TLDR: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.  If the seller is in China and the chips cost less than $3 each, they’re probably fake.

Update March 2014:  This is now totally out of control.  Less than 10% of the results searching eBay for “SST27SF512” were genuine chips.  They’re now coming in all sorts of shapes, sizes, markings.  The majority of these chips are ONE TIME PROGRAMMABLE chips that have been re-marked to look like the erasable and re-usable SST chips – this means you can program them, ONCE.  After that, the chips will never erase or program again.  Real SST27SF512 chips can be erased and re-used hundreds if not thousands of times.

Increasingly often, we’ve been seeing problems programming chips with the BURN1/BURN2/APU1 because of COUNTERFEIT CHIPS!!!  The 27SF512 chips are no longer being made and have not been in production for quite some time.  (~Aug2009)  I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that counterfeits of these popular chips are now common because Moates purchased the entire final production run of these chips, leaving nothing but counterfeits for other vendors to sell.

Bottom line: If the SST27SF512 chips you purchased did not come from Moates.net, Xenocron.com or one of our other re-sellers, they are probably fake because the legitimate supply of new chips from SST was sold years ago.

Identifying Real Chips

Fortunately, most of these counterfeit chips are fairly easy to spot:

• Most use a white silkscreen print on the top of the chip NOT the laser-etched found on the real deal chips.
• Most have printing on the bottom of the chip instead of  ‘TAIWAN’ embossed in a circle.

Here are some pretty decent pictures of a GENUINE chip for comparison: (click images for full-size)

Fake Chip Gallery

As we receive more pictures from our users of fake chips, we will post them here.

Note the size and placement of the round “dimples” on this fake chip.  Note the whitish silkscreened letters instead of the laser-etched letters.  This is not a real 27SF512 chip.

Note the size of the “dimples” on the bottom of this fake chip.  Note the writing in the center of the chip.  Note the absence of “TAIWAN” in one dimple and the chip ID in the other.  This is not a real SST27SF512 chip.

I’ve seen at least two examples of this fake chip in the past month. (October 2013) They seem to be circulating ebay.  Again, there is a printed NOT laser-etched top, easy to spot and tell:

And “TAIWAN” should not be printed in big letters on the bottom:

There are two products that we sell that can read the program in a factory ECM:

BURN1/BURN2 with a F2A and F2E – This setup can be used to read ECMs on the bench.  ECM does not need to be powered.

QuarterHorse – This setup requires the ECM to be powered either by a vehicle’s battery or a 12V bench power supply.

Reading with BURN2+F2A+F2E

1. Start with all cables disconnected (F2A,F2E,USB,etc.)
2. Connect the F2E to the F2A
3. Put the F2A in the BURN1/BURN2
4. Connect the Burn1-2/F2A/F2E Assembly to your ECM.  Make sure your ECM is powered off if it is in the vehicle
5. Connect the USB from the BURN2 to the PC
6. Start Flash n  Burn Software on the PC
7. Choose appropriate settings for the Supported chip type based on the ECM type:  J3 Ford EEC-IV Reader or J3 Ford EEC-V Reader
8. Choose appropriate settings based on the number of banks used:
   • 56k EEC-IV = 032000 start 03FFFF end
   • 64k EEC-IV = 030000 start 03FFFF end
   • 2-bank EEC-V = 010000 start 02FFFF end
   • 4 bank EEC-V = 000000 start 03FFFF end
9. Click “Save buffer to file” and choose a filename.

Reading with QuarterHorse

At the time of writing (Aug5-2010) Binary Editor is the only software that supports this feature of the QH reliably.  Select “Read PCM” from within the software.

The Jaybird

Overview

The Jaybird is a USB based device used ONLY for loading tunes onto F3 adapters.  It is designed to be the simplest and cheapest solution for programming J3 style Ford chips.  It cannot program other chips.

The Jaybird CANNOT READ STOCK ECMs!!! If you require this functionality, you need to get BURN2+F2A+F2E instead.

Software

This device can be used directly from TunerPro RT, EEC Editor, Binary Editor software packages as well as the Flash-n-Burn dedicated programmer software.

The Autoprom

The Autoprom was the first Moates device. It is a combination Emulator, Chip Burner and Datalogger.

Today you can buy these devices separately, however this package eliminates the need for 3 separate units.

Compatibility

As of writing this article, the only software known to be fully compatible with the Autoprom is TunerPro RT.  TunerCat OBD1 Tuner and TTS Datamaster support almost all of the AutoProm’s features.

If you plan on tuning Honda vehicles, purchase the Ostrich, Burn1, and HuLog separately or a Demon as there is no software for Hondas that supports the Autoprom and all of its features.

The Autoprom CANNOT be used to program F3 Ford chips using the FA nor can it be used to read Ford ECMs using the FE.  You will need to look at the Jaybird or BURN2/FA/FE combo for Ford vehicles.

The Autoprom does not work smoothly with 29F040 chips.  If you need to work with these chips, it is recommended that you purchase a BURN2.

The Autoprom should be compatible with almost all USB ports.  Its power consumption should be in the 100-150mA range.

