Northgate OmniKey (and others) EEProm Dumps
Posted: 19 Jun 2023, 01:36
TL;dr I'll share all the eeprom backups I have here. I'll do backups for all the keyboards I come across that have ZIF eeproms, so enjoy! Share yours, too!
Quick details:
I have an OmniKey with a bad eeprom. I thought I could take the eeprom from another OmniKey and make it work, so let's buy a programmer! The one I bought was $80 on Amazon.
(Make absolutely sure that the programmer supports the chip(s) you're using. The one I bought supports 34,505 makes/models.)
I then bought some correct make/model eeprom chips on ebay. I got 4 for $20. In my case, the make and model of the chip were on the bottom of the chip, i.e. you have to pull the chip to see it. If you buy the Xgecu package, it comes with a chip puller. If you don't have one, I strongly recommend that you at least get one of these for $5.
Note that the the chip in the OmniKey I was working on is erased by UV, which is the reason there's a label over the chip. If you buy a chip that's not erased, you may need an eraser. They're $20-$30, but the reviews I've seen say that they all do about the same thing. There are also guides on how to build your own.
Unless I'm doing all this insanely wrong -- which has happened to me before -- it's pretty easy to do all of this!
Anyhow, attached is my first one. I have overly detailed info in the text file.
Quick details:
I have an OmniKey with a bad eeprom. I thought I could take the eeprom from another OmniKey and make it work, so let's buy a programmer! The one I bought was $80 on Amazon.
(Make absolutely sure that the programmer supports the chip(s) you're using. The one I bought supports 34,505 makes/models.)
I then bought some correct make/model eeprom chips on ebay. I got 4 for $20. In my case, the make and model of the chip were on the bottom of the chip, i.e. you have to pull the chip to see it. If you buy the Xgecu package, it comes with a chip puller. If you don't have one, I strongly recommend that you at least get one of these for $5.
Note that the the chip in the OmniKey I was working on is erased by UV, which is the reason there's a label over the chip. If you buy a chip that's not erased, you may need an eraser. They're $20-$30, but the reviews I've seen say that they all do about the same thing. There are also guides on how to build your own.
Unless I'm doing all this insanely wrong -- which has happened to me before -- it's pretty easy to do all of this!
Anyhow, attached is my first one. I have overly detailed info in the text file.