Assembly Instructions

Last updated: 2020-06-06

Instructions are in beta

If you have any issues or feedback for these instructions, do not hesitate to contact me via email at hello at lifeclo.cc

Preparation

Prerequisites

You should know how to solder. This project is perfectly doable with just a soldering iron and solder, but knowing how to use solder flux and a desoldering wick will definitely make your life easier.

Required Tools

  • Soldering Kit
  • The Parts in the Parts List
  • This instruction manual

Recommended Tools

  • Tweezers
    For picking up small parts and assembling them
  • Needle Nose Pliers
    For bending the pins out of the way
  • Wire Cutters (or nail clipper)
    For cutting the legs after soldering
  • Soldering Arm
    For holding the parts in place while soldering
  • Soldering Fan (or a well ventilated room)
    For keeping fumes out of your face

Parts List

Part Count PCB Label Image
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 1 -
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Teensy 2.0++
with Header Pins 		1 U2
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DS3231 Module
with CR2032 Button Battery 		1 U1
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Micro USB Module 1 J1
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SET LED
Colours may vary 		1 D1
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BDAY/TIME/DATE LED
Colours may vary 		3 D2 D3 D4
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BTN LED
Colours may vary 		1 D5
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Tactile Buttons 3 SW1 SW2 SW3
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500Ω Variable Resistor
Label 501 		1 RV1
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4511 DIP-16 IC
BCD to 7-segment decoder 		10 U3 U4 U5 U6 U7 U8 U9 U10 U11 U12
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7-segment display
Common Cathode
5161AG = Green Display
5161AS = Red Display 		10 U13 U14 U15 U16 U17 U18 U19 U20 U21 U22
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22Ω / 150Ω Resistor

22Ω for Green Display
150Ω for Red Display


Trouble identifying resistors?

10 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15 R16 R17 R18
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470Ω Resistor


Trouble identifying resistors?

5 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5
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10kΩ Resistor


Trouble identifying resistors?

3 R6 R7 R8
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Micro USB Wire
Used for power only, to program it you need a mini USB wire. 		1 -
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Best Practices

Always check the direction of the componets before soldering it. If you have mistakenly soldered an IC upside down, it is very difficult to remove and redo it. In the event that happens, you will likely need a solder wick and a lot of patience.

For soldering any component, it’s best to solder only one pin first and then check if it’s aligned. If it’s not aligned, you will be able to melt the solder and reposition the component/ After that, solder the second pin that’s diagonally across. By doing this, you can be sure that the component is positioned correctly before soldering the rest of the pins.

For all components, you can choose to use Male to Female header pins instead of soldering them directly to the board. This means that you can easily remove and replace components if necessary.

Video Tutorial

This video tutorial runs through the same steps as the instructions below. Just that it's in video form.

Assembly Video

Assembly

Step 0 - Test Teensy Microcontroller

Plug the Teensy into any USB port with the provided Mini USB cable.

The onboard LED should flash 4 times. This indicates that the device is running properly.

Step 1 - Install Microcontroller

The Teensy will come with all the header pins separate from the board. You will need to solder the header pins to the board and to the Teensy.

Warning

The Teensy Microcontroller has small resistors and other components on board. When soldering, take care not to desolder or short circuit anything on the board.

This part is slightly tricky, because if you don’t align the pins properly, you won’t be able to fit them into the board later on. The trick is to place all the pins into the PCB, then place the Teensy in without soldering anything.

After that, solder the two corners of the Teensy and the two corners on the PCB. The reason we do this is that if we make any mistake, we can easily heat up the pins and readjust them.

With that, the rest of the pins will be held in place and you can take your time to solder the rest without worrying that the pins will fall out.

Installation in Pictures
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These are the header pins provided.
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Puts the header pins in first.
The pins in the middle are not strictly necessary since they're unused, unless you intend on reprogramming it.
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Place the teensy without soldering anything
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Solder only the corner pins on the top
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Do the same for the bottom ones.
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If it's not aligned at this point, heat up the pins and adjust the microcontroller. Once properly set, solder all the pins.

Checkpoint

Plug in the Teensy to make sure that it's still working

Step 2 - Install Power Port

Solder the header pins onto the Micro USB breakout first.

After that, fit the breakout board into the area labelled Micro USB Module, and solder a single pin. This will allow you to align the board before committing to all of them.

After you have soldered all the legs to the PCB, you can bend the legs or cut them off.

Installation in Pictures
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Parts required.
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Solder single pin onto breakout and adjust to liking before soldering the rest.
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Place breakout into the PCB like so.
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Solder a single pin and check if the breakout board is properly set. Once satisfied, solder the rest of the pins.
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Bend or cut the pins below.
(Picture shows the pins bent flat.)
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Final state.

Take Note

This breakout only provides power to the board and does not allow you to program the Teensy. If you want to program it, please refer to the programming section.

Checkpoint

Plug the micro USB cable in. The Teensy should light up and blink 3 times.

Step 3 - Install Buttons

You will need to solder the buttons into SW1, SW2, and SW3, and the 10KΩ Resistors into R6, R7, R8. The directions of these components do not matter.

Installation in Pictures
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Required parts for this step. The resistor is the 10kΩ one.


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Remove the paper and bend the resistors into an n shape. This will make it easier to insert into the board later.
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Insert the resistors and buttons into the holes shown in the photo. Direction does not matter.
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(Optional) Bend the button pins down and straighten the resistor pins so they are not touching.
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Solder all the parts and cut off the excess.

