Microchip MPLAB PICkit 4/SNAP Cable Selection and Installation

Microchip MPLABS PICkit 4 & SNAP programmer/debuggers

Using Tag-Connect Cables with Microchip PICkit 4 – Solutions

You have various choices for using Tag-Connect Cables with PICkit 4, depending on the application:

1. For PIC/dsPIC/PIC32 families ONLY, use our standard TC2030-MCP(-NL) cables WITH Microchip’s AC164110 adapter. This allows you to share cables with ICD3 / ICD4, but the adapter is a little awkward.
2. For PIC/dsPIC/PIC32 families ONLY, use our TC2030-PKT(-NL) cables that plug directly into PICkit 4.
3. For AVR, use our TC2030-PKT-ICESPI(-NL) cables for PDI/UPDI/aWire/debugWire/SPI/TPI.
4. For SAM, use our TC2030-PKT-SWD(-NL) cables.

TC2030-MCP with Microchip AC164110 Adapter (Adapter NOT included)

This solutions is ONLY for PIC/dsPIC/PIC32 families, it won’t work with AVR or SAM.
This solution shares the same PCB footprints / pinouts as detailed on page 1 of these datasheets: TC2030-MCP / TC2030-MCP-NL

Our soon to be launched new family of 8-pin TC2040 cables and solutions will support SAM, AVR, and MIPS. For more information or to be added to our notification list please Contact Us. Also watch this space for new solutions for SAM using the same 6-pin TC2030 footprints as our ARM20-CTX adapter + TC2030-IDC cables (SWD protocol). Watch this space!

Above shows the Microchip PICkit^TM 3 and the Microchip AC164110 “RJ11 to ICSP” adapter. The adapter can be purchased from any Microchip distributor such as Mouser or Digikey http://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductSearch.aspx?keywords=AC164110

Actually, it’s an RJ12 to ICSP adapter, RJ11 connectors only have four contacts whereas RJ12 have 6.

A WORD OF WARNING Microchip’s AC164110 adapter ships with a short RJ12 cable (that you won’t need if you are using Tag-Connect). In every case we’ve seen the Microchip supplied cable is severely undercrimped and WILL BEND AND DAMAGE the gold wire contacts in any jack or debugger that it is plugged into. The undercrimped cable will work just fine with the now damaged jack, but any correctly crimped cable that is subsequently plugged in (such as our TC2030-MCP cable) will operate at best intermmittently. PLEASE discard the Microchip RJ12 cable OR use a quality RJ12 crimp tool to ensure the crimps have been fully completed. We always recommend using a ratcheted crimp tool which will ensure that under-crimping of modular plugs is not possible.

ANOTHER WARNING The ICSP signals supplied by PICkit 3 do not have the same drive strength as Microchip’s ICD 3 and REAL ICE debuggers. Unrealted to use (or not) of our cables, we recommend choosing the ICD 3 or similar over PICkit 3 in order to avoid noise related connection problems. We do not recommend our longer TC2030-MCP-10 and TC2030-MCP-NL-10 cables with PICkit 3.

Only use our TC2030-MCP or TC2030-MCP-NL with PICkit 3 and the AC164110 adapter.

Solutions - AC164110 ADAPTER NOT INCLUDED - PURCHASE SEPARATELY

PCB connector	Debug Connector	Items (Click items for details)	Price	Qty	Buy
RJ12 to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - No Legs (standard cable)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs	Debug End: 6 Pin RJ11/RJ12	Tag-Connect TC2030-MCP-NL programming cable is primarily intended for use in production programming. It is particularly suited to environments where the connection to the PCB is of short duration, and operators are working quickly from board to board. A major advantage of the TC2030-MCP-NL is the extremely small footprint required on the PCB (hardly any bigger than a surface mount resistor) allowing the minimum possible space on your PCB to be used for the programming connection. The TC2030-MCP-NL is also compatible with the TC2030-MCP footprint allowing use of the TC2030-MCP for development work and TC2030-MCP-NL for fast programming in production. The TC2030-MCP-NL can be held in place making it suitable for debugging and development when using TC2030-CLIP board . Where a sustained connection to the PCB is required, also consider the TC2030-MCP. Ideal for efficient production programming and also for debugging. 1 x TC2030-MCP-NL 6-Pin No-Legs Cable with RJ12 Modular Plug (for Microchip ICD) 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. 1 x TC2030-CLIP-3PACK Retaining CLIP board for TC2030-NL cables - 3 Pack Include this item	Price: $53.95	Qty:	Buy
RJ12 to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - With Legs (standard cable)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ Legged	Debug End: 6 Pin RJ11/RJ12	Tag-Connect TC2030-MCP cable is primarily intended for use in development environments and is also ideal for production programming. The spring-loaded contact pins are held firmly in place by four plastic legs each of which clips securely into its own locating hole. Tag-Connect TC2030-MCP is ideal where you need to maintain a connection to the PCB for an extended period such as when performing testing or development work. See also TC2030-MCP-NL for applications where an even smaller footprint is required. Ideal for both debugging and production programming. 1 x TC2030-MCP 6-Pin Cable with RJ12 Modular Plug (for Microchip ICD)	Price: $35.95	Qty:	Buy

