The shield comes with all surface mount parts pre-soldered. All that remains is to install the headers!

Cut the Header Sections

Cut the breakaway header strip into sections to fit the holes on the edge of the shield. You will need 2 sections of 6-pins and 2 sections of 8 pins.

You can use wire-cutters as shown or pliers to snap them apart between pins.

Insert the Headers into an Arduino

To align the header strips for soldering, insert them (long pins down) into the headers of an Arduino.

Note that for R3 and later Arduinos, there will be an extra 2 unused pins on the end closest the USB and DC power jacks.

Add the Shield

Place the shield over the header strips so that the short pins stick up through the holes.

And Solder!

Solder each pin to assure good electrical contact.

For tips on soldering see the Adafruit Guide to Excellent Soldering.

This guide was first published on Aug 29, 2012. It was last updated on Mar 14, 2024.

This page (Assembling the Shield) was last updated on May 03, 2013.

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