Build
Build Instructions for the Metaboard
Step 1
First check the sheet that came with you kit to make sure you have all the parts to assemble the kit.
Next, take out the blank PCB. We will start with the resistors. There will be 4 resistors labeled R1-R4 in a row next to each other.
The one labeled R4 will be the 1k5 ohm resistor.(Brown / Green / Black / Brown / Brown) It doesn’t matter which direction you put these in. R3 is the 1M ohm resistor.(Brown / Black / Black / Yellow / Brown) R1 and R2 are both the same 68 ohm resistors. (Blue / Gray / Black / Gold / Brown) The best way to put these in is to insert the two ends through the holes and after you have the resistor pushed down, bend the legs on the other side of the PCB. This will prevent the part from moving around while you are trying to solder it.
Step 2
Next lets put the Zener diodes in (D1 and D2). There is a nice picture on the PCB that shows the line on the part. These ARE important that you solder them in the right way. Make sure you double check the they are in the right way before soldering them in.
Step 3
Now we’ll put in the the rectifier diode (D3). It’s the black diode that looks similar to the zener diodes you just put in but it’s a little bit bigger. This is also an important part to put in the correct way. Check the drawing on the PCB and match up the white line with the one on the board. Bend that in and solder it.
Step 4
Next is the 16mhz Crystal. It does not matter which way you put this part in.
Step 5
C3 and C4 are the 22pF capacitors. These are the smaller light brown / orange-ish color. These also don’t need to be put in any certain way. After those are soldered in your board should look like this.
Step 6
C5 is another capacitor. This is the 100nF capacitor and It’s an orange color. When you look at C5 you will see there are 3 holes and this capacitor only has two legs. You need to put the capacitor in the outer two holes and leave the middle hole empty. Bend the legs on the other side of the board and solder it in place.
Step 7
Lets put in the tactile push button next. The button has 4 legs. Each pair is connected and when you push the button the circuit is closed. Make sure you look at the draw on the board to see which way to install the part. The picture on the board has lines showing that you should line up with each pair of legs on the push button.
Step 8
Next we’ll put in the two 10uF electrolytic capacitors. They are the tube capacitors that have a line running down the side. The side with the line is the negative side. These capacitors DO need to be put in the correct way. The longer leg is the positive side and should match up with the “+” on the board. Install both of these in C1 and C2 on the PCB.
Step 9
Let’s install the voltage regulator. It’s the bigger part that has 3 legs, has a black mid section, and a silver tab. To install this part you will need to pre-bend the 3 legs 90 degrees and feed it through the holes on the board. Make sure the the silver tab is flush along the PCB.
Step 10
Next install the 28 pin IC socket. There is a notch both the board and the part. Make sure that both the notches are lines up and solder all 28 pins on the bottom side. To make it a bit easier you can solder one corner and then solder the other corner to hold the part in place. Then continue to solder the rest of the legs.
Step 11
You should have a stick of break away male headers. Now is where you will need to break them apart. First break off a section with 2 pins and then another section with 3 pins. These will go in JP6 and JP5.
Careful when soldering these in since to hold them in place you need to be touching the part but it will heat up fast when soldering it. So don’t burn yourself.
Step 12
The last two parts to put in are the Female USB jack and the 2.1mm power jack. These are pretty self explanatory. They go in X1 and X2. The USB jack has 4 pins on the underside that need to be soldered in. You can then bend the mounting tabs over. It’s best to put a decent amount of solder on the tabs since this is what keeps the jack stable when you plug the usb cable in to program the board.
Once those are installed your board should look like this.
Step 13
This is the home stretch. Here you can make your own call on what you want to do. If you want the board to look like the Arduino and have female headers with on the input/output pins then solder in the 2 1×8 female pin headers. On the other side you will have to make a modification. The kit comes with 2 1×6 female pin headers but the second place for headers only has 4 holes. You can cut the female header down to 4 pins with a pair of wire cutters. Then you will be able solder it in.
Now put in the Atmega168p. Make sure the notch on the chip matches the notch IC socket. Check to make sure your chip has a “MB” written on it. I already configured the chips to work with the board so make sure that’s on there.
Now your board should be completed and look like this.
You can now move on to installing the Arduino IDE and programming the board. Click here for next set of instructions.