for ease of use.....but beyond that, I've got issues with it. Mine refuses to program 2532A's.....and it's a nightmare with 2764's. It'll program 2764's, they checksum fine, but they are not good. It's a major set back (not too mention, a big pain in the ass). And what is it.....twice the price of the GQ-4X?

Edward
 
When I first got my pocket programmer III it would program everything fine with no jumpers. Somewhere along the line it will no longer program 2532A and a couple others. It is software related and their tech support is shit. The first answer you will get is you have bad eproms. Ok, im using NOS parts. Sure NOS parts can be bad, I have had some. I explained that the same parts program fine in my other programmers. I have sent several tubes of eproms to them for "testing" purposes and never got a response back.
The new willems are just as good as the PP and alot cheaper. The software is not as good as far as interface but it does the job. Dont waste your money on the PP.
 
When I first got my pocket programmer III it would program everything fine with no jumpers. Somewhere along the line it will no longer program 2532A and a couple others. It is software related and their tech support is shit. The first answer you will get is you have bad eproms. Ok, im using NOS parts. Sure NOS parts can be bad, I have had some. I explained that the same parts program fine in my other programmers. I have sent several tubes of eproms to them for "testing" purposes and never got a response back.
The new willems are just as good as the PP and alot cheaper. The software is not as good as far as interface but it does the job. Dont waste your money on the PP.

Yep, mine worked great for 10 months or so.....not a lot of use in that time frame, either.....then turned to shit. (also, I never dropped mine or left it powered on. It just set nicely on my desk).

Edward
 
That's comforting. I guess mine will go to crap too. At least there's an alternative now. Will the Willem do everything the PP will?
 
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