[LinuxBIOS] Nifty device for SPI chips

[Bari Ari]

Richard Smith wrote:
> I just got back from an extended stay in Asia and while I was there was 
> introduced to a nifty little device for SPI flash chips.  When the mfgs 
> all switch to SPI it may actually be much easier to deal with non-socket 
> flashes.
> 
> http://www.dediprog.com/product.php?UID=12
> 
> $275 US gets you a programmer + the hardware to hook it up to your board.
> 
> The way it works is by asserting the HOLD pin on the SPI flash which 
> almost all SPI flash parts have.  So the flash thats soldered on board 
> is suspended and you boot from the one in the adapter.
> 
> The only requirement is to have the HOLD pin pulled up via a resistor 
> rather than tied directly to the SPI part's Vcc.  Even if it is tied 
> directly to Vcc working around it would only involve cutting a single 
> trace or lifting the HOLD pin.
> 
This is what I started working on with the PLAICE project 
http://flash-plaice.wikispaces.com. Looks like about the same features 
only we add a logic analyzer to the mix for under $200.

-Bari