Recommended chip programmer for eeprom etc.

[Donny2derby]

I keep seeing people in the Tv forum asking for eeprom programming and a lot of them seem to use a CH341a.

Is there a reason why this seems to be so popular? Or are there better and preferable alternatives?

Are there ones which a novice would be better off using?

Any suggestions welcome.

[lotas]

Here on the forum they often confuse spi flash with eeprom.
Eeprom is episode 24 (24сxx...), Spi flash, spi nand is episode 25 (25xxxxx..).
CH341A is a simple programmer, if it is black, then it needs to be modified even better (green, the old ones do not need to be modified).
If there is something more serious, then these are programmers RT809F, RT809H, XGecu T48, XGecu T56, but they are several times more expensive.

[Donny2derby]

Which one do you recommend Lotas? As the king of the programmer😁

Edit. I just looked on aliexpress. The RT809F is £7.49. But on Amazon or eBay 10x that price. Should I chance the Aliexpress one?

[Repairtechlcd]

RT809H is quite good and that what I use. But there are even better ones if you have the money.I have heard about UFPI programmers and heard a lot of praise about them
but never seen or used them so it's only hearsay on my part.Wonder if anyone here on the forum uses them.Would be very interesting to hear their take on them.

[Donny2derby]

What is supposedly so much better about the UFPI programmers as opposed to RT809H?

What is easier/better about it? Does one solve more problems than the other? Etc.

[lotas]

Yes, UFPI is a good programmer, it cannot be compared with the RT809H, I use one myself, here is their website.
https://mslw.com/ufpi/

[Donny2derby]

Ok Lotas I don't think I need to be spending a grand on my first programmer. I probably will go the CH341a to begin with because I truly don't have the first clue about how to use them.

How often in TV repair is a programmer needed to produce a working set?

When do we know we need a programmer?

For example is PSU is ok, T-con board has 12v and the Vcc/VGH/VGL is all ok, is the next stage to test the eeprom? Or is it often wise to check the eeprom in first stage of fault finding?

Thanks.

[Repairtechlcd]

Yes, UFPI is a good programmer, it cannot be compared with the RT809H, I use one myself, here is their website.
https://mslw.com/ufpi/

Holy crap that's one hell of a programmer. it's miles ahead of the RT809H. Thanks for posting the user manual.When I have time I will look through it
thoroughly but just scrolling through it show that this is a very serious bit of kit.

[stj]

just gonna give you a warning,
most programmers cant program 1.8v chips without adapters.
ALWAYS check the datasheet for a chip before you try to program it so you know the supply voltage.
CH341 can only program 5v and 3.3v without adapters,
the T56 can program anything.
but a T56 costs about 70x as much as a CH341!!!!

[stj]

what is this?
https://mslw.com/product-category/ufpi/activations/

is this a scam-product like all the CANBUS tools?

[Donny2derby]

just gonna give you a warning,
most programmers cant program 1.8v chips without adapters.
ALWAYS check the datasheet for a chip before you try to program it so you know the supply voltage.
CH341 can only program 5v and 3.3v without adapters,
the T56 can program anything.
but a T56 costs about 70x as much as a CH341!!!!

And most TV's have a 1.8v power rail yes? So do most TV's have chips running on 1.8v that often need to be programmed?

[harp]

what is this?
https://mslw.com/product-category/ufpi/activations/

is this a scam-product like all the CANBUS tools?

UFPI Red supports eMMC in 8-bit mode.

Licenses activated in this programmer by default:

1-Wire
EEPROM I2C
EEPROM SPI
EEPROM Microwire (3-Wire)
SPI Flash
UART
SD/eMMC
NOR
NAND
Serial NAND
OneNAND
BDM
JTAG
Mount chip activation, mount file activation and LOGGER module activation, if necessary, are purchased separately.

Details of all included UFPI modules and licenses can be read here.
https://mslw.com/ufpi/licenses/

[Donny2derby]

I've ordered the basic model CH2341a. I think this is best place for me to start.