If you receive the dreaded “Verification Failed” message after trying to program a chip with the BURN2, there are only a few possible reasons.

1. Fake chips.  There are lots of fake 27SF512 chips floating around.  We have a whole article about this.  If you didn’t buy your chips from us, you need to seriously consider this.
2. Bad chip.  Try another chip.  If you have the same results from more than one genuine chip, it’s probably not the chip.
3. ZIF connection. The ZIF socket with the metal handle on the BURN2 is not soldered to the main circuit board.  It’s a press-fit item.  Over time, the action of raising and lowering the handle can work the ZIF loose enough to have issues but not “feel” loose.  Put the burn2 on a flat surface.   Push down on either end of the ZIF with your thumbs firmly to try and re-seat the socket.  Test again after.
4. The solder joints between the DIP32 socket and the PCB can be problematic.  The BURN2 experiences mechanical stress on the solder connections every time you lift or close the handle.  Over time, you’ll crack them.  If you feel like touching up the solder on them, it is often an easy repair.  Try NOT to add any more solder unless you absolutely have to.  The idea is just to melt the solder again so it can bond with the metal pins and circuit board.  This video seemed to be pretty good: https://youtu.be/5F4sX2Pn-Iw
5. If you are still having issues, or don’t feel up to doing the repairs yourself, warranty service may be an option.  Don’t be afraid to try repairs – we’ll still do warranty work on units where you have attempted and failed to repair.  Contact us to arrange for warranty replacement.

Another problem that isn’t as common but we still see are BURN2s that will not erase a chip.  After a “Blank Check” operation, the software reports “Chip is NOT Blank”  There are two strong possibilities for this fault:

1. Fake chips.  The Winbond chips that are most commonly used as fake 27SF512 chips cannot be erased by the BURN2 because they require a different voltage to erase than the 27SF512 chips that the BURN2 was designed for.  If you didn’t buy your chips from us, carefully check to make sure you don’t have fake chips.
2. Defective voltage  circuit in BURN2.  The circuit that generates the erase voltage in the BURN2 can fail.  If it does, you’ll still be able to read chips but erase operations will fail.  This is not something you can easily repair – contact us to arrange for warranty replacement.