11
POPULATING THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD
Your workspace should be well-lit, well-ventilated, and disposable; that is, don’t work on the nice
dining room table! Work on a utility surface that you can burn, drill and scratch. A piece of ¼”
tempered masonite, or a chunk of MDF, makes an excellent cover if you don’t have a utility work bench.
CAUTION: Solder fumes are not healthy for you. The fumes consist of vaporized flux,
which can irritate your nose, lungs, and even your skin. You MUST work in a space where
the air drifts away from you as you work, so fumes do not rise straight onto your face.
CAUTION: Solder residue usually contains lead, which is poisonous if you ingest it. Do not
breathe the fumes, do not eat the supplies, wash your hands after you handle solder, and
sweep and wipe up your work space after EVERY USE.
The printed circuit board (PCB) holds most of the components in this amp. Nearly all of the components
will be installed on the “component side” of the board, which is the side that has the Zeppelin Design
Labs logo on it. The other side of the board is called the “solder side”, which, as the name implies, is
the side on which the legs of the components are soldered to the board. Proper technique for installing
and soldering components to a circuit board is demonstrated in our assembly reference video, but
there are several other great resources on YouTube under the search “soldering tutorial.” The general
procedure consists of the following:
1. Install the part on the “component side” of the board, by threading the wire leads through the
appropriate holes in the board. For your convenience, the board has silk screen outlines indicating
where the components should be placed, along with text indicating the part number and often
times the component value.
2. Hold the component in place with your finger and turn the board over.
3. Gently bend the leads out at about 45 degrees to keep the component from falling out of its holes.
4. Install all of one type of component, bending each of the leads as they are installed.
5. Flip the board over solder-side-up, and solder all of the components in one pass.
6. Clip the leads off (with small diagonal cutters) right at the solder joint.
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