| WARNING: Soldering is a potentially hazardous activity. Serious burns, fires, and inhalation of toxic fumes can result as a consequence improper technique or accidental mishaps. Dynamic Perception assumes that any individual who purchases a DIY soldering kit has the appropriate level of experience for doing so, and in no way shall we be held liable for any injuries or damage that comes as a result of your soldering activities. All of our kits are designed for those with experience soldering moderately complex projects, and are NOT designed for beginners. Those who are not experienced in soldering should not attempt to engage in assembling this kit without guidance or oversight from an experienced individual.
Some steps outlined in this guide may have the potential of causing injury. The reader is advised to rely on their own skills and experience when performing any activities outlined and to understand the risks of doing so. If you cannot accept this risk, or have determined that you do not have the required skill level for performing the activities outlined, please contact returns@dynamicperception.com for an RMA number and a credit towards a pre-assembled kit. At a minimum, you should observe the following guidelines:
|
Estimated Time
The estimated time to assemble this kit is 2 hours.
1: Tools and Materials
The following tools and materials will be required for assembling this kit:
- A temperature-controlled soldering iron capable of maintaining 300C
- A good pair of snips for cutting leads
- A pair of hemostats with rubber band for applying pressure
- .032″ diameter rosin-core solder
- .06″ diameter rosin-core solder (optional)
Prepare all tools, and have them at-hand before beginning.
2: Parts List
The following parts are included in this kit:
- 1x DollyShield PCB
- 5x Pushbuttons
- 4x .1uF ceramic disc capacitors
- 2x 100uF 16V aluminum electrolytic capacitors
- 1x 10K trim potentiometer
- 3x 2.5mm TRS female jacks
- 1x L293B motor driver
- 1x 3mm green LED
- 2x 2.5×5.5mm female DC barrel jacks
- 1x NTE3086 dual opto-coupler
- 1x 120R resistor
- 4x 100K resistors
- 1x 43.2R resistor
- 5x 499R resistors
- 1x 6.78R resistor
- 1x 63.4R resistor
- 1x 2.61K resistor
- 1x 5K resistor
- 2x 2N4124 transistors
- 1x 12-pin male break-away header
- 2x 16-pin male break-away header
- 1x 74HC00N quad NAND gate
- 1x 16×2 Parallel LCD w/ Backlight
Before continuing on to further steps, first lay out all parts to ensure that you have all components. If you find any component missing, please contact us at support@dynamicperception.com so that we may immediately resolve the issue.
2.1: Resistors
The resistors shipped with the kit do not have color-bands. Instead, each resistor is marked with a numeric code. This numeric code will be the last number marked on the body of the resistor, and will specify the resistance of the resistor. Work carefully, and group each resistor by its numeric code. The following table describes each resistor’s reference number on the board, the numeric code for that resistor, and the resistance value:
| Ref | Code | Value |
| R1 | 1200F | 120 |
| R2 | 1003F | 100K |
| R3 | 1003F | 100K |
| R4 | 1003F | 100K |
| R5 | 1003F | 100K |
| R6 | 43R2F | 43.2 |
| R7 | 4990F | 499 |
| R8 | 4990F | 499 |
| R9 | 4990F | 499 |
| R10 | 4990F | 499 |
| R11 | 4990F | 499 |
| R12 | 6R78F | 6.78 |
| R13 | 63R4F | 63.4 |
| R14 | 2611F | 2.61K |
| R15 | 5001F | 5K |
Please note that the actual resistance values on the resistors will sometimes NOT match the value marked on the board. This is by design: the board is marked with “perfect” resistance value, but it is not possible to source every value that one calculates, instead the nearest appropriate value has been chosen and supplied.
3: Solder Resistors onto the Board
Carefully bend the leads for each resistor down at 90′ angles, such that the numeric code is facing “up” once soldered onto the board. It is essential that the numeric code be facing up and legible when soldered on, otherwise it will extremely difficult for us to debug your board should you run into issues. For example, see the following photo:
Starting with the 499 Ohm resistors at R7-R11, place the resistors into the bottom of the board, and then flip the board over and solder each lead. Use your snips to trim the leads back, making sure not to break any solder joints.
Now, move to the 100K resistors at R2-R5, repeating the same process for each resistor. You may note on R2-R5, that each one has a pad on the ground plane. This ground plane works as a heat-sink for the motor drivers, and may make it difficult to effectively solder the leads on. If you are having difficulty with the four leads on the ground plane, simply solder the other leads, then snip them all flush. You should now have four unsoldered leads that are flush with the pads. Place a small bead of solder on the tip of your iron, and press the bead firmly onto the pad and trimmed lead for 1-3 seconds, and then pull away. Ensure that the connection is good by pressing your finger nail against the cooled bead. If it pops off, repeat the process, but hold the iron on for longer. Do not exceed 5 seconds otherwise you will damage the resistor.
Repeat this process for each remaining resistor on the bottom of the board. Your board should now look like this:
Now, flip the board over, and perform the same process with the 120 ohm resistor at location R1.
4: Solder ICs on Board
Flip the board back over, and locate positions V1 and IC1. These are the positions where the NAND gate and the L293B motor driver will be installed.
First, take the NAND gate (14-pin IC labeled MM74HC00N), and gently press the leads together slightly so that they point down at 90′, and then gently insert the IC into the V1 position. Take note of the notch on the top of the IC, this is your location reference notch. It should be in the same position as the silkscreen on the board. If you install any IC backwards, it will not function! Repeat the same for the L293B driver in the IC1 position.
