TOOLSTICK360DC Silicon Labs

ToolStick Programming Adapter TOOLSTICK PROGRAMMING ADAPTER USERS GUIDE 1. Handling Recommendations The ToolStick Base Adapter and daughter cards are distributed without any protective plastics. To prevent damage to the devices or the host PC, please take into consideration the following recommendations when using the ToolStick: Never connect or disconnect a daughter card to or from the ToolStick Base Adapter while the Base Adapter is connected to a PC. Always connect and disconnect the ToolStick Base Adapter from the PC by holding the edges of the board. Figure 1. Proper Method of Holding the ToolStick Figure 2. Improper Method of Holding the ToolStick Avoid directly touching any of the components other than the plastic connector or the socket. 2. Kit Contents The ToolStick Programming Adapter package contains the following items: ToolStick Base Adapter ToolStick Programming Adapter Daughter Card USB extension cable Rev. 0.3 9/08 Copyright 2008 by Silicon Laboratories ToolStick Programming AdapterToolStick Programming Adapter 3. ToolStick Programming Adapter Overview The ToolStick Programming Adapters are an ideal platform for programming Silicon Labs microcontrollers for prototypes or for small volume production. Their low cost and ease-of-use make them easy to integrate into any production flow. The ToolStick programming platform consists of two components: the ToolStick Base Adapter and the programming daughter card. The ToolStick Base Adapter provides a USB programming interface between a Windows PC and the target microcontroller. The socket daughter card includes the socket that houses the device, a power LED and an On/Off switch. Figure 3 shows an example daughter card. Figure 3. Example Programming Daughter Card Silicon Labs MCUs are available in different packages: QFN (MLP), QFP, TSSOP, and DIP. The daughter cards use a different type of socket for each package type and each of these socket types is rated for a minimum number of insertions. Table 1 below shows the minimum guaranteed number of insertions for each socket type: Table 1. Minimum Guaranteed Device Insertions Per Socket Type Package Type Minimum Insertions QFNClam-Shell 5,000 QFPTop-loader 10,000 TSSOPTop-loader 5,000 DIP - ZIP / ZIF 20,000 Check the ToolStick website (www.silabs.com/toolstick) to ensure that the daughter card is the appropriate one for the device being programmed. Inserting a device into the wrong socket could damage the device. 4. Requirements The following are required to use the ToolStick programming platform PC running Windows 2000 or later Silicon Labs MCU Production Programmer Tweezers The Silicon Labs MCU Production Programmer is the PC application that is used to download the code to the target device. This program is available at: