Introduction


Introduction - IRCF360 Assembly

We hope you will have a lot of fun making this kit and have many hour of enjoyment with your mechatronics project. 

To save the environment,  transportation and import duty costs,  ROBOTmaker enable local sourcing of most components by make all our kits available in different pack versions. This also applies to documentation - which means we don't send any along with the kits. Assembly instructions and user manual therefore needs to be obtained from this website. Printout only what is absolutely necessary to save some trees.

In this way we believe we are adding the most value, reducing necessary costs and helping the environment. This also applies to bulk orders. Don't subsitute parts that are critical for the functionality of the IRCF (this is clearly stated in the BOM lists) otherwise the IRCF probably won't work and we won't be able to support you. 

Regardless whether all kit parts are purchased as a full version kit or whether you buy the parts locally,  the assembly steps are still the same.  There are many ways to assemble the sensor, however,  by using the following instructions, it may help you to avoid making the same mistakes we made during prototyping stage. However if you find a better way please let us know so we can keep improving.


The following kits are available:

1. Full version - Kit contains all components listed in the Bill-of-material (BOM), apart from cables for power or interfacing ,solder,  tools, etc.)  

2. Bare-bone with microcontroller & pre-loaded firmware - This kit is a reduced version for people who don't have a PIC programmer)

3. Bare-bone without microcontroller -  This kit comes with just the PCB. All other parts can then be sourced locally. A link to the IRCF360 firmware sent to you when you purchase the kit so you can downloaded this from our website (an access key is provided at the time of purchase with a serial number)

4. Spare parts - You can also purchase all parts individually or order spare PCB's if you intend to write your own sensor firmware.


The carpenter has a useful motto, “think twice; cut once!” . When soldering, remember that a similar rule applies! …..think twice solder once!


Before you start – THINK “SAFETY FIRST”!
Before you starting to assembly the IRCF360™, please read the safety instructions and disclaimer in Appendix A.

Tools & Equipment you may need

For soldering the kit and unless your robot controller PCB has been specifically designed to accommodate the pins from the IRCF360™ , you may need to make some some cables to connect the power supply and a serial connection to your robot controller. It is therefore recommend to have the following tools and equipment:


Soldering Iron
For soldering the parts to the printed circuit board

   

Solder 
For soldering the parts to the printed circuit board


Multimeter
For testing the circuits during the assembly




Antistatic Mat
To ensure no static electricity damage any parts.

Wire Cutters 
For cutting component legs to size

 


Flat Nose Pliers
For bending components to the correct size

 

Safety Glasses 
Think "Safety First" and wear safety googles when assembling the IRCF360.


De-Soldering Pump
For sucking out solder for holes (de-soldering) in the PCB. You may need to do this if you incorrectly place components on the board or if solder accidentally spills into other pin holes. See links to some training videos on de-soldering in sections below.

Ribbon Cable*
For connection interfacing to your microcontroller project or robot controller



Female Pin Header*
For connection interfacing to your microcontroller project or robot controller





Masking Tape
For keeping components in place whilst soldering






3rd Hand
Useful gadget to hold the board steady whilst soldering parts.

 


                   

Shrink Sleeve Tubing*

For connection interfacing to your microcontroller project or robot controller



 

*These parts may not be necessary to possess if the IRCF360 connects directly into your robot controller board (see pinout diagram)

Training
The kit is intended to be suitable for anyone with basic soldering experience, from age 14+ (under adult supervision). 

If this is your first time soldering,  then please read the many tips & tricks available on the Internet. Some  links to good examples are included here for your convenience:

and:

The pads on the IRCRF360 PCB are very small and will easily break-off if your soldering iron is too hot or if you keep de-soldering joints. Try practising on some spare breadboard first!

The easy-to-follow guide will take you through each step in a logical manner, which ensures that the module works fine first time round.

User Support

If you have any questions or in are in doubt about anything during the construction of this kit, then please ASK FIRST! It is always best to ask before doing something wrong!


Just create a support ticket by making filling in the form -> here. 


We will log your support request and respond to your questions as soon as possible. Please remember we are operating on a part-time basis, so support may take several days. Please also include as much details about your project with pictures or videos, so this will help us find resolutions quicker.