Published August 8, 2018 © CC BY-NC-SA

Pogo Pin Programmer for the HCC Module

If you are designing a small board and you're looking for a way to program it without taking up a lot of space, try making a pogo pin jig!

BeginnerShowcase (no instructions)1 hour909

Things used in this project

Hardware components

01 x 05 Pin Header

Pogo Spring Pin

02 x 05 Box Header for Atmel ICE

Button

3D Printed Jig

Atmel Ice Basic Kit

Trinket M0

Hand tools and fabrication machines

3D Printer (generic)

Soldering iron (generic)

Story

BOOT COMMANDER

While this project is specifically design to program a bootloader for the HCC Module. The basic principle can be applied to a number of different applications and projects. If you're going to be making your own HCC Modules, you can follow it directly and it will work exactly as the video shows. If you're going to make your own pogo pin programmer, you can follow how this was created, and customize the designs for your own application.

The HCC Module is currently on Kickstarter, click here to check it out!

First watch the video on the construction and use of the pogo pin programmer.

The basic idea of the programmer is to add test pads to your custom circuit board, and then mirror those pads to your programmer board as pogo pins.

You will then use those pogo pins to make contact with the test pads, allowing an electrical connection. You will need an alignment jig to make sure the pads align with the pins, that is the 3D printed part.

For the HCC Module you can download the STL file of the alignment jig on Thingiverse.

The reason I used an Adafruit Trinket is for the power regulation and to have a way to control the computer that will be programming it. The 3 buttons can be programmed as keyboard or mouse inputs which will allow it to press the program button(and do other things). The program, gerb and Kicad design files, and everything else can be found on the GitHub.

https://github.com/IdleHandsProject/samd_hcc_mod/tree/master/demo_boards/programmer_hcc

If you want to recreate this project you can get the PCBs (and files) from PCBWay here: https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/HCC_Module_Bootloader_Jig.html

I also did a live stream during the creation of the bootloader programming board(which is called the BOOT COMMANDER). It's long, but goes through the creation process of how it was made. The design changed a little since then, simplified it so it requires less parts.

I'm hoping this will give you another layer of knowledge in your project creation process. Sometimes a project is just too small tiny to fit a programming header, or you just don't want one on it. If that is the case, you'll need to make something like this.

Remember, these projects are open source! You're welcome to recreate these project yourself, for free! With that said, if you would like to support me and my open source projects, you should consider:

Subscribing to my YouTube Channel

Becoming a Patron on Patreon

Or better yet, become a backer on the Kickstarter!

All these things allow me to keep creating new projects!

Schematics

Code

Button Firmware for Trinket

/*
  Button Control for the HCC BOOT COMMANDER 

  For programming the Bootloader on the HCC Module.
  Get the HCC Module on Kickstarter Now! http://bit.ly/hccmodule

  Created by Sean Hodgins with Creative Commons License CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0
  Check out my YouTube Channel for more projects! http://youtube.com/seanhodginsfilms
*/

#include "Mouse.h"

// set pin numbers for the three buttons:

const int leftButton = 0;
const int middleButton = 1;
const int rightButton = 2;


int responseDelay = 10;     // response delay of the mouse, in ms


void setup() {

  pinMode(leftButton, INPUT_PULLUP);

  Mouse.begin();
}

void loop() {

  int clickState = digitalRead(leftButton);


  if (clickState == LOW) {
    if (!Mouse.isPressed(MOUSE_LEFT)) {
      Mouse.press(MOUSE_LEFT);
    }
  }
  else {
    if (Mouse.isPressed(MOUSE_LEFT)) {
      Mouse.release(MOUSE_LEFT);
    }
  }

  delay(responseDelay);
}

Credits

Sean Hodgins

22 projects • 94 followers

Just a maker who likes making.

Pogo Pin Programmer for the HCC Module

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

Custom parts and enclosures

Alignment Jig

Schematics

HCC Module on Github

Code

Button Firmware for Trinket

HCC Module Bootloader Programmer

Credits

Sean Hodgins

Comments

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Pogo Pin Programmer for the HCC Module

Pogo Pin Programmer for the HCC Module

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

Custom parts and enclosures

Alignment Jig

Schematics

HCC Module on Github

Code

Button Firmware for Trinket

HCC Module Bootloader Programmer

Credits

Sean Hodgins

Comments

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