What is EPROM programmer and what you need to know?

EPROM programmer is one of the oldest computers from the 1970 and 1980s that come across the need to replace a failed or masked ROM and EPROM. In this blog, if you are unfamiliar with EPROMS and want to get their machines up and running again, this blog will help you.

What do EPROM stands for?

EPROM stands for Erasable-Programmable Read-only memory. Here, the ICs or the integrated circuit holds the code and often an auxiliary program such as an application, utility, or game which can be loaded during the start-up.

Most of the times, they are used to house the bootstrap code and the BASIC interpreter in old computers even if the function was often more commonly provided by mask ROMS. Now coming to mask ROMS, they have embedded code that can’t be changed. They also hold code which can be erased and reprogrammed which can hold the data for years.

EPROM erasing

It is important that EPROM must be blank before they are filled with code or reprogrammed. To make it blank, it needs to be exposed under strong UV light which acts as an EPROM eraser. Now you may have got the reason why ICs have a clear window-like structure in them. To allow the UV light to penetrate and erase the data it is there.

How to program an EPROM?

Before programming an EPROM, you must take care of some basics:

1.      Programming voltages can differ: It is to be noted that there are two important voltages that can be applied to EPROM. Whereas the READ voltage is applied to the VCC pin and is typically 5 volts which is used to read the data in the EPROM, while the other voltage is the programming voltage Vpp is used to burn data in the EPROM and can vary depending on chip manufacturer.

 

2.      Not all chips are treated equal: Not all the chips are equal; there are fundamental differences between the standard and non-standards made by others.

Now that you know many crucial points about EPROM programmer, make sure to visit OROD Shenzhen for more information!