Intel Altera USB Blaster Range Cable Selection & Installation
The family of Intel Altera USB Blasters, clones and similar products share the same 10-pin pinout for target board connection. These include the Altera USB Blaster, the Altera USB Blaster II, the Terasic USB Blaster and the Altera Ethernet Blaster. The required Tag-Connect™ solution depends on whether or not the target board connection cable that is supplied with the unit can be unplugged or whether it is hard soldered into the internal circuit board. You may have to open the case of the USB Blaster to check this. The Terasic USB Blaster is an example of where the case can be opened and the existing cable replaced with a Tag-Connect™ cable. Some devices such as the EthernetBlaster II have the connector available on the outside of the case so replacement is even simpler.
If the existing cable can be unplugged and replaced with the Tag-Connect™ cable, this is always the preferred solution. Where this is not possible, the existing cable has to be extended using our ‘M’ version of the required cable which has a male connector that will plug into the female connector of the USB Blaster.
Tag-Connect™ replacement debug/programming cables save cost and space on every board!
We offer 6-pin or 10-pin target board solutions. The 6-pin solution offers Altera JTAG support in a tiny PCB footprint, about the size of an 0805 SMT resistor for the no-legs version. The only slightly bigger 10-pin version will connect all 10 pins of the USB Blaster to the target board.
Solutions where the USB Blaster cable can be replaced
If the cable is connected internally you’ll have to open the case to check if it can be unplugged and replaced. If it can be then use these solutions. If it can’t be, use the alternative solutions below.
6-pin target connector solutions – where existing cable can be replaced
These provide the smallest footprint solutions for Altera JTAG programming/debugging.
Solutions
PCB connector
Debug Connector
Items (Click items for details)
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Intel/Altera USB Blaster to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - No Legs
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs
Debug End: 10 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
The TC2030-ALT-NL cable is a special programming cable that has a TC2030 Tag-Connector at one end and a 10-pin 0.1" pitch female IDC connector at the other. The 10-pin IDC can be plugged directly into some Altera USB Blasters and ByteBlasters.
The cable is wired as follows:
TC2030-NL
10-pin 0.1" IDC
TC2030-ALT-NL Connections
1
4 Vref
2
5 TMS
3
9 TDI
4
1 TCLK
5
2,10 GND
6
3 TDO
Please refer to the TC2030-IDC-NL datasheet for details of the TC2030-NL connector and footprint.
Usually ships in 1-3 days of order, please contact us to check if your need is urgent.
Datasheet (for TC2030-NL connector and footprint details only)
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.
Intel/Altera USB Blaster to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - With Legs
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ Legged
Debug End: 10 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
The TC2030-ALT programming cable is a special cable that has a TC2030 "Legged" Tag-Connector at one end and a 10-pin 0.1" pitch female IDC connector at the other. The 10-pin IDC can be plugged directly into some Altera USB Blasters and ByteBlasters.
The cable is wired as follows:
TC2030-NL
10-pin 0.1" IDC
TC2030-ALT Connections
1
4 Vref
2
5 TMS
3
9 TDI
4
1 TCLK
5
2,10 GND
6
3 TDO
Please refer to the TC2030-IDC datasheet for details of the TC2030 connector and footprint.
Usually ships in 1-3 days of order, please contact us to check if your need is urgent.
Datasheet (for TC2030 connector and footprint details only)
10-pin target connector solutions – where existing cable can be replaced
These connect all 10 pins of the USB Blaster to the target board.
Solutions
PCB connector
Debug Connector
Items (Click items for details)
Price
Qty
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Intel/Altera USB Blaster to 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - With Legs
PCB End: 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ Legged
Debug End: 10 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
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.
Intel/Altera USB Blaster to 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - No Legs
PCB End: 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs
Debug End: 10 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
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.
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.
Solutions where the USB Blaster cable can not be replaced
If the cable is connected internally you’ll have to open the case to check if it can be unplugged and replaced. These solutions should only be used if the existing cable can’t be replaced. If it can be, use the standard solutions above.
