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RF1 Assembly Instructions

RF1 v.5 Assembly Instructions.

For older boards visit: RF1 5V 0.4 and earlier Assembly Instructions

Before 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 )

Install the 10K resistor

Step 2:
install the .1uF capacitors, C6 may use a 10uF (2015 BOM). ( C3, C6 )

install the two .1uF capacitors

Step 3:
Install the 2x4 pin female header for the radio and the 28-pin DIP socket.

install the 2x4 pin female header for the radio

Step 4:
Install the voltage regulator, Note the orientation on the PCB.

install the voltage regulator

Step 5:
Install both of the 10uF capacitors next to the voltage regulator

Note: These are polarized caps. ( C1, C2 ) The + is indicated on the PCB and the capacitors have markings which show their polarity. When putting in the capacitors, make sure you put the long lead from the capacitor into the hole marked positive.

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

Install the 16mhz Crystal

- Option 6.a2: Install the two 22pF capacitors on either side of the crystal.( C4, C5 )

Install the two 22pF capacitors on either side of the crystal
Another view of the crystal and capacitors, installed.


- 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.
Option B Install the 16mhz Resonator
- Option 6.b1: You first need to scratch off the green on the underside of the PCB near the center hole to expose the ground plane. You will then solder the center pin to the ground plane.
Option B Install the 16mhz Resonator

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.

NOTE: The 15-pin header will interfere with the use of a screw terminal on the 1.5 version of the PCB. See Step 9 if you are using a screw terminal for power connection.

Note: The reset breakout will need its five-pin header to have the opposite (M/F) to correspond with this 15-pin header.

Optional Install 15 Pin header vertically
Optional Install 15 Pin header flat

Step 8:
(Optional) Install the four-pin header next to the voltage regulator

(Optional) Install the four-pin header next to the voltage regulator (old picture)
Or you can use the waterproof connector
Optional Install a waterproof connector
Optional Install a waterproof connector
Optional Install a waterproof connector

Step 9:
Install the 2.1mm DC power jack OR screw terminal

Note: The DC power jack is optional, You can choose to install it, or solder wires directly to the PCB. It also is possible to put a terminal block in the slots for the DC jack and have a two-pin terminal. The jack is center-positive, so the pin at the end of the jack is the (+) terminal and the other two are both GND.

The Screw terminal may not fit nicely when using the 15-pin header; note the pictures below.

Optional DC jack or screw terminal
Optional Install 15-pin header vertical — note the crowding on the 15-pin header
Optional Install 15-pin header upside down
Optional Install 15-pin header laying flat

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.

Plug in the DC power to a 5v power supply

Step 11:
With a multimeter, verify that Pin 2 on the radio header is receiving 3.3v power.

check for 3.3v power

Step 12:
Verify that Pin 7 on the 28-pin socket (ATMega) has 3.3v power.

check for 3.3v power

Step 13:
Install the ATMega.

ATMega328P-PU
ATMega328P-PU inserted

Step 16:
Install the nRF24L01 radio. it will be positioned over the board, not hanging off the back.

Radio should be positioned as shown here

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:

Connecting the FTDI programmer
Showing the correct FTDI programmer orientation

Step 18:
Now visit these pages to learn how to program the microprocessor: Getting Started Guide.