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A method for assembling a programmer for a medical device includes assembling a housing member, a first circuit board, a second circuit board, and a plate member in a stacked z-axis configuration.

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The invention claimed is: 1. A method for assembling a programmer for a medical device, the method comprising: placing a first circuit board within a first housing member; placing a second circuit board over the first circuit board; placing a second housing member over the second circuit board to s

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for assembling a programmer for a medical device, the method comprising: placing a first circuit board within a first housing member; placing a second circuit board over the first circuit board; placing a second housing member over the second circuit board to substantially enclose the first and second circuit boards; loading instructions into memory on at least one of the first or second circuit boards via a loading port accessible through an aperture defined by the second housing member; and placing a plate member within the second housing member to at least partially cover the loading port and the aperture, wherein the first housing member, the first circuit board, the second circuit board, the second housing member and the plate member are assembled in a stacked z-axis configuration. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing one or more input buttons over the second circuit board prior to placing the second housing member. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein placing the first circuit board, the second circuit board, the second housing member and the plate member comprises placing the first circuit board, the second circuit board, the second housing member and the plate member with an automated placement technique. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first circuit board includes telemetry circuitry and the second circuit board includes a display and display circuitry. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second circuit board includes control circuitry to drive the telemetry circuitry and the display circuitry. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the control circuitry disables the display and the display circuitry during telemetry. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the first circuit board comprises a bottom side substantially adjacent to the first housing member, the method further comprising mounting an internal antenna on the bottom side of the first circuit board and coupling the internal antenna to the telemetry circuitry. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the internal antenna forms an antenna aperture and the first housing member forms a molded area that defines a battery bay that extends at least partially into the antenna aperture. 9. The method of claim 4, wherein the second circuit board comprises a top side substantially adjacent to the second housing member, the method further comprising mounting the display on the top side of the second circuit board and coupling the display to the display circuitry. 10. The method of claim 4, further comprising coupling an external antenna to the telemetry circuitry via a cable. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the external antenna defines an antenna aperture with a channel formed to hold a portion of an item of clothing associated with a patient and thereby hold the external antenna in a substantially fixed position relative to an implantable medical device. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading port is a JTAG port. 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the instructions based on one of a plurality of different functional sets desired for the programmer. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plate member includes a transparent portion sized to expose a display mounted on the second circuit board. 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the plate member from one of a plurality of plate members having different configurations based on a match between the configuration of the plate member and a type of medical device programmer being assembled. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plate member is printed with information to identify the programmer type. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the plate member configuration comprises a size, a shape, a printed graphic, and a number of apertures to accommodate input buttons extending outward from the programmer. 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the aperture comprises a first aperture, the second housing member further defining a second aperture to expose a display. 19. The method of claim 1, wherein loading instructions into memory comprises applying a programming device to the loading port via the aperture defined by the second housing member. 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first circuit board includes a first electrical connector interface and the second circuit board includes a second electrical connector interface, the method further comprising coupling the first connector interface to the second connector interface to electrically connect the first circuit board to the second circuit board. 21. The method of claim 1, wherein the aperture comprises a first aperture and placing the second housing member over the second circuit board to substantially enclose the first and second circuit boards comprises placing the second housing member over the second circuit board to substantially enclose the first and second circuit boards between the first and second housing members, the first housing member and the second housing member defining a second aperture for an infrared interface that receives changes to software executed by a processor within the programmer during an infrared communication session. 22. A method of assembling a programmer for a medical device, the method comprising: placing a first circuit board within a first housing member; placing a second circuit board over the first circuit board; placing a second housing member over the second circuit board, wherein the first and second housing members substantially enclose the first and second circuit boards, the second housing member defining an aperture to an expose a loading port to load instructions into memory on one of the first or second circuit boards; and placing a plate member to cover the aperture defined by the second housing member. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first and second circuit boards are printed circuit boards. 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first housing member, the first circuit board, the second circuit board, the second housing member and the plate member are assembled in a stacked z-axis configuration, the z-axis extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to a major plane of the first circuit board.