MidiVox Assembly Instructions
To assemble the kit, you'll need:- solder
- soldering iron
- snips / wire cutter
In addition, the following items are recommended:
- Panavise Jr. or "helping hands"/"third hand" for holding the PCB
- needle nose pliers
1. Diode (first & only one)
Bend the leads of the 1N148 diode at right angles as shown above
Once in place, bend the leads on the reverse side of the PCB
outward to hold the part in place while soldering.
Insert the diode into the PCB matching the orientation of the
polarity indicator on the PCB silscreen
Solder each lead securely to its respective pad on the back side of
the PCB.
Clip each the excess length of each lead off close to the surface
of the PCB.
2. Numerous resistors
Unlike diodes, resistors can be mounted in either orientation.
Insert the resistor into the PCB, bend the leads outward, solder,
and clip as you did with the diode.
Start with the 220Ω resistor. Bend the leads for mounting …
Repeat the process the above photo as a guide. The resistor values
are also printed on the PCB. Unfortunately one value was
misprinted: the "890" label should actually read "909"
Oh and please ignore the ceramic capacitors in the pic above - they're up next ;)
Oh and please ignore the ceramic capacitors in the pic above - they're up next ;)
3. Capacitor country
The ceramic capacitors can also be mounted in either orientation.
The poly caps included may be either grey or red. Either way,
they're non-polarized so you needn't worry about their orientation.
Place, bend, solder, and clip as you did with previous parts
Place the two poly caps side by side in their homes at the center
of the board.
The leads of these caps may be a little hard to bend by hand, so
use a pair of needle nose pliers if necessary. Solder and clip the
leads as before.
4. LED 1-2-3
The two flat-top LEDs each have a bump on one side to indicate
their polarity.
Bend, solder, & clip leads the ol' fashioned way.
Place the LEDs on the PCB, matching the indicator to the printed
outline.
5. Switches, man - switches.
Mount the SPST slide switch on the upper right corner of the PCB in
either orientation.
Press the momentary tactile switch into it's spot below the LEDs.
It should pop in securely.
Hold or tape the part in place and solder.
Solder the leads on the reverse side of the board - no need for
bending/clipping.
6. IC Sockets - do you?
Place the two IC sockets on the PCB, matching up the indicator
notches with printed outlines.
Does your board look like the pic above? Sweet!
On the reverse side of the PCB, bend the leads at each corner to
keep it in place then solder away.
7. Electrolytic Capacitor (the lone tower)
Unlike the ceramic and poly types, the electrolytic capacitor is
picky about it's orientation (polarity).
Bend the leads outward, solder, clip and rejoice!
Mount it in the circular outline below the diode - make sure to
insert the longer lead into the hole marked with a "+".
8. Trimpot + Jacks are GO!
The big blue trimpot can only fit onto the PCB one way - the right
way!
The 1/8" jack should snap into it's spot on the lower left hand
side of the board.
Above see demonstration of aforementioned "right way"
Solder the jack in place and clip off it's protruding leads close
to board's surface (so it doesn't bump into the Arduino's DC jack)
Tape or hold the jack in place, then solder liberally to provide a
sturdy connection.
Place the DIN5 jack on the large outline labelled "MIDI" on the
lefthand side of the PCB.
9. Header Pins FTW!
Break apart the long strip of header pins into:
two 6-pin pieces
two 8-pin pieces
& one 3-pin piece
two 6-pin pieces
two 8-pin pieces
& one 3-pin piece
Place the pins into their respective places on your Arduino board
as seen above.
If you started with a 36-pin strip you should end up with an extra
5-pin piece - do with it as you see fit (we won't be using it)
Place the MidiVox PCB over the Arduino while aligning the pins you
just placed. Keep the board held down securely while soldering all
28 pins to the PCB.
Hold the pins in place with pliers or tape and solder each one
(it'll get hot, so no fingers this time!)
Place the remaining 3-pin segment in its spot just to the right of
the 1/8" jack
Push the black pin jumper into place over the bottom two pins of
that 3-pin header.
10. IC that we're almost done here.
Both ICs come with their legs splayed out just a bit too wide too
fit in their socket (why, I do not know). Slowly & carefully
press them inward between two fingers until the point straight down
from the chip's body.
Place the MCP4921 DAC IC into the remaining socket with its
indicator notch to the right (matching the socket).
Place the 6N138 optocoupler IC into the leftmost socket with its
indicator dot at the upper left.
11. Welcome to Donesville …
If all went according to plan, your MidiVox shield now look much
like the one above. Now load up a sketch and start using
it! (remember to set the slide witch to "PGM", leftmost position,
before uploading.)
Oh, and If you're bothered by unsightly flux surrounding your
solder joints (gross!) - solder flux remover will come in handy. (rubbing alcohol may
also work in a pinch)