Occasionally I get a request to eliminate vats from a stock memcal (7730) without going to a new chip or modifications to accept the newer chip. That means I have to buy a UV Eraser. I never used one, but I found products on ebay cheap enough and includes shipping. There are no specs on it to see if the memcal fits inside the drawer. Hard to believe. So who has experience with this product? Is this too good to be true?
OR, are there other options for my once or twice a year use?
Here's a link to the ad on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultraviolet-Light-Lamp-UV-EPROM-Eraser-Eraseable-Timer-/271313689190?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f2b8e5a66#shpCntId

 

www.best-electronics-ca.com/eproms.htm


This is the one I have. You need to prop open the safety on the lid with a small screwdriver, then the whole prom can fit over the window. Just make sure you put a box over the whole thing before you plug it in so you don't expose anyone to the uv light.
The one you're looking at doesn't look like you could fit the whole prom in that drawer.

 

drive it - Thanks for a quick response. I take it that the lid has to be removed for the prom to fit upside down with the prom hole towards the unit. Any non translucent cover will suffice? Is this unit USA made?
Thanks again.

 

Not sure where it's made, but I've had mine for years with no problems. You just slide the cover open and leave it open, jam a screwdriver in the safety tab that the cover would engage. I've just put a cardboard box over the whole thing.

 

Thanks drive it, that helps a lot. Is there no one else that can add to UV Erasers? I read a lot of threads on people using them but no comparisons. Mostly I'm interested in which product accommodates the memcal and how. The one with the drawer does not look big enough. So please, if anyone else have experience with stock proms, help a rookie out.
Thanks again.

 

I have this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logical-Devices-T8N-Industrial-UV-Eraser-QUV-T8-/330955114290?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d0e764732
I'll have to check again but i'm pretty sure a memcal with the blue cover removed will fit upright in it. The opening is about 1 1/8" tall.


I don't typically put whole memcals in it though, most of mine are socketed.



You could always just make your own, all you need is a germicidal bulb and a good enclosure that you are 100% sure doesn't leak light. I usually run all my chips through for 1 hour. I just did about 20 27C256 chips (the ones we use in memcals) and had 1 that failed the blank check.

 

DeathStarr89 - Thank you. Socketing the chip is not an option, this would add costs to the process which the individual does not want, in which case he would do the cheap resistor method. Besides, if it's socketed why not use the newer 27SF512 reprogramable ones?
Appreciate your thoughts.

 

I get free Eproms, I have another 1000 27C256 chips and probably 200-300 27C512 chips. The 256 chips are way out of production so it's nice to have a stash. I also use them for work related things instead of car stuff.


I used to socket all the memcals that I'd sell, that got old pretty quick. Now I sell the chip itself and have the buyer pick up a G1 adapter from Moates. I dropped the price to reflect that as well.

 

What do you mean by "that got old pretty quick"? Some guys don't like the bulkiness. Most don't care as long as it works.

 

Just the process of cutting out the old eprom and soldering in a socket 50+ times.

I forgot to grab a memcal this morning, i'll bring one to the shop tomorrow and make sure it fits upright.

 

If the customer is too cheap to do it in a reliable way, let them do the resister way. The only way I do tunes for someone else is to either replace the stock EPROM with an EEPROM, or there has to be a MEMCAL adapter involved. Some of the original EPROMs will fail on the first erase. So what do yo do then?

It's not worth it to spend more money out of your own pocket than the customer is willing to pay.

 

Six_Shooter - good point on the "Too cheap" and additional expense. Did not know about the sensitivity of original chips. Ya!! What would I do? That would be more costly.
I contacted an USA supplier of the unit I shown for the internal dimensions of the drawer. The sizes are 3.5" x 2" x 0.5" which does not accommodate our memcal.
In summary, unless I find a cheap one from someone getting out of it, I'll stick to EEPROM.
Thanks everyone.

 

I may have found a cheap option for you, let me do a little more checking though.

At worst you'd have to pick up 2 F4T5 germicidal lamps and maybe make a cover..


I'll let you know in a bit...

 

Sounds good. Thanks.

 

This is what I was going to suggest: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fake-Finder-Fraud-Fighter-Counterfeit-Money-Detection-HD8X2-120A-Tested-Working-/331058550769?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d14a097f1
Then swap the lamps out with the correct ones, I'll have to look at one to see if they're F4, 6 or 8's.. You'll only need 1 bulb,

And make a cover for the front...

Those have plenty of room for anything you want to put in there, just be careful not to expose your skin to the light. Pretty much instant skin cancer there.

 

A regular memcal will fit upright in the Logical Devices eraser.

 

Thanks DS. That looks bigger than I thought with the prom in it. Good of you to take the time to snap a pic. I checked with the supplier of that unit and it will cost me an additional $45US to ship it to Canada and a chance of another $20 for broker's fee. That sucks. So I'll just keep looking, maybe I'll build one. Found a couple "how to" on the web, but I don't feel comfy with them. Any thoughts?
Thanks again.

 

It's really basic, just a metal box with the right bulb in it... and a good one has a timer. You can buy the timer at any home supply store, same one used to time bathroom lights/fans.

Mine has a reflector as well so it evenly lights up the whole inside. It also has a safety switch so it won't turn on unless the drawer is all the way in. It's about 10 years old and still on the same bulb, I've had to replace the timer once.


Like I said before though, the most important thing is not to let that light hit your skin.

 

Thanks. If you know of a good "How to..", pls LMK.
My wife goes for pedicures and the lady gave me a bulb to try. But I don't know if it will work.
http://www.berkeleybeauty.com/prodde...V601-9W&cat=48

Based on what I read so far this sounds like the better one.
http://www.berkeleybeauty.com/prodde...V620-4W&cat=48

 

You need one of these:


It should be clear, no coating on the glass.

 

Different EPROMs take different amounts of time to erase. Figure out how long your chips require, and don't overdo it. Erasing chips for too long can ruin them. Mine erase in about 10 minutes, but they're a different part number than your ECM uses.

The eraser I use is a Logical Devices QUV-T8. It was made by a company in Florida, I'm guessing in the 80s or 90s. Since there's a safety factor involved, I preferred to buy one that was made by a known company who put their address on the label, rather than some anonymous Chinese part.
It was only about $30 or $40 on eBay a few years ago, but at a quick glance it looks like used erasers aren't as cheap as they used to be.
I don't know if a memcal would fit in it or not - I've never actually seen a memcal, my ECM doesn't use them. Building your own enclosure is probably a good option if you're so inclined.