I am trying to erase an 24LC256, an I2C EEPROM, with the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter. I’m having a problem erasing it correctly. For my system. I need to erase the EEPROM with all ones, 0xFF, but the results I get are all zeros, 0x00.

I am using the Erase Parameters dialog from the Flash Center Software. Is there an easy way I can set the default erase for 0xFF?

Thanks for your question! The issue you experience is based on how the Flash Center Software functions and the device. If a device does not have an erase instruction, then by default, zeros are written to the device. As the 24LC256 does not have a bulk erase command, all the data in the memory will be replaced with 0x00. This operation cannot be configured. To fulfill your system requirement, you will need to execute an explicit write of 0xFF to your EEPROM.

Options are readily available to fulfill this requirement. For your operation and ease of use, we recommend using our free Control Center Serial Software.

Control Center Serial Software

The Control Center Serial Software is a GUI application that provides full access to all Aardvark adapter functionalities without writing custom software.

Examples of Programming an I2C EEPROM

For an example of using the Control Center Serial Software, we recommend looking at the following article:  How to Read and Write to an I2C EEPROM Using the Aardvark adapter and Control Center

This knowledge base article describes programming the AT24C02 I2C EEPROM that is used on the I2C/SPI Activity Board. Here is a summary:

• Set up the equipment
• Configure the Aardvark adapter as an I2C Master for writing
• Set up the data and write to the device
• Verify the device received the data

This information can be used as a guideline for programming other devices. Here is an example of a GUI dialog for writing to an I2C device:

We also provide a video that shows programming an I2C EEPROM using the Aardvark adapter and the Control Center Serial Software.

We hope this answers your questions. Additional resources that you may find helpful include the following:

• Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter User Manual
• Flash Center Software User Manual
• Control Center Serial Software User Manual

If you have other questions about our host adapters or other Total Phase products, feel free to email us at sales@totalphase.com. You can also request a demo that is specific for your application.