ALTAIR 8800 micro Users Manual
©
Briel Computers
2010
page
16
Tools required for assembly:
1.
Soldering iron or gun (25-35W preferred)
2.
Solder (low temp solder works best)
3.
Phillips screwdriver
4.
Wire cutters
5.
Old dry towel for cleaning iron
Before you begin, make sure you have plenty of space to work with and have your components sorted into
sections. The front panel and mainboard sections come bagged separately to help avoid confusion and to locate
your parts quicker.
Plug your soldering iron or gun in and allow the iron to get hot. Make sure nothing is around the tip that can get
melted. Allow 5-10 minutes for your iron to fully heat up. Using a dry towel, wipe the tip clean of any old
solder. If you are using a gun, you need to hold the trigger to heat up most units. I will refer to your soldering
device as an iron from this point on.
Tin your iron by melting a small amount of solder directly onto the tip of your iron. If your iron is hot enough
the solder should melt with ease. Now, using your dry towel, wipe off the excess solder so that your tip looks
solder shiny but with only a very thin coat on the tip. This helps transfer the heat to the contact area for a better
solder flow.
You are now ready to assemble the mainboard using the following steps:
Step 1: Install the SD card slot.
The SD card slot sits on the top of the PCB and there are 2 notches
that should fit into holes so that it is perfectly sitting on the board. Carefully solder all of the pins to their pads.
NOTE: Solder the 2 upper ground pads at each side of the SD card slot to the PCB
Step 2: Install the resistors.
Resistors are small cylinder shaped components with wire sticking
out on each side. The colored bands identify the size of the resistor. Each resistor will have either a gold or
silver band. Hold the resistor so the gold or silver band is on the right side. Now look at the first colored band
on the left side. That color is the first digit of the resistor. Let’s assume your resistor has the color band pattern
Yellow, Violet, Red, and Gold. Looking at the chart on the next page you can calculate the value of that
resistor.
