Atari 2600 PROM Chip Question

[B25Mitch]

What is the designation of blank, single use PROMs compatible with 2600 cart boards, and where could I get them in bulk? Also, what is the most popular PROM writer for burning games? Preferably one that could also burn other 8 and 16 bit chips.

[Wickeycolumbus]

What is the designation of blank, single use PROMs compatible with 2600 cart boards, and where could I get them in bulk? Also, what is the most popular PROM writer for burning games? Preferably one that could also burn other 8 and 16 bit chips.

 

Hi there, welcome. This is a classic question that has been asked many times on these forums, it may benefit you to do some searching.

 

There aren't really any ROM chips I'm aware of that can be dropped directly on a commercial Atari or other PCB. The EPROM that comes closest to the pinout of the the ROMs used in commercial cartridges is the 2532. Any EPROM you use requires an inverter on the chip select line. It isn't common to use 2532 in new cartridges.

 

Most people use 2732 chips for 4K games which would require slightly more modification to a production PCB than a 2532. Larger games require even more extra hardware for bank switching.

 

I use a Batronix programmer that is no longer in production. They plug into a USB port and are very easy to use. The newer models they have now should do you fine, but you could always look to eBay to get a cheap no name programmer. Good luck using the software and getting it to work properly though!

 

http://www.batronix.com/shop/programmer/eprom-programmer.html

[B25Mitch]

Thanks for replying to my noob question. I did some searching, but all I was getting was info about those same EPROMS you spoke of. I just kinda assumed that Atari would have used a super common chip in their cartridges in order to keep cost down, and those chips would still be available somewhere.