RF1 Assembly Instructions
RF1 v.5 Assembly Instructions.
For older boards visit: RF1 5V 0.4 and earlier Assembly InstructionsBefore we begin, inspect your BOM and make sure you have all the needed parts.
For BOMs which were shipped during 2014: Note that there are four ceramic capacitors and they may look exactly alike except for the markings; don't mix them up.
Form BOMs Shipped in 2015 Note that there are four ceramic capacitors and they may look exactly alike except for the markings; don't mix them up. The 10uF cap is blue.
Step 1:
Install the 10K resistor. ( R1 )
Step 2:
install the .1uF capacitors, C6 may use a 10uF (2015 BOM). ( C3, C6 )
Step 3:
Install the 2x4 pin female header for the radio and the 28-pin DIP socket.
Step 4:
Install the voltage regulator, Note the orientation on the PCB.
Step 5:
Install both of the 10uF capacitors next to the voltage regulator
Step 6:
Depending on your BOM, you will be installing a three-pin resonator or a two-pin crystal with two 22pF capacitors.
- Option 6.a1: Install the 16mhz crystal
- Option 6.a2: Install the two 22pF capacitors on either side of the crystal.( C4, C5 )
- Option 6b: Here you will be installing the ceramic resonator. The 1.5 version of the RF1 PCB has a problem with the resonator footprint.
Step 7 (optional):
Install the 15-pin header (multiple pin options available; female shown installed vertically). If you choose to not install the full 15-pin, it is not required to use the female header. You can friction fit the FTDI programmer when programming boards. This will save some time during assembly and may make deploying to your project easier.
Step 8:
(Optional) Install the four-pin header next to the voltage regulator
Step 9:
Install the 2.1mm DC power jack OR screw terminal
Step 10:
Plug in the DC power to a 5v power supply. A good choice for indoor and testing use would be to use one of these 5 volt 3 amp Power Adapter The voltage regulator will handle up to a 6v power supply on this board. A 5.5v may be chosen if you need to run a long wire to your pixels and account for the voltage drop.
Step 11:
With a multimeter, verify that Pin 2 on the radio header is receiving 3.3v power.
Step 12:
Verify that Pin 7 on the 28-pin socket (ATMega) has 3.3v power.
Step 13:
Install the ATMega.
Step 16:
Install the nRF24L01 radio. it will be positioned over the board, not hanging off the back.
Step 17:
- If purchased from Komby, your microprocessor should have come preloaded with the Arduino bootloader.
- You will need to program it with the code now.
- You will need an Arduino, an FTDI breakout or some other TTL serial device to program your new board. (To use the Arduino to program the chip, just program the chip on the Arduino and then move that chip to the RF1.)
Connect your programmer in the following way:
Step 18:
Now visit these pages to learn how to program the microprocessor: Getting Started Guide.