[Guide] Using CH341A-based programmer to flash SPI EEPROM

Hi

@johnvick - Thanks to @MiesMosel see chip ID to use here in his post - [Guide] Using CH341A-based programmer to flash SPI EEPROM (24)

Here is latest version (1.41) of ASProgrammer - https://github.com/nofeletru/UsbAsp-flash/releases/

Hi all, I have a concern for this case : a board has main IC and flash IC, the tester only writes program/data into main IC but is there any case that flash IC also have program/data? ALthough it is just an memory IC.
Thanks.

@huyho - Some systems have two BIOS/Rom ICā€™s (all flash rom), in those cases yes, often smaller chip contains EC FW, or FD+ME or FD+ME+Partial split of BIOS region with rest on main larger chip
90% of motherboards (desktop) have only a single BIOS chip. If you want more specific answers it would help if you mentioned the motherboard or model name/ID etc.

@Lost_N_BIOS , very appreciate for your support!
The board I have mentioned not kind of motherboard, I work in SMD field so the board we called it PCBA. I wonder if you know or not but thank you again.

@huyho - I know PCBA, but yes, assumed you meant motherboard If you are making the items, you control what flash store-able ICā€™s are on there, so unsure what your question means.

Hello to all. before doing any damage, I would like to ask you how to remove this chip https://imgur.com/TSnfiXi in complete safety to avoid damaging it. What should I pay particular attention to?

@nicovon - answered here, no need to post same question in multiple places
[GUIDE] The Beginners Guide to Using a CH341A SPI Programmer/Flasher (With Pictures!) (8)

And extended answer here
how to remove this chip to avoid damaging it


I was programming ā€¦ Iā€™m using an image that was converted from cap to bin, by a gentleman who wanted to help me. this message appears to me: https://imgur.com/toe0gIh
I continued anyway. Then I inserted the chip back into the motherboard. Now only the fan runs and there is no video signal!
this is the last bios available for my motherboard: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGā€¦S-ASUS-1001.zip
How can i convert it correctly to bin? is it an obligatory operation?

@nicovon - You need to use correct chip ID as mentioned in PM. I found proper BIOS from your link above now, itā€™s a 8MB chip, so you will use some chip ID that has 64 in the ID
Best you dumped your BIOS chip before you did anything, did you do that? If yes, send me the dump, I will make you BIOS to use in programmer, that way you wont loose your serial, UUID, and LAN MAC ID


Hi, I had clicked on the detect button. In any case, I dumped it. Iā€™ll send it to you tomorrow morning. Thanks a lot!

@nicovon - If you did that, then itā€™s wrong, unless you put in the wrong chip maybe? Does that board have more than one chip in a socket? I know some boards have an audio chip in socket
What version software are you using? And, what is your actual chip ID, look on the chip itself, use magnifying glass and flashlight if you need to.

If that is your actual BIOS chip, and you dumped it before you erased or wrote to it, then good! Yes, send me that. If you dumped it later, send me that too anyway so I can check if anything salvageable left on there.
With that ID selected, it may only dump 128KB anyway, if this is the case, donā€™t send to me, no need for me to check that.


this is the chip photo: https://imgur.com/TSnfiXi
and this is the dump: https://drive.google.com/open?id=15YqVy5ā€¦ZlI0RUuxTfL_mNz

@nicovon - See, that is ā€œ64ā€ in chip ID, this chip not what you originally had shown in image (Winbond 128KB ID), this is Gigadvice GD25B64
Use Software 1.30 or 1.34 (or asprogrammer 1.41), and chip ID GD25Q64 (Q/B = Same 3V, 4KB Sectors & Quad I/O). Select that ID manually, if ā€œDetectā€ is failing

Here is general software package if you do not have 1.30 or 1.34 - http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?filā€¦695330485827902
And here you can get ASProgrammer 1.41 - https://github.com/nofeletru/UsbAsp-flash/releases/

Chip may be still OK, contain some data, if you only wrote 128KB (this dump is 128KB beginning of BIOS file). Dump chip using above info and then send to me, do not erase or write anything to it until I say to go ahead


memory is empty because yesterday I had made an erase. with this version, the detect button works! https://imgur.com/8aVFtzp (Is it normal for reading to take a minute?)
I will still send the dump: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RMwE7mā€¦q36d1KaGnH4tUIR

Yes, but if you had it set as shown, it may only erased 128KB. I never said anything was empty, I said hopefully itā€™s not empty, since you only dumped 128Kb and tried to write 128KB
Yes, read or write can take several minutes. If it is all lost, you will have to give me images off all the stickers on your board, then I will make you new UUID, add serial and LAN MAC ID from stickers

I checked that dump, all FF (Blank). When did you erase chip, before or after you dumped that 128KB?
If you erased before you dumped that 128KB file you sent, then current dump is invalid (ie not actual chip contents). Try 1.30 instead, and go ahead and also make a dump with ASProgrammer too.
If you erased chip after you made that 128KB dump, then itā€™s possible all blank, but Iā€™m not sure due to you had wrong ID and thus size selected. Go ahead and do both dumps mentioned above anyway so we can be sure.
Please put those in an archive (7zip, zip, rar)


are the stickers on the motherboard? on the case there is only the sticker of the case.
I erased the chip after making the dump. Iā€™m sure about this.

So in the 128kb backup there is no information about MAC, UUID and MBSN? it was my beginner mistake. I donā€™t know where to get this information. Is it possible to put fictitious information?

@nicovon Yes!
Look at all plastic parts of your motherboard p.e. -> 24-pin power connector. There could be some combinations of letters and digits. At LAN / NIC or somewhere else there could be the MAC address. And take a look at the back side.

And please donā€™t post your serial numbers here in forum. Sent it as an private message to Lost_N_BIOS.

Regards, MiMo

@nicovon - Yes, please send me images of all stickers on the board itself, be sure to check as mentioned above, on side of 24 pin, top/bottom sides of PCI/PCIE slots, and make sure to include the long white sticker on the board itself.
Sometimes, there is a sticker on the back of the board too, but thatā€™s getting rare now with more modern boards.

YOu didnā€™t answer my questions?? Nor, provide the additional dumps I mentioned, please do that, in case itā€™s as I mentioned

Yes, 128KB file may contain your LAN MAC ID, Iā€™ll have to check, but that would be the only thing it may contain. (I checked, itā€™s not there due to GbE not used in this BIOS)
And yes, I can use fake info (Have to for GUID, at least partially). Serial can be made up, if you never plan to RMA, and if it doesnā€™t mess with windows activation.
LAN MAC ID cannot be made up, but this will be on a sticker on the board. However, if you are lucky, since GbE not used, the LAN MAC may be stored in chip and still be OK

@Lost_N_BIOS Yes, Iā€™m sorry I didnā€™t send you dumps anymore. Saturday I send you everything. Thanks again for your valuable help. :slight_smile: