To assemble the Stair Lighting control board you will need a soldering iron, solder, wire cutters, screw driver and pliers.

Many of the components of the kit are sensitive to static discharge. Before you begin it is important that you remove any static electricity from your body by grounding yourself. This is done by touching any grounded metal that is by the area you are going to be assembling the board. For example a bare metal computer power supply. You must ground yourself again if you walk away and return to the location you are assembling your control board.

Many of the components look the same but if installed in the incorrect location can cause damage to the control board. It is very important to ensure that the correct components are installed in the correct position. We are going to start by installing the shortest components and progress to the larger ones. When the instructions say to “install” this means to place the leads through the required holes allowing the component to sit close to the board, soldering the component in place and trimming the leads. See the appendix for diagrams of the control board. Appendix 11.3 is a board diagram showing component numbers and appendix 11.4 is a picture of the completed board for a visual reference. When component references are made such as R1, D1 C1 these can be found on the Appendix 11.3 diagram.

1. Install all resistors. Resistors positions are marked with an “R” followed by a number. Resistors are non polarized, this means that they can be install in either direction. It is very important that the correct value of resistors be used in the correct location!

There are three types of resistors used on the control board, 220 ohms and 10K ohms. The value of the resistor is represented by colored bands on the resistor.

220 ohms is RED, RED, BROWN, GOLD.
10K ohms is BROWN, BLACK, ORANGE, GOLD.
0 ohm is BLACK.

R1: 220 ohms
R2: 220 ohms
R3: 10K ohms
R4: 220 ohms
R5: 10K ohms
R6: 10K ohms
R7: 10K ohms
R8: 10K ohms
R9: 10K ohms
R10: 10K ohms
R11: 10K ohms
R12: 10K ohms
R13: 10K ohms
R14: 10K ohms
R15: 0 ohms, this resistor is not shown on the schematic since it is simply being used as a jumper.
R16: 0 ohms, this resistor is not shown on the schematic since it is simply being used as a jumper.

2. Install the diode. There is a single diode to install, it is polarity sensitive. This component is listed as D1 on the schematic. The white bar on one end of the diode represents negative. The negative lead must be installed in the hole furthest away from the terminal block location.

3. Install 18 pin chip socket. Do not install the microcontroller at this time! The socket goes in the location marked as U1, this is actually referring to the microcontroller chip but the location is the same since the microcontroller plugs into this socket. To orientate the socket properly, locate the notch. With the terminal block location at the top, install the socket with the notch facing left.

4. Install transistors. Transistors must be installed with the correct orientation. These components are marked as Q1 through Q11. All of the transistors are located adjacent to the terminal block location. With the terminal block location at the top, install the transistor with the curved portion facing left.

5. Install fuse holder. Do not install the fuse at this time! The fuse holder is two separate clips that the fuse will snap into. Install both clips. The fuse location is marked as F1. The fuse holder clips are mounted at both ends of the fuse. It is important to solder the fuse holder in securely; it will take quite a bit of heat and solder to install it properly. See the picture for an example of a proper solder joint

6. Install Power on LED.The power on LED is polarity sensitive. Its location is marked as D2. There is a flat side on the LED that represents the LED’s cathode (negative) side. With the terminal block location at the top, install the LED so that the negative side is on the right. When soldering an LED you should solder one lead then wait about 5 seconds before soldering the second lead. This will allow the LED to cool before soldering the 2 nd lead. Do not apply heat to the LED for an extended time, it can damage the LED.

7. Install terminal block. When orientating the 24 position terminal block make sure the large holes for the wires are facing away from the board. It is marked at TB1 but it is hard to miss! When soldering this in place it is important that there is no space between it and the circuit board. The easiest way to do this is solder the end pins and a center pin. Then closely inspect it to ensure there is no gap, if there is simply reheat the solder while applying moderate pressure on the terminal block. Once the 3 pins are soldered correctly you can now solder all of the other pins.

8. Install capacitors.There are four capacitors to install, three of these are polarized and must be installed in the correct orientation. Capacitors C1, C2 and C3 are polarized. There is a stripe on one side that points to the negative lead. With the terminal block location at the top, install the capacitors so that the negative side of the capacitors go to the right. Since C4 has no polarity it can be installed in any direction. Note C4 is a very small capacitor, it might not have any identification on it that specifies it to be a 0.1uF capacitor. These capacitors are usually tiny rectangular devices where the component is the size of a match head.

C1: 1000uF
C2: 0.33uF
C3: 470uF
C4: 0.1uF

9. Assemble heatsink and voltage regulator. There are two pieces that make up a single heatsink. Place the heatsink pieces back to back and insert the first nut and bold into one of the two heatsink holes. Bolt the voltage regulator to the heatsink using the second heat sink hole. The metal back of the regulator must be placed flat against the heatsink.

10. Install voltage regulator/heatsink assembly. The voltage regulator must be installed in the correct orientation. With the terminal block location at the top, install the regulator so that the face of the regulator (side with writing) is facing away from the terminal block. When soldering it may be easier if something such as a screwdriver is used to raise the board to the same height as the heatsink.

11. Install fuse.Snap the fuse into the fuse holders. Ensure that the metal end caps of the fuse are being held by the clips and not the glass portion of the fuse.

12. Install Chip. The chip is very sensitive to static electricity. Ground yourself again before removing it from its antistatic package. Do not handle the chip excessively; simply insert it into the socket that was installed in step 3. If the chip pins do not line up very easily it may be necessary to gently adjust the width of the pins by applying slight pressure against a table. When aligning the chip, place the notch of the chip in the same orientation as the notch on the socket.

All Done! Your board should now look like this.

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