Turn the board over, and solder each lead for the two ICs. If you intend to install the LCD without stand-offs, you should also trim the leads slightly to prevent shorting on the LCD PCB. The soldered ICs should look like the following once installed:
5: Solder Opto-Coupler
Locate the position OK1 on the bottom of the board, and install the opto-coupler such that the text on the surface of the opto-coupler is in the same orientation as the text on the board (upside down when viewing the board right-side-up). Flip the board over, solder each pin. The OK should look like the following once installed:
6: Solder TrimPot
Locate the blue 10K trim potentiometer, and install in the CADJ position just above IC1 then flip the board over and solder it then trim back the leads with your snips. Be cautious and check for cold solder joints, as the pads are very small for this device. It should look like the following when correctly installed:
7: Transistors
Locate and install the two 2N4124 transistors in location T1 and T2 on the bottom of the board. Take special care to install them such that the shape of the transistor matches the shape of the silkscreen design. Solder the leads on the top of the board, and trim them back. Your board should now look like this:
8: Ceramic Capacitors
Locate the C1-C4 positions on the bottom of the board. Install the 4 ceramic capacitors in these locations, then flip the board over, solder, and trim the leads.
9: LED
Now, we move to the components on the top of the board. Locate the position LED1 near R1 on the top of the board.
NOTE: The silkscreen does not clearly indicate the cathode (negative) pad for the LED due to the LED size. The cathode pin is the pin closest to the resistor, you can easily identify the cathode as it is the larger side of the circuit inside the LED, and generally has a shorter lead than the anode (positive).
Insert the LED pins into the PCB from the top side, until the small tabs on the leads are just inside the PCB holes, then bend the LED leads so that the LED points away from the board. Flip the board back to the bottom, solder and trim leads.
10: TRS Jacks
Locate the placements for the three TRS female jacks on the top of the board labeled ‘CAM’, ‘EXT_0′, and ‘EXT_1′. Working very carefully, firmly press the TRS jacks into their positions from the top of the board. It is very important that you first assure that each pin is properly lined up with its hole before pressing. It requires an amount of force to press it through, so keep a good eye as you do it to prevent bending or breaking a mis-aligned lead. Now, flip the board over to the bottom and solder the 5 leads on each jack. For the EXT_1 jack, you may wish to trim the leads to prevent interference with the power jack on the Arduino.
11: Pushbuttons
Locate the pushbutton positions on the top of the board, labeled BUT_L, BUT_R, BUT_U, BUT_D, and BUT_C. Note that the buttons are wider than they are deep – they can installed easily when rotated to the correct position, they will not line up with the holes if not rotated correctly. It is not necessary to determine if the button is right-side-up or down, as long as it easily fits into position. Flip the board over, and solder each lead.
12: Motor Jacks
Locate the two motor jack positions at MOT 0 and MOT 1 on the top of the board. Starting with MOT 1, use your hemostats w/ rubber band to secure the jack into its correct position, and then flip the board over. You may want to support the board, as shown, to keep the weight of the board from pressing contrary to the hemostats and pulling the back of the jack away from the board. For the motor jacks, 0.06″ diameter solder will come in handy for making quicker work. Solder the leads, making sure to leave no gaps in the solder in the large holes for the leads. Repeat for MOT 0.
13: Electrolytic Capacitors
Locate the C5 and C6 positions on the top of the board. Install the two electrolytic capacitors in these positions, ensuring that the negative lead of the capacitor (usually marked by a long band with a ‘-’ symbol on it) is placed through the lead furthest from the positive sign. Flip the board over, solder the leads and trim them.
15: Arduino Male Headers
You may have received either 2 6-pin male headers, or one 12-pin male breakaway header. If you received a twelve pin header, simply cut it in half with your snips such that you have two 6-pin headers. Flip the board to the bottom side, and place the first 6-pin male header into the first 6-row position. Use your hemostats with a rubber band to hold the header in place, then flip the board back to the top and solder the two outer pins of the header. Note that the pins MUST be installed from the bottom, and soldered on the top! Repeat with the 2nd 6-pin header, then remove your hemostats and solder all remaining pins.
You may have received either 2 8-pin male headers, or two 16-pin male headers, (one is for the LCD). If you have two 16-pin male headers, simply cut one in half with your snips such that you now have two 8-pin male headers. Repeat the process for the 8-pin rows like you did for the 6-pin rows.
NOTE: some times we get batches of headers that have leads that are slightly longer than others, we imagine it’s hard for the suppliers to keep these all in the right bins (grin). If you find that one or more of the headers are a bit too long, have no fear! You may safely trim them back (a little goes a long way) with your snips.
16: LCD
Locate the remaining 16-pin header, and install onto the LCD using the same process as above. Again, the header is installed from the bottom of the LCD PCB, and soldered on the top.
If you wish to have the LCD removable, you will need a 16-pin female header and some stand-offs. These are not supplied as part of the kit.
To install the LCD directly onto the PCB you may do so without stand-offs, but stand-offs up to 0.25″ (not supplied) may be used with the supplied header. You should choose a 4-40 screw for your stand-offs to clear the LCD and PCB holes.
Again, using your hemostats with a rubber band, press the LCD header pins through from the top of the board and apply pressure with the hemostats, repeating the header process from before.
That’s it! You’re done now. Your board should look like this:
To test the board, make sure you have an Arduino Duemillenove or Uno board attached to the shield and use the DP Web Updater to load the firmware.
You will need to adjust the LCD contrast using the CADJ trim pot installed on the bottom of the board. Turn it until the LCD characters are easily readable. Now, test each button, left, right, up, down, and center. Then, turn the program on and ensure the LED lights up. Now you may test with your actual motors and camera.
Comments