Build the Tool You Need

This is not a project really, just a little board I made as a tool. I got a couple SAMD09 micros from Atmel, which are ARM Cortex M0+ based little guys I thought I'd play with (this was actually quite some time ago). I haven't done a ton with ARM processors and this micro was my way in. Only problems? It's a SOIC package and that programmer cable uses a 0.050" spaced plug.

Now the SOIC package is easy to deal with, you can dead bug it, or get DIP adapter board that'll fit nicely into a breadboard. The cable was the bigger obstacle. Again, it could be dealt with, but setting up the programmer has always kinda annoyed me. You gotta go to the datasheet and find which pins do what for you microcontroller and run the wires individually. And the same goes for your programmer; you gotta find the pinout, and the decide if they're showing you the cable end or the mating end in the diagram. Just a deterrent to getting started on things.

So I just did my own breakout board, with a couple extras: a debug header and a reset switch. That's it, nothing more nothing less. Here's the schematic:

For about $10 I got half dozen PCB's made and shipped to my door. Now whenever I was to use one of these devices, I just pop it in the breadboard and plug in the progarmmer and I'm ready to go.