Downloading program from Microcontroller

[busarider29]

Last time I did anything with micros, I was in college, so a very long time ago....

We have a machine that was built by a machine builder that we are no longer associated with. It is PC controlled and it appears that microcontrollers (I do not know what model # micro), maybe 8051 or 8052 are used? Obviously programs can be written and downloaded to the controller but my question is can the program that is on the microcontroller currently, be uploaded from the micro to programming software to be edited? The program that is on the controller cannot be lost or we then have a dead machine. From my experience years ago, I thought one could write and download to the micro but you couldn't upload from it, or is that incorrect?

Also, what software will I need to interface (program, download, etc) to the microcontroller, if its say an 8052 or 8052.

Thank you

 

[andre_luis]

Obviously programs can be written and downloaded to the controller but my question is can the program that is on the microcontroller currently, be uploaded from the micro to programming software to be edited?

If the microcontroller in question has external memory, Yes, by using appropriate reader you can get its content and convert the binary saved file to the correspondent Assembly language. However, what you will find is just a text file with tons of instructions with no comments which could provide some meaning to each part of the code.

I presume you are concerning to a situation similar to that I had experienced many years ago: A product whose documentation did not existed anymore, and in the lack of support we had to make few changes at some parameters, but solely limited to that. Keep in mind that doing something like this at product of others certainly involves issues related to intellectual property.