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Pic Programmer for this NAOMI/Arcade Hobby

Great idea to share what our programmers are capable of, but maybe separated topic would be better. Here is thing which I noticed regarding flash adapters: in case of my programmer 2 kinds of such adapters exists. Maybe TOP is capable to handle such flash but with other adapter. In case of VS4800 I found something like that:TSOP_D48A & TSOP_D48B. See? To discover that you have appropriate adapter best method is to compare pin layout in software with layout on adapter.

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seems that TOPs have only one kind of adapter. Looks like in very same package exists two kinds of flash. One 16-bit only and other 16/8-bit. That's explain the issue - no adapter, no software updates, no support.
 
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Regarding intentions - I bought my programmer in order to repair rather quite older staff from 90's. My main focus was NEO-GEO, some Williams boards and CPS1&2. Programmer to my favourite ones - Namco System 11 & Namco System 12 rather costs fortune and as far as I know intel chips over there are wild, even very experienced people with equipment have issues with them. So if I will have some ROM faults in NS11/12 I will rather have to put such board on the shelf. Maybe better times will come.

I have to repair Mortal Kombat 2. I have headache because I have 2 ways to choose from. I have Memory Expansion Board missing, so I may convert it or I can reproduce MEB. In first case I have to replace the jumpers (it does require soldering), burn new GAL chip and burn the ROMs and replace them on the board. Sounds complicated but is fairly easy. Disadvantage here is fact, that I will have to use revision 3 of MK2 and above. At first I thought that reconstruction have no sense. But it does. I would rather keep ROMs which I have and I will do reconstruction. My issue here is missing MEB. I can not do nothing, I can't redraw diagram because I have to ask someone to scan front and back of Memory Expansion Board. So many people have missing MEB and over internet no scans, no diagrams, no photos. Sad and strange. MEB is not complicated at all. It does not contain any custom ICs or chips. It's fairly easy to reproduce.

Regarding NAOMI - I rather did not expected that my programmer will not be ready to work with it. I bought programmer with flash in mind because such components occur in gaming consoles and mobile phones. These devices are also worth of repairs;)
acblunden2 said:
CPS1 conversions
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Do you have experience with that? Cool. I bought King of Dragons or something. It's faulty and shitty game as for me. May I make from it Final Fight or Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition? As far as know mine unit is protected by something, therefore my unit is battery suicide sensitive. SF2CE and FF was not. In worst case I can do from that Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (which also is battery suicide sansitive), it's fun game but I rather prefer FF or SF2CE.
 
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I bought a TopMaxII which so far has been able to program anything under the sun that I've come across. I bought a set of "cheap" universal adapters for TSOP chips and such and they work great. The software is super easy to use and is continuously updated as more and more chips are added to the database. They even take requests if you come across a chip not in their current database.

$700+ TopMaxII Programmer

Before that, I used to have a Xeltek SuperPro which is about $600, but you can pick up the cheaper chinese clone for under $300 with adapters for a TSOP and more. I did that and had no issues with it. It programs MUCH MUCH faster than a GQ4X (which I used to have way back when I first started dabbling) and no need for adapters for DIP chips up to 48 pins.

AliExpress SuperPro 610p
 
muckyfingers said:
I bought a TopMaxII which so far has been able to program anything under the sun that I've come across. I bought a set of "cheap" universal adapters for TSOP chips and such and they work great. The software is super easy to use and is continuously updated as more and more chips are added to the database. They even take requests if you come across a chip not in their current database.

$700+ TopMaxII Programmer

Before that, I used to have a Xeltek SuperPro which is about $600, but you can pick up the cheaper chinese clone for under $300 with adapters for a TSOP and more. I did that and had no issues with it. It programs MUCH MUCH faster than a GQ4X (which I used to have way back when I first started dabbling) and no need for adapters for DIP chips up to 48 pins.

AliExpress SuperPro 610p
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That is wayyyyyyyy out of the range of a typical hobbyist. Even the serious ones. Even at $150, the Top3000 was a reluctant buy. I just happen to have 20 or so cabs that I have to work on. I think Mits mentioned he owns that one or Darksoft does. In any case, those two guys aren't hobbyists. Those guys are OG's. Besides, if you pay that much for a programmer, it better burn everything you throw at it.
 
KyRol said:
Do you have experience with that? Cool. I bought King of Dragons or something. It's faulty and shitty game as for me. May I make from it Final Fight or Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition? As far as know mine unit is protected by something, therefore my unit is battery suicide sensitive. SF2CE and FF was not. In worst case I can do from that Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (which also is battery suicide sansitive), it's fun game but I rather prefer FF or SF2CE.
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Only did a SF2CE to HFSF2 conversion. Was simple: pull EPROM's, erase, reprogram, and replace.
 
muckyfingers said:
I bought a TopMaxII which so far has been able to program anything under the sun that I've come across. I bought a set of "cheap" universal adapters for TSOP chips and such and they work great. The software is super easy to use and is continuously updated as more and more chips are added to the database. They even take requests if you come across a chip not in their current database.

$700+ TopMaxII Programmer

Before that, I used to have a Xeltek SuperPro which is about $600, but you can pick up the cheaper chinese clone for under $300 with adapters for a TSOP and more. I did that and had no issues with it. It programs MUCH MUCH faster than a GQ4X (which I used to have way back when I first started dabbling) and no need for adapters for DIP chips up to 48 pins.

