This is part of our Alpenglow Beginning Soldering weather-themed series. It is a solder-it-yourself through-hole board that uses self-flashing blue LEDs.
Not all weather is sunshine and rainbows! Combined with our Happy Rain Cloud and Angry Storm Cloud, these three boards are great introductions to through-hole soldering that are quick to build and sure to make you smile! Our Sunny Surprise and Radiant Rainbow are the perfect follow-ons that teach a few more skills.
Its snowflakes are exposed copper covered with HASL-lead free solder giving it it's shiny (and chilly) look.
The design on this board is super simple so you can solder the components on in any order. Personally, I like to start with the switch and battery holder. I made the holes for the battery holder snug so with a little pressure it should snap into place for easy soldering!
If you're having trouble keeping the board from moving when soldering you can use a piece of tape to hold the board down. Just be sure not to have the tape too close to where you are soldering your joint!
*Note: The battery holder and switch are made of metal so they get hot when soldering. Be careful touching them during and directly after soldering!
*I like to add a bit of extra solder so the clouds eyes look nice and smooth.
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Step 2: Solder the LEDs
I find it helpful to solder the 2 outer LEDs first and the middle on last. I usually use a spool of solder wick to support the other side of the board while soldering. (you can use anything that's a similar height to the board.)