6-pin target connector solutions – where existing cable can not be replaced
These provide the smallest footprint solutions for Altera JTAG programming/debugging.
Solutions
PCB connector
Debug Connector
Items (Click items for details)
Price
Qty
Buy
Intel/Altera USB Blaster to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - With Legs (As cable extension)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ Legged
Debug End: 10 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
The TC2030-ALT-M programming cable is a special cable that has a TC2030 "Legged" Tag-Connector at one end and a 10-pin 0.1" pitch male IDC connector at the other. The 10-pin male IDC can be used with Altera USB Blasters and ByteBlasters where the existing cable is not unpluggable. Where the existing cable can be unplugged from a ByteBlaster or USB Blaster, please use the TC2030-ALT cable instead.
The cable is wired as follows:
TC2030-NL
10-pin 0.1" IDC
TC2030-ALT-M Connections
1
4 Vref
2
5 TMS
3
9 TDI
4
1 TCLK
5
2,10 GND
6
3 TDO
Please refer to the TC2030-IDC datasheet for details of the TC2030 connector and footprint.
Usually ships in 1-3 days of order, please contact us to check if your need is urgent.
Datasheet (for TC2030 connector and footprint details only)
Intel/Altera USB Blaster to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - No Legs (As cable extension)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs
Debug End: 10 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
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.
The TC2030-ALT-NL-M programming cable is a special cable that has a TC2030 "No Legs" Tag-Connector at one end and a 10-pin 0.1" pitch male IDC connector at the other. The 10-pin male IDC can be used with Altera USB Blasters and ByteBlasters where the existing cable is not unpluggable. Where the existing cable can be unplugged from a ByteBlaster or USB Blaster, please use the TC2030-ALT-NL cable instead.
The cable is wired as follows:
TC2030-NL
10-pin 0.1" IDC
TC2030-ALT-NL-M Connections
1
4 Vref
2
5 TMS
3
9 TDI
4
1 TCLK
5
2,10 GND
6
3 TDO
Please refer to the TC2030-IDC datasheet for details of the TC2030 connector and footprint.
Usually ships in 1-3 days of order, please contact us to check if your need is urgent.
Datasheet (for TC2030-NL connector and footprint details only)
10-pin target connector solutions – where existing cable can not be replaced
These connect all 10 pins of the USB Blaster to the target board.
Solutions
PCB connector
Debug Connector
Items (Click items for details)
Price
Qty
Buy
Intel/Altera USB Blaster to 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - No Legs (As cable extension)
PCB End: 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs
Debug End: 10 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
Tag-Connect's TC2050-IDC-NL-M "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" male ribbon connector. These special male IDC cables are only for use where the existing debugger cable can't be removed and has to be extended instead such as on some Altera USB Blasters and ByteBlasters.
Plugs straight to your PCB - No mating connector or header required!
Requires only a 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 male 0.1" ribbon connector on the other and is suitable for use with many MCUs / FPGAs and JTAG programming and debug operations where the existing cable can't be removed from the programmer and has to be extended instead.
Also available in self-retaining “legged” version TC2050-IDC-M.
Datasheet (for TC2050-NL connector and footprint details only)
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.
Intel/Altera USB Blaster to 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - With Legs (As cable extension)
PCB End: 10 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ Legged
Debug End: 10 Pin IDC 0.1" Female
Tag-Connect's TC2050-IDC-M "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" male ribbon connector. These special male IDC cables are only for use where the existing debugger cable can't be removed and has to be extended instead such as on some Altera USB Blasters and ByteBlasters.
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 male 0.1" ribbon connector on the other and is suitable for use with many MCUs / FPGAs and JTAG programming and debug operations where the existing cable can't be removed from the programmer and has to be extended instead.
See also TC2050-IDC-NL-M (no-legs) version with a tiny 0.03” footprint.
Datasheet (for TC2050 connector and footprint details only)