Environmental Compatibility

The APU1 is NOT designed to be left in an engine bay!!!  It will fail prematurely if exposed to the heat of a bay.   It is designed for a maximum operating temperature of about 80C (175F).

The APU1 is NOT designed to be exposed to moisture!!!  It will fail prematurely if exposed to liquids.  It will fail prematurely from condensation inside its case.

If you are going to use the device in harsh environments, try to do so for short periods of time and then program a chip for long term use.  We recommend this in general but it is especially important in harsh environments.

Due to its internal battery constantly powering portions of the device, the APU1 can easily be ruined by condensation caused by sudden drops of temperature in humid environments.  Returning the device to a cool (~50-77F / 10-25C) , dry environment after exposure to high humidity before attempting to use again  is a very good idea.  Placing it in a sealed bag with dry rice or another desiccant can help if condensation is suspected.

Switch Positions

Real-Time Tuning / Emulation

1. Make sure car is in key-off position with no power to the ECM. Remove the ‘stock’ chip and install socket adapter (G1 or G2) if not already present. Remove any chip from the AutoProm ZIF socket!
2. Hook the 28-pin ribbon cable header to the ECM chip adapter socket. Make sure the ‘red’ wire points toward where the notch, or Pin1, would be on a chip normally going in the socket. The AutoProm will auto-select its power source from either the USB port or the ECM header.
3. Get your PC powered on with TunerPro or TunerCat loaded up. Hook USB cable up to the AutoProm and PC. Check the AutoProm switch positions along the backpanel. The innermost horizontal switch can be positioned either inboard (10k – used to select data initiation on older-model vehicles.  Try the other ‘open’ setting first!) or outboard (open A-B – almost everything else) depending on ECM requirements. The outer horizontal switch should be in the ‘towards the USB port’ position. (APU1 mode. Other position is passthrough mode, identical to ALDU1).
4. If you haven’t already loaded a file onto the AutoProm, you will get an SES light condition indicating bad PROM content. Now is the time to go ahead and initialize the AutoProm from the PC software (should be under ‘Emulation, Initialize’ option). Once initialized, load the desired binary file into the PC software and upload it to the AutoProm (option should be right next to the ‘Initialize’ button). You may want to select the ‘Verify’ option (in TunerPro) to ensure that the binary upload was successful. If you keyed the vehicle on without a valid binary loaded, you may need to cycle the key off for about 20 seconds to let the ECM reset.
5. At this point, you should have the AutoProm loaded with the desired binary file. The car should now respond as though a chip with the uploaded binary content is installed. If not, then there is an issue. Either the binary is corrupt or some other condition exists.
6. From the PC software, you can make on-the-fly changes in the BIN content and have those changes immediately transferred to the AutoProm and the car should respond accordingly. There are several options within the supporting PC software, such as ‘Checksum Disable’, ‘Upload Entire Tables’, ‘Update Checksum’, and ‘Keep Item Open’, etc., so read through the documentation and practice a little bit so you understand what is going on and what to select. Typically, checksum disable or update checksum should be selected. Use a setting of “AA at 08” for 28 pin applications, and “AA at 04” for 24 pin ECMs.
7. Have fun, and try not to burn anything up other than rubber and fuel!

Stand-Alone Datalogging

1. Hook the APU1 up to the PC USB port and place the outer horizontal switch in the standalone, ‘away from USB port’ position (toward outside). It doesn’t matter whether the AutoProm is connected to the ECM chip socket because it gets power for standalone data logging from the USB port.
2. Connect the ALDL cable to the car’s ALDL connection. Place the inner horizontal switch on the AutoProm backpanel in the proper position for your vehicle and mode desired: inboard=”10k across A-B”, outboard=”open between A-B”.
3. Load up your favorite datalogging program on the PC, such as “TunerPro”, “WinALDL”, or “TTS DataMaster”. You may need to select an ADS file to define your datastream if using TunerPro. Turn on the key and start logging data! To stop, just turn car off and disconnect hardware. Keep in mind that in this mode, the hardware will not be ‘detected’ like the AutoProm mode, and that you’ll need to specify which USB Serial Port number (hopefully COM3 or COM4) has been allocated to the port in the datalogging software preferences.

Simultaneous Emulation and Datalogging

1. Carry out the same steps described above in the sections on Emulation and Datalogging, except keep the outer horizontal switch in the ‘inboard / toward USB port’ position.
2. Use a simultaneous-supporting program such as TunerPro RT to perform simultaneous datalogging and real-time emulation/tuning. You should see results from changes to the binary on-the-fly right when you make them.

Chip Reading and Programming

1. Connect the AutoProm to the USB cable. The USB will supply the power.
2. Make sure the 28 pin ribbon cable used for emulation is UNPLUGGED from the unit. Unpredictable behavior can result from the APU1 being directly connected to a ECM using the emulation cable while burning chips.
3. Make sure that the switches on the AutoProm are set for AUTOPROM MODE (outer switch inwards, see above picture)
4. Place the target or source chip in the ZIF socket. Orientation is critical, and the chip should be placed with its notch or arrow facing toward the ZIF handle and toward the back panel of the AutoProm. The chip should be at the ‘bottom’ of the socket, such that any unused socket pin slots are closest to the handle or backplane.
5. Use a supporting software program, such as TunerPro or FlashBurn to pick read/write operation, file location and name, starting and ending addresses, any hex offsets, bank selection, or other characteristic of the read/write operation. Carry out desired program/read/verify steps as desired, and remove chip from socket.

