SOIC8 Clip¶

When accessing the controller chip on the driver board directly, the typical way to communicate with the chip is using a clip. Most of these controllers have 8 pins, so a SOIC8 Clip (Small Outline Integrated Circuit, 8 pin) is an appropriate choice. The SOIC8 clip will attach directly to the pins of the controller chip, allowing it to be programmed.

../_images/wire_soic8_chip.png — SOIC8 chip with pin 1 marked (usually has a divot on the chip)¶

Using a SOIC8 clip to update a light requires the following:

SOIC8 Clip
USBASP board – Some SOIC8 Clip kits come with a USBASP board, but they can also be purchased separately.
Jumper wires with Dupont connectors - Though the SOIC8 clip may come with a cable, the wires are necessary to adapt the pin layout on the USBASP board to the pin layout on different chips.

Connect the ribbon cable to the SOIC8 clip, or connect to the pins on the clip in the same order as the following diagram:

../_images/wire_soic8_ribbon.png — SOIC8 Ribbon Cable Pins¶

Use Jumper wires to connect between the SOIC8 ribbon cable or rear end of the clip and the USBASP board.

Tip

Jumper wires with plug Dupont connectors can fit into the socket connectors on a ribbon cable.

The wires should go between pins with the same label as shown on both the ribbon cable diagram and the USBASP diagram:

../_images/wire_usbasp.png — USBASP pins for connecting to SOIC8¶

Tip

Use Dupont connector blocks to make a more permanent cable with the appropriate wiring layout.