Discussions of programming problems, device copying and general programming tips
An AVR is a low cost programmable microcontroller that can be used in a wide number of different electronic products. The AVR offers everything that a larger chip provides, including memory, ADC and serial ports but in a much smaller package. Many components can be connected directly onto the AVR microcontroller, saving space and increasing your ability to customise the chip to suit your needs.
Continue reading “AVR Dragon is an affordable entry level development tool” »
Smart Cards are a bit of a misunderstood subject and no-one is quite sure what they are. Smart Cards are defined in a standard called ISO 7816. This has different sections that cover physical size and characteristics, where the contacts should be (for contact cards) and how to communicate with them.
How do you choose a new production programmer? This issue came up in our production department this week, and made us consider again what is important in a production programming system.
So what considerations are important when choosing a new programming system?
Firstly, where possible we use ISP (In System Programming) and all our own products are manufactured using ISP but that is not always possible and ISP will be discussed further in another post. We also carry out contract manufacturing and assembly, and this is where we needed a new socket programming solution.
Continue reading “Help, Production Programmer Needed” »
Since the advent of Windows 7, some of our customers have had problems with software updates because the update does not install successfully. These problems do not seem to happen in Vista but maybe nobody uses it!
These problems take the form of firmware mismatch or sometimes settings are not saved properly, and can affect some of our products and any other older software you may have.
Why do these problems happen and how can you overcome them?
Continue reading “Software Update Problems in Windows 7” »
A question we are commonly asked is “How do I copy a serial EEPROM chip?”. Serial EEPROMs are the memory chips found in car keys, some radios, PC motherboards and other electronics. They are usually 8 pin and retain data when the unit is switched off, which is why they are used for settings and configuration data. This is also why people want to copy them.
So, how do you set about copying a serial EEPROM?