Maker, coder, and electronics aficionado Invoice (AKA Style The Code) has a customized Residence Assistant house automation setup. Just lately he’s been including Sonoff Wi-Fi relays to his rig, reprogramming every one with new Tasmota firmware utilizing a USB-to-serial converter.

This Sonoff reprogramming course of is pretty simple, as these gadgets have a row of contacts for this very job. Nonetheless, one has to match up programming contacts, which most probably received’t align out of the field. One resolution could be to make use of jumpers and/or solder on headers for ad-hoc rearrangement, however this rapidly turns into arduous when flashing a number of modules.

As an alternative of coping with this, TTC made a jig – really two jigs and a bent-pin modification – to facilitate the programming course of. To create the jigs, he soldered headers that match the USB-to-serial converter to bits of perfboard, routing connections to header pins on the opposite aspect–organized there to match up with the Sonoff change. This allowed Invoice to extra simply program the switches, and to even talk with them by way of the Arduino serial terminal.

Whereas a reasonably fundamental hack, it’s a very good reminder that typically a bit of labor in your instruments can save an incredible quantity of problem later. As famous within the video, don’t ever try and program such a change when plugged into mains energy. It’s a extremely dangerous thought for a number of causes.

Additionally, you may think about using pogo pins for customized jig work. These spring-loaded gadgets can assist compensate for minor variations in header pin alignment.