In field of computer hardware

Computer hardware

Personal computer hardware are component devices which are typically installed into or peripheral to a computer case to create a personal computer upon which system software is installed including a firmware interface such as a BIOS and an operating system which supports application software that...

, the term programmer, chip programmer or device programmer refers to a hardware

Hardware

Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....

 device that configures programmable non-volatile circuits

Electrical network

An electrical network is an interconnection of electrical elements such as resistors, inductors, capacitors, transmission lines, voltage sources, current sources and switches. An electrical circuit is a special type of network, one that has a closed loop giving a return path for the current...

 such as EPROM

EPROM

An EPROM , or erasable programmable read only memory, is a type of memory chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. In other words, it is non-volatile. It is an array of floating-gate transistors individually programmed by an electronic device that supplies higher voltages...

s, EEPROM

EEPROM

EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory and is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data that must be saved when power is removed, e.g., calibration...

s, Flashs

Flash memory

Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...

, PALs

Programmable Array Logic

The term Programmable Array Logic is used to describe a family of programmable logic device semiconductors used to implement logic functions in digital circuits introduced by Monolithic Memories, Inc. in March 1978. MMI obtained a registered trademark on the term PAL for use in "Programmable...

, FPGAs or programmable logic circuits.

Function

For programming a circuit, it is either inserted into a socket (often ZIF) on top of the programmer, or the programmer is directly connected by an adapter to the circuit board (In-System Programming

In-System Programming

In-System Programming is the ability of some programmable logic devices, microcontrollers, and other programmable electronic chips to be programmed while installed in a complete system, rather than requiring the chip to be programmed prior to installing it into the system.The primary advantage of...

). Afterwards the data is transferred into the circuit by applying signals to the connecting pins. Some circuits have a serial interface for receiving the programming data (JTAG

JTAG

Joint Test Action Group is the common name for what was later standardized as the IEEE 1149.1 Standard Test Access Port and Boundary-Scan Architecture. It was initially devised for testing printed circuit boards using boundary scan and is still widely used for this application.Today JTAG is also...

 interface). Other circuits require the data on parallel pins, followed by a programming pulse with a higher voltage for programming the data into the circuit.

Usually device programmers are connected to a personal computer

Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...

 through a printer connector, USB port or LAN

Local area network

A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...

 interface. A software program on the computer then transfers the data to the programmer, selects the circuit and interface type, and starts the programming process.

Device programmer types

There are four general types of device programmers: Gang programmers for mass production, development programmers for development and small-series production, pocket programmers for development and field service, and specialized programmers for certain circuit types only, f.i. EPROM programmers. Early device programmers had the size of a shoe box and a weight of up to 4 kg; the latest generation device programmers are pocket sized, weigh less than 200 g and require no external power supply. These types of programmers can be used in field service for maintenance or setup of machinery that contains programmable circuits.

A challenge for device programmer manufacturers is the design of the pin drivers that are directly connected to the circuit to be programmed. Due to the many different programmable circuits, every pin driver must be able to apply different voltages in a range of 0..25 Volts, clock rates of up to 40 MHz, and logic inputs with adjustable threshold. Modern programmers use a dedicated integrated circuit

Integrated circuit

An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...

 for the pin drivers.

History

In the early days of computing

Computing

Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...

, before terminal and graphical display devices, a programmer was a device used to configure a program for a computer

Computer

A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...

. It usually consisted of switches and LEDs

Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...

, where instructions had to be entered one by one by setting the switches in a series of "on" and "off" positions. The positions of the switches corresponded to computer instructions, similar to how assembly language

Assembly language

An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...

 is used today. Such hardware programmers are almost never seen or used today.

See also

• Hardware description language
  Hardware description language
  In electronics, a hardware description language or HDL is any language from a class of computer languages, specification languages, or modeling languages for formal description and design of electronic circuits, and most-commonly, digital logic...
  
  
• JTAG interface
  JTAG
  Joint Test Action Group is the common name for what was later standardized as the IEEE 1149.1 Standard Test Access Port and Boundary-Scan Architecture. It was initially devised for testing printed circuit boards using boundary scan and is still widely used for this application.Today JTAG is also...
  
  
• Conitec
• Data I/O
• Elnec
  Elnec
  Elnec is an European manufacturer of device programming systems for programmable integrated circuits.- History :Since its founding in 1991, the company has been oriented towards developing and manufacturing developer tools like device programmers, emulators, simulators and logic analyzers.Core...