TC2030-PKT and TC2030-PKT-NL Cables for use with PICkit 3

This solutions is ONLY for PIC/dsPIC/PIC32 families, it won’t work with AVR or SAM.
This solution shares the same PCB footprints / pinouts as detailed on page 1 of these datasheets: TC2030-MCP / TC2030-MCP-NL

Our soon to be launched new family of 8-pin TC2040 cables and solutions will support SAM, AVR, and MIPS. For more information or to be added to our notification list please Contact Us. Also watch this space for new solutions for SAM using the same 6-pin TC2030 footprints as our ARM20-CTX adapter + TC2030-IDC cables (SWD protocol). Watch this space!

Our TC2030-PKT cable (with legs) or TC2030-PKT-NL cables are terminated with a 6-pin 0.1″ pin strip that plugs directly into the PICkit 4. Align pin 1 of of the TC2030-PKT with pin 1 of the 8-pin pin strip on the PICkit 4 or SNAP debugger.

Solutions

PCB connector	Debug Connector	Items (Click items for details)	Price	Qty	Buy
PICkit to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - No Legs (PIC)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs	Debug End: 6 Pin 0.1" SIP strip Male	For PICkit3, PICkit4 and PICkit5. Tag-Connect TC2030-PKT-NL cable is primarily intended for use in production programming. It is particularly suited to environments where the connection to the PCB is of short duration, and operators are working quickly from board to board. A major advantage of the TC2030-PKT-NL is the extremely small footprint required on the PCB (hardly any bigger than a surface mount resistor) allowing the minimum possible space on your PCB to be used for the programming connection. The TC2030-PKT-NL (no legs) cable is also compatible with the TC2030 legged footprint allowing use of the TC2030-PKT legged cable for development work and TC2030-PKT-NL for fast programming in production. The TC2030-PKT-NL is also suited to use for debugging and development when secured into position using a TC2030-CLIP board. See 'Using the TC2030-MCP-NL for debugging' on the User Information page for details. Where a sustained connection to the PCB is required, also consider the TC2030-PKT. Ideal for both debugging and production programming, the 6 pin plug-of-nails™ cable terminates in a 6 pin 0.1" male SIP strip. 1 x TC2030-PKT-NL 6-Pin No-Legs Cable for Microchip PICkit 3, 4 & 5 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. 1 x TC2030-CLIP-3PACK Retaining CLIP board for TC2030-NL cables - 3 Pack Include this item	Price: $61.00	Qty:	Buy
PICkit to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ - With Legs (PIC)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ Legged	Debug End: 6 Pin 0.1" SIP strip Male	For PICkit 3, PICkit4 and PICkit5. Tag-Connect TC2030-PKT programming/debugging cable is primarily intended for use in development environments but is also ideal for production programming. The spring-loaded contact pins are held firmly in place by four plastic legs each of which clips securely into its own locating hole. Tag-Connect TC2030-PKT is ideal where you need to maintain a connection to the PCB for an extended period such as when performing testing or development work. See also TC2030-PKT-NL for applications where an even smaller footprint is required. Ideal for both debugging and production programming, the 6 pin plug-of-nails™ cable terminates in a 6 pin 0.1" male SIP strip. 1 x TC2030-PKT 6-Pin Cable with legs for use with Microchip PICkit 3, 4 & 5	Price: $43.00	Qty:	Buy

Using TC2030-PKT-ICESPI(-NL) for AVR using PDI/UPDI/aWire/debugWire/SPI/TPI

This solution is for AVR ONLY, not for Microchip PIC or SAM.