AliExpress SuperPro 610p
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The TopMaxII is awesome, pricey, but awesome. I have been able to read/burn everything I have throw at it thus far.
 
Agreed, it is much more than what a typical hobbyist would consider spending. I used it for work as well as hobby, so it paid for itself.
 
acblunden2 said:
Was simple: pull EPROM's, erase, reprogram, and replace.
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I will try it but I leave original EEPROMs untouched. CPS1 boards are fine. Diagnostics ROMs are available for them and desuicide procedure looks fairly easy. Either way mine is bought as dead, so nothing I have to loose.
 
Derick2k said:
The TopMaxII is awesome, pricey, but awesome. I have been able to read/burn everything I have throw at it thus far.
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I agree but price is ridiculous. It's not worth of purchase until someone earns money from this kind of work. That's mine opinion. If I have to purchase something more expensive and more robust I would consider something else. Very good programmer without support. This for example have still ability to recognize new chips, analyze them and is possible to add support on your own. Of course it's not easy task but you may outsource such tasks for someone else. This unit was $250 at launch. Now you may get it for 100USD but it's not easy to find.
 
I have a Shenzhen Stager VSpeed VSD8000, works well. But I'm not an advanced user.
 
I will add to the list for GQ-4X programmers. This programmer works to read but it did not work for me when writing.

I think this programmer does the job for very basic things but it should not be your go to programmer.

I can only vouch for programmers that have worked for me and the things I do:

Galep-III: Stable but software only works on 32-bit systems, LPT1, adapters are rare but they exist (these are relatively cheap if you go to an electronics swap meet)
Galep-4: Stable and relatively newer than the Galep-III, works on 64-bit systems, LPT1, adapters are rare but they exist (bought mine at an electronics swap meet)
Xeltek SuperPro 501S: Stable, runs under USB, software is user friendly and is my current programmer (bought from a business that went bankrupt)

Good luck with your choice!
 
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freddiefiasco said:
GQ-4X programmers. This programmer works to read but it did not work for me when writing.
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I had the same problem... the GQ-4X would verify chip was blank, then when attempting to write it would fail and complain that chip wasn't blank. I even bought a really nice industrial chip eraser, used an external power supply, and every other suggestion and it made no difference.
 
I do not know why this GQ-4X is so picky. I see quite a different opinions. Only one thing which maybe wrong and is not mentioned here is LPT itself. This thing works in a few modes. Some of them have excluded features, but in general users are capable to switch this in BIOS. Another thing here is that some chipsets as i.e. VIA are unstable and unreliable. So think about your computer for this task before you start judge your programmer fault. I recommend to get some old workstation as i.e. Dell. These computers are designed to work flawlessly with stuff such as R232 or LPT because these units are manufactured with business in mind. After-market Dell computers are crazy cheap, something like 25USD. OptiPlex for example do not steal so much space, so is good to have reliable computer for such things and this is no less important as programmer itself. But in the end as far as I know GQ-4X works with USB only.
 
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I just got my GQ-4X4 and was having the same issues a lot of people do where it will read but not write.

After some digging I found info that said try to move Jumper 5 if its not writing to the chip as that is the chip compatibility jumper.

I removed Jumper 5 completely and was able to write my naomi 2 multi bios with no issues. Chip I was using was ST M27C160.
 
Bleedo said:
After some digging I found info that said try to move Jumper 5 if its not writing to the chip as that is the chip compatibility jumper.
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Ive done that, it's not that it NEVER writes, it's that it usually doesn't.

So for instance I had 4 or so used chips... wouldn't write to them even after spending hours in the eraser.

I bought 10 new chips. it wrote to 4 of them with no problems and 1 failed so. I put I put the failed one with away in a box with the rest. some weeks later I went to write to another chip and all 6 that I put away wouldn't write.

And when I say "doesn't write" it DOES actually write some... it gets maybe 1-2% of the way into the processes before failing.
 
twistedsymphony said:
Ive done that, it's not that it NEVER writes, it's that it usually doesn't.
So for instance I had 4 or so used chips... wouldn't write to them even after spending hours in the eraser.

I bought 10 new chips. it wrote to 4 of them with no problems and 1 failed so. I put I put the failed one with away in a box with the rest. some weeks later I went to write to another chip and all 6 that I put away wouldn't write.

And when I say "doesn't write" it DOES actually write some... it gets maybe 1-2% of the way into the processes before failing.
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That sounds exactly like my TL866 programmer.

Does anyone here have anything bad to say about the TOP3000?
 
acblunden2 said:
After you burn some of your chips, let us know how the VS8000 fares
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In my case it is VS4800, not VS8000. By the way I was lucky enough to get Vi-Lab programmer. It is from second millennium period, have LPT interface and software is valid with xp but these are not issues for me, I use GNU/Linux at home only in my daily routine, so either way I have to have offline computer for such tasks - I will use Dell OptiPlex 760. With Vi-Lab I will be capable to preform IC tests, some of ICs maybe physically broken and cause failures. Usual ROM checks are not always effective enough, especially while programmer is picky, so such feature is great. What's best of it - support of new ICs maybe done using ISPA language which is similar to Turbo Pascal. This device contains five Spartan II & XC95 chips. It is really flexible and in such price range I never saw such powerful and flexible device. I will let you know how it does operates too.
 
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3 years later I’m wondering what people are using these days?
 
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