What is the configuration (history and review) of the programmer and the term programming?

Section _ Understanding and building a programmer and programming micros

What is the configuration  (history and review) of the programmer and the term programming? 

 Researcher  and author: Dr.   (   Afshin Rashid)

Note: Programmers are manufactured by many brands, but AVR and Universal are the most common programmers in terms of wide application.

^{Programmer ( ( What is a programmer?)}

^{A programmer is a device that, with the help of a computer or on its own, is capable of transferring a program or changing the settings of a programmable electronic component.}

^{Types of programmers and their differences?}

^{Programmers are classified into two main groups: specialized and general (universal) programmers.  For}

^{Universal programmers  are used for a variety of components.}

^{Specialized programmers  are for a specific group of components from a specific manufacturer and are generally provided by the companies that manufacture those components.}

^{Who needs a specialized programmer?}

^{If you are only working with a specific component, it is better to get a specialized programmer for that component, and if you are working with different components, you need a universal programmer.}

^{In rare and highly specialized cases, the programming information of some specific components is exclusive to the manufacturer and is not supported by universal programmers. In these special cases, you will also have to purchase a specialized programmer (for example, some DSP components). Texas Instruments and Analog Devices).}

^{Cloned programmerWhat is )?}

^{Some specialized programmers are expensive, Chinese companies copy their functionality and offer programmers similar to the original model that are very similar to the original model but have a lower price.}

^{Problems with clone programmers.}

^{In some cases, such as  STK programmers Either Byte Blaster or Xilinx parallel  cable  Because the programmer map has been released to the public for free by the manufacturer, there is no problem if the programmer is built exactly according to the manufacturer's specifications. However, these programmers usually do not have high capabilities and use old buses such as parallel ports and serial ports, and  USB examplesBy USB->Serial  interfaces It is done.}

^{Clones of more advanced models for which no blueprints are available are based on simulating their performance, and the drawback is that in the future, as the original company provides new versions of the software, the simulated hardware may not work in certain cases and on parts that are offered in the future.}

^{Copy (non-original) universal programmers.}

^{A large part of the price of universal programmers is the cost of engineering and continuous programming for new ICs. Some Chinese companies have reduced the price of devices similar to the original device by half by copying the hardware of famous devices and using the software of these companies, and as a result, they have caused great losses to the parent company by reducing the sales of the original company. For example, the company  XeltekThe manufacturer of SuperPro programmers was forced to discontinue production of the 280 U and 580 U  programmers in early 2010 due to copying of its products. and 3000 U It has been discontinued and in a statement, it has asked buyers not to purchase these models anymore, and this has also been to the detriment of buyers of the original product because, due to the discontinuation, new families of parts will no longer be added for these models after 2010.}

^{What is the difference between an original programmer and a copywriter?}

^{In addition to poor manufacturing quality and non-original components,  the main problem is in the base driver transistors  ,  which are usually designed and manufactured by manufacturers with specific specifications. However, in copycat models, due to the lack of the original number and the use of a similar transistor, the operating characteristics of the device, such as the signal rise and fall time and capacitance, change, and as a result, the programmer on sensitive components either makes an error or damages the component.}

^{Jtag​What is ) ?}

^{JTAG is a standard communication protocol that was originally developed for testing devices, but is now used more for programming and debugging devices. This communication uses 4 signals:  TDO-TCK-TDI-TMS. And a ground wire is formed.}

^{What is the JTAG debugger?}

^{The debugger is a hardware device that is connected to the microcontroller via the JTAG connector and is controlled with the help of software inside the PC. You can trace and debug the program.}

^{Can the Universal Programmer do the work of a debugger?}

^{No, the debugger is usually provided by the component manufacturer itself, and so far no company has produced a universal programmer that is also a debugger.}

^{JTAG connector TNM  programmer  What is its use?}

^{This connector is used in addition to  ISP modes.In JTAG  mode For programming CPLD  ICs  and FPGA and  ATXMEGA It is used.}

^{What is an IC tester and how is it different from a programmer?}

^{An IC tester is a device that is capable of sending signals to the IC pins and receiving a response from the IC and determining whether the IC is healthy. IC testers are usually capable of testing both analog and digital ICs, while universal programmers are only capable of testing digital ICs.}

^{What is flash memory and what types are there?}

^{Flash memory is a memory that can be erased and reprogrammed electrically. Its difference from IEPRAM is that each cell of IEPRAM can be reprogrammed without erasing, but flash must first be erased and its erasure is not done house by house, but a certain number of cells, usually a power of 2 and called sectors, are erased simultaneously. Flash memory has 2 main groups  Nor and NandNor  arrows  It is the same flash found in microcontrollers and programmable devices, and has the ability to retain information for 10 years and be reprogrammed 100,000 times. Most current memories under 128 MB also use this technology. Its advantage is its high reliability factor, and its disadvantage is its high price per unit volume.}

^{Nand memories  They are relatively newer and are usually produced in capacities of 16 MB and above. This memory is found in flash drives and  MP3 players.SSD  players and hard drives  It is found. Its advantage is lower price per unit volume and its drawback is low reliability and its depreciation. To overcome this drawback, this type of memory requires a complex controller that prevents errors with error correction algorithms and checks the number of times each memory block is used, and marks bad blocks.}

^{In terms of appearance and bus, the flash drives are divided into two groups: parallel and serial. Considering that for capacities above 16 MB, the  Nor flash drives are used.In parallel mode, 56 pins are required, but serial flash drives of all capacities have 8-pin packaging and are easily installed together. In most modern systems, common  Nor flash drives It is a serial type.}

^{What types of flash can the Programmer 2000 program?}

^{The +2000 programmer is capable of programming all types of flash, but for NAND flash it has a 4GB limit. For NAND flash larger than 4GB, you must use the specialized + Nand programmer. Use.}

^{Is there copy-protected memory?}

^{Yes, serial IPMs like the  AT88SC series From Atmel They have the ability to receive a password before reading and the ability to erase and destroy information due to an incorrect password.}

^{Are there any parts whose memory cannot be erased?}

^{Yes, except for microcontrollers that  have Mask ROM. They are programmable, meaning that they are programmed into them during production at the customer's request. There are also types of flash that are  One Time Programmable. Or  OTP There are some whose flash is programmed only once and cannot be erased again, such as Microchip's 12C series microchips .and 16 C Or 27 C series EEPROMs There are also parts called PROM . There are some that are programmed only once.}

 Researcher  and author: Dr.   (   Afshin Rashid)

Specialized PhD in Nano-Microelectronics