The target board pin connections on the plug-of-nails™ connector are the same as on our TC2030-ICESPI cable. See TC2030-PKT-ICESPI for cable connections/pinout.
The cable supports programming via PDI, UPDI, aWire, debugWire, SPI or TDI.

Solutions

PCB connector	Debug Connector	Items (Click items for details)	Price	Qty	Buy
PICkit 4 to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ – With Legs (AVR)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ Legged	Debug End: 8 Pin 0.1" SIP strip Male	Ideal for both debugging and production programming of AVR MCUs using the Microchip PICkit 4/5 or SNAP in-circuit debuggers, the 6 pin plug-of-nails™ cable terminates in a 8 pin 0.1" male SIP strip for connection to the debugger.  The target board pin connections on the plug-of-nails™ connector are the same as on our TC2030-ICESPI cable. The cable supports programming via PDI, UPDI, aWire, debugWire, SPI or TDI. Note: For AVR processors - DOES NOT WORK WITH PIC MCU TC2030-PKT-ICESPI Connections 8 Pin SIP SPI TPI UPDI PDI aWire debugWIRE 6-pin TC2030 1 2 VTG VTG VTG VTG VTG VTG 2 3 GND GND GND GND GND GND 6 4 MISO DAT PDI_DATA PDI_DATA DATA 1 5 SCK CLK 3 6 RST PDI_CLK RESET 5 7 MOSI 4 8 Tag-Connect TC2030-PKT-ICESPI programming/debugging cable is primarily intended for use in development environments but is also ideal for production programming. The spring-loaded contact pins are held firmly in place by four plastic legs each of which clips securely into its own locating hole. Tag-Connect TC2030-PKT-ICESPI is ideal where you need to maintain a connection to the PCB for an extended period such as when performing testing or development work. See also TC2030-PKT-ICESPI-NL for applications where an even smaller footprint is required. 1 x TC2030-PKT-ICESPI 6-Pin Cable with legs for Microchip PICkit 4/5 & SNAP PDI/UPDI/aWire/debugWire/SPI/TPI	Price: $43.00	Qty:	Buy
PICkit 4 to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ – No Legs (AVR)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs	Debug End: 8 Pin 0.1" SIP strip Male	Ideal for production programming of AVR MCUs using the Microchip PICkit 4/5 or SNAP in-circuit debuggers, the 6 pin plug-of-nails™ cable terminates in a 8 pin 0.1" male SIP strip for connection to the debugger.  The target board pin connections on the plug-of-nails™ connector are the same as on our TC2030-ICESPI-NL cable. The cable supports programming via PDI, UPDI, aWire, debugWire, SPI or TDI. For AVR processors - DOES NOT WORK WITH PIC MCU The TC2030-PKT-ICESPI-NL is particularly suited to environments where the connection to the PCB is of short duration, and operators are working quickly from board to board. A major advantage of the TC2030-PKT-ICESPI-NL is the extremely small footprint required on the PCB (hardly any bigger than a surface mount resistor) allowing the minimum possible space on your PCB to be used for the programming connection. The TC2030-PKT-ICESPI-NL (no legs) cable is also compatible with the TC2030-PKT-ICESPI legged footprint allowing use of the TC2030-PKT-ICESPI legged cable for development work and TC2030-PKT-ICESPI-NL for fast programming in production. The TC2030-PKT-ICESPI-NL is also suited to use for debugging and development when secured into position using a TC2030-CLIP board. TC2030-PKT-ICESPI-NL Connections 8 Pin SIP SPI TPI UPDI PDI aWire debugWIRE 6-pin TC2030 1 2 VTG VTG VTG VTG VTG VTG 2 3 GND GND GND GND GND GND 6 4 MISO DAT PDI_DATA PDI_DATA DATA 1 5 SCK CLK 3 6 RST PDI_CLK RESET 5 7 MOSI 4 8 1 x TC2030-PKT-ICESPI-NL 6-Pin Cable (no legs) for Microchip PICkit 4/5 & SNAP PDI/UPDI/aWire/debugWire/SPI/TPI 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. 1 x TC2030-CLIP-3PACK Retaining CLIP board for TC2030-NL cables - 3 Pack Include this item	Price: $61.00	Qty:	Buy

Using TC2030-PKT-SWD(-NL) for SAM using SWD

This solution is for SAM ONLY, not for Microchip PIC or AVR.