Checkpoint

Plug the Teensy in
When you press the buttons, the LED on board the Teensy should light up to indicate that it detects the button presses.
Unplug the device before continuing to solder.

Step 4 - Install Indicator LEDs

Solder three LEDs into D1

Solder one LEDs into D2, D3 and D4

Solder one LED into D5

Take Note

The LEDs are directional. The shorter leg goes into the square hole.

Installation in Pictures
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Required parts for this step. The resistor is the 470Ω one. The LEDs shown here are clear by mistake, but your package will have the colours. Colours may vary.


Trouble identifying resistors?

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Observe the LED legs, the shorter leg goes into the square hole. Note that the left LED has the shorter leg on the right.
Insert the LEDs into the board.
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Flip the board around, then bend the LED and resistor legs outwards, then solder them.
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Cut off the legs.
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Here is the completed version. The LEDs shown are clear but in the package you should have a coloured one.

Checkpoint

Plug the Teensy in.
All the LEDs should flash as it boots up. This will indicate that it’s all working.
When you press the TIME and DATE buttons, the TIME and DATE LEDs should light up.
When you press and hold the SET button, the SET MODE LED should light up.
When you press and hold the TIME button, the BDAY and SET MODE LED should light up.
Unplug the device before continuing.

Step 5 - Install Clock Module

The clock module is the one with a battery. Remove the battery before installation. It comes with the pins bent at a right angle. You will need to bend the pins so that they are straight. Insert the module into the area labelled DS3231 Module goes here and solder it in.

Insert the battery after installation.

Installation in Pictures
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This is the clock module. Remove the battery before soldering it.
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We want to bend the legs so that it can more easily go into the hole. You can either use a pair of pliers to do so, or stick it into the board and bend it as shown.
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This is what it will look like from below. Solder one pin first, then adjust the module to your liking.
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Solder the rest of the pins. You can either bend them down as shown or cut them off.
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Reinsert the battery after you're done.

Checkpoint

Plug the Teensy in
The clock module should have a red light indicating that it's powered.
The only way to test if the clock is working is to finish Step 7.

Step 6 - Install Variable Resistor

Solder the variable resistor and make sure you turn the dial all the way clockwise. This will ensure full brightness when you’re testing the displays.

Installation in Pictures
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Variable resistor.
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Bend the pins down, then solder them.
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Finished. Turn it all the way clockwise to ensure full brightness when the display is installed later.

Checkpoint

No checkpoint here unfortunately.

Step 7 - Install First Digit

Solder the IC chip at U12. Make sure the small notch is facing up.

Solder the 7-segment display at U22. Make sure the decimal point is at the bottom.

Solder the resistor at R18. It doesn’t matter which way it is.

If you are using a green display, you will need a 22Ω Resistor. If you are using a red display, you will need a 150Ω Resistor.


Important

Make sure that you put the IC and Display in the right way up. Once soldered it's very hard to fix.
The IC's notch should be facing up and the display's decimal point should be at the bottom.
If you are still unsure, please watch the video installation here.

Installation in Pictures
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Grab the necessary parts.
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Insert the IC, display and resistor in the rightmost slot.
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Bend the pins down to secure them. You can choose not to bend the display and resistor pins for now if you want to cut them off later.
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Solder everything
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Turn it on. You should see all the existing LEDs blink, including the display blinking.

Checkpoint

Plug the Teensy in
The first digit should show an 8 as the device boots up. Then it should start counting down.
If this happens, that means the clock, and the Teensy are both working!

Step 8 - Install Rest of Display

Repeat step 9 for the other digits. You can test each one after you install it. Please make sure you don't solder while the device is plugged in.

Important

I've mentioned this in the previous section, but it bears repeating
Make sure that you put the IC and Display in the right way up. Once soldered it's very hard to fix.
The IC's notch should be facing up and the display's decimal point should be at the bottom.
If you are still unsure, please watch the video installation here.

Installation in Pictures
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Grab the parts.
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Put them all in. Check the direction.
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Bend all the pins down.
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Solder everything.
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All digits should light up when powering on.
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It will start counting down.

Checkpoint

Plug the Teensy in
All the lights should blink to indicate that it's working.

Step 9 - Testing and Setup

Debug Mode

To enter debug mode, press and hold all 3 buttons for 3 seconds. This will cause all the lights to blink. This helps you determine if ther are any broken parts.

Debug Mode

Turn the brightness dial to make sure it's working

Setting the date and time

Please refer to the operation manual to setup the date, time and birthday.

Checking if clock is working

Unplug and plug it back in, the countdown should not have reset. (Make sure your button battery is in the clock module)

Troubleshooting

Display Issues

Some segments not lighting up or are brighter than others
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Segment on the 5th digit from the right is missing.
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Check your soldering. In this case, there is a short circuit as well as a missing solder.
Whole digits are not lighting up
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Digits are behaving strangely, and numbers aren't showing up properly, but in debug mode, all the lights are correct.
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Check your soldering. In this case, there is a short circuit on the Teensy, so it can't control the segments properly.

Programming

This board was made to be hackable. What that means is that the source code is open and you are free to do whatever you want to do with it.

In order to program this, you need to download the arduino IDE, and the Teensyduino plugin. You also need a mini USB B cable to program it.

The pins on the top of the board also act as a breakout to the Teensy, so you can attach other devices to the Teensy if you wish.