Posts: 107
Threads: 16
Joined: Jul 2007
I too had thoughts of a fixture. Now that I've moved to windows XP, SAM-BA programs pretty quickly. It wouldn't be the end of the world to have to hold the contacts in place while programming (but unworkable if you were using the serial port for debugging). The trick would be hitting the calc's on key while holding the connector in place, holding down the erase button, and starting up SAM-BA.
If I was to build a fixture or cable from scratch, I'd seriously consider using the PC's serial port handshake lines to control the erase and reset pins, and maybe included a 3.3V regulator to power the calc from the PC as well. If only you could hit the on key through the cable, the whole programming process could be automated.
Now I did modify my programming cable so that I can power the calc off a 6218A power supply instead of using the coin cells. It also makes it easier to measure the current drain without having clip leads dangling everywhere.