The target board pin connections on the plug-of-nails™ connector are the same as on our TC2030-CTX cable. See TC2030-CTX for cable connections/pinout.
The cable supports programming via SWD.

Solutions

PCB connector	Debug Connector	Items (Click items for details)	Price	Qty	Buy
PICkit 4 to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ – No Legs (SAM)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ No Legs	Debug End: 8 Pin 0.1" SIP strip Male	Ideal for both debugging and production programming of SAM ARM Cortex MCUs using the Microchip PICkit 4/5 or SNAP in-circuit debuggers, the 6 pin plug-of-nails™ 'no-legs' cable terminates in a 8 pin 0.1" male SIP strip for connection to the debugger. This is similar to the TC2030-PKT-NL cable but has an 8 pin SIP connector rather than 6 pin, as required when using the PICkit 4 or SNAP debugger for SAM MCU programming and/or debugging. The target board pin connections on the plug-of-nails™ connector are the same as on our TC2030-CTX-NL ARM Cortex cable. Note: This cable is only for SWD debugging of SAM ARM Cortex MCUs. For suitable Microchip PIC cables see here. Signal SNAP/PICkit 4 TC2030 CTX 6-pin TC2030-PKT-SWD Connections NMCLR/RESET 1 3 VDD VIOREF 2 1 GND 3 5 SWO 4 6 SWCLK 5 4 SWDIO 8 2 Tag-Connect TC2030-PKT-SWD-NL cable is primarily intended for use in production programming. It is particularly suited to environments where the connection to the PCB is of short duration, and operators are working quickly from board to board. A major advantage of the TC2030-PKT-SWD-NL is the extremely small footprint required on the PCB (hardly any bigger than a surface mount resistor) allowing the minimum possible space on your PCB to be used for the programming connection. The TC2030-PKT-SWD-NL (no legs) cable is also compatible with the TC2030-PKT-SWD legged footprint allowing use of the TC2030-PKT-SWD legged cable for development work and TC2030-PKT-SWD-NL for fast programming in production. 1 x TC2030-PKT-SWD-NL 6-Pin No-legs Cable for Microchip PICkit 4/5 & SNAP SAM 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. 1 x TC2030-CLIP-3PACK Retaining CLIP board for TC2030-NL cables - 3 Pack Include this item	Price: $61.00	Qty:	Buy
PICkit 4 to 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ – With Legs (SAM)
PCB End: 6 Pin Plug-of-Nails™ Legged	Debug End: 8 Pin 0.1" SIP strip Male	Ideal for both debugging and production programming of SAM ARM Cortex MCUs using the Microchip PICkit 4/5 or SNAP in-circuit debuggers, the 6 pin plug-of-nails™ cable terminates in a 8 pin 0.1" male SIP strip for connection to the debugger. This is similar to the TC2030-PKT cable but has an 8 pin SIP connector rather than 6 pin, as required when using the PICkit 4 or SNAP debugger for SAM MCU programming and/or debugging. The target board pin connections on the plug-of-nails™ connector are the same as on our TC2030-CTX ARM Cortex cable. Note: This cable is only for SWD debugging of SAM ARM Cortex MCUs. For suitable Microchip PIC cables see here. Signal SNAP/PICkit 4 TC2030 CTX 6-pin TC2030-PKT-SWD Connections NMCLR/RESET 1 3 VDD VIOREF 2 1 GND 3 5 SWO 4 6 SWCLK 5 4 SWDIO 8 2 Tag-Connect TC2030-PKT-SWD programming/debugging cable is primarily intended for use in development environments but is also ideal for production programming. The spring-loaded contact pins are held firmly in place by four plastic legs each of which clips securely into its own locating hole. Tag-Connect TC2030-PKT-SWD is ideal where you need to maintain a connection to the PCB for an extended period such as when performing testing or development work. See also TC2030-PKT-SWD-NL for applications where an even smaller footprint is required. 1 x TC2030-PKT-SWD 6-Pin Cable with legs for Microchip PICkit 4/5 & SNAP SAM	Price: $43.00	Qty:	Buy