Control PCB assembly
1.
Solder the diodes and all resistors. Watch the
polarity of the diodes.
2.
Solder the IC sockets and insert the ICs.
3.
Solder the 4 electrolytic capacitors
–
you’ll need to
bend the legs over, as these components need to
be laid down on their sides (see photos). Take
special care to ensure the polarities are correct.
4.
Solder the 8 x pots. Use the panel to ensure these
line up nicely.
5.
Solder the 2 x switches and 6 x sockets. Use the
panel to ensure these line up nicely. You can use cut off resistor legs to make the
ground connections of the sockets.
6.
Solder the LEDs (short leg = square pad)
7.
Cut female headers to size and solder them into place. Make sure that they stick out
of the bottom of the PCB.
Troubleshooting
Not all DIY builds work first time. The vast majority of build issues are down to soldering
inconsistencies. This is far more likely than a bad IC, for example. The first step of successful
troubleshooting should always be to reflow all soldering to eliminate any dry joints (bad
connections) or solder bridges (short circuits). This is also an opportunity to closely inspect
your work
–
you might find some unsoldered pads, or an IC not inserted into its socket, for
example. Next steps are to double check all resistor values are correct, and to check
polarities of all diodes, transistors, ICs and electrolytic capacitors. This is not an exhaustive
troubleshooting guide, but should address 95% of build issues.
