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I’m off work today (I was on vacation at the beach most of the week.) and I decided to tackle the MintyBoost kit that came in last week.
This was my first kit and my second attempt at soldering and it worked first try so I would consider that a big success. I had already put it all together before realizing that I didn’t have any pix of the underside of the PCB. Just as well, it’s functional but not pretty.
One thing I changed from the instructions was to use a dremel tool to make the hole for the USB port instead of using snips to cut through the top of the case. I think it looks better and it should be more sturdy.
Looking forward to more electronics kits, this one was a breeze. I need to resurrect one of my old laptops and move it out the garage. The kit instructions were online only and I don’t want to take my good laptop out to the garage amid the dirt/metal filings/sawdust. I ended up printing out the main soldering instructions.
Thanks LadyAda and Adafruit Industries for a great starter kit.
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I just built mine as well, except I put two 2-aa holders (parallel) into a larger altoids tin. holders fit perfectly snug sideways. I can either use 2 or 4xAA depending on how much juice i need.
Now, would it be feasable to glue a solar panel on top of the altoids lid to trickle charge the NiMh batteries?
Comment by presidentpicker — June 24, 2009 @ 10:06 pm
Great idea on using a dremel to cut the hole for the connector, it looks great! I foolishly used my Xcelite diagonal cutters insted of snips and they’ve never cut the same since then.
Comment by Matt — June 25, 2009 @ 11:04 pm
Got my mintyboost assembled. Directions were clear, concise, and correct. Solder pads have gotten smaller since the last Heathkit I built in 1978….I’m definitely going to have to buy a good magnifying glass
And a better iron.
The kit was a great way for my to get back in touch with building stuff, thanks a lot.
BTW I also used my dremel to cut the hole. MUCH sturdier than cutting thru the edge. I coated the inside of my tin and the back of the board with clear nail polish for a little extra protection against shorts.
Can’t wait to get my Arduino and motorshield running. I’ve been smashing old laserprinters for motors and am looking forward to playing around.
best regards,
zuk
Comment by bill zukley — July 29, 2009 @ 11:06 pm