For programming on most of my larger PCBs I include a 0.1in pitch 1x5 header.
For prototyping this is great because I can connect my programmer to it directly. However for production I could eliminate the header part if there was a programming adapter that could mate to the unpopulated footprint.
I'm thinking something like banana plugs, but ~40 mills in diameter.
I'm aware that I could use pogo pins, but these require a jig or other mechanism to hold them onto the board, and my production quantities are not enough to justify that for each design. The connector I'm imagining could be inserted from one side and retain itself by friction.
Does such a connector or contact exist, and if so what is it called?
I'm also aware that there are cables that are designed to mate to a particular unpopulated footprint, but I would like to keep the 0.1in pin header footprint for general compatibility, and backwards compatibility with existing designs.