Tag-Connect TC2050 plug-of-nails™ cable being inserted into PCB
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The Greenest Connector!
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Save Cost & Space on EVERY Board!
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No Header - No Brainer!
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Tag-Connect™ Solutions for Debuggers & Programmers

Read more about how Tag-Connect Saves you Money on Every PCB!


Segger J-LINK Cable Selection & Installation

Using Tag-Connect with Segger J-LINK Debuggers

J-LINK is a USB powered JTAG emulator supporting a large number of CPU cores. This also applies to similar debuggers that support the traditional ARM 20-pin 0.1″ connection.

Tag-Connect™ replacement debug/programming cables save cost and space on every board!

We offer two solutions for using Tag-Connect Plug-of-Nails(tm) cables with J-LINK debugger:
1. Full traditional JTAG using our TC2050-ARM2010 adapter TC2050-IDC 10-pin Plug-of-Nails(tm) cables. This is compatible with all ARM processors.
2. A smaller footprint solution for Cortex processors using the SWD (Serial Wire Debug) JTAG interface  ARM20-CTX and the TC2030-IDC cable.

Both solutions are similar in that they use a 20-pin to Tag-Connect adapter. However, the Full Traditional JTAG also allows you to optionally power the target from the debugger and provides access to all of the signals provided by the traditional 20-pin ARM 0.1″ connection whereas the SWD (Serial Wire Debug) solution only supplies access to the signals used by the SWD protocol.

Segger J-Link with TC2050-IDC cable and TC2050-ARM2010 adapter

Full Traditional JTAG using TC2050 and TC2050-ARM2010 adapter

The above picture shows the Segger J-LINK(tm) programmer, the TC2050-ARM2010 adapter and our TC2050-IDC legged Plug-of-Nails(tm) cable. The adapter also works with the TC2050-IDC-NL (No Legs) cable.

Segger J-Link with TC2050-ARM2010 adapter and TC2050-IDC cable

Connect the TC2050-ARM2010 to the J-LINK and connect the TC2050-IDC cable to the adapter.

Both “legged” and “no-legs” cables come in the standard 8″ cable length.
The TC2050-IDC-NL “no legs” cable will require the TC2050-CLIP if you require a hands-free solution while debugging.

Check out the data sheets:

Solutions

PCB connectorDebug ConnectorItems (Click items for details)PriceQtyBuy
ARM20 to 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - No Legs
Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs10 pin target connector
PCB End: 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No LegsDebug End: 20 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
The TC2050-ARM2010 is a Tag-Connect adapter board allowing our TC2050-IDC cables to be used for ARM JTAG and ARM SWD (Serial Wire Debug) applications. Although intended for use with our patented TC2050-IDC Plug-of-Nails™ Cables, the adapter may be useful to people wishing to use 10-pin 0.1" ribbon headers on their PCB. Picture shows Segger JLINK, an TC2050-ARM2010 adapter pcb and a TC2050-IDC cable. For Lauterbach programmers/debuggers with 20-pin 0.1″ female IDC connector, please see the alternative TC2050-ARM2010-M adapter instead. Note: Adapter only supplied, debugger and cable not included!

Datasheet

TC2050-ARM2010 adapter for ARM JTAG & SWD1 x TC2050-ARM2010 ARM 20-pin to TC2050 Adapter
Tag-Connect's TC2050-IDC-NL "No Legs" Plug-of-Nails™ programming cable is a 10-conductor cable fitted with a spring-pin Tag-Connector that conveniently plugs directly into your PCB and terminates in a 0.1" ribbon connector.
  • Plugs straight to your PCB - No mating connector or header required!
  • Requires only a tiny 0.03" footprint of pads and locating holes in your PCB.
  • Zero Cost Per Board!
  • Tiny Footprint!
  • High-Reliability Spring-Pins make a Secure Connection and are rated for over 100,000 operations.
  • Footprint has no height and can reduce the size and space requirements of your PCB.
  • A great way to make test and debug signals available at no cost and with minimal board space.
  • Can be retained in place using a TC2050-CLIP board.
Tag-Connect cables provide a simple, reliable means of connecting Debuggers and Programmers or other test equipment to your PCB's while lowering board costs and facilitating efficient production programming. Tag-Connect uses a specially designed (Patent Pending) connector which eliminates the need for putting a programming header or other mating connector on every PCB. Instead, Tag-Connect uses tried and tested spring-pins rated for over 100,000 operations to make a secure connection to a special footprint pattern of pads and locating holes in your PCB. The tiny  "No Legs" footprint takes only 0.03 square inches (about the same board space as a couple of SMT resistors) which means you can locate the footprint right next to the MCU if desired. This 10-conductor cable has a TC2050-NL Tag-Connector on one end and a standard 0.1" ribbon connector on the other and is suitable for use with most many MCUs / FPGAs and JTAG programming and debug operations. A growing range of adaptors are available for specific and generic applications such as Xilinx SPARTAN and VERTEX FPGAs, TI MSP430 (TC2050-IDC-430), etc Also available in self-retaining "legged" version TC2050-IDC.

