LCR T7 tester problem

[Crystaleyes]

Don't have one but I'll see if I can find one in town

[Crystaleyes]

Hi all.

Feel I should update the situation...

Stj's original suggestion regarding upgrading the crystal whilst installing two resistors and reflashing the Atmel was surely advice which I should have followed, however...

Considering that the flashing kit was almost the same price as the 'latest' TC2 ESR tester, I took the lazy route and just before Xmas received the TC2.
There are already three dead variations of the MK328 component tester in my 'to fix' bin, so I was über careful measuring caps with this one.

After less than three weeks, whilst testing germanium diodes and transistors in an old radio, the TC2 just switched off. I didn't think much of it, as it had been doing that since it had arrived.

But that is the state it is still in to this day!

I have had a quick peek and found two dead zeners, and shall open up a new thread about this tester in the near future, with more detailed photos and explanation.
To be honest, it is a pretty crap tester, but that's another story too.

Thought it was a bit rude to not have given an ending to this thread..

Cheers

[harp]

...
saves a lot of messing around with patch wires...

Just interesting... stj

I have also a simmilar LCR-T5 the red one with two button, and... acidently testing a charged cap... offcorse
The tester at this point shows wiered things, mostly like mosfets or so... it boots up normaly... so, I thinking, maybe is burned some input thingy inside uC but maybe lucky enough to extract firmware from it? I realy like it original chinese firmware.

Question is, can I read and write atmega328 with ch341a programmer throu spi header, and what prearrangement have to be done before that?
I do not any experiance about that, so please explain step by step
Can be done in circuit somehow?

[stj]

that looks like the old "fish" tester i think - very early design style.
firstly, if it's not dead check if it has the input protection diode-pack.
if it does then remove it and try again.

[harp]

I dont see any protection diode pack...

[stj]

under the board?

[harp]

No, on back side there is no any component.
This 6-leg smd package nor multiple diodes is not on the pcb.
I look even under zif socket.

[stj]

then check the 6 resistors on the sensing likes, if they are good your atmel is damaged.
on the bright side - it has a programming header.

[harp]

Check R1 till R6 in circuit, all is still ok... 680R and 470K
Check for shorts and nothing find.
Input pins 1, 2 and 3 from zif socket are also directly connected to atmega328 pin #23, #24 and #25.

So, can I try to read this chip with CH341A, is connection direct or crossover some pin... what power... what is next step?

[stj]

i have never used a ch341 to read the spi bus, so i dont know.
99% chance they set the lock bits though, or the firmware would be online somewhere.
unless it's here:
https://disk.yandex.com/d/yW8xa5NJgUo5z

[harp]

Ok, if we pretended to I have USBasp programmer with all needed wires what is next to do to try to read atmega328?
I accept a 1% chance for success if you can guide me
I just read MX25L3205D with it, so it does SPI as well.

[stj]

download AVRdude and it's pdf
then if it supports your programmer use it to read the flash, eeprom and fuses in 3 seperate passes
https://github.com/avrdudes/avrdude
https://avrdudes.github.io/avrdude/7.1/avrdude.html

or try the factory software for the ch341?

[stj]

actually i think NeoProgrammer can do it with ch341
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...postcount=2373

[harp]

Thank you very much, I need some time to setting up wires and program...
I downloads a bounch of random software who claim to can comunicate with avr from ch341... we will see...

[harp]

ok, here is update

For reference I working with winxp sp2... 32bit.
I aim to download program for programing avr via ch341:

neoprogramer 2.1.0.19 - work ok, but fuse tab is no description and it is confusing for beginers. Still it is good interface and work great. Neo 2.2 I download from past link but I cant extract. I guess there is no big diference.

avrdude with gui is a basic and it is... basic
I can start this gui, but indeed it is not user friendly, only graphicaly presented cmd line... unknown purpose for doing that... presume that I already know all about microcontrolers to save me some space on screen - no description and meaning at all whatsoever. So... next!

avrdudess 2.14 - from pictures look user friendly with some description, but I can not start it because of missing some crucial component who isnt preinstalled on my os and it isnt in the same package within too...

avr-ch341 is a look good small program (3 files) that work out of the box and have description with any option. I will use this program at the moment till not find a basic failure or so. It is yet simply and neat, and it is still free

So... I build a small adapter, basicly original male-female jumper wires glued on some wooden cube... it is handy because I can use it via zif socket. I test it with through arduino icsp connector and can read a flash, eprom and fuses. But when I conected it with LCR-T5 it pulls all FF FF FF FF on screen... and say that device is disabled for future programing and verification...
So... is there is a way to overcome this, to anyway read firmware from chip, or at least erase it for reusing it?

In meantime I was try to download firmware from yandex link but I cant due to old browser. Please can you do (or somebody else) to download a firmware pack for me, my tester and upload it here?

It is fish8840 design version 2.1, with two button,
atmega328p, 8MHz, monochrome (green) dot matrix display 12864LCD

And... before I mess up with future chip desoldering and ripping up a bunch of pads, is any precautions, sugestions, procedure that I must know or deal with before programing it?

[stj]

install peazip
https://peazip.com/

install the final version of opera

[harp]

Wow! thank you very much, i must study this now... but before one question: the fuses is program before or after flash memory?

[stj]

fuses last - because if you accidentally protect the chip you cant verify it.
and you dont want to screw up the clock setting while programming either.

first the flash,
then thr eeprom,
fuses last.

[lotas]

Here is avrdudess portable program, with CH341A support.

[harp]

So yeah, some progress is done

1. desoldering the chip... ok
2. buying new... ok
3. soldering new chip... ok
4. connecting with ch341a... ok
5. load and program original hex... ok
6. verify flash... error at address 0x2? but it looks identical, maybe some bug? I can read the flash.
7. load and program original eep... ok
8. verify eeprom... ok
9. confused with fuses, waiting for help...

it has some picture for fuses in folder Fish-8840/Firmware/Original(ver2.1) but it is all different to me... russian notes... I dont know what to choose.

on original "destroyed" ic, I got fuses reading of
extended 0x05
high 0xD9
low 0xF7

I put attached photo of new chip fuses, and AVRCH341A interface.
I didnt touch anything yet

help... what to enter?

P.S. can you point me where to look for 0x2 address?