SOP8 SOIC8 Test Clip for EEPROM 25CXX / 24CXX with CH341A 24 25 Series EEPROM Flash Bios USB Programmer

Good as described.The clip is not practical, But the kit is essential for flashing and dumping chips.

I bought this CH341A USB adapter to flash a SOIC16 BIOS chip on my Dell OptiPlex 5080 Micro.I received the PC with a locked BIOS administrator password through eBay. Unfortunately, trying to work with official Dell support was a waste of my breath. They were of no help unless I could provide information about the original owner.This programmer comes with a SOIC8 test clip, so I did have to purchase a SOIC16 test clip separately in order to work with the BIOS chip in my OptiPlex.One very important thing to be aware of is that this device outputs 5 volts by default. Many PC BIOS chips operate at 3.3 volts, so connecting the programmer without addressing this can potentially damage the chip or motherboard. I performed the commonly documented hardware modification to make the programmer operate at the appropriate voltage. Details of this modification can be found online fairly easily.My biggest challenge was actually figuring out the pinout and connections. The documentation provided for the CH341A block is not very useful, especially if you are trying to figure out exactly how to connect everything to a particular BIOS chip. I ended up making my own reference diagram based on what I learned, which I have included with this review.Once I had everything figured out and properly prepared, the programmer worked extremely well.I was successfully able to read the BIOS from my Dell OptiPlex 5080, modify the BIOS using 8FC8_Patcher.py, and then write the modified BIOS back to the chip. The entire process was a huge success.This is definitely not a plug-and-play device for someone who has never worked with BIOS chips before. There is some research and preparation involved, and you need to be very careful about the voltage and pin connections. However, once I understood what I was doing, this programmer did exactly what I needed it to do.

I bricked my asus b150m when I updated the bios. No screen display but fan and lights are on. I tried to diagnose, remove, reinstall ram/gpu/fans/etc - still wouldn't post. I watched a dozen of youtube videos but ultimately I know its the motherboard. This was my first action before moving to replace the motherboard which is expensive.It worked for me. Got my motherboard working and was able to install the latest bios. Company's link will let you download the necessary app to get this working. I'm not expert but I built my computer and fix it by myself :D anyone can do this. The pins took me only few tries to get it connected to the application. I might make a youtube video to help some folks out!If your mobo is still in warranty, RMI it. But if its gonna cost you to send your mobo to the manufacturer and months of getting it returned to you, this may be a route to go. Highly recommended to those who's mobo is out of warranty like mine, it wouldn't hurt to try this first before buying an expensive mobo but if it's a reason to upgrade then do so :P

It's a very cheap flash programmer, but it actually works very well.I've tried to read BIOS of a video card and firmware of a blu-ray player and easily succeeded both times.It's easy to use and it does what it's supposed to do.You'll probably need to spend some time to find proper software that works with this programmer, but at this price point it's not a big deal.I've read that you need to modify the programmer in some way so it uses correct voltage - it wasn't the case in my experience, I could just use it out of the box and it worked 100%.It's awesome that you don't need to unsolder anything, just connect the clip to the chip, connect the programmer to USB port of your computer and you're ready to work with the chip.

I'm new to BIOS programming, but after understanding it's quirks, this is quite a powerful tool! My chip was from an HP ProBook 640 G3 and is held in place with a spring retainer mechanism; therefore, programming is done out of circuit. The spring clip of this device _must_ make solid contact, even at the risk of crumpling the pins. Just flatten them out later like I did. If using IMSProg like me, the telltale sign of a bad connection is that erasing only takes a few seconds. With a solid connection, it should take closer to a minute. The programmer works well and is a very inexpensive alternative to raspberry pi and whatnot. If you have a locked BIOS and need to get by the forgotten/unknown password, this is your oyster.Very Best Regards,Tom Scott 🗽Author of Stack the Legal Odds in Your Favor ● Speaker ● World's Leading Expert on the Corrupt U.S. Legal System