ch341a programmer power led goes dim when clamp is put on.

[fanchiotti]

Hello everyone,

I have a lenovo ideapad s145-api and after a bad bios update, it's bricked.

I bought a ch341a programmer, installed all the drivers, it's working as expected, except when i put the clamp on the bios chip the power led goes dim and the win 10 emits the "device is disconnected" sound.

NeoProgrammer doesnt detect the chip at all...

The laptop battery is disconnected as is the bios battery.

I believe the bios chip is this one: https://www.winbond.com/hq/product/c...artNo=W25Q64FW

i tried searching the web for hours, some people have had the same problem as me, but got no answer.

Thank you in advance for your help!

what could it be, please? I'm running out of options and hope for my laptop to ever work again.

[SMDFlea]

Re: ch341a programmer power led goes dim when clamp is put on.

Hello everyone,

I have a lenovo ideapad s145-api and after a bad bios update, it's bricked.

I bought a ch341a programmer, installed all the drivers, it's working as expected, except when i put the clamp on the bios chip the power led goes dim and the win 10 emits the "device is disconnected" sound.

NeoProgrammer doesnt detect the chip at all...

The laptop battery is disconnected as is the bios battery.

I believe the bios chip is this one: https://www.winbond.com/hq/product/c...artNo=W25Q64FW

i tried searching the web for hours, some people have had the same problem as me, but got no answer.

Thank you in advance for your help!

what could it be, please? I'm running out of options and hope for my laptop to ever work again.

The chip is 1.8V ,did you get a 1.8V adapter with your programmer

[fanchiotti]

Re: ch341a programmer power led goes dim when clamp is put on.

I didn't. I assume i need one, or else it wont work, right?

[mon2]

Re: ch341a programmer power led goes dim when clamp is put on.

From a past review, never understood how the clamp idea can possibly work as you have applied this tool.

That is, the programmer tool is powered from the USB port. The USB port can offer a max of 500 mA if the CH341A USB descriptors state this current draw - or - max 100mA if these descriptors are missing.

The Pomona cloned IC clamps are used to power the target single IC yet if the IC is still soldered onto the logic board, now you are attempting to power up the massive number of parts off the wimpy current from the USB port. It cannot work.

Perhaps something has improved over time but the suggestion is as per @SMDFlea, be sure your voltage conversion is right. Then remove the target flash IC off the logic board and work with it to read / write the contents with your programmer tool.

To me, using the clamp on a soldered logic board cannot be reliable and certainly is unable to power up the logic board.

[fanchiotti]

Re: ch341a programmer power led goes dim when clamp is put on.

well, i've seen plenty of videos of people using this setup.

I can't completely vouch for it, but it seems to work... hopefully it does...

[mon2]

Re: ch341a programmer power led goes dim when clamp is put on.

Then it must be that the clamp does not pass the VCC onto the target board. Rather, the target board must be self powered.

On this note, be sure that the clamp is being correctly oriented. So pin #1 on your clamp is pin #1 on your target IC, etc.

Confirm the pinout to the clamp using a meter in resistance mode before using on the live specimen.

[SMDFlea]

Re: ch341a programmer power led goes dim when clamp is put on.

I didn't. I assume i need one, or else it wont work, right?

BIOS guides, methods, resources and tools - How to dump and flash
1.1.1.6. CH341A https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...40&postcount=2

You can try it with a powered USB hub, but get the 1.8V adapter first.
.