Assembly Manual Mike Fortney 06/26/2006 CricketSat LP

Index CricketSat LP (Low Power) Sensor Parts Map CricketSat LP Sensor Assembly Testing Troubleshooting Contact Info

Parts Map Print out the Parts Map on the following page. Lay components on respective images to aid in identification during assembly.

SW1U2U1 U3 Antenna Wires + - Switch5V RegulatorTimer IC RF Transmitter R1 R2 Red-Red-Green-Gold R3 Orange-Orange-Yellow-Gold R4 Brown-Gray-Orange-Gold R5 Orange-Orange-Red-Red-Brown R6 Channel Dependent R7 Orange-Orange-Black-Gold R8 Blue-Gray-Brown-Gold C1 C3 C4 C2 C5 C6 C Speaker Printed Circuit BoardBattery Clip J1 U1 Socket Speaker Jack D1 LED D2 Diode D3 Diode Notch White Band CricketSat LP Parts Map Thermistor 47uF 0.01uF 0.1uF 680 Ohm 33 Ohm 33.2k Ohm 18k Ohm 330k Ohm 2.2M Ohm 100k Ohm 25C)

CricketSat Assembly (1 of 16) Install resistors R2, R3, and R4. Solder and clip leads. Resistors are not polarized, orientation is not important. R2, 2.2M Ohm (red-red-green-gold) R3, 330k Ohm (orange-orange-yellow-gold) R4, 18k Ohm (brown-gray-orange-gold)

CricketSat Assembly (2 of 16) Install resistors R5, and R6. Solder and clip leads. Resistors are not polarized, orientation not important R5, 33.2k Ohm (orange-orange-red-red-brown) R6, Resistor value dependent on channel number. It will be the remaining blue resistor in your kit.

CricketSat Assembly (3 of 16) Install resistors R7, and R8. Solder and clip leads. Resistors are not polarized, orientation not important R7, 33 Ohm (orange-orange-black-gold) R8, 680 Ohm (blue-gray-brown-gold)

CricketSat Assembly (4 of 16) Insert diodes D2 and D3 as shown above. Diodes are polarized. Install with white bands orientated as shown. Solder and clip leads. D2 and D3: 1N4001 diodes. White bands to the right.

CricketSat Assembly (5 of 16) Install capacitors C5, C6, and C7. These capacitors are not polarized. Orientation is not important. Solder and clip leads. C5, C6, and C7: 0.1 micro Farad capacitors (104 marking)

CricketSat Assembly (6 of 16) Install switch and timer IC socket. Solder all pins. No clipping required. Use masking tape to hold switch in place while soldering. Make sure that socket pins are in a straight row before inserting into board. Insert socket with the notch pointing up. Socket will snap into place. Make sure that all 14 socket pins poke through board before soldering. Notch

CricketSat Assembly (7 of 16) Install D1, the red light emitting diode (LED). The LED is polarized. The longer lead is positive (+). Orientation is marked on the circuit board. Insert LED flush to circuit board. Solder and clip the leads.

CricketSat Assembly (8 of 16) Install capacitors C1, C3, and C4 as shown above. These electrolytic capacitors are polarized. The side with the white band is negative. The positive capacitor lead is longer. Solder and clip the leads. C1, C3, and C4: 47 micro Farad capacitors White bands towards switch White band

CricketSat Assembly (9 of 16) The 5-Volt regulator (U2) is polarized. Orient with the flat surface as shown above. Insert to this height. Solder and clip the leads.

CricketSat Assembly (10 of 16) Install J1 2-pin speaker header as shown, longer leads on topside of circuit board. Use masking tape or rest on table to hold in place while soldering. Solder shorter leads. Do not clip. Longer leads for speaker connection

CricketSat Assembly (11 of 16) Install U3 transmitter module as shown, with the metal can facing the outside of the board. Use masking tape or rest on table to hold in place while soldering. Solder and clip leads.

CricketSat Assembly (12 of 16) Route 2 of battery clip wires down through the inner strain relief holes as shown. The red lead through the hole closest to B+ and the black lead closest to B-. Push the bare ends back up through the B+ and B- holes. Pull the wire, removing most of the slack, leaving small loops. Solder wires in place on the TOP side of the circuit board. Clip the leads. Pull on the wires to remove any remaining loops. Solder here

CricketSat Assembly (13 of 16) Insert bare end of antenna wires into OUTER holes as shown. Let circuit board rest on wires, propped in air as shown. Solder and clip leads. Route free ends of antenna wires up through inner strain relief holes. Pull wire until no loop exists below board. Bend the remaining loop as needed to finish task. Bend the wires to a 45 degree for best performance.

CricketSat Assembly (14 of 16) Install capacitor C2 flush to the circuit board as shown to the right. Wiggle and push as necessary. Orientation for this capacitor is not important. Solder and clip leads. C2: 0.01 micro Farad capacitor (103F marking).

CricketSat Assembly (15 of 16) Install the thermistor, R1 as shown. Solder and clip leads. R1: 10k Ohm thermistor at 25degrees C.

CricketSat Assembly (16 of 16) Install the TS556 timer IC, U1 as shown. Pins are flared outward. May need to slightly bend inward before inserting into socket. Check alignment before pressing into place.

Testing Slide power switch to OFF position. Attach a 9-Volt battery Slide power switch to ON position. Wait up to 30 seconds for the LED to turn on briefly. If the LED does not light, proceed to the next slide, Troubleshooting Connect a speaker from the receiver kit to the speaker jack (J1) You should hear a faint tone periodically. Remove the speaker to enable the LED and RF transmitter to operate. Test the unit with a CricketSat receiver. You should be able to monitor CricketSat sensors several hundred feet away. The range for balloon flights may exceed one mile.

Troubleshooting No sound or lights, no smoke –Insure that slide switch is working properly –Check if battery leads are correctly attached to board, red +, black - –Check if D1 and D2 diodes are properly installed, white band is - –Check if U1, U2 and U3 are installed properly –Try another battery Sound, but no lights –LED may be installed backwards Lights, but no receiver sound –Turn volume control on receiver to a median setting. Should hear hissing sound.

Contact Info Michael Fortney UVM CricketSat Website –