Flash Destroyer Used for Testing EEPROM Memory

Overview

The quality of EEPROMs is tested in this project by allowing the Flash Destroyer device to write and verify an EEPROM memory until it reaches failure.

Details

The design of the device includes 7-segment displays which shows the time the memory is written. A flash memory can be written a million times according to manufacturers and this device is responsible for pushing the flash memory to its limits. The limit is explored by the Flash Destroyer by writing and verifying with a rate of 1 million writes until the chip burns out. The current top speed to complete 1 million writes is about 22 hours or 736 cycles per minute. Several alternative firmwares with different write speeds are available on the Flash Destroyer which can be loaded via USB.

An EEPROM is filled with values by a PIC18F2550 microcontroller then the content is verified. It adds one to the counter display for each successful write-verify cycle. The writing stops and the number of successful write-cycle is displayed when the EEPROM starts having read verification errors. The 5V power supply runs the EEPROM and a 0.1uF decoupling capacitor is required on power pin.