Andrew Andrianov’s 3D-Printable Programming Clip Makes Mass Flashing of Sensible Sockets a Cinch

Developer Andrew Andrianov has designed a bit accent which goals to make the majority flashing of low-cost off-the-shelf sensible energy sockets rather less painful, by offering a pogo-pin connector for the gadget’s debug port.

“The issue flashing these modules on bulk is – it’s a must to disassemble and solder the results in the sting connector,” Andrianov explains in a weblog publish dropped at our consideration by Adafruit, referring to Beken BK7231N modules present in low-cost off-the-shelf sensible energy sockets. “It is okay for a one-time solder job, however is a completely no-go when it’s a must to do it in bulk. So, I scratched my head, fired up SolveSpace and after some trial and error made this weird-looking gadget.”

That “weird-looking gadget” is a intelligent 3D-printed clip, designed to carry spring-loaded pogo pins. Whereas the exhausting work on determining learn how to substitute the inventory firmware with a model suitable with Residence Assistant has already been performed, the brand new firmware nonetheless must be loaded onto every module in flip — a job which often requires soldering a programming header in place.

“No soldering,” Andrianov says of his quicker various for processing the plugs as shortly as doable. “Simply connect it and take away as soon as you’re performed. I gained’t do a full writeup of hacking the firmware. Appears there are lots of people which have invested loads of time to make these working. The one related particulars listed below are: they’re additionally flashed by way of serial port, very similar to the ESP8266, they’ve OpenBeken firmware, that appears very similar to Tasmota, and [an] ESPHome fork that ought to be merged fairly quickly to ESPHome grasp.”

Andrianov’s full write-up is obtainable on his web site, whereas the clip itself has been printed to Thingiverse below a Inventive Commons Attribution license.