Description

This is the now obsolete 2801Prog Rev. 0. This page is left here only to support for existing 2801Prog Rev. 0 owners. New customers should buy the 2801Prog Rev. 1 here.

The 2801Prog is a compact, low-cost programmer for the Motorola MCM2801P (2801) EEPROM. The 2801 is a first-generation EEPROM requiring a high voltage (+25V) for programming and thus is not supported by commercial ‘universal’ programmers. However, it was widely used in its day and thus a reliable method of reading and programming it is required for the maintenance of legacy equipment.

For example, the 2801 is used to store the model differentiation and calibration data for the Mettler PE series of balances that are still widely used in laboratories around the world. As these chips age, the stored data is eventually lost and without it the scale will only display ‘ERROR’. While the data itself is widely available (see here for example) before the 2801Prog no commercial programmer supported the 2801 EEPROM and thus there was no easy way of fixing the balances. However, with the 2801Prog it is a simple matter of point-and-click.

This programmer connects to any computer with a 9600 baud RS-232 port and a terminal emulator and allows reading, verifying, and programming of the 2801 EEPROM. A (Python) application for Macintosh, Windows, and Linux is also available which allows access to all programmer functions via a GUI. This application is available for download farther down this page.

Included:
1x 2801Prog EEPROM Programmer
1x Power Adapter
1x DB-9 RS-232 Cable

Note:
Hard copies of the manual and software are not included – they can be downloaded at the links below
Download the manual here
Download the GUI application here
The GUI application at the above link shipped with the Rev. 0 2801Prog but it is now obsolete and has been replaced with the new gEEProg application. gEEProg is compatible with all D’Asaro Designs programmers including the 2801Prog Rev. 0. Please consider upgrading.
Download gEEProg here
Download the MCM2801 datasheet here

Download the schematic, PCB layout, parts list, and source code for this product here. Note that these files are available for PERSONAL, NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. In short, you are welcome to use them to build this product yourself, but you must contact me to work out a commission if you wish to sell anything derived from them. This product was designed in ExpressPCB so you will need to download a copy of that software from expresspcb.com before you can view the files. Also, MPLABX (available from microchip.com) will be needed to open the project file containing the source code.