Trinket 5V
The Trinket 5V micro-controller runs code that will animate the NeoPixel Strips and NeoPixel Rings. The Trinket has enough memory to power about 100 NeoPixels. To power the Trinket, we'll use a lithium polymer battery. Most of our lithium polymer batters have JST connectors. The Trinket doesn't have a JST connector on board, so we'll have to solder one on!
Tin Trinket
Secure the trinket upside down to a panavise jr or third helping hand. This helps you tremendously while soldering! Add solder to the +Postive and -Negative pads on the back of the Trinket, right below the USB port.
Trinket JST Connector
Measure a JST extension cable to about double the length of the Trinket and cut the cable. Use wire strippers to strip the ends of wires with the female JST connector. Solder the positive and negative wires to the bottom of the trinket where the positive and negative pads are tinned with solder.
Prep Trinket + Jumper Cables
Add a bit of solder to the GND, BAT, and #0 Pins on the Trinket. Grab three female jumper cables and snip off one of the ends. Use wire strippers to expose the tip of the wires.
PowerBoost 500C
The power boost 500C will provide enough current to power the NeoPixel strips and rings. We can get about 100 NeoPixel LEDS to animate properly at full brightness. The Powerboost 500C also has an on-board lipoly charger so you can recharge a lithium polymer battery over USB.
PowerBoost 500C JST
Grab the other half of the JST extension cable with the male connector and strip the negative and positive wires. Solder the wires to the +positive and -negative pins on the Powerboost 500C.
Slide Switch Wires
Measure and cut 3 strips of stranded wires to about 30mm in length. Expose the ends of the wires using wire strippers.
Solder Wires to Slide Switch
Secure the slide switch to the panavise jr. Use a third helping hand to hold one of the wires up against one of the terminals. Once the wire and the terminal are secured and touching, add the soldering iron to the terminal and solder it while they're both in place.
Shrink Tube Slide Switch
Seal off the soldered connections by slipping on some pieces of heat shrink tubing. Just add heat to shrink!
Install Slide Switch
Bundle the 3 wires and thread them through the slide switch opening in the enclosure (trinket-box.stl). Carefully fit the slide switch through the opening and snap it into place.
Secure Slide Switch
Add some E600 to the top ands sides of the slide switch to permanently secure it to the enclosure.
Solder Slide Switch Wiring to PowerBoost
With the slide switch installed to the enclosure, strip the other end of the 3 wires and solder them into the PowerBoost 500C following pins.EN, GND, VBAT
NeoPixel Strips
Use a panavise Jr to secure the end of the NeoPixel strip with the arrow pointing out towards the right. Snip off the end if wires are soldered on. Tin the three pads with solder.
Solder Jumpers to NeoPixel Strip
Grab 3 male jumper cables and snip off the one of the ends of each. Strip the wires and solder them onto the GND, DIN and 5V pins of the strip.
Tin NeoPixel Rings
Secure the 16x NeoPixel ring in place with a panavise. Tin the 4 pins, GND, DIN, D0UT, and PWR.
First NeoPixel Ring
Cut six strands of wire wrap and strip the ends. Solder one wires to each of the 4 pins on the NeoPixel Ring. GND and PWR pins will need two wires solder them.
Thread First NeoPixel Wiring
Group the GND, DOUT, and PWR wires together and carefully thread them through the hole in the left eye of the neoring-holder.stl part.
NeoPixel Input Wiring
The remaining wires should be GND, PWR and DIN. These three need to be threaded through the slit on the back of the neoring-holder.stl part.
Fit NeoPixel Ring Wiring
Carefully tuck the wiring to the inside of the cavity on the neoring-holder.stl part.
Install First NeoPixel Ring
Gently insert the NeoPixel Ring into the cavity without kinking the wiring. Press it down into place once the wires are tucked inside the neoring-holder.stl part.
Second NeoPixel Ring
Position the second NeoPixel ring over the neoring-holder.stl upside down and thread the three wires into the Gound, 5V and Data Input pins.
Solder Second NeoPixel Ring
Leave a bit of slack for each wire and cut to shorten them. Use a third helping hand to secure the NeoPixel ring in place while you solder the wires to the GND, 5V and DI pins.
Chained NeoPixel Rings
The NeoPixel Rings should have a really tight fit in the neoring-holder.stl part. If you ever need to remove the rings from the housing, you totally can! Use a flat head screwdriver, knife or blade to lift up the PCB from out the housing.
Install Second NeoPixel Ring
Just like the first ring, gently tuck the wiring inside the holder and carefully snap the ring into place.
No Kinks!
Make sure you don't kink any of the wires, it's very thin wiring that's easy to damage. Use a paperclip or similar to tuck any excess wires inside the cavity.
Installed NeoPixel Rings
Yey! The NeoPixel rings are now installed into the housing. Looks like a pair of glasses doesn't it?
NeoPixel Ring Adapter
Grab the neoring-adapter.stl part and thread the three wires from the neopixel ring through the center of the hole.
Thread Wires through Adapter
Line up the two holes on the neoring-adapter.stl part with the neoring-holder.stl part and make sure they're touching on the flat sides.
Secure Adapter to Ring Holder
While holding the two parts together, insert screws and fasten them to join them together. Use 2 #4 3/8' flat phillips screws.
Prep Jumper Cables for NeoPixel Rings
Grab three female jumper cables and remove one end of the clip holder with a thin tool like an xacto knife or flat screw driver. Repeat for the 3 wires.
Tin Jumper Cables
Add a bit of solder to the inside of the exposed female jumper cable. Slip on the covers that were removed from the female jumper cables onto the three wires of the NeoPixel Ring.
Solder Wire Wrap to Jumper Cables
The three wires from the NeoPixel ring will be soldered to these jumper cables. Heat up the jumper cable that has a bit of solder and insert the wire wrap into the exposed female jumper cable while its heated up.
Seal Wire Connections
Slide each of the plastic covers back onto the jumper cables and make sure they clip back into place.
Page last edited July 14, 2014
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