The everything programmer
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:54 pm
Status: Just an idea
License: GPL
There seem to be programmer for just about every type of MCU out there and they all seem to have their own protocols, so why not be smart and make a bit-banged programmer (XMOS to save the day!) that can program anything? Obviously you would need to be able to switch between I/O, VCC (adjustable) and GND for every pin (so many demultiplexers!) for a ZIF and PLCC sockets. There are also plenty of in-circuit pluggable interfaces with their own size connectors and configurations that would be "easy" to add. A USB interface that would specify the configuration and send the data would make it (at least the ZIF and PLCC sockets) future-proof. With that many I/Os needed, an IO expander IC sounds like a good idea and would require running a protocol over another protocol (yay XMOS!). The pluggable cable interfaces could be used with a debugger on the XMOS chip too.
It would be complicated but it would be one programmer to rule them all.
License: GPL
There seem to be programmer for just about every type of MCU out there and they all seem to have their own protocols, so why not be smart and make a bit-banged programmer (XMOS to save the day!) that can program anything? Obviously you would need to be able to switch between I/O, VCC (adjustable) and GND for every pin (so many demultiplexers!) for a ZIF and PLCC sockets. There are also plenty of in-circuit pluggable interfaces with their own size connectors and configurations that would be "easy" to add. A USB interface that would specify the configuration and send the data would make it (at least the ZIF and PLCC sockets) future-proof. With that many I/Os needed, an IO expander IC sounds like a good idea and would require running a protocol over another protocol (yay XMOS!). The pluggable cable interfaces could be used with a debugger on the XMOS chip too.
It would be complicated but it would be one programmer to rule them all.