APU1 Video introduction

There is a series of videos on our YouTube channel that also explain some of the basics. You can also consult the APU1 Troubleshooting guide if you’re having trouble.

APU1+Wideband+Datalog

On the back of the APU1 you will find a terminal block with 4x screw terminals. The one closest to the USB port is GND/Common, and the other 3 are for channels 1,2,3 respectively. If you have a wideband O2 with 0-5v outputs, it can be wired up to GND/CH1 and TunerPro can then present the ADC data along with the rest of the datastream when operating in AutoProm mode (this feature unavailable in pass-through mode). Configuring this is a little bit complicated and requires comfort with TunerPro RT, basic algebra and some patience.

This is a nice article written by Charles Woock on how to configure TunerPro RT to digest 0-5v inputs such as the LM1 and LC1. The values can be brought in through the APU1 via the APADC interface.  (Note: newer APU1s have the APADC interface built in as standard equipment) The tutorial explains how to set up the ADS file and render values such as AFR Air Fuel Ratio as part of your GM ALDL data stream.

Here’s the PDF file:

http://static.moates.net/zips/wideband_datalog_tunerpro_lm1.pdf

“First Edition” AutoPROMs

Very early editions of this unit feature a different switch configuration.

These units have a horizontal switch and a vertical switch.

For the horizontal switch, outbound is passthrough mode and inbound is APU1 mode.

The vertical switch has three positions.  It controls the behavior of the datalogging interface, much like the inner switch on newer models. 10k is the up position, open is the middle position, and short (check codes) is the down position.

These units also use a different style cable to connect the APU1 to the vehicle.  We no longer sell this style of cable.

Flash & Burn Screen Shot

Download Flash & Burn here.

Flash & Burn is a software package used with the Burn1 and Burn2 EEPROM burners, as well as the Autoprom (APU1).

Note, many tuning software packages (like CROME and Hondata) can interface with these burners directly making this software not necessary.

The Burn2

The Burn2 has the same features as the Burn1, only smaller and more compact.

The Burn2 is a revolutionary device that was designed with the automotive enthusiast in mind. it supports chips used in our products aimed at ECUs/ECMs from the late 80s and early 90s.

The BURN2 can:

• WRITE SST 27SF512, ATMEL AT29C256 and 29F040 chips.
• READ but NOT WRITE 2732A, 27C128, 27C256 chips (and most other 24/28 pin EPROMs/EEPROMs that can replace one of these chips).
• With a F2A adapter, it can WRITE our F3 EECIV/EECV chip modules.
• With a F2E adapter, READ factory Ford ECMs.
• with a HDR1 adapter, READ factory GM TPI ECMs that would use a G1 chip adapter .

As you can see, it is designed to comprehensively work with our products but it is NOT a general purpose EPROM programmer.  If you require programming chips outside these specifications, you probably should look at another product.

How to Buy

Visit this item’s page in our online store here

Software

This device can be used directly from TunerPro RT, EEC Editor, Binary Editor software packages as well as the Flash-n-Burn dedicated programmer software.

Chris Handwerker was kind enough to write a utility for using the BURN2 under Linux.  Thanks for sharing with us!

The Burn1 is a revolutionary device that was designed with the automotive enthusiast in mind. it supports chips used in our products aimed at ECUs/ECMs from the late 80s and early 90s.

The BURN1 can:

• WRITE SST 27SF512, ATMEL AT29C256 and 29F040 chips.
• READ but NOT WRITE 2732A, 27C128, 27C256 chips (and most other 24/28 pin EPROMs/EEPROMs that can replace one of these chips).
• With a F2A adapter, it can WRITE our F3 EECIV/EECV chip modules.
• With a F2E adapter, READ factory Ford ECMs.
• with a HDR1 adapter, READ factory GM TPI ECMs that would use a G1 chip adapter .

As you can see, it is designed to comprehensively work with our products but it is NOT a general purpose EPROM programmer.  If you require programming chips outside these specifications, you probably should look at another product.

Before the Burn1 was developed, there were only a handful of chip burners known to be compatible with these chips. These burners were usually not cost-effective, used outdated PC interfaces like a parallel Printer port. They also required external power supplies, so forget burning on the fly. Examples include the $160 Pocket Programmer II.

The Burn1 was revolutionary with its simple USB interface that provided all power to the unit. An internal DC voltage step-up circuit is used to provide the high erase voltage required on certain chips.

The latest generation of the Burn1 is the Burn2. It has the same same command set and features as the Burn1 but has a smaller size.

How to Buy

This product has been replace with the Burn2. Please visit the Burn2’s page on our webstore here