Datasheet

TC2050 10-pin Plug-of-Nails™ to 10-pin IDC1 x TC2050-IDC-NL 10-Pin No-Legs Cable with Ribbon connector.
This product is intended to temporarily hold a TC2050-NL cable in place on a PCB. The solution will help when board space is premium and you need to perform a hands-free programming or debugging operation. For a more robust and convenient debugging connection consider using the TC2050 legged cable and footprint. Supplied as pack of 3. We recommend keeping a few spare of these since they are easily misplaced when working on the desktop. Over time they may lose some grip.
TC2050-CLIP-3PACK retainer for TC2050 connectors1 x TC2050-CLIP-3PACK Retaining CLIP board for TC2050-NL cables - 3 Pack
Include this item
Price: $86.95 Qty: Buy
ARM20 to 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - With Legs
Plug-of-Nails™ Legged10 pin target connector
PCB End: 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ LeggedDebug End: 20 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
The TC2050-ARM2010 is a Tag-Connect adapter board allowing our TC2050-IDC cables to be used for ARM JTAG and ARM SWD (Serial Wire Debug) applications. Although intended for use with our patented TC2050-IDC Plug-of-Nails™ Cables, the adapter may be useful to people wishing to use 10-pin 0.1" ribbon headers on their PCB. Picture shows Segger JLINK, an TC2050-ARM2010 adapter pcb and a TC2050-IDC cable. For Lauterbach programmers/debuggers with 20-pin 0.1″ female IDC connector, please see the alternative TC2050-ARM2010-M adapter instead. Note: Adapter only supplied, debugger and cable not included!

Datasheet

TC2050-ARM2010 adapter for ARM JTAG & SWD1 x TC2050-ARM2010 ARM 20-pin to TC2050 Adapter
Tag-Connect's TC2050-IDC "Legged" Plug-of-Nails™ programming cable is a 10-conductor cable fitted with a spring-pin Tag-Connector that conveniently plugs directly into your PCB and terminates in a 0.1" ribbon connector.
  • Plugs straight to your PCB - No mating connector or header required!
  • Requires only a tiny footprint of pads and locating holes in your PCB.
  • Zero Cost Per Board!
  • Tiny Footprint!
  • High-Reliability Spring-Pins make a Secure Connection and are rated for over 100,000 operations.
  • Footprint has no height and can reduce the size and space requirements of your PCB.
  • A great way to make test and debug signals available at no cost and with minimal board space.
Tag-Connect cables provide a simple, reliable means of connecting Debuggers and Programmers or other test equipment to your PCB's while lowering board costs and facilitating efficient production programming. Tag-Connect uses a specially designed (Patent Pending) connector which eliminates the need for putting a programming header or other mating connector on every PCB. Instead, Tag-Connect uses tried and tested spring-pins rated for over 100,000 operations to make a secure connection to a special footprint pattern of pads and locating holes in your PCB. The legged version footprint takes about the same board space as two or three SMT resistors which means you can locate the footprint right next to the MCU if desired. This 10-conductor cable has a TC2050 Tag-Connector on one end and a standard 0.1" ribbon connector on the other and is suitable for use with most many MCUs / FPGAs and JTAG programming and debug operations. A growing range of adaptors are available for specific and generic applications such as Xilinx SPARTAN and VERTEX FPGAs, TI MSP430 (TC2050-IDC-430), etc See also TC2050-IDC-NL (no-legs) version with a tiny 0.03” footprint.

Datasheet

TC2050-IDC debug/programming cable1 x TC2050-IDC - Tag-Connect 2050 IDC
Price: $68.95 Qty: Buy


ARM20-CTX Solution for Cortex Processors using SWD

Seger J-Link with Tag-Connect TC2030-IDC cable and ARM20-CTX adapter

Connect the ARM20-CTX to the debugger.

Segger J-Link with ARM20-CTX and TC2030-IDC 6 pin cable installed

Attach the TC2030-IDC cable to the ARM20-CTX and you can begin debugging!

Both “legged” and “no-leg” cables come in the standard 6″ length.
The TC2030-IDC-NL will require the TC2030-CLIP if you want a hands-free solution while debugging.

