Ask Slashdot: Best EEPROM Programmer For a Hobbyists?

BigSes writes "I had been in the amusement repair industry (video gaming, pinball, jukeboxes, etc) for more than a decade, but have recently taken a new career path. I still greatly enjoy tinkering with all the electronics, and collect many arcade games and pinball machines for my home. I always had access to EEPROM / PROM / PIC / GAL programmers on the job, but never owned one personally. I'm finding it difficult to work within my chosen hobby without one, and ordering pre-programmed chips can be cost prohibitive for some projects. I would love it if some of you professionals or other hobbyists out there could recommend a great programmer that supports a large number of chip formats for me to use. I'd like it to be something USB, more modern than Serial or Parallel port (usually what we had in the old days) and preferably sub-$300, new or used. There are tons of Chinese import types on eBay, but I'd hate to spend $80+ if I am unsure of the quality."

Cheap Chinese ones are fine

[raburton]

I bought one several years ago (Top2048, don't think it's a current model now). Forget what it cost but probably in the region of 100 USD. Build quiality is good. Software isn't great or well translated, but at the end of the day it does what it's supposed to. In terms of writing eproms I've never had any problems with it. Ultimately writing an eprom isn't a particularly difficult concept so I see no reason a Chinese factory can't mass produce a cheap a programmer. Or put another way, why on earth do branded ones from the West cost so much money? Richard.

Re:Cheap Chinese ones are fine

[ChrisMaple]

A factor of 3 in population simply does not make "sheer unfathomable economy of scale". Our biggest disadvantage is that we have a large population of layabouts, lawyers, and losers. Their two biggest advantages are they're smarter than everyone else (except for a small population of Jews [ just fact, not commentary ] ) and being only a generation away from universal government-imposed poverty means they're working quite hard.

Re:Cheap Chinese ones are fine

[Genda]

What you've all ignored is that China is exploding into cutting edge technology, cranking out Phds like they're going out of style. Last year they produced more international patents than America. They're building both a huge industrial manufacturing infrastructure as well as a huge and growing intellectual leadership. If they couldn't produce quality work, then the bulk of American and European industry wouldn't be using them to manufacture their products, no matter how cheaply they can produce (can you say Apple, Gucci???)

Face it kids, they are perfectly lined up on a trajectory to take a leadership role in global production through the rest of this century. They will eclipse the American economy some time in the middle of this decade. They are already the third largest global consumer of luxury items. You better believe that businesses everywhere are going to pander to a market with a billion and a half buyers.

As stupid as their government is, it has the advantage of moving in a monolithic manner. So once a decision if made, the nation marches in lockstep. Makes for a very impressive ability to turn the nation on a dime. The U.S. can't do that. We have other strengths, some huge, we just don't have the ability to act like that except maybe in the face of a national crisis.

Don't assume we have anything on the Chinese, we need to put our game faces on, and play full out, because these guys are hungry and they want our lunch really bad.