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I finally broke down and bought a GQ-4X based on the reviews here. I bought it mainly because I have to perform voodoo to get my Willem to program 2732 chips (but I can get it to work).

Anyway, I mainly program AT29C020 chips for my work. My Willem did this with no problem. So after getting the GQ-4X up and running the first thing I notice is that it won't display file names in the file open box with an underscore. For example 2_10.bin won't show up. Ok, that's odd, so I change the name of one of them leaving out the underscore (i.e. 210.bin) and that shows up fine. Now hold that thought. Fast forward to about 10 minutes later. Now all of the files show up as they should.  :103-

Ok, back up that 10 minutes. So I stick in a AT29C020 and perform a read. It reads ok. I do an erase function but it does not erase. No problem. My Willem does not seem to do that right either. So I just load up the buffer with all FF and do a write. It fails to write. No data has changed.  :103- again. I play around a bit and have no luck doing anything else with this chip. So I grab another one. This time I just do a write of a bin and it works. I try to do a write of all FF and it fails again. Now it won't let me do anything else with it either. WTF??

So I take these two chips to my Willem and they are toast. Can't get them to do anything. So I grab a third chip and this time I start with the Willem. I do all sorts of things and it works fine. So I take that chip back to the GQ-4X and it's at this point that I notice the file names are all showing up properly.  :103-  So I do all of the same functions I tried on the first 2 chips and everything works fine now. Now I seriously doubt I had 2 bad chips that I just randomly grabbed. But something made the software not only not see all of the files, but I really think it toasted the chips. I sure hope it doesn't do that every time.

I then tried one of my finicky 2732 chips and it worked great the first try.  :71-

Now for a question on the ID function. Is it supposed to ID a chip just by putting it in? If I clear the selected chip and select ID, it says "no device selected".  I thought the whole purpose of the ID function is to ID the chip. If I first select a device like the 29C020, it properly identifies the mfg. But not until I first select it.

Well, I think I figured out the file open issue. For some reason it defaults to *.*.bin
I noticed it when I installed the program on the PC I will actually be using. But I don't know how it changed to *.bin on it's own.

On the device ID, is seems that you have to have "something" originally selected for it to work. But that something has to be close. For example if I have AT29C020 selected, it will identify a AM29F040 that is inserted. But if I an older eprom selected, it says the device does not support ID even if I have the 29C020 inserted. Not a big deal, and the lack of DIP switches is a huge plus. But this is not quite as 'plug and play' as people made it sound. In other words if I just finished programming a 2732, I can't just stick a 29C020 in there and go without first selecting the new device. I suppose in some ways it makes sense that older chips don't support IDs. But I wonder why it can't at least try to check it.

also of note. it will update the software to the latest from the internet... mine did it a while back without me asking.
i wouldnt mind if it told me there was a update... but it just does it for you in the background and you have no control.


mine wouldnt install the software on my windows 7 64bit laptop even though im admin.... got around that by installing
it on my other windows 7 32bit machine....

yes its much better than the wiillem with dip switches but still the software leaves alot to be desired.

I have a couple of these programmers and for the most part had good luck with them.  I dont recall them updating by themselves but i did have a problem using it with my laptop with windows7.  My desk top has vista and it always worked no problem.  With the windoes 7, i had to download specific drivers which i thought installed on tehri own but didnt.  I had to run as admin and open the drivers.  Once installed, the programmer has worked good. 

Hi poppo,

I discovered those "features" as well when I got mine.   :71-

What I think you're seeing with the underscore in the file names is ... the first time you find and select a file, the GQ-4X will remember that file name, so that the next time you open a file, it will see it, even with underscores. :89-

And as for choosing ID's, yes, you have to choose your device each time you change a chip.  It will not auto-id the chips (at the ones I use).  So, I get my magnifying glass out to read the exact chip number (e.g., not all 27C's are alike) and choose the Device first, then click ID. :89-

As for erasing, I didn't even know the GQ-4X could do that???  I always have to erase with my UV gadget.   :103-

Anyway, overall, I do like it, but you're right in that it's not as plug-and-play as it should be for someone like me especially. :60-

P.S.  I also didn't know it auto-updates. :103-

:Dave :88-

Just to clarify, it only will erase electrically erasable devices (i.e. EEPROMS). EPROMS with a UV window still need to be erased with a UV eraser.

Dave  here's where yuour cheap side shows up. Using Batronix 40, click on tab file to chip or chip to chip, click on chip auto identify, click on program chip, sit back and watch chip programming. No magnifying glass, no eye glasses and no brains.

http://www.batronix.com/shop/programmer/BX40/index.html (http://www.batronix.com/shop/programmer/BX40/index.html)

 :97- :208-

But I look good in reading glasses!

 :72-

 

 that's a good thing because when using a GQ-4X you have to wear them a awful long time. ( 8 minutes for a 8 MEG chip )