
3D printing a programming jig and embedding pogo pins - ecesena
https://conorpp.com/3d-printing-a-programming-jig-and-embedding-pogo-pins-using-eagle-and-fusion-360
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eltoozero
Cool post, but an expensive SLA Printer is not required for this, neither is
Fusion 360.

An OSS toolchain would be a reprap FDM Printer (like a Prusa), OpenSCAD for
the design, so modules like the pogo cutout and the base structure can be
easily and quickly reused in other projects, and then a Slicer program like
Slic3r to turn the model into g-code.

Nothing against SLA: especially now that Prusa has the SL1 coming to market
with good features at a sub-$1,500 price point, things are about to get very
interesting.

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raynr
I think regular FDM printers may have problems with the fine detail required
for some pogo pins. I know mine can't quite reliably get holes <2mm in
diameter, for instance. I guess you could use a smaller diameter nozzle.

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Doxin
> mine can't quite reliably get holes <2mm in diameter

A great trick for small holes on a FDM printer is to not print them circular
but square or triangular. You'd be surprised how small you can get fairly
accurate holes.

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joezydeco
I'm starting to put support for Tag Connect in my PCBs. This is a really
simple and elegant way to pogo into a board without having to build a clumsy
fixture.

[http://www.tag-connect.com/](http://www.tag-connect.com/)

The cost to add support on a board is literally zero.

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jpm_sd
Tried it, not a fan. I use the 10 pin ARM JTAG pinout on all my boards with a
0.050" 2x5 ribbon header. Works great, very small.

[http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.faqs/attach...](http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.faqs/attached/13634/cortex_debug_connectors.pdf)

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leonardmh
Love that connector, I’d like to see something roughly the same physical size
that can do SWD/JTAG, SPI, UART, and I2C.

Even splitting that across two connectors would be good, maybe SWD+UART AND
SPI+I2C

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bacon_waffle
I've had good luck with making the mechanical parts of the jig from PCBs. It's
just so cheap to get small quantities of boards made now, and you're laying
out the main PCB anyways...

A neat OSS toolchain for this, is KiCAD for the PCB, and FreeCAD for any 3D
mechanical bits required. There's rapidly-improving integration between the
two, so for instance the PCB can be brought in to the 3D space.

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danimal88
Enjoyed the post. We have made a ton of flashing and testing jigs for my
company (flair.co) and I have 3d printed a few but in general, laser cut
acrylic seems to be the most popular route unless you need something more than
a 2D profile. My favorite strategy is to design them in Fusion360 with the
assumption they will be laser cut and then if I don't have access to a laser
cutter and/or material, I can still 3D print. Designing for the lost common
denominator makes this easy/fast/cheap. Pretty much most anything basic on a
laser cutter can be made with a 3D printer if the size isn't too big.

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liamkinne
Being able to use clear acrylic is great because you can see through your jig
to make sure it's lined up

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kees99
On the silkscreen, it appears that TX (transmit) and RX (receive) are
designated backwards.