Check out the data sheets:

Solutions

PCB connectorDebug ConnectorItems (Click items for details)PriceQtyBuy
ARM20 to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - With Legs
Plug-of-Nails™ Legged6 pin target connector
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ LeggedDebug End: 20 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
The Tag-Connect ARM20-CTX adapter board allows our TC2030-IDC cables to be used for ARM SWD (Serial Wire Debug) applications. Although intended for use with our patented TC2030-IDC (and TC2030-IDC-NL) Plug-of-Nails™ Cables, the adapter may also be useful to people wishing to use 6-pin 0.1" ribbon headers on their PCB instead of the traditional 20-Pin header. For Lauterbach programmers/debuggers with 20-pin 0.1" female IDC connector, please see the alternative ARM20-CTX-M adapter. Note: Adapter only supplied. The TC2030-IDC or TC2030-IDC-NL cable is purchased separately, the cables and Segger JLINK seen in the pictures are not included!

Datasheet

ARM Cortex adapter to 6 pin plug-of-nails for ARM SWD1 x ARM20-CTX 20-Pin to TC2030-IDC Adapter for Cortex
The TC2030-IDC is our "Legged" 6-pin Plug-of-Nails™ programming cable fitted with a 6-pin 0.1" pitch ribbon connector. The "Legged" or "With Legs" versions of our cables snap directly into a tiny footprint of holes and pads in your PCB. By eliminating the need for a mating header component, you not only save PCB space but also cost on every board! See TC2030-IDC-NL for the "No Legs" version which has an even smaller footprint of about the size of an 0805 SMT resistor. Popular applications include programming Atmel AVR, many Renesas MCU's (when used with our TC-Renesas E1 / E8a adapter) and Zilog. Also great for bringing our SPI / IIC / RS232 and test signal access. Also available in 10" lengths (TC2030-IDC-10). Contact us for 36" length versions of these cables.

Datasheet

TC2030-IDC 6-pin plug-of-nails to IDC programming/debug cable with small pcb footprint1 x TC2030-IDC 6-Pin Tag-Connect Plug-of-Nails™ Spring-Pin Cable with Legs
Price: $63.90 Qty: Buy
ARM20 to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - No Legs
Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs6 pin target connector
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No LegsDebug End: 20 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
The Tag-Connect ARM20-CTX adapter board allows our TC2030-IDC cables to be used for ARM SWD (Serial Wire Debug) applications. Although intended for use with our patented TC2030-IDC (and TC2030-IDC-NL) Plug-of-Nails™ Cables, the adapter may also be useful to people wishing to use 6-pin 0.1" ribbon headers on their PCB instead of the traditional 20-Pin header. For Lauterbach programmers/debuggers with 20-pin 0.1" female IDC connector, please see the alternative ARM20-CTX-M adapter. Note: Adapter only supplied. The TC2030-IDC or TC2030-IDC-NL cable is purchased separately, the cables and Segger JLINK seen in the pictures are not included!

Datasheet

ARM Cortex adapter to 6 pin plug-of-nails for ARM SWD1 x ARM20-CTX 20-Pin to TC2030-IDC Adapter for Cortex
The TC2030-IDC-NL is our "No Legs" 6-pin Plug-of-Nails™ programming cable fitted with a 6-pin 0.1" pitch ribbon connector. With its tiny 0.02 sq inch footprint the TC2030 Tag-Connector has a footprint using about the same PCB space as an 0805 resistor. The "No Legs" versions of our cables are designed to be held in place by hand for a fast programming operation or can be temporarily retained in place for debugging when used with our TC2030-CLIP boards. See TC2030-IDC for the "Legged" version which has four additional feet which hold it securely in place on the PCB for debugging or programming use. Popular applications include programming Atmel AVR, many Renesas MCU's (when used with our TC-Renesas E1 / E8a adapter) and Zilog. Also great for bringing our SPI / IIC / RS232 and test signal access. Also available in 10"/254mm lengths (TC2030-IDC-NL-10). Contact us for 36" length versions of these cables.

Datasheet

TC2030-IDC-NL 6-pin plug-of-nails to IDC debug/programming cable with small PCB footprint1 x TC2030-IDC-NL
This product is intended to temporarily hold a TC2030 -NL ("No Legs") cable in place on a PCB. This solution will help when board space is at a premium and you need a hands free solution for debugging. Supplied as pack of 3. We recommend keeping a few spare of these since the tiny boards are easy to misplace when working on the bench. For a more robust solution consider a TC2030 legged cable.
TC2030-CLIP-3PACK retaining clips for TC20301 x TC2030-CLIP-3PACK Retaining CLIP board for TC2030-NL cables - 3 Pack
Include this item
Price: $81.90 Qty: Buy