Non-volatile, programmable memory was an important component of many microcomputer systems. The Ithaca InterSystems EPROM Emulator provided a way to develop and test programs to be burnt into EPROMs without requiring the time, cost, and effort of reburning each iteration of the program. The Emulator supported this facility conveniently and at reasonable cost.

Without an EPROM Emulator, proposed EPROM software had to be burned into an appropriate EPROM, the EPROM inserted in a system board, and the EPROM software tested. If there is an error in the software, the EPROM must be erased, reburned, and retested.

Using the EPROM Emulator, software was written into the Emulator RAM, then routed to the EPROM location (via one or two connector cables) for testing. Any software errors can be easily corrected. When the software is completely debugged, it could then be burned into ROM.

This page was last modified on 10/25/2013