Can anyone recommend me a Rom Reader/Writer?

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Can anyone recommend me a Rom Reader/Writer?

Postby Sammas » Wed Feb 11, 2015 9:29 am

And any tips on using it? If it can run on a mac, that would be an added bonus!

I want to have a stab at reading the roms of a Lexicon 224XL before... you know... it does what old digital gear usually does. There is an abundance of replacement 224 & 224x roms out there, but I can't seem to find any 224xl (which is the same as 224x but with support for the larc remote).

As far as I can tell, the 224 uses 2716 chips which are pretty easy to get ones hands on (thanks to arcade game aficionados). I will have to do some digging to see if the 224xl uses the same chips... I haven't been game enough to peal back the labels to find any part numbers yet.

There are conflicting comments out there in internet land about exactly how difficult it is to burn these old roms. Obviously a bit of experimentation is required when erasing them using VU light (the reason I am scared to peal the labels back)... but when it comes to reading them initially, I have read comments specific to the 224 that suggest you almost need psychic powers to know if the rom has actually been successfully read. Is there any truth in that?
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Re: Can anyone recommend me a Rom Reader/Writer?

Postby Futureman » Wed Feb 11, 2015 3:17 pm

I've burned a few eeproms for various bits of kit.

I never had any issues until recently when trying to burn a new OS for a MemoryMoog.

They used specific IC's that were not compatible with my burner.

Sadly, finding one that was compatible was near impossible without spending big big bucks or buying some ancient dinosaur that ran on Windows 3.1..

In the end, I found a business in the states that'd burn for me.. I'll dig up the link if you need them.

As for reading and generic burning.. My $30 USB burner from China Ebay has been a trooper.
My $15 UV eraser from China.. Also great.
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Re: Can anyone recommend me a Rom Reader/Writer?

Postby Futureman » Wed Feb 11, 2015 3:19 pm

Regarding peeling back the windows..

To erase an EEProm takes about 20-30 minutes in the Eraser..

After you peel back the label, it'll be fine. Just don't leave it on the window ledge / in the sun etc..
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Re: Can anyone recommend me a Rom Reader/Writer?

Postby Alastair Reynolds » Wed Feb 11, 2015 7:48 pm

I got a little chinese USB one from eBay that also checks most cmos & TTL logic chips, invaluable for fixing 80s effects & delays some also check dram chips .very useful. Buy one, you won't regret it.plus you can keep copies of the roms as binary files as a backup.as for knowing if they read successfully many will have remarks or identifiers in plain text that can be read when you open the file in the viewer as well as comparing checksums etc. Plenty of info for many devices on the interweb
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Re: Can anyone recommend me a Rom Reader/Writer?

Postby Sammas » Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:30 pm

Thanks gents! That is enough of a gentle push to make me jump. I have ordered a cheap UV eraser... as soon as I confirm what type of roms I am looking at I'll buy a cheap compatible programmer as well.

:D
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