Help Reprogramming Legacy PSoC via ISSP (CY8C26443)

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Anonymous
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Is there any way available commercially to reprogram the CY8C26443 in-situ using the ISSP protocol? Our product is expected to have a lifetime of 20+ years and we regularly receive them back from the field for recalibration, expecting to be able to upgrade their firmware to enhance reliability etc. However, it appears that Cypress does not sell a product that will do this. I have previously asked this question to Cypress both directly and via one of my suppliers' FAAs and have been told that Cypress could not suggest a solution.

   

The Miniprogs have never supported this chip family, even though it uses the ISSP protocol. Our old ISSP box will program them, but there's no up-to-date PC software for it and newer versions of Windows have some sort of problem with the USB the Cypress ISSP software.

   

Any advice much appreciated

   

Simon M

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3 Replies
SampathS_11
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250 sign-ins 250 solutions authored 5 questions asked

Hello Simon,

   

I request you to kindly look into third party programmers for CY8C26443. I am providing you the following links:

   

Dataman

   

​Futurlec

   

​Elnec

   

​RPM Systems

   

I hope you would be able to choose a programmer from the above list, or probably you may be having one of the above in your inventory.

   

Sampath

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Anonymous
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Thank you, Sampath!

   

I have ordered a Dataman because I can get one from a local supplier on my trade account. I looked hard for a third-party device before I posted my question but searches on the chip part number didn't find any of these programmers. Now I can get rid of the obsolete PC and ISSP.

   

Cheers, Simon M

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Anonymous
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In case anyone else finds themselves in the same situation:

I designed a product using the CY8C26443 which Cypress withdrew some years later and no longer offers solutions for maintenance program development nor an ISSP-compatible programming device that can load the program. We updated the design to use Cypress's recommended replacement device, CY8C29466 which is still in production. Our service department routinely receives this product back for checking and recalibration and we want to update the firmware because the latest version has performance and reliability improvements.

For this reason, I ended up buying a Dataman 40Pro because it can program the CY8C26443 using ISSP. All was well until our service team tried to use it to program the CY8C29466 as well. This device is on the compatibility list but the Dataman will not program it and Dataman wants $$$ to do an upgrade plus an extra $ per device to use it. Cheaper to buy some more Miniprogs!

Dataman's technical people think that Power Cycle programming is a superior universal solution for ISSP (even if products were designed to use XRES which I believe remains Cypress's recommendation. My board has a complex power supply and is not suited to the Power Cycle method. The device compatibility list does not make this situation clear; some Cypress devices are listed with a "+XRES". However the CY8C26443 does not have a "+XRES" but the connection data sheet that Dataman provides clearly shows it is using XRES. The connection data sheet for the CY8C29466 shows no XRES but indicates a Power Cycle interface.

Worse, it seems that the Dataman 40Pro does provide an XRES programming mode for CY8C29666, which is the 48-pin "big brother" to the CY8C29466 and uses precisely the same programming parameters.

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