oPossum 1,083 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 The eZ430 dongle comes with several dev kits including eZ430-RF2500, eZ430-F2013, the Chronos watch (eZ430-Chronos), and a few others. It is a programmer/debugger (FET - Flash Emulation Tool) and has a UART to allow the target to communicate with the host PC. Be aware that the eZ430 dongle from the F2013 kit does not have the UART - all the others do. It has the 6 pin connector and all the hardware is present, but the firmware is different. It uses a small 6 pin header with 50 mil spacing - half of the common 100 mil headers. The Launchpad has provision for a 6 pin 50 mil header. The purpose of this header on the Launchpad is to allow the target MSP430 to use a RF module. The UART lines are not wired to allow the FET to work with the device attached to the 6 pin header. When a RF module is used, the RXD and TXD jumpers must be removed. Only the target MSP430 can use the serial data pins on the 6 pin header, they can not be used by the FET. The 1.5 revision of the Launchpad changed the FET/Target/RF module wiring. Vcc on the 6 pin connector has moved from the FET side to the target side. The serial lines have been changed to allow the use of target MSP430 with either software or hardware UART. This change also allows the FET to use the serial data pins when the RXD/TXD jumpers are set for hardware UART and no chip is installed in the target socket. Summary: The Launchpad in it's default configuration is not equivalent to an eZ430 dongle - the serial data lines are reversed. This can be changed on rev 1.5 by setting the RXD/TXD jumpers to the hardware UART setting. The Vcc jumper must also be in place. The rev 1.4 would require a "crossover jumper block" to be installed. There must not be a chip installed in the target MSP430 DIP socket (on any revision). MILL-MAX makes 50 mil pin headers. 4 pin male right angle 10u Au: 850-10-004-20-001000 (ROHS) 4 pin male right angle 200u Sn/Pb: 850-90-004-20-001000 4 pin male right angle 200u Sn: 850-40-004-20-001000 (ROHS) 4 pin female right angle Au/Sn-Pb: 851-93-004-20-001000 4 pin female right angle Sn-Pb: 851-99-004-20-001000 4 pin female right angle Au/Sn: 851-43-004-20-001000 (ROHS) 6 pin male right angle 10u Au: 850-10-006-20-001000 (ROHS) 6 pin male right angle 200u Sn/Pb: 850-90-006-20-001000 6 pin male right angle 200u Sn: 850-40-006-20-001000 (ROHS) 6 pin female right angle Au/Sn-Pb: 851-93-006-20-001000 6 pin female right angle Sn-Pb: 851-99-006-20-001000 6 pin female right angle Au/Sn: 851-43-006-20-001000 (ROHS) Searching for these parts with FindChips or Octopart shows that they are rather expensive and not widely available. Does anyone know of a low cost compatible connector? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cde 334 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 1, check your PMs. 2, you be better off ordering a 50pin or high pin length of the size needed, and breaking them off your self. Cheaper in the long run no? oPossum 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fred 453 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I got some 50-pin lengths of 0.05" header on eBay (UK) for a reasonable price. I was doing it the other way round - using my EZ430 USB stick to program a board that had a 0.1" connector. oPossum 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobG 1,892 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 MDFLY has them at a very reasonable price. oPossum 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hlipka 11 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Mill-Max also ships samples (in small quantities). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oPossum 1,083 Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 I am looking for a reliable source for small to medium quantity. For personal use, possibly kits, and a recommendation for others who need that connector. Using samples is not an option. The connectors from MDFLY don't appear to be machined pin and are not right angle, but the price is very good so I will get some and see how they work. The same style connector is what I found on eBay. Searching for 1.27 inch gives many more results than searching for 50 mil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gordon 229 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Searching for 1.27 inch gives many more results than searching for 50 mil. Should probably read "1.27 mm" . oPossum 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oPossum 1,083 Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Oh, yea, stupid mistake. 1.27 mm == 50 mil == 0.05 inch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobG 1,892 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 If it helps, this is how MDFLY's headers look like bluehash 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oPossum 1,083 Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Looks good. How does the socket strip react to bending the pins to right angle? Can the socket pins be pulled out to make cutting easier? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobG 1,892 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Pins are very easy to pull out. You can bend them once, but after straightening them, the next time they break off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kenemon 29 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I made a basic breakout board for the 20 pin rf connectors ti uses for rf. I have a surface mount and a through hole version if anyone is in need. They will work on the evalbot as well as the rf evk's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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