16 Jan
2010
16 Jan
'10
6:21 p.m.
Hi
I just got from our scrap pile=2C a Abi ROM emulator. I got no instruction
manual but it looks like I can download a current release from the web.
I've not used one of these before but this looks like a great debug
tool since one could create small programs to run specific debug test
and stick it into systems without blowing EPROM ( always a drag ).
An EPROM emuloetor is certainly a very useful thing to have. I built one [1]
some 21 years ago (actually a combined emulator/programmer) and have used
it a lot. As you said, it sure beats burning an EPROM time and again.
[1] 3 boards of TTL logic, RAM, and a dumb UART. A microcontroller would
have made life a lot easier, but how the heck could I program the
firmware ROM for that without a programmer :-).
I've always though it would be great to have one
but never could
justify the several hundred bucks to buy one.
There have been sevearl designs in magazines ove the years. My favourite
was in Elektor, it was just RAM and a handful of TTL parts. It was loaded
from a Centronics printer port,
The one thing I wonder about is that the company is
still selling this
unit as an ISA board interface. I'm surprised they haven't come up to
PCI or USB. I'm sure there is a larger market for an inexpensive USB
unit.
I've seen plenty of them with RS232 or Centronics host interfaces. I
assume they can be used with the appropriate USB converter cable, but for
obvious reasons I've not tried.
-tony