Backing up a stamp?

Martin King

I have the following situation, We used to have a small research lab at work which made us various custom devices. The organisation in it's wisdom shut the place down and made the staff redundant :-(. One of the devices used a Basic stamp 2p to talk to a GPS module. One of these has already been "blown up" by a user and so I would like to try and backup the object code from a working unit in case I need to make another. We don't·have the source code. I know the code can't be read directly from the PC (or can it?) But I was wondering if I could plant some code in bank 8 (assuming the original code isn't that big) without affecting the existing code, and use the READ command to dump the contents of the rest of the EEPROM to the PC. So the question basicly is can I plant code in bank 8 without overwriting the existing code? and if so how?

Cheers.
Martin.
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Gadgetman

I'm not certain if you can start a program in Bank 8 directly.

Anyway, if the bank contains any program code at all, it WILL be overwritten. If it 'only' contains data, it depends, as the new program will be loaded in the highest adresses and downwards. If the data is at the lower adresses they may survive...

It may be simpler to remove the EEPROM from the module and read it in an EPROM reader/burner.
(Maybe the EEPROM in the destroyed module can be salvaged?)

One way to make an adapter for these chips(adapters are VERY expensive) is to make a small PCB with tracks going in from the large .1" pin places of a 'normal' IC and in to the middle and where the SMT chip will fit. Then get hold of a strip of the conductive rubber strips used on LCDs and cut a couple of pieces and place them on the PCB. Then just drop the EEPROM onto the rubber strips and use a piece of transparent tape to hold it in place...
If the chip is aligned properly, it should work OK...

Don't have a burner?
Use another BS2...

Martin King

Ah good point, even if I can get the code into bank 8 I probably won't be able to run it. Looks like the only option is to either read the EEPROM with other methods as you say, or rewrite new code from scrath (which I was trying to avaoid but probably could do).

Martin.
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Martin King

Actually thinking about it the easiest way to read the EEPROM on a working board·is to hold the Stamp in Reset so the Scenix micro is effectivly dormant, the I/O pins should go HiZ·and can't issue any commands to the EEPROM to bugger mine up, then just solder·thin wires to the SCL and SDA pins on the EEPROM and take them off to another·Stamp running a program to read it via I2C and dump the data to RS232. No need for any fancy adapter boards or desoldering of chips.

Martin.
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Gadgetman

Well, if you want to do it the easy way...



In other words: 'why didn't I think of that?'