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The
first
and
foremost
thing to
consider
is the
design
of your
electronics.
This
lesson
will
deal
with
products
and
ideas to
make
your
design
and
construction
a lot
more
simple.
Solder
less
Breadboards
Solderless
breadboards
are used
to
experiment
with
your
circuitry.
They are
not used
for
permanent
circuits.
Doing
this
before
making a
permanent
circuit
will
allow
you to
change
your
design
or
improve
its
performance
by just
removing
or
adding a
component.
Printed
Circuit
Boards
You can
buy
premade
circuit
boards,
or you
can make
your
own.
Either
way,
once you
have
worked
your
design
out on a
breadboard,
you can
permanently
build
your
circuit
on a
PCB.
Wire
Gauge
Wire
comes in
different
sizes.
30 AWG
gauge
wire is
small
and its
maximum
current
capacity
is 2
amps,
while 12
AWG
gauge
wire is
large
and its
MCC is
36 amps.
The
smaller
the
wire,
the less
current
it will
allow
before
overheating
and
burning
up.
Eliminating
Static
Electricity
It has
been
said
that
your
body
walking
across a
carpet
can
develop
a 10,000
to
50,000-volt
charge.
What
would
that do
to a
5-volt
component?
COMPLETELY
DESTROY
IT! When
working
on your
electronics,
use an
antistatic
mat and
wear low
static
clothes
such as
cotton.
Store
parts in
antistatic
pouches
or
tubes.
Sometimes
connecting
an
antistatic
wrist
strap to
your
wrist
and the
component
works to
eliminate
static.
Also,
make
sure
your
soldering
iron is
grounded.
Good
Design
Principles
-
Even
though
a
device
may
be
unplugged,
there
is
still
a
small
amount
of
current
flowing
in
the
device.
A
pull-up
resistor
between
the
input
and
the
+V
(positive
voltage)
supply
or a
pull-down
resistor
(10k
for
either)
between
the
input
and
ground
will
prevent
this
from
happening.
-
Unless
instructed
not
to,
tie
unused
inputs
to
ground
to
keep
the
circuit
from
going
into
oscillation.
-
Bypass
capacitors
at
the
+V
and
ground
terminals
of
every
integrated
circuit
will
reduce
noise.
For
this,
a 10
µF
capacitor
will
do.
-
Keeping
lead
lengths
short
by
snipping
them
close
to
the
solder
joint
will
keep
noise
down
and
prevent
the
lead
from
acting
like
an
antenna.
-
Make
sure
your
+V
and
ground
wires
never
form
a
loopor
noise
and
erratic
behavior
will
occur.
Soldering
Tips and
Techniques
The best
tip that
can be
given is
to get
yourself
a good
soldering
"station",
not just
the
iron.
You may
save
yourself
money by
getting
the
whole
kit. In
the kit,
like the
ones you
may find
at
Weller,
Sears
(under
Tools >
Electrical
Shop >
Soldering
Tools &
Accessories),
or
online
at
All-Spec,
you'll
find a
soldering
iron, an
adjustable
temperature
base
with a
side
tray for
a
sponge,
the
sponge,
and a
holder
to keep
your
iron
from
burning
anything.
You can
find
these as
low a
$50 if
you
look,
less at
rummage
sales.
You need
to use
0.050
inch
rosin
core
solder
only.
Needle-nose
pliers,
wire
strippers,
wire
cutters,
and a
heat
sink are
good
tools to
have.
Isopropyl
alcohol
is a
necessity
to clean
your
components
as well
as your
solder
and
iron. In
case of
a bad
solder
job or
you are
harvesting
and you
want to
desolder
the
joints,
a solder
vacuum
comes in
handy.
As for
how to
solder,
you may
hear
different
ways of
doing
it, but
the most
important
part is
making a
solid
joint
with
just
enough
solder.
To do
this,
you want
to heat
the
joint
with the
iron and
apply
the
solder.
In some
cases,
you may
not be
able to
hold the
iron on
the
joint to
heat it
while
you
apply
the
solder.
In this
case,
heat the
joint
for a
second,
lift,
touch
the
solder
to the
joint,
then the
iron to
the
solder.
In
either
case,
use a
multitester
or ohm
meter to
make
sure you
made a
good
connection.
Also,
give the
joint a
slight
tug. If
it stays
in tact,
you've
completed
a solid
joint.
Make
sure you
are
soldering
in a
well-ventilated
area.
Also,
always
wear eye
protection
and keep
a fire
extinguisher
handy,
just in
case.
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