This is a work in progress.
I am currently working on a second revision of the TC2050 connector. Until I am able to test the new revision, I'll leave the assembly guide and notes on Rev1.0 below.
If you want to use Rev1.1 (same as Rev1.0, but with pin headers), use the release tag on the right. (I'd recommend to wait for Rev2.0)
Want to use the TagConnect connector for flashing and debugging on your PCB, but don't have a TC2050 cable, nor a compatible debug device (like a JLink)?
That's exactly the issue I ran into. Therefore I designed a connector usable with the TagConnect TC2050 footprint. (I plan to use this connector with a Pico flasher.)
(a TagConnect TC2050 footprint with SWD on one of my PCBs)
Starting with Rev2.0 both SWD and JTAG pinouts are supported. If you plan to use a TagConnect TC2050 in your project, the symbols, footprint and 3D model can be found in Symbols/TC2050/.
With Rev2.0 there are both versions, with and without legs, that clip the connector to the target PCB.
(legless version)
(legged version)
Additionally, for those who happen to have a Segger JLink, there is also a breakout board. This makes connecting the DIYTC2050 and other SWD / JTAG debug devices less of a pain.
The 13 pogo-pins are soldered onto a tiny PCB. The outer pogo-pins are for orientating the connector correctly. The connector can be connected to your debugger via jumper cables, using the pin sockets on the top. Every connection, for both SWD and JTAG is clearly labeled.
The 3D printed case acts as a guide for the pogo pins and inserts into the target PCB's TC2050 footprint, just like the real connector.
- a 3D printer for printing the case and the soldering helper (0.2mm nozzle or SLA printer recommended) - the models can be found in
3D-Model/ - the connector PCB (gerber files for JLCPCB in
Gerber/DIYTC2050_JLCPCB.zip- KiCad files inDIYTC2050/) - 13x P50-B1 pogo pins (0.68mm diameter, 16mm length) (Amazon)
- 2x Pin Socket, with 4 pins and a 2.54mm pitch
- the breakout PCB (gerber files for JLCPCB in
Gerber/JLink_BreakOutBoard_JLCPCB.zip- KiCad files inJLink_BreakOutBoard/) - 1x Pin Socket, with 11 pins and a 2.54mm pitch
- 1x Pin Socket horizontal, with 2 rows, 10 pins each, and a 2.54mm pitch
Assembly for Rev2.0 will be published as soon as I receive the PCBs and find some time to do a proper write-up.
- Insert the pogo pins (with the spring part facing down) into the soldering spacer
- Put the PCB onto the soldering spacer and solder the pins to the pcb
- Solder your debug wires to the PCB
- Insert the threaded insert into the connector housing
- Screw the PCB onto the housing
A few notes before I describe my assembly journey:
Printing the housing and the spacer with a 0.4mm nozzle did not work great. Even after adjusting slicer settings the holes for the pogo pins were clogged. To fix this I printed it with a 0.2mm nozzle (with PLA). I reckon a SLA printer would work as well. I will probably get rid of the legs as well as they are very fragile, but we will see.
Making the holes in the PCB large enough for soldering the cables directly to it it probably not the way to go. I will rework this PCB soon to feature a pin header, where one can connect jumper cables.
I assembled the connector, as described in Assembly. Here is how it went:
First things first, I soldered the pogo pins to the PCB using the spacer. This worked great. The spacer melted in the process, as it was printed with PLA. Make sure to remove the spacer from the pins while they are still hot, otherwise you may not be able to easily remove it.
After that I inserted the heat insert into the housing. Make sure to not melt the housing. I luckily was able to bend it back into shape before it cooled down. Therefore the damage wasn't that bad.
After screwing the PCB to the housing, I decided it would be nicer to solder pin headers to it, instead of directly soldering the cables onto it. Therefore it looks a bit scuffed^^
