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Should I Use the Flash Center Software or the Aardvark API with the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter to Program the Pages of an I2C EEPROM?
Rena

Question from the Customer:

I am using the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter. For this project, I would like to use Flash Center Software to program the IDT TSE2004GB2B0 I2C EEPROM, which is a 512 byte device that is configured in two 256 byte pages. I have tried to create an XML file to program this I2C device, but can’t figure out how to make it work. Can you help me program this I2C device?

Response from Technical Support:

Thanks for your question! The Flash Center Software supports writing to a number of memory devices. Flash Center Software reads/writes to the first page, which consists of the first 256 bytes of the I2C EEPROM that you are programming.

Flash Center Software can be used with the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter Figure 1: Flash Center Software

To write to the first page of specific device you are using, please do the following:

  1. Create the part file (the contents of the part file are listed below).
  2. Open the Flash Center Software.
  3. Select Operation | Choose Target...
  4. Select Load Part File...
  5. Select the part file that you created in step 1.
  6. Select "Integrated Device Technology" on the Manufacturer tab and then select "TSE2004GB2B0" on the Part Number tab.
The contents of the XML part file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

-<devices>

- <default version="1.0">

<manufacturerName> Integrated Device Technology </manufacturerName>

<maxBitrate> 400 </maxBitrate>

<writeTime> 5000 </writeTime>

<baseDeviceAddress> 0x50 </baseDeviceAddress>

<deviceAlgorithm> I2C EEPROM </deviceAlgorithm>

</default>

-<device version="1.0">

<deviceName> TSE2004GB2B0 </deviceName>

<deviceDescription> DDR4 Temperature Sensor with Integrated 4Kbit EEPROM for Memory Modules </deviceDescription>

<maxBitrate> 1000 </maxBitrate>

<capacity> 256 </capacity>

<addressWidth> 1 </addressWidth>

<writeSize> 16 </writeSize>

</device>

</devices>

However, if you need to write to both pages, we recommend using the Aardvark Software API.  The Flash Center Software is made to be as inclusive as possible, but different chip manufacturers may have custom features on their memory devices that the Flash Center Software cannot access - in this case, writing to separate pages. The Aardvark API can be used to create your own custom applications to read and write to "special" memory chips. You can use the flash and EEPROM examples that are provided with the Aardvark API Software package to customize for your specifications.

Additional resources that you may find helpful include the following:

We hope this answers your questions. If you have other questions about our host adapters or other Total Phase products, feel free to email us at sales@totalphase.com or submit a request for technical support.