Serial Cable, Install Chips | SRS Labs SRS Robot Level 1 Kit

AVR Robot Controller 1.1 Assembly Instructions

Install Chips

Be sure to inspect the board before applying power. Connect the battery pack to the 3-pin header next to the switch (JP13). With the switch in the on position (toward the near edge of the board) the red power LED should light.

Now you can install the various chips. (Turn off power to the board first.) All chips are installed with the notch (pin

1)oriented away from the switch and voltage regulator (the notch is on the left side in the photos above). The RS232 driver is installed in the location closer to the ATmega16; the 754410 H-bridge is near the 2x3 headers.

Serial Cable

The kit includes materials to make a serial interface cable that can be used to connect the ARC board to your PC. This is useful when debugging your programs as it allows the program to tell you what is going on.

For this step, you will need:

1 - serial adapter PCB (the one with “Gnd Tx Rx” labeling)

1 - DB9 solder cup

3’ - 4-conductor cable

3 - female crimp pins

1 - 1x3 connector housing

1 - cable tie

Strip one inch of gray insulation from each end of the 4-conductor cable to expose the wires. Snip off the bare wire and one of the four insulated wires.

Strip 1/4” of insulation from the ends of each remaining wire and tin the exposed ends.

Trim the tinned wire to 1/8” long.

Solder to the crimp pin sockets and crimp the pins to the wire, as shown in the pictures below.

Insert the crimped pins into the connector housing. The pins should snap into place when inserted correctly.

Mark the 3-pin socket with Rx, Tx, and GND, as shown in the picture on the right. A piece of masking tape (not included) works well. Each line will have a corresponding label on the PCB.

Solder the DB9 connector to the board, paying attention to the orientation so each solder cup covers a pad.

Solder the wires to the board, referring to the socket connector to determine which color wire to use for each signal.

Fasten the cable to the board using the cable tie. This provides strain relief.

Finished Serial Connector

11-3-2005