There are a few tools that are required for assembly. None of these tools are included. If you don't have them, now would be a good time to borrow or purchase them. They are very very handy whenever assembling/fixing/modifying electronic devices! I provide links to buy them, but of course, you should get them whereever is most convenient/inexpensive. Many of these parts are available in a place like Radio Shack or other (higher quality) DIY electronics stores.
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Soldering iron. Personally, I like the WES50 (now the WES51) and the other ~$100 Wellers. One with temperature control and a stand is best. A conical or small 'screwdriver' tip is good, almost all irons come with one of these. A low quality (ahem, $15 radioshack) iron may cause more problems than its worth. YMMV. | Buy a WES51 from All-spec |
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Solder. Rosin core, 60/40. Good solder is a good thing. Bad solder leads to bridging and cold solder joints which can be tough to find. Dont buy a tiny amount, you'll run out when you least expect it. 1lb spools are a minimum. | Buy 1lb spool from All Electronics |
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Multimeter/Oscilloscope A meter is helpful to check voltages and continuity. | (Anyone have a good suggestion for an inexpensive meter?) |
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Flush/diagonal cutters. Essential for cutting leads close to the PCB. | Buy flush cutters from All Electronics |
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Desoldering tool. If you are prone to incorrectly soldering parts. | Buy a solder sucker from AllElectronics |
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'Handy Hands' with Magnifying Glass. Not absolutely necessary but will make things go much much faster. | Buy a handy tool from All Electronics |
| Good light. More important than you think. |
Before you start, if you have blue, green, white or purple LEDs you will have to add a third battery. To do that, purchase 2 more battery clips from Mouser (or if you have a kit they are included). Before you solder them in, you MUST cut the trace identified below. You can cut a trace usinga razor blade, knife, sharp screwdriver, etc. The point is to make sure the printed wire is broken. If you dont cut it properly you will notice the 3rd battery gets REALLY hot when you put it in!(I thought I'd be all smart and put a note on the PCB about which trace to cut but on some early SpokePOVs, I put it on the wrong side of the board. If you hold it up to a bright light you'll see the trace, or use this handy guide)
If you are planning to use the kit with BMX/Unicycle/kid's wheels, you'll need to cut down the PCB yourself. You can do this with tin snips (shown), a hacksaw, bandsaw, shear, etc.
When assembling it, just solder all the parts you can. There will be 16 LEDs, 2 ICs and 2 resistor packs left over.