I would like to know if the MOLEX connector has the same pin spacing as a standard breadboard/arduino pro mini.

If it does then I am ordering 3 of them.
a) One (1) for standard/intended use b) Two (2) boards being re-purposed for use with an FTDI connector for programming arduino pro minis.

Please let me know if this is the wrong way to re-purpose the boards to make a pogo interface between an FTDI serial interface & an arduino pro mini. Biggest pain here is my lack of a drill-press.

  a) I need two (2) boards, one for the top, one for the bottom.  I will be throwing away the small board that gets snapped off, as well as the extra spacers an the extra molex connector.

  b) I use a 0.040" drill bit to widen the holes where the molex connector was originally intended to be attached.  I do this for both boards. (can it be done manually, or do I need a power drill)

   c) I use the "tape trick" on the top board (see assembly instructions) to serve as a stopper for the pogo pins.  I then assemble the top and bottom boards using the 3/8" plastic standoffs with screws.  If necessary, as a source of temporary stability, place another 3/8" spacer near the spot where the pogo pins will be placed to act as a temporary support.

   d) now I insert the pogo pins and solder them in place on the bottom board.

   e) now I remove the tape and solder the pogo pins to the top board.  Remove any temporary spacers.

   f) now I connect my cable assembly however I see fit.  This is the one that plugs into my FTDI device

   g) program arduino pro mini.

Please let me know if this is the right way to make an FTDI pogo interface for an arduino pro mini.

Suggestion: sell the kit without the PCB. eg. I have a … special… piece of hardware that needs a different layout of pogo pins but still 6 pins AVR. I just ordered a modified version of the PCB from osh park and then tried to just order the 6-pin (2x3) header, standoffs, pogo pins and screws, but that combination was more expensive than the kit, so i got one of these kits, but it’ll be half wasted because i dont need the molex things or the jst thing or the pcb…

This definitely beats my “extra-long pins in a 6-pin IDC connector & hope it works” solution. I’d love to see an FTDI version of this for the Pro Mini and similar boards, too.

Best product ever. EVER. Buying two right now.

Hmm… Too bad SparkFun doesn’t carry the 2x3 ISP cable with this or by itself…

OK, got it, built it, now how to I use it to reprogram a LilyTiny?

For those that want another solution or need a different pin configuration, you can just use a 0.040 drill bit to drill out a standard female IDC connector (6pin, 10pin, inline, etc. - whatever ISP footprint you use there is a connector with the right pattern assuming a 0.1" spacing) and then press the pogo pins in. This is a 15 minute project assuming you have the cable you want to modify and including time to find your tools and put them away.

I used the bit in a pin vise and just turned it by hand. You can feel when the bit hits the metal contacts. Very little plastic is removed and you may be able to skip the drilling step. Drilling made pressing the pins in easier and they are held very tightly. You may need to bend them a bit afterward to get them nice and straight but it is really easy. I also used polymorph to make a nice comfy finger pad for pressing the new connector onto the board. If you are using a non-standard spacing then you can bend the pins to, e.g., the smaller footprint. Here are some pictures of one I made tonight.

Picture Album

This video should be on the product links! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZCB-krwbAk

good idea, I had made one of these handmade

http://fernandezajp.blogspot.com/2013/03/llaves-electronicas-usb.html

Heh. i built myself a pogo isp header last year using some of your pogo-pins and a pair of ISP Breakout/converter boards. i made it to upgrade the firmware of the large serial LCD screen backpack which really needed the upgrade (was not one of the better works). its nice to see a old idea made into a kit. i still use mine to save on header pins…i go trough them like crazy!

awesome that you are carrying a kit for those.that haven’t tought of it. its very easy to make a pogo header by using 2 PCBs for allignement which you do.

Good product idea but the holes for the pogo pin on the PCB is too big. Its making pins out of alignment. Can you please make the holes smaller on the next revision.

Tag Connect is a much more compact solution IMHO, and they come in JTAG flavors too. We’ve been using them for a few years now, and they work great. Maybe SFE should consider carrying them… http://www.tag-connect.com/

Ok, 10 bucks more is the price to bring back to live my LilyTiny without getting crazy. Anyway, nice longterm solution. Complete set of usage options.

This is a great way to program boards with no additional cost per PCB. I’ve been doing this on my own boards for a few years, and it works great. My adapter board uses the standard ISP header as input, and spits-out the pogos in the same arrangement : http://bitpuppy.com/Bitpuppy.Bed.of.Nails.ISP.Programming.Adapter.htm

Did you guys get the idea for this from the guy who made LED cards for his wedding?

Nice! There’s been various questions in the past about how to reprogram a particular board, which usually leads to pointing out the ISP pins and then explanations of how you might hook something up to them (especially when it should be a temporary connection) - this will be a great product to link to.