Spencer Owen Simplifies RC2014 RomWBW Updates with a Low-Cost, Standalone ROM Blower
Two-button board needs nothing more than power, a flash chip, and a microSD card to burn — or dump — a RomWBW image.
Spencer Owen, creator of the popular RC2014 family of Zilog Z80-based modular microcomputers, has unveiled a new board — but this one's designed to be used outside of a RC2014 bus, delivering an easier and cheaper way to burn ROM images to physical chips: the RomWriter.
"The RomWriter is a dedicated stand alone device for programming 39SF040 flash memory chips with a 512k RomWBW image," Owen explains, referring to a project to release ready-to-run Digital CP/M-based firmware images for Z80 computers and compatibles. "The design specification called for it to be as simple as possible to use and to assemble, OS independent, and to avoid any feature creep. Sadly, feature creep crept in, and it can also be used for dumping 39SF040 ROMs too."
While the Microchip ATmega64A-powered RomWriter shares the same shape as an RC2014 module, right down to the snipped-off corner, it lacks connectivity for the RC2014 bus. Instead, it's designed to be connected to a 5V power supply and used entirely standalone — reading a ROM image from an on-board microSD card slot and writing it to an inserted 39SF040 flash chip, or vice-versa, with two-button control and visual feedback provided by a compact OLED display.
"This is not designed as a universal EPROM programmer," Owen notes. "If you wish to program anything other than a 39SF040 you will be better off buying a TL866-II. If you want to edit ROM contents manually or program individual blocks of memory, you will be better off buying a TL866-II. If you already have an EPROM programmer that works with your operating system then you probably don’t need this."
More information, and a schematic for the board, is available on the RC2014 blog; the boards are available to order now starting at £15 (around $19) without ZIF socket on the Z80Kits website.