A two-penny programming header.

Well, there is the initial cost of the adapter/cable – but after that you’re talking ‘pennies’ to include a durable programming header on your PCBs. In the world of ever-shrinking prototypes, TAG Connect is an incredible find!

The adapter / cable consists of three fixed (steel-color) pins to help with registration… and six gold-plated spring loaded pogo-ish pins in the middle.

Why is the 0805 resistor footprint the focal point in this image? To give you an idea of how incredibly small the 6-pin no-legs landing is.

Need two hands free whilst you code the night fantastic… they’ve got you covered with this teeny tiny retaining clip.

Insert the programming cable as before, then fasten the retaining clip onto the exposed fixed-legs on the other side of the board.

If you’ve implemented your landing footprint per-spec (read the docs carefully) there should be little chance of bridging contacts, blue smoke, or sparks.

Depending on your style of development, you might want to take a look at the ‘legged’ version of the adapter/cable as well.

TAG Connect features six, ten, and fourteen pin solutions… and works well with Microchip, AVR, TI, and more. Hit up their website for more information and sample footprints for just about every kind of CAD app you can imagine. If they don’t have what you’re looking for… make it for them and score some freebie goodness!